Untold History of the United States

Oliver Stone's 10-hour Untold History of the United States bows on Blu-ray with a DVD release slated later for March 4. Let's get the big caveats out of the way first: 1) most of this history has been told, 2) it is limited to roughly the last 75 years, and 3) it's less about the United States, per se, than about U.S. foreign policy (very little attention is paid to domestic matters). That said, this is not the 20th-century American history you learned in school. Based on the titular book by Stone and historian Peter Kuznick, the series takes viewers on an often fascinating waltz down memory lane that is surprisingly less revisionist than one might expect from Stone (who has been labeled a conspiracy theorist in the past). Stone himself narrates—in a sincere but somewhat monotone voice that occasionally fights the often bombastic classical music on the soundtrack—against a backdrop of extensive archival material. Although the wealth of details (which are not always well-tied to the central arguments) can be overwhelming, the overall narrative here is compelling. In chronicling American missteps and misadventures during WWII and the Cold War, as well as in Vietnam, Latin America, Iraq, and Afghanistan—among other locales—the series elevates some semi-forgotten Americans, such as FDR's progressive vice-president Henry Wallace (who was bumped off the final FDR ticket in favor of Harry S. Truman—the man who would authorize dropping the atomic bombs on Japan), while questioning the saintly aura surrounding others, such as Ronald Reagan, who squandered a chance for nuclear disarmament because of his Star Wars space defense initiative pipe dream during the ‘80s. Does the series lean a bit to the left? Of course it does, but viewers will gain a much better understanding of two key points. First, like the British, French, and Dutch before us, America has been engaged in empire building over the last three-quarters of a century; unlike those other nations, America has preferred indirect involvement, supporting puppet political figures who back American interests. Second, the cost of our apparently unwavering belief in American exceptionalism has been very high. Blu-ray extras include two bonus prequel episodes (with some overlapping material), a stimulating conversation between Stone and author/pundit Tariq Ali, and a booklet. Sure to spark heated debate (Stone/Kuznick and historian Sean Wilentz have already sparred off in a public exchange in the New York Times), this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (R. Pitman)