1960 / 60m - USA
Documentary
1.5*/5.0*
Primary poster

Watches

November 10, 2020

1.5*/5.0*

A documentary with historic significance (mostly technical), more interesting to see were the parallels with the current political apparatus. Though this happened 60 years ago and everything looked a lot more naive and simplistic, the bottom line doesn't seem to have changed all that much. Politics is still a cult of ego, that revolves around votes more so than about substance and values.

Documentary maker Robert Drew follows around Hubert H. Humphrey and John F. Kennedy during their primary campaign in Wisconsin. A battle between rural and urban democrats, between a man of the people and a more studious, worldly fella. It's a tight race that aptly foreshadows many of American's current political issues.

Primary is a rather pure documentary, not much context is given, the camera is simply there to register what happens. It's the kind of doc I like, but since the material isn't very unique anymore, its appeal has been limited to people with a strong liking for history. There just wasn't much here.