Primary

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Primary

1960,

1h 0m,

Documentary

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100%

6 Reviews

Tomatometer

69%

100+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

100%

Tomatometer

6 Reviews

69%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

This landmark documentary chronicles the 1960 Wisconsin primary between the two Democratic front-runners vying for the presidential nomination -- John F. Kennedy and Hubert H. Humphrey. Featuring work by iconic documentary filmmakers Albert Maysles (who produced) and D.A. Pennebaker (who edited), the film captures Kennedy and Humphrey amid crowds and in more isolated settings using what was then a groundbreaking technique for documentaries: extensive hand-held camera work.

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Alissa Wilkinson

Vox

Aug 20, 2020

Primary wasn't just illuminating, it was groundbreaking.

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Jordan M. Smith

IONCINEMA.com

Oct 20, 2020

4/5

Robert Drew and his ingenious, talented and forward thinking filmmaking crew... broke open the stuffy world of narrated documentaries and embarked on a new frontier.

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Luke Parker

VoiceBoxOffice

Jun 2, 2020

4.5/5

[Primary proves] there is nothing more inherently correlated with the ideals of [documentary] storytelling than elections.

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Nov 23, 2013

B

Gives us a riveting insider's look at the political process.

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John A. Nesbit

Old School Reviews

Sep 1, 2012

A

no documentary has since captured the inside views of a Presidential campaign so naturally

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Jeffrey M. Anderson

Combustible Celluloid

Jul 31, 2008

This impressive filmed record of the 1960 presidential primary documents the showdown between Hubert Humphrey and John F. Kennedy as if it were still a contest.

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Abraham M

Oct 30, 2017

Not quite as compelling as what I hoped for, but a groundbreaking documentary film that does give you a brief look inside the campaign trail circa 1960.

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Robert Drew

Director

Robert Drew

Self

Hubert H. Humphrey

Self

Jacqueline Kennedy

Self

John F. Kennedy

Self

Robert Drew

Writer

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Synopsis

This landmark documentary chronicles the 1960 Wisconsin primary between the two Democratic front-runners vying for the presidential nomination -- John F. Kennedy and Hubert H. Humphrey. Featuring work by iconic documentary filmmakers Albert Maysles (who produced) and D.A. Pennebaker (who edited), the film captures Kennedy and Humphrey amid crowds and in more isolated settings using what was then a groundbreaking technique for documentaries: extensive hand-held camera work.

Director: Robert Drew
Producer: Robert Drew
Screenwriter: Robert Drew
Production Co: Time Magazine
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 26, 2016
Runtime: 1h 0m

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