| Primary | |
|---|---|
 Cover of DVD release | |
| Directed by | Robert Drew |
| Written by | Robert Drew |
| Produced by | Robert Drew |
| Starring | John F. Kennedy Hubert Humphrey Joseph Julian (narrator) |
| Cinematography | Richard Leacock D. A. Pennebaker Terence Macartney-Filgate Albert Maysles |
| Edited by | Robert Drew Richard Leacock D. A. Pennebaker Terence Macartney-Filgate Robert Farren |
| Distributed by | Time Life Television[1] |
Release date |
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Running time | 60 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Primary is a 1960 Americandirect cinemadocumentary film written, produced and directed byRobert Drew about the1960 Democratic Party primary election in Wisconsin betweenJohn F. Kennedy andHubert Humphrey, part of their quest to be chosen as theUnited States Democratic Party's candidate forPresident of the United States in thegeneral election.[2]
Produced byRobert Drew[3] and shot byRichard Leacock,D. A. Pennebaker,Terence Macartney-Filgate, andAlbert Maysles, the film was a breakthrough in documentary film style. Most importantly, through the use of mobile cameras and lighter sound equipment, the filmmakers were able to follow the candidates as they wound their way through cheering crowds, cram with them into cars and crowded hotel rooms, and hover around their faces as they awaited polling results. This resulted in a greater intimacy than was possible with the older, more classical techniques of documentary filmmaking, and it established what has since become the standard style of video reporting.
Time Life Television releasedPrimary on its stations, as well as syndicating the film toRKO General stations and independent stations.[4]
In 1990, the film was selected for preservation in the United StatesNational Film Registry by theLibrary of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". TheAcademy Film Archive preservedPrimary in 1998.[5] The film's importance in the evolution of documentary filmmaking was explored in the filmCinéma Vérité: Defining the Moment.[6]
38thVice President of the United States (1965–1969) •U.S. Senator from Minnesota (1949–1964, 1971–1978) | |||||||
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