America's Great Divide

America's Great Divide: From Obama to Trump is a 2020 two-part television documentary film about the political divide between the United States Democratic and Republican Party in the early 21st century. Produced by the investigative journalism program Frontline on PBS, it charts how the two major political parties became increasingly adversarial to each other due to factors of race, media, and misinformation, from the 2008 presidential election to the presidency of Donald Trump.[2] The film was directed by Michael Kirk and written by Kirk and Mike Wiser, and was first aired on PBS in two parts on January 13 and 14, 2020.

America's Great Divide:
From Obama to Trump
GenreDocumentary
Written by
Directed byMichael Kirk
Narrated byWill Lyman[1]
Music byJohn E. Low[1]
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Producers
  • Michael Kirk[1]
  • Mike Wiser[1]
  • Philip Bennett[1]
  • Jim Gilmore
  • Gabrielle Schonder
CinematographyBen McCoy[1]
Editors
  • Steve Audette[1]
  • Elliott Choi[1]
Running time229 minutes[1]
Production companies
DistributorPublic Broadcasting Service
Release
Original networkPBS
Original release
  • January 13, 2020 (2020-01-13)

Interviewees

Production

On December 20, 2019, Frontline announced that it will release the two-part television documentary titled America's Great Divide: From Obama to Trump on January 13 and 14, 2020, which will comprehensively examine "the growth of a toxic political environment that has paralyzed Washington and dramatically deepened the gulf between Americans", and provide context for the election year of 2020.[3] Director Michael Kirk intended for the film to highlight the irony in Obama's promise to unify the country, "that by the end of his presidency -- he freely admitted and everyone else could see -- that the division was even deeper, even broader, that racism was even more rampant."[4] A preview of the documentary was released on January 6, 2020.[5]

Release

America's Great Divide first aired on PBS in the United States on January 13 and 14, 2020.[6] On the same day of the broadcast of "Part 2", both parts of the documentary film were made available by Frontline for streaming on YouTube without charge.[7][8]

Critical response

Brian Lowery of CNN praised America's Great Divide for "admirably" charting in detail the deepening division within the United States through the presidencies of Barack Obama and Donald Trump, stating that "The sobering takeaway from 'America's Great Divide,' explored at some length in the second half, is whether the nastiness that defines current political discourse is irrevocable.[9] John Doyle of the Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail also commended the documentary for its compelling presentation of the "central threads" which lead to the election of Trump, stating that it is "sobering, at times unnerving and often startling."[10]

References
  1. "America's Great Divide: From Obama to Trump - Credits". PBS. WGBH Educational Foundation. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  2. Hautzinger, Daniel (January 13, 2020). "'America's Great Divide' and the 2020 Election". WTTW Chicago. Window to the World Communications, Inc. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  3. "FRONTLINE Begins 2020 Politics Coverage With a Two-Night, Four-Hour Special Series Chronicling "America's Great Divide: From Obama to Trump"". FRONTLINE | PBS. WGBH Educational Foundation. December 20, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  4. Moritz, Katie (January 17, 2020). "Can Anything Heal America's Great Divide?". Rewire. Twin Cities Public Television. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  5. Arizona Public Media (January 6, 2020). "Frontline: Americas Great Divide Series PREVIEW". YouTube. YouTube LLC. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  6. Robinson, Jennifer (January 10, 2020). "FRONTLINE: America's Great Divide: From Obama To Trump". KPBS. KPBS Public Media. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  7. FRONTLINE PBS | Official (January 14, 2020). "America's Great Divide, Part 1 (full film) | FRONTLINE". YouTube. YouTube LLC. Retrieved August 27, 2020.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. FRONTLINE PBS | Official (January 14, 2020). "America's Great Divide, Part 2 (full film) | FRONTLINE". YouTube. YouTube LLC. Retrieved August 27, 2020.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. Lowery, Brian (January 13, 2020). "Frontline probes the depths of partisan anger in 'America's Great Divide'". CNN. Cable News Network. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  10. Doyle, John (January 10, 2020). "Rise of the high-status bully: PBS's America's Great Divide: From Obama to Trump". The Globe and Mail. The Globe and Mail Inc. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
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