A Touch Of Greatness (Documentary)
Picture: C+
Sound: C+ Extras: B Main Program: B
There is no doubt that our education system is a wreck,
whether the school is public or religious, the school voucher program is the
worst kind of quick fix around. In the
1960s and 1970s, the United States seemed poised to bring innovative teaching
to the next generation of children. You
had public television, better textbooks, a focus on the individual, radical
study, psychology, Mr. Rogers and even a sense that the Pop culture cartoons on
Saturday Morning were somehow smarter and cooler than could have been
imagined. However, this was sabotaged
by “certain interests” who did not want progress and many of the educators who
tried to make a difference have been forgotten. A Touch Of Greatness is about Albert Cullum, who dared to
teach young children Shakespeare and other arts in a way that broke suffocating
convention. What he did worked. Too bad it did not take hold enough.
He made them think and made learning fun through
innovative teaching techniques that gave them better futures and was
influential. Maybe it has survived more
in performing art schools, but what he achieved should go beyond the confines
of such a school. Liberal arts are
being systematically eliminated and the country is paying the highest
price. The new interviews are great and
this was done towards the end of Cullum’s life. This is a fitting tribute to his legacy and is also
representative of the many names you will never hear of who went out of their
way to help children have a better future, because they were part of that rare
breed of teachers who care. We do not
have enough of them and more of them need to get bold again, or things will just
get worse. Here, he meets his students
again three decades later and the result is terrific.
Though a recent production, the program originates from
professional NTSC video and is here in its original 1.33 X 1 aspect ratio,
something repeated in all the monochrome TV footage. That footage is not in prime shape, but is great to see. Robert Downey Sr. shot it all. The Dolby Digital 2.0 is simple stereo in
the new footage and monophonic in the old footage, as good as it is going to
get here. I did not expect surrounds
and did not get any, but where would they come from? They did not really need them here. Extras include four trailers for other First Run DVDs, a section
with 20 stills, two text bios on the filmmakers, CBS’ Camera Three show
on Cullum in two parts and three segments of performance films by Cullum’s
students: A Touch Of Greatness, Literature Au-Go-Go and From
Sea To Shining Sea. The main
program runs about an hour, these extras add up to twice as long. A Touch Of Greatness is a must-see
for all viewers, whether they are inclined to see documentaries or not.
- Nicholas Sheffo
