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The early success of the authored documentary as a TV phenomena was built on
three key productions: Kenneth Clark's Civilisation (BBC, 1969), Jacob
Bronowski's The Ascent of Man (BBC, 1973) and Alistair Cooke's America (BBC,
1972), all directed by Michael Gill. And of these three highly personalised
programmes, America is the one that proclaims itself loudest as the sole vision
of a single man. Right from the start, the veteran broadcaster and journalist
sets out to make it clear that his series is a very individual examination of
his adopted country. The inaugural programme, 'The First Impact', offers an
intimate account of his passion for America and its effect on his life.
Lancashire-born Cooke, best known for his Letter From America broadcasts for
BBC radio (1946-2004), was equally adept at television, where his distinctive voice
and imposing screen presence brought authority to the medium. However, an
underlying conservatism makes the series seem rather old-fashioned at times,
although there is no denying the presenter's emotional involvement with his
subject. Cooke's deliberations on the America Civil War and slavery are as frank
as they are moving, as is his description of the dispossession of native
Americans by European settlers.
His views on America's industrialisation, the development of mass culture and
the nation's move towards being a global military power, on the other hand, are
less satisfying. A modern commentator, and certainly one less in love with his
subject, would almost certainly serve up a more critical analysis of
contemporary American history, although to his credit Cooke never set out to be
an unbiased observer; he always acknowledged his perspective was a highly
personal one.
The series unfortunately ends rather weakly. The final episode, 'The More
Abundant Life', compares contemporary America in the early 1970s with the aims
and objectives of the first European settlers, although there appears little
rationale for doing this. The implication that America had, in effect, a year
zero undermines Cooke's cogent attempts over previous weeks to create a vision
of the nation as a living, breathing, evolving entity with deeply tangled
roots.
Inevitably, Cooke's efforts at interpreting America for a British audience
say as much about the broadcaster himself as his subject matter, especially his
discussions of post-war events - a period he personally experienced. America is,
however, a landmark series and its undoubted success helped cement the future of
the authored documentary.
Anthony Clark
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Complete episode: 'The First Impact' (49:34)
