LKJL84

Being a bit of a political junkie and history buff I was delighted to find this documentary about JFK. I was born during his administration and, though not a Democrat, I happily concede that no other president in my lifetime has surpassed him in terms of charisma and likability.

This series is an excellent introduction to both Kennedy's personal life and political career. Even with severe time constraints it hits the highlights admirably and is enjoyable from beginning to end. The final episode, dealing with the assassination and aftermath, was especially moving and extremely well done.

Don't expect neutral, dispassionate film-making from "Kennedy". The commentators are clearly smitten with their subject, and the most favorable possible interpretation of the facts is what we always get. An example: in trying to sum up the president's legacy the narrator boasts that Kennedy arguably had the best legislative record of any administration since FDR, a period that covers "decades". Well, that's one way of putting it. There were only 2 presidents between FDR and Kennedy, with the former dying in office less than 20 years earlier. Then there are the obligatory references to "American royalty" and "Camelot". You get the idea. To be sure, Kennedy was a courageous man with real accomplishments, but all the gushing wore a little thin with me after a while.

Overall though, as I say, it is well done. And while there probably won't be much new for die-hard fans, "Kennedy" should be pleasant viewing for just about anyone.

This series definitely merits a watch. I have seen several documentaries and TV specials about Bundy, so I was familiar with the basic facts of the case. What made this series a little different from the rest was the interviews with quite a few people I had never heard from before. Bundy's former girlfriend and her daughter are featured, along with several others who knew Bundy before the killings began. There are interviews with friends and family members of the victims, Bundy survivors, and law enforcement officials. These are voices that needed to be heard, and each one helped me to somewhat understand, and feel, the Bundy crimes in all their awfulness.

So even though I liked the series overall, the producers of the show darn near ruined it. They decided that the backdrop for their documentary would be women's liberation. There's a ton of social commentary in this thing, especially in the first couple of episodes. A string of feminists appears on camera to celebrate abortion, Vietnam War protests, women astronauts, and "having it all". No connection to the Bundy case is too thin for these people. I never was 100 percent sure of what exactly they were suggesting, but the big idea seems to be that prevailing attitudes in the 60s and 70s about the role of women in society created an environment where Ted Bundy (a republican, they are careful to state several times) thought it was ok to treat women the way that he did. They began with a point of view, and proceeded to shoehorn the Bundy story into it. The effect is jarring and bizarre, and simply isn't the devastating indictment of the patriarchy that they think it is. This series would've been much better if they had simply allowed the guests to share their memories, and left the social justice angle for another project. Of course, they would probably say that the social justice angle is exactly the point. But the result is too disjointed and preachy to suit me and, I suspect, a lot of other people.

Still, it was interesting and at times very poignant. If the Bundy story interests you at all, you should try it.