Cultureshark Recommends: Tv Documentaries

I've seen a bunch of smart docs on the idiot box lately, and though they have all aired already, I still want to recommend them here. It takes me a while to wade through the vast amount of...well, junk I accumulate on my DVR, OK? If you haven't seen 'em, hopefully these'll pop up again in some format.


Inventing L.A.: The Chandlers and Their Times: Did PBS even tell anybody this was gonna be on? I barely snagged it, and after viewing it, I couldn't believe it didn't get more attention. It's a classy but compelling look at the very creation of Los Angeles, its rise as a major city, and some of its struggles through the years, all filtered through the Chandler family and the "Los Angeles Times" it published. It delves into the corruption of the LAPD, the political influence of the historically conservative Chandlers, and the gradual decline of the newspaper industry, all in a coherent, entertaining 2-hour package narrated by the ever-smooth Liev Schreiber. Not to mention that pretty stellar pun in the title. If any of this appeals to you, watch this documentary.

JFK: 3 Shots That Changed America: I suppose there are some people who complain each time the History Channel (or, excuse me, HISTORY) finds another way to get a few hours of programming out of the JFK assassination. Come on, though, even if you resent baby boomers and their obsessions, is this really the kind of programming we want to cite to get on History's case? Of course not. I almost always enjoy JFK-assassination-related programs, and while I've seen a lot of them, this one offered plenty of new footage.

Unblike many recent productions of the channel, this one didn't rely on reenactments. In fact, other than a vaguely ominous musical score and some stark, unobtrusive title screens (mostly to keep track of the actual time that day as events unfolded), it was all archival footage from different TV and radio sources.

The two-hour special took us in sequential order from JFK's arrival in Dallas to Jack Ruby shooting Lee Harvey Oswald, and it was filled with poignant moments. I was particularly struck by footage of Americans reacting to the shocking news. It's amazing that all these years later, the occasion still has that power, and the fact that it does means there is still the potential for worthwhile documentaries on the subject, even when they don't jump into the rabbit hole of conspiracy. This is an outstanding effort worth seeing even if you have seen a ton of Kennedy stuff.

ESPN 30 for 30: Muhammad and Larry: I've seen several of the ESPN "30 for 30" documentaries, all of which are fascinating hourlong programs. This one is a fine mix of the contemporaneous Maysles brothers film from 1980 documenting the Muhammad Ali/Larry Holmes heavyweight boxing championship match with new interviews.

Holmes demolished a pre-Parkinsons but already diminished Ali in the bout, and apparently people lost their will for the project, so the original material is resurrected for this documentary, which focuses on the senselessness of Ali taking the fight in the first place. It's stunning to see Ali deteriorate even over the course of the 1980 footage, and you don't need to see him struggling to take on a speed bag to know something was wrong even before Holmes destroyed him.

Holmes comes off as a pretty cool dude. Vilified at the time for taking down a legend and never really appreciated as a champion, the guy lives in his hometown of Easton, is a fixture in the community, is married to the same woman he was in '80, and seems to have most of his faculties intact.

I'm no Ali fan, but it's easy to feel sorry for him (without blaming Holmes) when you see this remarkable time capsule. The "30 for 30" film raises questions about why Ali was still boxing at 38 years old, and it at least hints at many of the unsavory aspects of the sport. Come to think of it, are there any great boxing movies that DON'T deal with the unsavory aspects of the sport?

Even if you resent the canonization of Ali and the pass he apparently gets for the way he treated people like Joe Frazier, you will be moved by "Muhammad and Larry," an evocative exploration of a major sporting event that has gone underdocumented seemingly because people have wanted to forget about it.