George Marshall and the American Century

Sure to help resurrect appreciation for George Marshall—a soldier and statesman of rare principle, ability, and modesty—this 1994 documentary is comprised of straightforwardly panegyric narration delivered by actor E.G. Marshall (no relation, one presumes), archival newsreel footage, and excerpts from interviews with such notables as General Matthew Ridgway, legendary newsman Eric Sevareid, and longtime Democratic power broker Clark Clifford (as well as family members and official aides). Kenneth Mandel and Ken Levis's film follows Marshall's career from his boyhood and education, and service under “Black Jack” Pershing in World War I, through his tenure as Army Chief of Staff to President Roosevelt before and during World War II, and his years as Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense under President Truman. Special attention is paid to Marshall's skill in building up military readiness in the face of congressional isolationism, his knack for choosing just the right people for positions of leadership, and his role in assisting the economic recovery of devastated Europe after 1945 through the famed Marshall Plan. Though thoroughly conventional from a technical perspective, the film's subject—the only soldier ever awarded the Nobel Peace Prize—makes this well worth picking up. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (F. Swietek)