MINISERIES FAILS TO CAPTURE THE REAL JACKIE.Byline: Valerie Kuklenski Staff Writer Donald Spoto's biography ``Jacqueline Bouvier Bouvier refers to several things:
n. A woman who has broad intellectual interests and is accomplished in areas of both the arts and the sciences. with intense passions for literature, history, the arts and languages, a solid wit and an impish imp·ish adj. Of or befitting an imp; mischievous. imp  ish·ly adv.imp side. ``Jackie Bouvier Jackie Bouvier may refer to:
tr.v. re·en·act·ed, re·en·act·ing, re·en·acts 1. To enact again: reenact a law. 2. the mostly quiet, impassive Jackie as seen in newsreels and 6 o'clock broadcasts. It isn't the first time a network bought rights to a book and then promptly chucked it out the window -even while maintaining that it was the most important source - and it won't be the last. What is surprising is that author Spoto enabled and even endorsed this hatchet hatchet: see tomahawk. job on his book as the executive producer of the miniseries. Spoto's biography describes Jackie's career in publishing as ``the most influential part of her life'' because it lasted 19 of her 64 years, and she edited nearly 100 books by more than 60 writers. And it shows her life as leading to that profession, for which she was eminently qualified before starting her first job as assistant editor at Viking Press. Jacqueline Onassis was no token hire but instead a hard-working, well-read editor who would have stood out in her field even if she hadn't been beautiful and famous. But the miniseries shows the working woman in only one scene that lasts under a minute, and its purpose is to introduce her dating relationship with investment adviser Maurice Templesman. The problem is not that Whalley was not given enough screen time. In fact, screenwriter Tina Andrews (``Sally Hemings Sally Hemings (Shadwell, Albemarle County, Virginia, circa 1773 – Charlottesville, Virginia, 1835) was a quadroon slave owned by Thomas Jefferson. It is thought that she might have been, by blood, the half-sister of Jefferson's deceased wife Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson. : An American Scandal'') put Jackie in nearly every scene, from her early adulthood as the Washington Times-Herald's Inquiring Camera Girl to the closing scene a short time before her death in 1994. But she is too often seen reacting silently to others around her: her own family, all those Kennedys, and on and on. On the other hand, in scenes with John F. Kennedy "John Kennedy" and "JFK" redirect here. For other uses, see John Kennedy (disambiguation) and JFK (disambiguation). John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917–November 22, 1963), was the thirty-fifth President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in (Tim Matheson Tim Matheson (born Timothy Lewis Matthieson on December 31, 1947) is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of the smooth talking, sex-obsessed Otter in the 1978 comedy Animal House ), Andrews' script does the very thing that Spoto's book says it shouldn't: ``We must be cautious about imagining, much less reconstructing, the give-and-take that characterized their marriage.'' The very private husband and wife are shown in unwitnessed moments discussing Kennedy's infidelities. So much for that rule. Matheson, the latest in a long line of JFK portrayers, does well in capturing the president's charisma and that nasal Harvard inflection. (How could Jackie say years later that she had forgotten the sound of his voice? We never will.) There are decent performances by Tom Skerritt (Joe Kennedy Joe Kennedy might refer to:
Andrew McCarthy (born November 29, 1962) is an American actor. Biography Early Life Andrew McCarthy was born in New York City, New York. (Bobby) and Frances Fisher (Jackie's mother, the aloof and unaffectionate Janet Bouvier Auchincloss). Most of the other players seem to have been cast primarily for their strong resemblance to the historic figures they're playing. That's a valid consideration when TV depicts recent notables, but why, then, couldn't the wig stylists seem to get Jackie's hair right? One of the miniseries' strong suits is its use of actual news footage, which cinematographer Paul Elliott blended seamlessly with new scenes using closeups of the actors. Elliott's shots are beautifully matched to the old ones in terms of texture and light. And production designer Barbara Dunphy and costume designer Carol Ramsey paid meticulous attention to the familiar details of the White House before and after its restoration and Jackie's celebrated Oleg Cassini wardrobe. But acting and historic detail aren't enough to hold this one together. For many viewers, a network bio miniseries is their best opportunity to learn something new about a famous figure, because they aren't inclined to read up on the subject. It's a shame that Spoto, having done all that research for his book, blew this opportunity to help them discover the real woman behind the mythic Jackie. ``JACKIE BOUVIER KENNEDY ONASSIS'' What: Miniseries based on Donald Spoto's biography. The stars: Joanne Whalley, Tim Matheson, Tom Skerritt, Andrew McCarthy, Frances Fisher, Phillip Baker Hall, Diane Baker, Fred Ward. Where: CBS (Channel 2). When: 9 tonight and Wednesday night. Our rating: Two stars CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Joanne Whalley stars as Jackie, with Tim Matheson as John F. Kennedy, in the CBS miniseries ``Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis,'' tonight and Wednesday. |
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