Nancy Reagan Movies

For this up-close-and-personal TV documentary, former CNN Washington bureau chief Frank Cesno was given unprecedented access to the memories of those people whose lives were profoundly touched by former President Ronald Reagan: family members, friends, political colleagues, advisors, fellow world leaders, employees. Bypassing Reagan's Hollywood career and controversial tenure as head of the Screen Actors Guild, the two-hour film focuses on his political career, and the events in his childhood and early adulthood that helped shape his vision and character. Impeccably unbiased, the film explores both the highs and lows of the Reagan administration, giving equal time to his adherents and detractors. Among the fascinating revelations herein are former Soviet premiere Gorbachev's affirmation that no one but Reagan could have successfully brokered the US-USSR peace summits, and the observation by son Ron Reagan that his father, though affable and outgoing, always held back "that last ten percent", refusing to allow anyone to get truly close to him. This evenly balanced film will confirm Reagan's greatness to his supporters, and reiterate the man's shortcomings to his non-supporters; even decades after the Reagan regime, there is no middle ground so far as his friends and foes are concerned. ~ All Movie Guide

This lengthy (4 1/2 hours) TV documentary on Ronald Reagan, part of The American Experience series, intercuts film clips, network feeds, home movies, and interviews to survey the life, career, philosophy, and policies of the 40th President of the United States. Interview subjects include Mikhail Gorbachev, Margaret Thatcher, Ed Meese, Donald Regan, Nancy Reagan, Maureen Reagan, Ron Reagan, Patti Davis, Dr. Helen Caldicott, George Will, and Reagan's official biographer Edmund Morris. Narrated by David Ogden Stiers and filmed by WGBH Boston for PBS, the documentary premiered as a two-parter on 23-24 February 1998. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

Maybe you had to have lived through the length and breadth of the Reagan administration to get full comic value out of Rockin' Ronnie. But even those of you who hibernated between 1980 and 1988 (or were living on another planet) will appreciate the effort that went into Rockin' Ronnie, a 45-minute complilation of film clips and rock music. Scenes from Ronald W. Reagan's Hollywood features are juxtaposed with news shots of President Reagan at work and play. Oh, you're looking for objectivity? Not this trip, pal. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide