Crisis: Behind a Presidential Commitment
In June 1963, director Robert Drew’s camera crew followed President John F. Kennedy and his staff as they led the nation through a period of great tension in American politics and society. Despite a recent federal ruling, Alabama Governor George Wallace threatened to deny two black students, Vivian Malone and James Hood, access to the otherwise all-white University of Alabama. The film also documents Attorney General Robert Kennedy’s attempts to advise the President on how to avoid a national crisis. This cinéma vérité documentary film uses vintage footage of key historical figures to provide an “as it happened” look at one of the most crucial standoffs in the history of the American Civil Rights Movement. Introduction by Aniko Bodroghkozy (UVA) and Andrew Rodgers (VAFF)
Date
Thu, Oct 24, 2019
Time
3:30 PM
Location
Vinegar Hill Theatre
Film Info
Director: Robert Drew
Runtime: 52 min.
Genre: Classics, Documentaries
Year: 1963
Country: USA
Language: English
Featuring: John F. Kennedy, George Wallace, Robert F. Kennedy, Vivian Malone, James Hood, Nicholas Katzenbach