One could not begin to cite the endless number of new documentaries that currently are examining an assortment of issues. I could focus on one each week and still be introducing worthy titles through the winter, spring, summer, and way beyond. Granted that, cinematically-speaking, some are more successful than others, often because of how their subjects are presented by the filmmaker. Still, in 2018, it seems as if there is controversy everywhere.
Take for example WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?, put together by filmmaker Morgan Neville. WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? is a friendly, revealing biopic about the life and times of a beloved American. That would be Fred Rogers, for three decades the host of PBS’s MISTER ROGERS’ NEIGHBORHOOD. There is plenty to savor here, particularly as it offers the who’s and what’s regarding the life and times of Fred Rogers. This includes everything from how he abhorred the everyday violence that permeated children’s TV programming to how he dealt with life’s realities for kids, starting with death and divorce.
Fred Rogers was a genuinely kind person. Tom Hanks, in fact, will be playing him onscreen in a currently-filmed feature. However, where is the controversy? Who can imagine any bit of debate that may be linked to Fred Rogers? Well, near the end of the documentary, it was noted that Rogers passed away in 2003, and it was duly reported that, at his memorial service, protesters were on hand to complain about Mr. Rogers and his values in an accusatory manner. How dare he put forth the notion that children should be allowed to be who they are, to express their own distinct personalities? This acknowledgment was hurtful, so much so that I blotted out the specifics of the protesters, but the bottom line is that, in 21st-century America, the everyday kindness, courtesy, and old-fashioned graciousness of Fred Rogers are akin to controversy, to weakness. And this is heartbreaking.
Let’s cite one more documentary that is well-worth pondering. That is THE KING, a flawed but fascinating portrait of Elvis Presley and his far-reaching impact on American culture. So much already has been noted about the life and times of Elvis but here, the filmmaker, Eugene Jarecki, centers on the decline of Elvis and how it parallels the present-day decline of America. Back in the 1950’s, Elvis and his music symbolized the revolutionary changes then occurring in the U.S. Caucasian youngsters then were mesmerized by the music of black America, and Elvis was a Caucasian performer who fully understood the across-the-board appeal of a Chuck Berry and a Little Richard. But by the 1970’s, Elvis was in sad decline. This is evident in the deteriorating quality of his music and the Grade D content of his movies.
To be sure, THE KING is not without flaws. For a film that purports to depict its subject as “a champion for the working man,” there are one-too-many appearances by celebrities: everyone from James Carville to Mike Myers to Ethan Hawke. And the question of the moment is: Does Ethan Hawke know more about Elvis than you know about Elvis? However, the bottom line is that, according to Jarecki, the rise and decline of Elvis Presley parallels the rise and decline of America. This is a fact-- and it is one that is well-worth contemplating.
Rob Edelman teaches film history courses at the University at Albany. He has contributed to many arts and baseball-related publications; his latest book, which he co-edited, is From Spring Training To Screen Test: Baseball Players Turned Actors. His frequent collaborator is his wife, fellow WAMC film commentator Audrey Kupferberg.
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