The Indomitable Theodore Roosevelt (review)

Lleida) and Conquesta de Terol (The Conquest of Terol). From Biadiu are Transformació de la indùstria al servei de la guerra (Transformation ofIndustry to the Service of War), and Catalunya mártir (Catalonia martyr). Finally, several newsreels and documentary films by "Laya Films" were made in different European countries, which facilitated first-hand knowledge of the Spanish Civil War as well as the exchange of material for the news from other countries, for this Catalonian firm had delegations in such foreign capitals as London, Paris, Oslo, Brussels, Copenhagen, etc. Later, the Commissary of Propaganda, Jaume Miratvilles, with the staff of "Laya Films" tried to create a school of cinema, The Catalonian Institute of Cinema, initially located in the building of the former "Le Foyer des Francais Antifaixistes." However, this project was thwarted by the withdrawing of the autonomic rights in Catalonia when the fratricidal war was over.35 For this reason, this year, which commemorates the 50th anniversay of the Spanish Civil War, justifies the remembrance of a historical reality that stands ever open to new investigations.36 Cf. J. M. Caparros Lera, "La politique cinématographique de la Généralité de Catalogne dans les années 30", in Les Cahiers de la Cinematheque (Perpignan), in press. See another article commemorative by Rafael de España Renedo, "Images of the Spanish Civil War in Spanish Feature Films, 1939-1985", in Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, 6, No. 2, 1986, pp. 223-236; and the last book of Marcel Oms, Le Guerre d'Espagne au Cinema, (Paris, 1986). Film Review The Indomitable Theodore Roosevelt (color, 93 minutes), can be rented or purchased through Churchill Films. This piece first appeared as a Film & History FLASH REVIEW in June 1986, under the title, Of Lone Eagles and Eternal Boyhoods: A Review of The Indomitable Theodore Roosevelt. In recent weeks, the American public has been under seige by lone eagles. Qn Wings of Eagles brought us an account of billionaire H. Ross Perot's Iranian rescue mission in 1980, during which one is frequently reminded of Perot's oft stated maxim that "eagles don't flock. You have to find them one at a time." On June 1, ABC presented Harrison Engle's film The Indomitable Theodore Roosevelt which featured numerous shots of lone eagles, purportedly representing Teddy's imagination soaring over the American landscape. If we are not careful, we may soon witness a flock of eagles descending on us through our television screens. The symbolism is getting a little out of hand. Ninety-three minutes long, having taken years of Engle's life to produce, sponsored by AT&T and the Gannett Broadcasting Group, and screened at 46 the White House, the film approaches being "official history." Alas, it suffers from an excess of vacuous patriotism and a paucity of historical analysis. The opening shot of producer/director Harrison Engle's film on Theodore Roosevelt shows us an American spectacle circa 1905; numerous marchers in a parade pass by while the narrator, actor George C. Scott, intones that, "a parade is usually clear evidence that the marchers know where they are going." Engle leaves us with the belief that Roosevelt knew where America should be going and that his confidence and sense of mastery is sorely needed for our times. Theodore Roosevelt was undoubtedly "a master of communication" and radiated "the energies that capture(d) the country"; there is little doubt that he was "the most entertaining man in America" as the film states, and that the American people loved him. Notwithstanding the great contribution the filmmaker has made in retrieving and retiming old footage of the Progressive era, however, one does not get a clear picture of either Roosevelt or his times from this production. The film is a marriage of recreated scenes and archival footage. A young actor portraying Roosevelt is seen riding with his father ("the best man I ever knew"), and pumping iron to overcome his youthful physical impediments. Other scenes make it seem as though we are seeing a slice of historical reality. The camera makes the audience feel like one of TR's children, romping after him through the woods on one occasion, and listening...