Jimmy Carter: Man from Plains (2007)

Jonathan Demme directs this documentary account of former president Jimmy Carter's 2006-2007 book tour for his controversial work Palestine Peace Not Apartheid. Lets start with a look at this picture as a work of film, I liked it. I liked the way it was constructed as a sort of travel log, complete with semi-lengthy interview extracts from various television and radio programs that help Carter explain his views on the situation in Gaza and The West Bank. You know Jimmy Carter really can be quite good in an interview setting (you know it makes sense he was president). He's quite charming, especially with 'regular folk's' both in his home town of Plains Georgia, and the people that just come up to him in airports, hotels, and bookstores across the nation and the world. The music, pacing, and visual style of the film are all also quite endearing. As a polemic the work is very much sympathetic to Carter, an example of the tremendous amount of historical reinterpretation, and indeed veneration, that has come to this man whose presidency was almost universally viewed as a failure at the time he left office. I think a year and a half into the Obama presidency some of the Rosy glow of again having a 'progressive' in the oval office has faded, parallels between Jimmy Carter and the current chief executive still stand, only now take on more of an ominous, quasi-defeated tone. This being said I still like Jimmy Carter (as well as the current president), he's a very decent, good man whose doubtlessly been a greater force for good then any ex-president in our nations history. As for the book Carter promots throughout the film, I haven't read it and debate on it seems fairly loaded so I'll avoid comment. The film however was surprisingly compelling, and you might be surprised how much you may enjoy spending some time with number 39. Recommended.