The Class Of The 20th Century
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“1968-1969,” in Class of the 20th Century (A&E Television Networks, 1991), 47:04 mins
This paper reviews the film “The Class Of The 20th Century, 1968 and 1969.” The chosen film is a documentary directed by Merrill Mazuer and is 47:04 minutes long. It captures different subjects relevant to the United States and which took place in 1968 and 1969. Subjects, which are discussed in the film, include the assassination of Martin Luther King Jnr., the assassination of President Robert F. Kennedy; man’s first landing on the moon, and the Vietnam War. One hundred Americans talk about the events that defined this period. Prominent personalities who shaped America’s destiny and who are discussed in the movie include Martin Luther King Jnr., President Robert F. Kennedy, President Richard Nixon, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. The film was released on 24th January, 2011
At the start of the film, the discussion revolves around fashion, clothes, hairstyles, music, race relations, and popular cultures. Discussants include popular figures like Arthur Ashe, Donna Karan, and Frank Zappa. The assassination of Martin Luther King is discussed at length and the prejudices prevalent during this period dissected. The civil rights marches and the day of King’s assassination by Earl James are covered. Lyndon Johnson and Robert Kennedy’s condemnation of the assassination as well as how it rallied Americans is shown. Subsequent assassination of President Robert F. Kennedy is discussed and the disbelief that accompanied the assassination described. The film indicates that the deaths of Martin Luther King and Kennedy changed the face of the world forever.
The film also covers the marriage of Jackie Kennedy to the Greek shipping magnet, Onassis and the storm that the marriage raised. President Richard Nixon’s campaigns and ascension to office is given a lot of prominence. The failures associated with Nixon’s previous attempts at elections are enumerated and his lessons on campaign management cited as key to his eventual triumph. Thereafter, Woodstock as a defining event in arts and popular culture is explored. Man’s first landing on the moon is also discussed in the film and the utter incredibility of this feat described. Many contributors however agree that this was a feat poorly captured by an ineloquent turn of phrase. Finally, aspects of the Vietnam War are addressed and the idealism of America and the undying belief of that time that America could actually change the world are explored.
Bibliography
Books
Busch, Peter. All the way with JFK? Britain, the US, and the Vietnam War. Oxford: Oxford University
Press, 2003. Pp. 206. ISBN 0-19-925639-X.
Murray, Polner. No More Victory Parades: The Return of the Vietnam Veteran. Holt, Rinehart, and
Winston, New York. 1971, p. 37.
Preston, Andrew. The war council: McGeorge Bundy, the NSC, and Vietnam. Cambridge, MA: Harvard
University Press, 2006. Pp. xi+320. ISBN 0-674-02198-3.