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I’m not very big into politics, never have been, never will be but I do like to keep up with current affairs daily, I like to know what’s going on in the world and here in America. Since moving to the States in 1994, I have been witness to three different Presidents, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. I have my likes and dislikes but that will stay with me because even though I may not like a particular President, I do respect the office of the President. Growing up in Dublin, Ireland, although we had a President of the country, they were never held in the same regard like the U.S. President. The Irish Presidency is largely a ceremonial office, but the President does exercise certain limited powers with absolute discretion. The President holds office for seven years, and can be elected for a maximum of two terms.
Back in the 80s, I was aware of President Reagan, I saw him on the TV at certain times throughout that decade but the two I remember most vividly, were his “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” speech at the Brandenburg Gate near the Berlin Wall on June 12th, 1987 and of course, his attempted assassination on March 30th, 1981, just 69 days into his presidency by John Hinckley, Jr. In director Robert Kline’s new documentary, “The Reagans: The Legacy Endures,” we are introduced to Ronald Reagan as an infant and we follow his life, from Hollywood movie star to Governor of California and on to becoming the President of the United States and his passing from Alzheimer’s disease in 2004. The man was larger than life and he left a larger than life legacy behind him which is more than I can say for many other U.S. Presidents.
During his 1980 Presidential campaign, Mr. Reagan promised the American people that he would lower taxes to stimulate the economy, said there would be less government interference in people’s lives, there would be a strong national defense and that he would help restore the U.S. Dollar to a gold standard. After winning the campaign and having gone on to become the 40th U.S. President, he pursued policies that reflected his own personal belief in individual freedom, brought changes domestically, both to the U.S. economy and expanded military, and contributed to the end of the Cold War. His presidency also reinvigorated American morale, something the country desperately needed, especially on the heels of Vietnam. Thankfully, the film never drags, it pinpoints his life and career but after covering one aspect, it moves on to the next.
So many documentaries these days that claim to be all-inclusive, whether it’s the life of a famous actor, musician, politician or gangster, can sometimes become fixated on one particular thing, a controversial affair, a particular crime that they might have been charged/convicted of and the movie can bog itself down by staying focused on that one singular element, instead of widening its scope to let you encompass the person’s whole life instead of just one aspect. President Reagan, while commended by so many for doing so much, was not without his own controversy. In 1986, the Iran–Contra affair shook the administration to its core, stemming from the use of proceeds from covert arms sales to Iran to fund the Contras in Nicaragua, which had been specifically outlawed by an act of Congress. International laws ruled that the United States had violated international law and breached treaties in Nicaragua in many ways.
“The Reagans: The Legacy Endures” covers all areas of Ronald and Nancy Reagans lives, even showing some footage from one of their earlier movies together and it ends at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Library in Simi Valley, California. On November 5th, 1994, Mr. Reagan published a letter to the American people announcing his diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. The final scroll of the movie, is that letter, word for word and just knowing that he was in the early stages at that point, made it all so much more heartbreaking. Highly recommended.
Available on DVD and Digital February 3rd
