Spring Break
Documenting Jimmy Carter
by Daniel Ortner
Arts | 11/6/07
Posted online at 2:13 AM EST on 11/6/07
/ Last updated at 11:12 PM EST on 11/6/07
Whatever you think about former President Jimmy Carter's politics or policies, the new documentary Jimmy Carter: Man from Plains, directed by Academy Award winner Jonathan Demme, reminds the viewer that Carter was, for better or for worse, the most humble, sincere and down-to-earth of our presidents and certainly the most influential ex-president in recent history with perhaps only Taft as an exception, who served as a Supreme Court justice.
The first thing to consider when approaching a high-profile documentary about any serious topic is the potential for bias. Fortunately, Demme is no Michael Moore and chooses to remain behind the camera, focusing instead on long snippets of dialogue to tell the tale of Carter's Palestine: Peace not Apartheid book tour. Demme does not shy away from giving plenty of airtime to Carter's opponents, as Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz gets more than five minutes of unfiltered and unedited talking time.
The documentary also examines the controversy over Jimmy Carter's nearly canceled speech at Brandeis last January but does not dwell on the negatives. Instead, by showing the powerful and insightful questions Brandeis students leveled at Carter during his visit, the film manages to showcase Brandeis as an institution of renown and higher learning. The film is worth watching solely for the scenes that take place at Brandeis, or at the very least to play spot-the-student during the crowd panning (though I may be biased because I found a shot of myself in the film). It is clear, however, from Carter's praise-filled comments after his speech, that he was ultimately impressed by our institution.
This film uses a very unique style I've not seen in many documentaries, and it pays off exceptionally well. The camera is not steady, but rather has the feel of the handheld camera that has come into vogue over the past several years in action films such as Miami Vice and Collateral. However, unlike previous uses of such camera techniques, Man from Plains is not frenetic or chaotic in the least. This allows the camera to settle on and hold unique positions such as close-ups of Carter's face filtered through a television monitor or other screen.
The first thing to consider when approaching a high-profile documentary about any serious topic is the potential for bias. Fortunately, Demme is no Michael Moore and chooses to remain behind the camera, focusing instead on long snippets of dialogue to tell the tale of Carter's Palestine: Peace not Apartheid book tour. Demme does not shy away from giving plenty of airtime to Carter's opponents, as Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz gets more than five minutes of unfiltered and unedited talking time.
The documentary also examines the controversy over Jimmy Carter's nearly canceled speech at Brandeis last January but does not dwell on the negatives. Instead, by showing the powerful and insightful questions Brandeis students leveled at Carter during his visit, the film manages to showcase Brandeis as an institution of renown and higher learning. The film is worth watching solely for the scenes that take place at Brandeis, or at the very least to play spot-the-student during the crowd panning (though I may be biased because I found a shot of myself in the film). It is clear, however, from Carter's praise-filled comments after his speech, that he was ultimately impressed by our institution.
This film uses a very unique style I've not seen in many documentaries, and it pays off exceptionally well. The camera is not steady, but rather has the feel of the handheld camera that has come into vogue over the past several years in action films such as Miami Vice and Collateral. However, unlike previous uses of such camera techniques, Man from Plains is not frenetic or chaotic in the least. This allows the camera to settle on and hold unique positions such as close-ups of Carter's face filtered through a television monitor or other screen.
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