Primary

I watched Primary several times outside of class, and each time I found myself asking if I really thought the film was balanced, were the editing choices meant to sway the view one way or the other? It seems clear throughout the film that Kennedy is much more comfortable in front of the camera and more photogenic and even charismatic than Humphrey. I wonder if this fact alone might sway both a cameraperson and an editor to edit in your favor whether they realize it or not? With minimal narration, the natural trajectory of the narrative is told almost exclusively through visuals. It was Drew's intention to produce a balanced and fair picture of the primary and upon first watch I didn't think he accomplished this. It seemed that Kennedy continually came out looking better and Humphrey looked rather boring, to such a degree I wondered if the film hadn't been made to do so. Then, after repeated viewings, my opinion started to sway. I think it's actually the overall passage of time that changed the perspective with which the footage is viewed. Looking at Primary now seems more like viewing for the sake of investigating the life of a person who everyone thought/hoped would change the world and as he was, he was murdered for it. I found myself almost impulsively drawn to examine Kennedy more closely, to see footage of this legend that I hadn't seen before really distracted me from a more careful read of the film. After roughly estimating screen time, it seems rather equal and the moments where Humphrey is almost aggressively seeking people to talk to, where his own travelmates are dozing while he's talking, and where there are not many people at his appearances - well, it's clear that he owns those moments, undeniably. The camera is just recording what happened. The effect though, is that in the end I am surprised the race was not a complete and total landslide in Kennedy's favor. It's worth noting, though, that Drew went on to make more films about the Kennedys and while there wouldnt be much of a film to make about HUmphrey, it's just interesting to me that Drew continued to have a relationship with the Kennedy's.