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Jimmy Carter. Prod, by Adriana Bosch. American Experience, 2002. 180 mins. (PBS Video, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, VA 22314-1698; 800-344-3337; <[email protected]>; <http://shop.pbs.org/education/> [Sept. 15, 2003])
Jimmy Carter has been a remarkably successful former president of the United States. A Nobel laureate, a best-selling author, a man of faith and conviction whose good works are widely recognized and applauded, Carter is one of the few people who could complete the occupation line on his federal tax return with the word "peacemaker." All of Carter's post-presidential accomplishments have not, however, fundamentally altered the judgment of American voters in 1980, or serious students of the presidency since, regarding the shortcomings of his years in the White House. The American Experience documentary on Jimmy Carter takes a few revisionist steps in the direction of improving our judgments of his presidential performance, but it never ventures far from the conventional wisdom that Carter was, and is, a good man who failed to do a good job while in office.
The documentary is divided into two parts, "Jimmy Who?" and "Hostage." Both titles capture important themes in Carter's political career. When he ran for the presidency, Carter was...