Primary (1960)

Synopsis: In 1960, former Life magazine correspondent Robert Drew changed the face of documentary filmmaking when he introduced the first of his powerful films about President John F. Kennedy. Utilizing a... In 1960, former Life magazine correspondent Robert Drew changed the face of documentary filmmaking when he introduced the first of his powerful films about President John F. Kennedy. Utilizing a small portable camera and sync sound recorder for the first time ever, Drew and his team of cameramen--nascent documentarians Richard Leacock, Terrence McCartney Filgate, Albert Maysles, and D.A. Pennebaker--went on the road with the then-Senator from Massachusetts during the height of his 1960 Democratic primary run against Hubert Humphrey in Wisconsin. Unlike the directed and narrated documentaries of the day, Drew's uniquely mobile cameras moved with their subjects and captured the action as it unfolded, allowing for an unparalleled immediacy never before seen on film. The resulting documentary, PRIMARY, is considered one of the most groundbreaking moments in cinema history--not only for ushering in the the revolutionary movement known as cinema verité, but also for being an intimate portrait of both Kennedy and the American political experience. [More]

Producer: Robert Drew