Crisis: Behind a Presidential Commitment

A fly-on-the-wall look at political maneuvering, tense but restrained, with the weight of history in every conversation.

Directed by

D. A. Pennebaker, Hope Ryden

Genres

Documentary

Starring

James Lipscomb, John F. Kennedy, George Wallace

Overview

During a two-day period before and after the University of Alabama integration crisis, the film uses five camera crews to follow President John F. Kennedy, attorney general Robert F. Kennedy, Alabama governor George Wallace, deputy attorney general Nicholas Katzenbach and the students Vivian Malone and James Hood. As Wallace has promised to personally block the two black students from enrolling in the university, the JFK administration discusses the best way to react to it, without rousing the crowd or making Wallace a martyr for the segregationist cause. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with The Film Foundation in 1999.

How it feels

Tense, earnest and satirical. Measured and needs your attention.

About

Politics, race, power, justice

Content

Mild language. No violence, gore or sexual content.

Note

Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown

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Watch the trailer on YouTube (opens in a new tab)