Authoritative, Informational, Sound Rich
?The Undiscovered Explorer: Imagining York? stakes out a daunting triple agenda for itself: First, documenting the true story of the only African-American to travel with Lewis and Clark, Clark?s slave, York. Second, putting the various myths and interpretation of York in social context. And third, commenting on the difficulty of learning the truth, any truth, at such a distance.
The piece begins and ends with questions and York remains a mix of myth, invention, and a handful of tantalizing facts. But the story of this one man serves to crack open a larger debate and pose more lasting questions.
Arguably a tad over-produced and teetering on a certain generic presentational slickness, the piece is ultimately most successful in using York as a cultural spine, a way to track the image of the black male through American history.
The program also benefits from an ability to speak to several different audience age levels simultaneously, making it perfect for use in any day-part. Certainly this would be a solid addition to programming during Black History Month, but the piece doesn?t deserved to be restricted to February.
Joseph Dougherty
Studio City, CA
December 2, 2006
One hour documentary, narrated by Danny Glover, that explores the making of an American myth.
