Customer Reviews

Presidents Collection

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
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Five stars on this series. As a history buff, I've found these are the only documentaries on the presidents that accurately portray both sides of these controversial, complex and powerful leaders. It's a series of PBS documentaries that began in 1990 with David Grubin's "LBJ" and ended this spring (2008) with "George H.W. Bush". Included in the series, but excluded from this set for some reason is the 1993 documentary on Dwight D. Eisenhower: "IKE", hosted by David McCollugh. It was available several years ago in a box set with the other Republican presidents. But it seems to have vanished this time around. An oversight by PBS perhaps? Inability to obtain publication rights from the filmmaker? Who knows? But its absence leaves a gaping hole in American presidential history that *seems* easily remedied. Fix that, and you've got a near perfect visual lesson on the presidency during the 20th century, sans presidents Taft, Hoover, Coolidge and Clinton.

I have seen part of this collection (the first 1 hour on FDR's life-- which is incredibly done, so engaging, I'm really looking forward to watching the rest of it)

I have also watched the first 2 hours on Truman and that was well done, so informative about his life, his family, his childhood, personal things like that which help explain how he made decisions, where he was coming from etc.

What I've watched so far makes history so fascinating, so incredibly interesting. I'd say, this is a must-watch for all Americans.

I'm really looking forward to watching the complete collection.

BTW, this is a good price (it's higher on the PBS website)

These are the best documentaries on these Presidents period. Throw your others out (except the ones that have all the Presidents like PBS' wonderful American Presidents in 2000 and the History Channel's new comprehensive one).

I still think LBJ is the most entertaining one. But that owes a lot to the man himself. So many crazy stories...

And yes, I too wonder why Eisenhower wasn not included in this collection. I already own all these (plus IKE); collecting them the hard way.

Like another reviewer pointed out, the 20 Century is represented well, but remember: McKinley ushered in the 20th and thus should be included as well. And not only are Taft, Coolidge, Hoover, Clinton missing... but don't forget Harding & Ford (although they are quite forgettable).

I actually bought "FRONTLINE: The Clinton Years" from PBS as a placeholder until they do something better on Bill.

These CDs are comprehensive and well-produced. I've read a lot about the US Presidency and I still learned some new things, like how much Woodrow Wilson was stubbornly guided by his faith.

I ordered this set of presidential documentaries after seeing a couple of them on public television, including the one on the Kennedys. I love these videos--they give more historical background than I expected. The footage, photos, and interviews are all very impressive. They even captured the attention of my 10 year old niece!

Not being an avid history buff, I wasn't sure how interesting I would find these DVD bios. Fortunately, I found them all to be very engrossing, giving a great depiction of our previous presidents through a collection of interviews, video clips, and audio recordings.

This series seems to be some of the best resources of our previous presidents and is highly recommended. The only drawback is that the episode on Ike is not included in this collection. It does not seem to be available on DVD anymore, possibly due to a copyright issue. Don't let that keep you from getting this excellent set!

This was very educational and I enjoyed the series very much. Like others I wished that Ike was one in this set.

I have JFK, LBJ, George Bush Sr, Truman, FDR, Nixon. I just ordered Carter and Reagan. Seen Teddy Roosevelt's and Wilson. But no Bill Clinton, a recent 2-term President. They may be working on his now since it takes several years to produce.