American Experience: Henry Ford

Well done and concise portrait of Ford (and his relationship with his only son, Edsel). But who are the talking heads?
This is another fine example of the kind of documentaries that PBS' "American Experience" produces. They make the assumption that the viewer may be well versed in the basics of a subject's life or they could just as well know nothing. The basics are often covered entertainingly so as not to bore the former and the musical score often keeps the interest in the story, even if the facts get too technical.

This 110-minute documentary begins in the rubber forests of Brazil - and ends there. Not something you would expect for the story of one of America's great industrialists. But - as you will see if you watch it - it makes sense. And, it moves - just like Ford's Model T Ford - at a nice pace. Ford was responsible to the ground-breaking $5.00 wage and the assembly line but he also did "social engineering" building "towns" for his workers to live in and providing social activities for them. He also was an anti-Semite and this is not denied in the script.
The director is...

Excellent overview
American Experience has done it again. Using archival footage, a wealth of primary sources, and interviews with historians of Ford (both the man and the company), this documentary gives fascinating insight into one of the most influential Americans of the 20th century. Henry Ford was a genius at making a huge volume of cars that were reliable and affordable, thus changing the face of America and the world. Ironically, Ford came to resent the modern world he helped create and sought to rebuild a microcosm of 19th century America. We also learn that Ford was an anti-Semite and an atrocious father. I plan to use clips from this in my history courses.

Disappointing - Too Negative - Too Many Major Accomplishments Overlooked
I had such high expectations for this DVD. After watching it in one sitting it was obvious that it concentrates only briefly on just a few of Henry Ford's accomplishments, and instead focuses on his idiosyncrasies (or eccentricities, if you prefer) and his failings. This DVD held so much promise and ended up producing so much disappointment.

As a GM/Chevy guy, I'm no devotee of all things Ford - not that there's anything wrong with that - it's just who I am. But as a writer of manufacturing-history articles and as a mechanical engineer, I'd've expected that some time would've been spent in this DVD on at least a few of Henry Ford's major accomplishments. Unfortunately, this DVD focuses on all the negatives aspects of Henry Ford's life which the writers and producers could find and, thus, exploit. That is so sad.

The people who wrote and produced this DVD could've produced a true historical document about Henry. Instead, all they ended up doing was airing their...

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