The Roosevelts: A Intimate History (A Film by Ken Burns)

THE ROOSEVELTS: AN INTIMATE HISTORY chronicles the lives of Theodore, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, three members of the most prominent and influential family in American politics.

It is the first time in a major documentary television series that their individual stories have been interwoven into a single narrative.  This seven-part, fourteen hour film follows the Roosevelts for more than a century, from Theodore’s birth in 1858 to Eleanor’s death in 1962. Over the course of those years, Theodore would become the 26th President of the United States and his beloved niece, Eleanor, would marry his fifth cousin, Franklin, who became the 32nd President of the United States.

Together, these three individuals not only redefined the relationship Americans had with their government and with each other, but also redefined the role of the United States within the wider world.

The series encompasses the history the Roosevelts helped to shape: the creation of National Parks, the digging of the Panama Canal, the passage of innovative New Deal programs, the defeat of Hitler, and the postwar struggles for civil rights at home and human rights abroad.

It is also an intimate human story about love, betrayal, family loyalty, personal courage and the conquest of fear.

THE ROOSEVELTS: An Intimate History airs on Rhode Island PBS on Thursdays, beginning September 25 at 9 p.m.

Click here for more information about the series and the Roosevelts - including an extensive photo gallery.

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Film Credits A film by Ken Burns; Written by Geoffrey C. Ward; Produced by Paul Barnes, Pam Tubridy Baucom and Ken Burns; Edited by Paul Barnes, Tricia Reidy, Erik Ewers and Daniel J. White. Narrated by Peter Coyote. Meryl Streep is the voice of Eleanor Roosevelt, Edward Herrman the voice of Franklin Roosevelt, and Paul Giamatti the voice of Theodore Roosevelt. Patricia Clarkson is the voice of FDR’s devoted cousin, Margaret “Daisy” Suckley. Other voices include Adam Arkin, Keith Carradine, Kevin Conway, Ed Harris, John Lithgow, Josh Lucas, Carl Lumbly, Amy Madigan, Carolyn McCormick, Pamela Reed, Billy Bob Thornton and Eli Wallach.