During a two-day period before and after the University of Alabama integration crisis, the film uses five camera crews to follow President John F. Kennedy, attorney general Robert F. Kennedy, Alabama governor George Wallace, deputy attorney general Nicholas Katzenbach and the students Vivian Malone and James Hood. As Wallace has promised to personally block the two black students from enrolling in the university, the JFK administration discusses the best way to react to it, without rousing the crowd or making Wallace a martyr for the segregationist cause. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with The Film Foundation in 1999.
Directed by Robert Drew and Richard Leacock and D. A. Pennebaker and Hope Ryden and James Lipscomb
alabama
civil rights
john f. kennedy
racial segregation
integration
oval office
racism
university
cinéma vérité
direct cinema
Trailer
IMDB
N/A
Letterboxd
3.8 / 5
Where to Watch
Cast
John F. Kennedy
Self
George Wallace
Self
Robert F. Kennedy
Self
Nicholas Katzenbach
Self
Crew
Robert Drew
Director
Richard Leacock
Director
D. A. Pennebaker
Director
Robert Drew
Executive Producer
Popular Reviews
15 reviews
Jesus Silva
8.0★ · 01/31/26
John F Kennedy was a president? I thought he was blacks ops 1 character from the hit zombie map five!
John F Kennedy was a president? I thought he was blacks ops 1 character from the hit zombie map five!
Ben
7.9★ · 06/06/25
Thought this was about those missles ☹️
Thought this was about those missles ☹️
amanda
7.4★ · 08/25/24
the part with kerry was so cute 💔
the part with kerry was so cute 💔
Willow
8.0★ · 02/27/24
it was much more personal? than i expected it to be but also I was hungry and tired watching it so I fear I wasn't able to properly pay attention
it was much more personal? than i expected it to be but also I was hungry and tired watching it so I fear I wasn't able to properly pay attention
Erik Olsson
8.0★ · 02/13/23
It's kinda amazing that these Kennedy/Drew films even exist with the amount of intimate access that they contain. Just a bunch of fairly smart guys working to screw over George Wallace as he tries to prevent integration at the University of Alabama. All in a day's work.
It's kinda amazing that these Kennedy/Drew films even exist with the amount of intimate access that they contain. Just a bunch of fairly smart guys working to screw over George Wallace as he tries to prevent integration at the University of Alabama. All in a day's work.
