In Search Of America (ABC News)
Picture:
C+ Sound: B- Extras: D Episodes: B
Peter
Jennings is often criticized for being part of that abstract UFO known as “the
liberal media” for the many years he has now been the senior anchorman for the
ABC’s evening news broadcasts. In six
parts, Jennings decides to show the conflicts between groups trying to
get the “American Dream” for themselves in the documentary mini-series In Search of America (2002).
Call Of The Wild has people in Idaho fighting over whether wolves are
such a threat that they need to be killed off, or is that just because they are
a threat to a certain part of the economy.
The Stage takes us to Boulder,
Colorado where a high school decides to revive the musical classic Hair and that gives Jennings the
opportunity to explore how one dream of a better tomorrow was supplanted by a
new version of the older hard work in business one and what has been lost. This is the best segment, strong enough on
its own to justify getting this set. Homeland deals with Salt Lake City, Utah and their immigration issues,
which is odder to watch after the second President Bush offered a blanket
immunity to immigrants too late to include in this segment. God’s
Country discusses the practicing Christian Fundamentalist people of the
Bible Belt in the South and how problems of intolerance and religious extremism
keep clashing with progress, even if the segment is not explicitly so. Creationism vs. Evolution is the particular
issue addressed, which tends to be more of a battleground in breaking the wall
between church and state than even this segment realizes. Headquarters
uses a Texas company to show Capitalism spreads as easily as a major
potato chip, until they have the dilemma of selling the product in new
markets. This takes the program outside
of the United States and is the second-best
segment. The Great Divide deals with race relations and changes in Gary, Indiana, and ranks #3 of my favorites. Overall, this was a better series than I
expected, and I always have high expectations from Peter Jennings to begin
with, so be sure to check this set out.
The full
frame color image was originated on late NTSC professional video with some film
footage here and there. It is a bit
soft, but better than most broadcast and cable presentations for certain, which
includes the Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo with Pro Logic surrounds that are fuller
than expected. There are no extras, but
at 264 minutes total, the set feels far from empty.
- Nicholas Sheffo
