The Kennedy Mystique: Creating Camelot

Perhaps it is time to call for a moratorium on profiles about John F. and Jacqueline Kennedy. More than four decades since the assassination of President Kennedy, the seemingly endless glut of books and films about the slain leader and his glamorous wife shows no signs of abating. Narrated by Stockard Channing, The Kennedy Mystique: Creating Camelot relates the oft-told story of the youthful, beautiful couple and their adorable children, touching on the hushed-up scandalous behavior of the Kennedy White House that has long since become public knowledge. All of the celebrated newsreel clips, home movies, and still photographs are here, as well as the usual roundup of talking-head experts who witnessed the era (the DVD also includes extra interview footage with Arthur Schlesinger Jr. and Ben Bradlee). While handsomely produced and well-crafted, the film neither breaks any new ground nor offers fresh insights into the complex personalities of the Kennedys and the ways in which they navigated the Washington political scene. In short, this is literally a been-there/done-that exercise, recycling a period of history that has been recycled much too often. Still, the Kennedy "mystique" is such that this is sure to be popular and therefore should be considered a strong optional purchase. [Note: The Young Kennedy Women is also newly available on DVD.] Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)