The Reagan Show
Made up entirely of archival news and White House footage, this documentary captures the pageantry, absurdity, and mastery of the made-for-TV politics of Ronald Reagan.
21 May 1952, Chicago, Illinois, USA
6 February 1940, Webster, South Dakota, USA
4 November 1916, St. Joseph, Missouri, USA
2 November 1938, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
2 March 1931, Privolnoye, North Caucasus Krai, Russian SFSR, USSR [now Stavropol Krai, Russia]
12 October 1947, Chicago, Illinois, USA
9 May 1942, Durham, North Carolina, USA
August 30, 1917 in Mottingham, Kent, England, UK
6 July 1921, New York City, New York, USA
29 August 1958, Gary, Indiana, USA
13 December 1920, New York City, New York, USA
5 April 1937, New York City, New York, USA
October 09, 2017
The fact that Ronald Reagan's administration was big on PR and presentation is hardly news, and, though this documentary made up of television footage from the period claims to focus on that aspect of the presidency, it doesn't dig deep.
October 08, 2017
Interesting enough but not especially insightful or revealing.
June 30, 2017
At a time when sharp ideological stances are annoyingly ubiquitous, this film's lack of one is refreshing.
October 05, 2017
While noble in its cause, the documentary's theme fails to materialize, and there are several glaring omissions...
June 29, 2017
It's like a time capsule prologue to today's world, no more prescient than when a 1988 Reagan lets on to David Brinkley with exit-interview folksiness that he often wondered "how you could do the job if you hadn't been an actor."
July 06, 2017
It's a glib and scattered exposé, the sort of ersatz thesis film that invites you to chuckle at the sight of Reagan doing multiple takes of a campaign commercial while flubbing the name "Sununu" over and over again.
June 28, 2017
Rather than reveal a showman, The Reagan Show in the end imitates one.
June 29, 2017
"The Reagan Show" helps attach a face to the name, but it doesn't accomplish much more than that.
October 08, 2017
Uncritical, infatuated with Reagan's charisma rather than searching for the chinks in his armour, the film's lively score keeping things balefully light.
October 05, 2017
This wry documentary focuses on the original entertainer-turned-president and his box of showbiz tricks.
September 25, 2017
... a provocative and amusing look at President Ronald Reagan's use of television to sell economic plans, missile treaties and, mostly, himself.
October 06, 2017
The Reagan Show will offer a peculiarly potent hit of nostalgia and cultural cringe.
