Customer Reviews

The Speeches Collection - John F. Kennedy [VHS]

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Given that these collections have to be pretty short -- typically 70 minutes -- this one has an amazing range of good material in it. Nearly every major speech of the 1960 campaign and of the presidency is here, althought most have to be represented by brief clips (but the clips are well-chosen). The editing of "Ich bin ein berliner", of the Texas "we will go to the moon" speech, and of the "New Frontier" (1960 convention acceptance speech) in particular, is shrewd and gives you a really good feel for what JFK was good at as a speaker -- probably the last of two great masters (the other was Martin Luther King) of the transitional style (the one we associate with FDR, Robert Taft, Adlai Stevenson, or Douglas MacArthur) in American public address.

Two unfortunate omissions are the American University "peace" address, and the complete omission of material from the Senate. There is occasional overlaying with "nostalgia" footage but it's mercifully brief and seldom obscures the speeches themselves. Clips of the speeches addressing the federalizing of the Alabama Guard in the U of A integration struggle, and of the announcement of the blockade during the Cuban missile crisis, are excellent but it's unfortunate that they are not longer. But these are quibbles.

Some truly great stuff here; a very good cut of the Inaugural (with most of the famous quotes given their proper contexts); nicely chosen clips of the Kennedy-Truman "open convention" squabble; a couple of extemporaneous excoriations of Nixon; the address to Protestant ministers on the subject of Kennedy's religion. Definitely one for your collection if you are interested in public speaking, or if you teach speech or history.

The Speeches Collection: Volume 1 is an impressive and very highly recommended two-disc, 4 hour DVD presentation of great speeches by John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., Gerald Ford, and Ronald Regan. A profound amalgamation of words that both defined and turned the wheels of history, The Speeches Collection is would make a welcome and invaluable addition to school and community library Video/DVD collections.

I work in the political field. Presidential history is one of my specialties. I am a former history teacher, also, who collects political memorabilia and went to high school and college (Florida State University) in the Kennedy-Johnson era. It was a wonderful era and this is a top-notch tape, if you like JFK. Ignore the comments about poor production. This is sometime after Kennedy, production techniques have improved considerably. I am selective about what I purchase and believe me, there is nothing about this tape, in my considered and historically-based opinion, that should make the JFK afficionado have second thoughts about buying it!

The other reviews of this video are correct in the fact that it is marred by choppy editing and sometimes poor video quality. Also, the lack of any narration beyond those in the newsreel clips might be confusing to those who know little about the period.

However, forget what I just said and buy this tape anyhow. Just to be able to hear the words of this great and inspiring American is a blessing.

John F. Kennedy's message of courage, dedication, and sacrifice for the common good are as relevant today as they were 40 years ago. If you were born after JFK, then you definately need to see this video. If more people listened to what Kennedy was saying and tried to live up to his challenge, then this country would not be in the sorry situation that it now is. This is particularly applicable to the current self-serving national and business leadership of our country.

Listen to John F. Kennedy, and remember a time when our national leadership was concerned with goals much higher than just making as much money as possible at the expense of everyone else. To listen to this inspiring speaker is to be challenged to make our country the great place it could be.

this is a good tape for those interested in Kennedy, but there are some problems.
first of all, they concentrate to much on his LA Speech. most of the tape is on that speech.

secondly, they never show his American University Speech where he gave the famous "We all breathe the same air, we all cherish our children's future, and we are all mortal" speech.

also, in his inaguration speech, they cut out to much, then the tape messes up, and they catch a little after he starts his "ask not" speech.

good tape, but could have been alot better.
show JFK at his best. show his American Universiy speech and also throw in his speech about accompanying Jackie in Dallas.

JFK was no doubt one of the greatest orators of the 20th century. At a minimum, his words inspired a vision and left an impression that audiences wouldn't soon forget and that's why I'm thoroughly dissapointed with this compilation of speeches. Not only are there notable omissions such as his American University address, but the current selections used are too short and hardly worthwhile watching in 3 minute segments. The tape itself is not very long and certainly if the producers were willing, some of these speeches could've been lengthened or shown in their entirety, as well as others incorporated. Instead what we have here is a bunch of useless footage that unless the watcher understands the major events of JFK's presidency or the man in particular, you're left scratching your head and wondering what motivated the speech or shaped the man's views in that regard. I think a narration on the side would've helped here. Not worth the money.

On the downside, you get poor production quality, purple faces, sloppy editing, and cheesy titling. This production is like something your uncle would put together in his basement. (The last part of Kennedy's inauguration speech is marred by bumping microphones and gyrating camera moves, ruining the closer - is this the best footage available?) On the plus side, it's JFK at his best; if you're inclined to watch speeches at all, this one may be worth a look.

I bought this in order to hear Ronald Reagan's "evil empire" speech. However, in spite of the fact that "evil empire" is quoted on the back of the DVD's cover, one never actually gets to hear Reagan utter the phrase that shook the Soviet apparat. Instead, his speech to the National Association of Evangelicals is inexplicably cut off after he refers to the Soviet Union as "the focus of evil in the modern world" - some three paragraphs BEFORE one would have heard him implore his audience not to ignore "the facts of history and the aggressive impulses of an evil empire". Talk about "Hamlet" without the Prince. Irritating, to say the least . . .

The other reviewers were correct in their comments about the quality of the production of this tape. Editing is sometimes choppy and some of the video quality is poor.

However, forget what I just said and buy this tape anyhow. Any chance to watch and listen to this great and inspiring American is a blessing. To those born after JFK, you definately need to listen to John Kennedy.

John F. Kennedy's messages of courage, challenge, and sacrifice for the common good are as relevant today as they were forty years ago. If more people listened to these inspiring messages and heeded JFK's words, our country would not be in the sorry state it is in today. This is particularly true when you look at the self-serving state of our current national and business leaders.

Listen to JFK, and learn about a time when the leadership of America believed in something beyond making money at the expense of everyone else.

Wow this is such a bad tape. Their is a saying "let the buyer beware" and it applies to this tape. His first inagural is in pieces. It has tapes of two great Americans, Harry Truman and Adlai Stevenson, however this is not what I Paid for. What else can be said. John Kennedy is wonderful to listen to, to bad this tape does not represent this great Ameican.