Primary

"A new kind of reporting, a new form of history" Robert Drew Promised John F. Kennedy. He was proposing that a revolutionary small camera operated by cameraman Ricky Leacock and sync sound recorder operated by himself, live with Kennedy for nearly a week during the climax of his 1960 Wisconsin presidential primary run against Hubert Humphrey. The resulting film, "Primary", turned out to be a cinematic experience unique in the history of film, the first in the development of American cinema verite and a template for the groundbreaking films Drew would later shoot in the Kennedy White House. Unlike the directed, narrated documentaries of the day, Drew's freewheeling photography moved with it's subjects and brought audiences straight into the action. It captured Kennedy's rock-star-like presence and Jackie's quite radiance. It granted audiences unprecedented access into the world of a young politician and his glamorous wife as the campaigned across the Wisconsin landscape and navigated their way through throngs of ardent supporters. And while it is no mystery who ultimately made it to the White House, "Primary" builds with dramatic tension as the candidates await the returns, capturing the character and flavor of campaign politics as never before seen on film.

Running Commentary from Robert Drew and Photographer Richard Leacock, The Originators: Robert Drew, Richard Leacock, D. A. Pennebaker, and Albert Maysles Recall Their Primary Breakthrough, 30/15: 30 Years of Robert Drew Filmmaking, Filmmaker Statement, Filmmaker Biography, Interactive Menus, Scene Selection.