An HBO documentary, takes a ‘personal, not political’ look at George H.W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States.
Direction
Roth's patient observation lets Bush's personality emerge organically.
Production
Kennebunkport setting becomes character—ocean, boats, golden hour nostalgia.
Director
Jeffrey Roth
George H. W. Bush
Self (archive footage)
Barbara Bush
Self (archive footage)
Laura Bush
Self (archive footage)
Bill Clinton
Self (archive footage)
Saddam Hussein
Self (archive footage)
Lyndon B. Johnson
Self (archive footage)
Ross Perot
Self (archive footage)
Ronald Reagan
Self (archive footage)
Deng Xiaoping
Self (archive footage)
Barack Obama
Self (archive footage)
Mikhail Gorbachev
Self (archive footage)
Chelsea Clinton
Self (archive footage)
Hillary Clinton
Self (archive footage)
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Self (archive footage)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Released during Obama's re-election campaign, the film functioned as nostalgic counterprogramming—a longing for 'civil' Republicanism that arguably never existed.
Bush only agreed to participate after seeing Roth's previous documentary about the USS Intrepid; the director spent two years building trust before cameras rolled.
US
