American Experience: Clinton [HD]

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Clinton, one in a long line of American Experience presidential portraits, brings to the table a well-rounded and informative portrait of the president. You will walk away with an understanding of the course of his political life, and the major issues that shaped his two terms in office.

This man is perhaps least understood by people like me, who were very young when he took office and never experienced him "live." Before I watched this, I generally understood his tenure as one of a sex scandal and impeachment. Most of his other accomplishments and failures faded to the background. Thankfully, this video provides a vicarious catch-up on what happened a few years ago. Lest we turn Bill into a one-liner, it is important to watch this film, remembering what he accomplished as a politician and reflecting on his vision as a leader. Depth and fairness are really the goals of public broadcasting, and this program provides a great deal of both. The content is thoughtful and memorable.

That being said, the stylistic approach caused me to shake my head a few times in disappointment. Compare this with American Experience: FDR, which presented overwhelmingly-neutral and unembellished commentary. This film, though, at times strays into subjectivity, dramatization, and triviality. Some of the commentary takes on a tabloid style.

The problem is most noticeable with the coverage of the president's scandals. While you would hope the topic to be covered carefully and given due context, PBS seemed to adopt the popular approach - to make it an issue of book deals, high-powered wheeling and dealing, and attention-grabbing headlines. They had to have spent ten minutes of face time on the book publisher who wanted to expose the president for her own financial gain. Those kinds of people have no role in an objective documentary. It is something you would expect more from cable news, which will go to any length to make a story more than it is. You can also see the journalistic excesses in the bombastic language used by the narrator; he seems to seek drama out of every event.

This style reflects the 24-hour news cycle that began around the time Clinton took office and has degraded journalistic standards ever since. It seems the influence has spread even to PBS. If there is any degree of bias in the film, it comes from the mouths of these interviewees. Each talking head seems to have an agenda, be it defending the president or celebrating his decline.

Even with these objections in mind, I cannot but strongly endorse the program. It presents a remarkable biography that can add to the understanding of anyone who watches it. And it does so with a richness that makes the experience worthwhile. It is most of what you would expect from a quality documentary.

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