Crisis: Behind a Presidential Commitment (1963)

Plot

Set against the backdrop of the University of Alabama's integration crisis, the documentary captures a pivotal two days in 1963 through the lenses of five camera crews. It intimately follows President John F. Kennedy, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Alabama Governor George Wallace, Deputy Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach, and students Vivian Malone and James Hood. As Wallace vows to prevent the students from enrolling, the Kennedy administration grapples with a delicate response, aiming to maintain order while avoiding martyrdom for Wallace and the segregationist movement. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive and The Film Foundation in 1999.