''MacArthur'' is a 1999 two-part

television documentary Television documentaries are televised media productions that screen documentaries. Television documentaries exist either as a television documentary series or as a television documentary film. * Television documentary series, sometimes called d ...

film about

Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American general who served as a top commander during World War II and the Korean War, achieving the rank of General of the Army (United States), General of the Army. He served with dis ...

, a United States

General of the Army Army general or General of the army is the highest ranked general officer in many countries that use the French Revolutionary System. Army general is normally the highest rank used in peacetime. In countries that adopt the general officer fou ...

. Produced by

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

for ''

The American Experience ''American Experience'' is a television program airing on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in the United States. The program airs Documentary film, documentaries, many of which have won awards, about important or interesting events and peop ...

'' (now simply ''American Experience'') documentary program, it recounts the significant events and controversies in MacArthur's life, from childhood to his death in 1964. Written and produced by Austin Hoyt, directed by Hoyt and Sarah Holt, and narrated by

David Ogden Stiers David Allen Ogden Stiers ( ; October 31, 1942 – March 3, 2018) was an American actor and conductor. He appeared in numerous productions on Broadway, and originated the role of Feldman in '' The Magic Show'', in 1974. In 1977, Stiers was cast ...

, the film first aired on

in two parts on May 17 and 18, 1999.

Interviewees

Stephen E. Ambrose Stephen Edward Ambrose (January 10, 1936 – October 13, 2002) was an American historian, academic, and author, most noted for his books on World War II and his biographies of U.S. presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard Nixon. He was a lon ...

, historian *Zeneida Quezon Avenceña, daughter of

Manuel L. Quezon Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina (, , , ; 19 August 1878 – 1 August 1944), also known by his initials MLQ, was a Filipino people, Filipino lawyer, statesman, soldier, and politician who was president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1 ...

*Leon Beck, U.S. Army *

Faubion Bowers Faubion Bowers (January 29, 1917 – November 17, 1999) was an American academic and writer in the area of Asian Studies, especially Japanese theatre. He also wrote the first full-length biography of Russian composer Alexander Scriabin. During th ...

, aide to MacArthur *Tanya Brooks, daughter-in-law *Alfred X. Burgos, Manila resident *Charles Canada Jr., friend of Arthur MacArthur Jr. *

Robert Dallek Robert A. Dallek (born May 16, 1934) is an American historian specializing in the presidents of the United States, including Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Richard Nixon. In 2004, he retired as a history profes ...

, historian * John Dower, historian *Daniel Finn, U.S. Army *

Carol Gluck Carol Gluck (born November 12, 1941) is an American academic and historian of Japan. She is the George Sansom Professor Emerita of History at Columbia University and served as the president of the Association for Asian Studies in 1996. Career Gl ...

, historian * Beate Sirota-Gordon, constitution drafter for Japan *Richard M. Gordon, U.S. Army * Joseph C. Harsch, journalist *

Stanley Karnow Stanley Abram Karnow (February 4, 1925 – January 27, 2013) was an American journalist and historian. He is best known for his writings on East Asia and the Vietnam War. Education and career Karnow was born in Brooklyn in 1925, and had a midd ...

, author *Hal Lamar, aide to Admiral

Chester Nimitz Chester William Nimitz (; 24 February 1885 – 20 February 1966) was a Fleet admiral (United States), fleet admiral in the United States Navy. He played a major role in the naval history of World War II as Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, Co ...

*Robert W. Love, Ernest J. King biographer *Harry J. Maihafer, military historian *Merrill Pasco, aide to

George Marshall George Catlett Marshall Jr. (31 December 1880 – 16 October 1959) was an American army officer and statesman. He rose through the United States Army to become Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army under pres ...

Geoffrey Perret Geoffrey Perret is an English author who writes about American history. His work focuses primarily upon the political dynamics that influence strategic and tactical military decisions, as well as broader political themes. He has published over th ...

, biographer *Carol Petillo, biographer * Edwin Ramsey, U.S. Army guerilla *Beth Day Romulo, Manila journalist *Frank J. Sackton, aide to MacArthur *Michael Schaller, historian *Donald Showers, aide to Admiral Nimitz * Edwin H. Simmons, marine historian *Mark Stoler, George Marshall biographer *Stephen Taaffe, historian *Frank Tremaine, journalist * Vernon A. Walters, U.S. Army *Yoshida Yutaka, historian *Kenneth R. Young,

Arthur MacArthur Jr. Arthur MacArthur Jr. (June 2, 1845 – September 5, 1912) was a lieutenant general of the United States Army. He became the military Governor-General of the American-occupied Philippines in 1900; his term ended a year later due to clashes wi ...

biographer

Critical response

Walter Goodman of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' gave ''MacArthur'' a positive review, stating that "Although far from uncritical, Austin Hoyt's carefully balanced approach does justice to MacArthur's tactical abilities even as it takes account of a political obtuseness that at times verged on megalomania." Shannon Jones of

World Socialist Web Site The World Socialist Web Site (WSWS) is the website of the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI). It describes itself as an "online newspaper of the international Trotskyist movement". About The WSWS was established on Fe ...

also gave an overall positive review, although with reservations, stating that "To the producers' credit the program attempts to deal with the subject in a serious way. ..However, as one expects with American television, the commentary, while often informative, does not probe too deeply the political issues raised by Douglas MacArthur's career, nor does the production seriously challenge the image of the general as a 'hero'".

Home media

''MacArthur'' was first released on

VHS VHS (Video Home System) is a discontinued standard for consumer-level analog video recording on tape cassettes, introduced in 1976 by JVC. It was the dominant home video format throughout the tape media period of the 1980s and 1990s. Ma ...

by PBS on May 11, 1999, a few days before its television broadcast. PBS would later release the film on DVD by February 10, 2004.

References

External links

Official PBS site
{{American Experience 1999 television films 1999 films 1999 documentary films American Experience American documentary television films Biographical films about military leaders 1990s English-language films English-language documentary films