The Roosevelts: An Intimate History

Ken Burns, the documentary filmmaker who has probed quintessentially American subjects such as the Civil War, the Dust Bowl, baseball, and Mark Twain with lucidity and wit, and in so doing has elevated the form of the documentary, turns his attention to a dynastic clan more influential than the Bushes, the Clintons, or even the Kennedys.

"The Roosevelts: An Intimate History" is intimate, as promised, but is also much more than a dry and academic "history." The energy, dynamism, and drama of Theodore Roosevelt, his niece Eleanor, and Eleanor's fifth cousin and husband -- and a successor to Theodore to the White House in a time of the nation's greatest tests -- Franklin Delano Roosevelt crackles right out of the screen.

Even better is the way in which these historical figures are presented in the full context of the times in which they lived: An America saddled with huge economic disparities, predatory industrial institutions, and a class system that a nation founded upon equity and democracy should never have tolerated, but which became entrenched to the detriment of the vast majority of the population.

Enter towering, garrulous, unstoppable Theodore Roosevelt, a man made of will and vision, who took on business trusts with the same unreserved force of personality that took him into battle as the leader of a band of volunteers in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. (When was the last time a Republican president exercised himself so strenuously on the behalf of the common American?) Theodore Roosevelt's interpretation of the president's powers would curdle the blood of Constitutional originalists who today see Barack Obama's use of executive orders as an almost treasonous overreach, but the man almost single-handedly laid the foundation for immense gains not only for the middle class, but also for the nation as a whole -- a nation that learned how stability and prosperity are enhanced, rather than diluted, when its workers share the wealth. It's a timely reminder of what we once were, and what we should aspire to regain.

Distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt came from a branch of the family in many ways the opposite of that from which Theodore (or "T.R.") sprang; his part of the clan were Democrats. But this history demonstrates that ideology takes (or should take) second place to responsible, compassionate statesmanship. FDR was destined for greatness as the man who guided the United States through World War II, a defender of the free world whose two monumental partnerships were with Winston Churchill on the world stage and his own wife, Eleanor, here at home. (When was the last time a Democratic president accomplished so much for the country, and the world as a whole?)

If FDR's social and economic origins were anything but humble, his personal development flourished only after an undistinguished start. As a youth, we learn here, FDR was not well liked by others his own age; for one thing, they saw him as too eager to please; for another he was far too worshipful of his cousin, the president, something his peers found obnoxious. But what Teddy Roosevelt began, FDR (with Eleanor as his partner, despite their less than compatible domestic life) would bring to fruition.

These three icons are the focus, but Burns fills in the margins with all sorts of other intriguing characters: Parents, in-laws, children. The Roosevelts are a large family, and they exerted a push and pull on one another, as all families do; the three we most remember weren't immune to the benefits and demands of these human connections.

Burns doesn't go in for re-creations of historical moments; he relies on talking heads, archival materials, and dramatic readings. But what a cast he's assembled here! Paul Giamatti and Meryl Streep spearhead the voice talent (he reads Theodore's letters; she reads Eleanor's; FDR is voiced by Edward Herrmann). The commentators include George F. Will, biographers Patricia O'Toole, Geoffrey C. Ward, Blanche Wiesen Cook, along with historians Doris Kearns Goodwin David McCullough and people who knew, encountered, or were otherwise affected personally by the Roosevelts.

Each of the seven episodes in this series is two hours long, making for a total; of fourteen hours; even at such epic length the series still feels too short, but it never feels cramped or stingy. PBS will air the series over seven consecutive nights, from Sunday, Sept. 14 - Saturday, Sept. 20.