Product Details

• Actors: Ronald Reagan, Stone Phillips
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Universal Studios
• DVD Release Date: July 20, 2004
• Run Time: 41 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0002IQHG6
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #79,027 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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  Movies & TV > Television > NBC News Presents

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Of the most memorable leaders of the 20th century, few shaped our life and times as did Ronald Reagan. Now NBC News, the most respected name in broadcast journalism, brings you an intimate and complete documentary portrait of one of our most beloved Presidents--from his illustrious Hollywood career, through two historic terms in the White House, and concluding with the nation's week-long commemoration following his passing.

Anchored by Stone Phillips and including exclusive, never-before-seen footage and interviews, NBC News chronicles Reagan's remarkable life and accomplishments as only the leader in television can. Don't miss this moving tribute to one of the most influential political figures of our time.

Product Description

Documentary on the film and political career of Ronald Reagan, including commemorations following his death.
Genre: Documentary
Rating: NR
Release Date: 10-AUG-2004
Media Type: DVD

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good documentary, but buy it for the Bonus Features, September 5, 2004

By	Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

NBC News Presents Ronald Reagan is an impressive DVD that all Americans can appreciate - even those who opposed Reagan's policies. It features a 41-minute documentary of Reagan's life hosted by Stone Phillips, and I was actually more impressed with the documentary than I expected to be (especially since I don't subscribe to the twice-repeated boast on the back cover hailing NBC News as the most respected name in broadcast journalism). It covers Reagan's childhood years, his acting days, and of course his political career that took him from the Governor's mansion in California to the White House. The NBC folks did put a couple of subtle little jibes in there, but overall it's a professional, quite respectful look at the life of the late 40th president.

The NBC News documentary may get top billing here, but the true heart of this DVD (and the reason it is well worth your money) lies in the Special Features. You don't have to be a Reaganite to appreciate the significance of the historic speeches included here in their entirety: President Reagan's 1981 Inaugural Address, his famous 1987 Berlin speech in which he called upon Gorbachev to "tear down this wall," and his heartfelt Farewell Address in January 1989. I was especially pleased to be able to watch the complete Berlin speech of 1987. Everyone is familiar with President Reagan's "tear down this wall line," but short clips do not place the words - and the complete speech - in their full context. On the other side of the Brandenburg Gate were a large number of East Berliners who had come to hear the speech themselves (although they could not, of course, see the President). President Reagan was addressing his words not just to the Soviets, the West Germans, and the American people, he was speaking directly to East Berliners, as well. The 1981 Inaugural Address is also a fascinating speech, wherein President Reagan lays out his guiding principles on limiting government influence and achieving peace through strength. I cannot help but be drawn to some of the people in the background, however. There is a lot of milling around by camera men, for one thing; there's also the world's most obvious Secret Service agent sticking out like a sore thumb. Most interesting to me, however, is a red-headed young man sitting on about the fourth row. Early on, he keeps bending over into the aisle as if he is battling a stomachache, then a few minutes later a member of the Honor Guard comes up to him, walks him into the background, and seemingly makes him show him his ID, after which point "Opie" disappears.

The remaining bonus features will appeal strongly to my fellow Reaganites. You have "A Day with President Reagan" presented by David Brinkley; this fascinating look at a day in the President's life was made in the first month or two of Reagan's Presidency (before the assassination attempt), and it offers a wonderful look at Reagan's leadership style, commitment to reform the economy, and his personal feelings about beginning the last and most important job of his life. Several features provide an intimate look at Ronald Reagan the man. There is a Dateline feature about a woman who corresponded with Reagan from his acting days all the way up through his Presidency - wonderful glimpses of Reagan's inner thoughts can be found in these letters, and the very fact that he, even after becoming President, continued to correspond with a pen pal and long-time fan says a whole lot about the kind of man Ronald Reagan was. You also get an episode of General Electric Theater, a show Reagan hosted for some eight years. In this particular episode, Reagan himself appears in the drama, playing a former boxer turned manager dealing with an up and coming kid who doesn't realize all his victories are arranged in advance.

The most touching and memorable Bonus Features center around the love affair between Ronald and Nancy Reagan. One discusses and provides a few excerpts from Reagan's love letters to his wife - and he wrote her tons of love letters throughout his life. Then you have a Katie Couric interview with Nancy Reagan on the Reagans' 50th wedding anniversary in 2002. The features conclude with a short but poignant look at the days of national mourning following the death of President Reagan.

Ronald Reagan is, was, and always will be my hero and idol, so I enjoyed this DVD immensely, especially the Bonus Features. Those who opposed Reagan's policies can comfortably watch this DVD to get a picture of Reagan's true self, free of political partialities and biases. And those who are ambivalent toward President Reagan or are too young to really know how much he meant to this country and to the free world can benefit enormously from hearing some of Reagan's most memorable speeches and getting a sense of how he saved America and won the Cold War.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What more could you ask for?, July 21, 2004

By	Laine Werner - See all my reviews

This comprehensive, moving, and illuminating dvd is packed with
great video from reagan's years in front of the camera.
It's almost three hours long, but the quality network production makes it zip along.
Fortunately for us and for history, so much of Ronald Reagan's life was recorded...and this NBC News gem seems to have gotten
all the good stuff.
It has all the recent coverage of his funeral, but I loved the personal things: love letters, interviews with Nancy, my fave David Brinkley spending a day in the Reagan White House.
Andthe ever-fabulous GE theatre.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well, this was just great!, July 22, 2004

By	Jack W. Knowlton (Laguna Beach, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It's the quality one would expect from NBC, but this goes beyond just reporting a litany of facts. It's an emotional tribute to a man who defined a generation. the full three hours of footage and reporting really is able to get into the details and shed light on the man. If you're interested in Regan, this is the DVD to choose!