America's Great Divide Explained

Alt Name:America's Great Divide: From Obama to Trump
Genre:Documentary
Director:Michael Kirk
Narrated:Will Lyman
Music:John E. Low
Country:United States
Language:English
Cinematography:Ben McCoy
Runtime:229 minutes
Network:PBS

America's Great Divide: From Obama to Trump is a 2020 two-part television documentary film about the political divide between the United States Democratic and Republican Party in the early 21st century. Produced by the investigative journalism program Frontline on PBS, it charts how the two major political parties became increasingly adversarial to each other due to factors of race, media, and misinformation, from the 2008 presidential election to the presidency of Donald Trump.[1] The film was directed by Michael Kirk and written by Kirk and Mike Wiser, and was first aired on PBS in two parts on January 13 and 14, 2020.

Interviewees

Production

On December 20, 2019, Frontline announced that it will release the two-part television documentary titled America's Great Divide: From Obama to Trump on January 13 and 14, 2020, which will comprehensively examine "the growth of a toxic political environment that has paralyzed Washington and dramatically deepened the gulf between Americans", and provide context for the election year of 2020.[2] Director Michael Kirk intended for the film to highlight the irony in Obama's promise to unify the country, "that by the end of his presidency -- he freely admitted and everyone else could see -- that the division was even deeper, even broader, that racism was even more rampant."[3] A preview of the documentary was released on January 6, 2020.[4]

Release

America's Great Divide first aired on PBS in the United States on January 13 and 14, 2020.[5] On the same day of the broadcast of "Part 2", both parts of the documentary film were made available by Frontline for streaming on YouTube without charge.[6] [7]

Critical response

Brian Lowery of CNN praised America's Great Divide for "admirably" charting in detail the deepening division within the United States through the presidencies of Barack Obama and Donald Trump, stating that "The sobering takeaway from 'America's Great Divide,' explored at some length in the second half, is whether the nastiness that defines current political discourse is irrevocable.[8] John Doyle of the Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail also commended the documentary for its compelling presentation of the "central threads" which led to the election of Trump, stating that it is "sobering, at times unnerving and often startling."[9]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Hautzinger. Daniel. 'America's Great Divide' and the 2020 Election. WTTW Chicago. Window to the World Communications, Inc.. October 15, 2020. January 13, 2020.
  2. News: FRONTLINE Begins 2020 Politics Coverage With a Two-Night, Four-Hour Special Series Chronicling "America's Great Divide: From Obama to Trump". August 27, 2020. FRONTLINE | PBS. WGBH Educational Foundation. December 20, 2019.
  3. News: Moritz. Katie. Can Anything Heal America's Great Divide?. August 27, 2020. Rewire. Twin Cities Public Television. January 17, 2020.
  4. Web site: Arizona Public Media. Frontline: Americas Great Divide Series PREVIEW. YouTube. YouTube LLC. August 27, 2020. January 6, 2020.
  5. News: Robinson. Jennifer. FRONTLINE: America's Great Divide: From Obama To Trump. August 27, 2020. KPBS. KPBS Public Media. January 10, 2020.
  6. Web site: FRONTLINE PBS | Official. America's Great Divide, Part 1 (full film) | FRONTLINE. YouTube. YouTube LLC. August 27, 2020. January 14, 2020.
  7. Web site: FRONTLINE PBS | Official. America's Great Divide, Part 2 (full film) | FRONTLINE. YouTube. YouTube LLC. August 27, 2020. January 14, 2020.
  8. News: Lowery. Brian. Frontline probes the depths of partisan anger in 'America's Great Divide'. August 27, 2020. CNN. Cable News Network. January 13, 2020.
  9. News: Doyle. John. Rise of the high-status bully: PBS's America's Great Divide: From Obama to Trump. August 27, 2020. The Globe and Mail. The Globe and Mail Inc.. January 10, 2020.

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