This first part of this "American Experience" documentary on the Rockefellers is mostly about John D. and his son, John, Jr. The rest of the Rockefeller clan (including Nelson) are discussed in part two.
The film, not surprisingly, begins with the birth of the family patriarch--John D. Rockefeller. It was interesting learning how his parents were such opposites--his mother pious and sober-living and the father a ne'er-do-well jerk! Despite his dad being a thief and scum-bag, John seemed to take after his mother--and had a very strong sense of religious obligation towards other. But, it was a sober and moralistic obligation--one that oddly allowed him to behave a bit unscrupulously in business BUT allowed him to donate much of his money in secret. This would explain why history generally says he was a miser with his money and never gave away anything but dimes to kids. All in all, he was a man who was hard to hate or embrace as a good guy--which is true of so many of us. The film also had some real surprises for me--the biggest of which is that the dissolution of Standard Oil in an antitrust suit actually made Rockefeller MUCH richer!!
As far as Junior goes, he had a big set of shoes to fill in--with a HUGE family fortune and a seat on the board of directors. What happens next is also confusing--just like his father. On one hand, the horrid 'Ludlow Massacre' occurred on his watch. But, on the other, he tried very hard to atone for this and did much when it came to philanthropy.
All in all, I really liked part one, as it was a 'warts and all' exposee AND it also was NOT a hatchet-job. At times, the film even managed to make me feel a bit sad for John D. I am not saying he was a saint, but there was some goodness within him that is often forgotten by those who paint him as Satan's BFF! As a result of this sense of balance and completeness in talking about the family, I strongly recommend you see it.
The film, not surprisingly, begins with the birth of the family patriarch--John D. Rockefeller. It was interesting learning how his parents were such opposites--his mother pious and sober-living and the father a ne'er-do-well jerk! Despite his dad being a thief and scum-bag, John seemed to take after his mother--and had a very strong sense of religious obligation towards other. But, it was a sober and moralistic obligation--one that oddly allowed him to behave a bit unscrupulously in business BUT allowed him to donate much of his money in secret. This would explain why history generally says he was a miser with his money and never gave away anything but dimes to kids. All in all, he was a man who was hard to hate or embrace as a good guy--which is true of so many of us. The film also had some real surprises for me--the biggest of which is that the dissolution of Standard Oil in an antitrust suit actually made Rockefeller MUCH richer!!
As far as Junior goes, he had a big set of shoes to fill in--with a HUGE family fortune and a seat on the board of directors. What happens next is also confusing--just like his father. On one hand, the horrid 'Ludlow Massacre' occurred on his watch. But, on the other, he tried very hard to atone for this and did much when it came to philanthropy.
All in all, I really liked part one, as it was a 'warts and all' exposee AND it also was NOT a hatchet-job. At times, the film even managed to make me feel a bit sad for John D. I am not saying he was a saint, but there was some goodness within him that is often forgotten by those who paint him as Satan's BFF! As a result of this sense of balance and completeness in talking about the family, I strongly recommend you see it.
