I just read an online review of the "James Madison's Montpelier" tourist site, in which the writer called Dolley Madison "a shopaholic bimbo" and "a dunce" and stated, "no wonder Madison is forgotten." I didn't realize until that moment how captivated I had been by the American Experience's much more likable portrait of Dolley Madison and her husband James. The documentary argues convincingly that, far from being a "dunce", Mrs. Madison was the first to see the impact a clever first lady could have on her nation's politics, and one of the first to recognize the importance of America's symbols. Both the Madisons helped invent America as we know it today. In addition, Dolley led a life that's fascinating to anyone interested in that period of American history. Some professional historians might claim that Mrs. Madison was not such an important figure, but it's hard to resist this documentary's combination of sage-yet-human historians, beautifully filmed period settings, and contemporary testimony delivered by talented actors dressed in fabulous and accurate historical costumes (the importance of which cannot be overstated).
The film covers the social history of the time--and includes light moments such as Dolley's disagreements with her White House decorator--but also dramatizes Dolley's firsthand experience in the War of 1812, an episode of American history often skipped over in schools today. The portrait that emerges of the largely unbuilt Washington, DC, of Dolley's day might be downright shocking to anyone who has spent time in that city recently--although the politics haven't changed that much. This is definitely a "pro-Dolley" film, but the producers do not ignore her flaws: actors portraying two of her slaves describe memorable dark moments in their lives with the Madisons.
The documentary does follow the standard conventions of the American Experience series, so if you don't care for their narration/photo system, you won't find this episode substantially different, except that it relies more on actors' interpretations, which are sometimes quite lively. My only wish was that the characters had been labeled on screen--it was hard to remember the identity of every talking head. Otherwise, I found this an excellent documentary that I would recommend to friends, students, old and young people looking for inspiration...and Jane Austen fans.
The film covers the social history of the time--and includes light moments such as Dolley's disagreements with her White House decorator--but also dramatizes Dolley's firsthand experience in the War of 1812, an episode of American history often skipped over in schools today. The portrait that emerges of the largely unbuilt Washington, DC, of Dolley's day might be downright shocking to anyone who has spent time in that city recently--although the politics haven't changed that much. This is definitely a "pro-Dolley" film, but the producers do not ignore her flaws: actors portraying two of her slaves describe memorable dark moments in their lives with the Madisons.
The documentary does follow the standard conventions of the American Experience series, so if you don't care for their narration/photo system, you won't find this episode substantially different, except that it relies more on actors' interpretations, which are sometimes quite lively. My only wish was that the characters had been labeled on screen--it was hard to remember the identity of every talking head. Otherwise, I found this an excellent documentary that I would recommend to friends, students, old and young people looking for inspiration...and Jane Austen fans.
