Ronald Reagan: A Legacy Remembered (2002)
Review by HTQ4
Film:
DVD:

Features:

• Reagan Family Tree from Genealogy.com
  
• "Ronald Reagan: The Many Lives" Episode of A&E's Biography
  

Released by: The History Channel
Rating: NR (suitable for all audiences)
Region: 1
Anamorphic: N/A; appears in its original 1.33:1 format

My Advice: I think we all know that ownership of this one will fall down party lines, don't you?

Regardless of your political views, you can not deny that Ronald Reagan is one of the strongest images of the American presidency of the 20th Century. Some of the most important pieces of world history happened during his eight years as president. He dealt with the the last gasps of the Cold War, the nuclear arms race, the crumbling of the Berlin Wall, the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion, the bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut, the Lebannese hostage crisis, the Iran/Contra scandal, and a single .22 caliber bullet. In light of his family's announcement of his already lost battle with Alzheimer's Disease, The History Channel put together a wonderful retrospective look at his life and how it led up and beyond his presidency.

I make no secret of the fact that Ronald Reagan is one of the people I admire most. I will admit openly that his politics, for the most part, agree with my own, and that I have amazing memories of my youth under president Reagan. This television program highlighting his life is one of the best that we could expect given the political climate of the country at this time. It is no secret that some of his own children did not agree with his political views, but this show handles that very well, too. They don't turn it into a reason to doubt Reagan's views, or to diminish his works while he was in office, instead they merely mention it and move on to the more important aspects of his two terms. It is very skillfully edited and all of the interview segments work well within the context of the presentation. Perhaps the best thing about this piece is that it focuses on the fact that Reagan really believed what he espoused to be the best policy for the American people.

The DVD is pretty good; there are only two special features on the disc. You have a list of Reagan's genealogy, which is neat, but not good for any real purpose. It is laid out very well, but it's only worth a quick look and then you're back to the menu. The best feature on this disc is the Biography episode from A&E. You might be asking what could be the difference between this and the History Channel presentation that makes up the primary material on the disc. The History Channel show focuses on his political life and presidency rather than just his life, whereas the Biography show focuses on basically everything else. Both are worth watching to get a complete picture of the man who symbolizes American life in the 1980s.

Whether or not you were a fan of Ronald Reagan's politics, this is a show that should not be missed. Its sheer historical value is immeasurable. But the fact remains that only fans of Reagan will want to add this to their collection.