Late July 2011, Film
"Page One" is not much of a page turner
The death-knoll of print media has been ringing for quite some time but many stalwart bastions attempt to soldier on, among them the New York Times. Documentary filmmaker Andrew Rossi gained access to the Times for one year resulting in "Page One: Inside the New York Times."
Is traditional print media on life support waiting to take its last breath before an anonymous blogger does a Dr. Jack and pulls the plug? Obituaries have already been written for many institutions but not so for the New York Times. Filmmaker Andrew Rossi gained access to the influential news organizations for one year to create Page One: Inside the New York Times.
From early on it’s made clear that newspapers have been failing because advertising revenue collapsed far faster than anyone anticipated. Want ads went to monster.com. Classifieds went to craigslist. Newspapers didn’t adapt quickly enough and new generations get their news faster elsewhere, and often for free.
Rossi’s film has some elements of a true documentary. For example, for those without any journalism experience there are scenes of educational value which delve into how a story is formulated, investigated, and ultimately deliberated before going to print.
However, a significant portion of Page One deals with the media desk at the Times as its staff struggles to cover what’s happening in the world of media. It becomes more of a social commentary on how important the Times is to planet Earth and how internet media outlets couldn’t survive without its news coverage.
While the Times is a valuable news agency, its organization often comes across as arrogant and pompous. True, Rossi does touch upon past scandals involving Judith Miller and Jayson Blair, but for the most part the Times is painted as a type of Rocky who should never be counted out despite layoffs, lost profit margins, and hostile internet attacks.
Overall, Page One would be a snoozer if not for the presence of journalist David Carr, a former crack addict who now writes a weekly column for the Times. He’s straightforward with his opinions and defends his employer with a tenacity that is nothing less than admirable. In many ways he does the same thing Buck O’Neil did in Ken Burns’ Baseball series: he steals the show.
Alas, not even Carr can salvage a documentary that at best is ordinary. It’s old news.
On a letter grade scale from “A” being excellent to “F” for failing Page One receives a C+.
Page One: Inside the New York Times is rated R and has a running time of 88 minutes.
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Indie Film Editor
Michael D. Smith earned a Bachelor of Arts in history at College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Missouri followed by a Master of Arts in history at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Inspired by such critics as Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, Michael started reviewing films in 1992 for College of the Ozarks's student-run newspaper. After returning to the Kansas City area in 1994, he continued film reviewing by writing for the Cass County Democrat Missourian in Harrisonville.
In 2000 Michael joined Sun Publications in Overland Park, Kansas where he served as its film critic and Arts and Entertainment Editor. During his tenure there, he was also the film critic for the "Fine Arts Radio Hour" and "Celebrity Scoop" radio shows on KXTR. After leaving the Sun in late 2002, he became the A&E writer for the Olathe News in Olathe, Kansas. He also worked as a freelance writer for The Squire in Leawood, Showcase Publishing in Lake Ozark, Missouri and the Kansas City Star.
Michael is currently a member of the Kansas City Film Critics Circle, a professional film critic organization established in 1966 by the late Dr. James Loutzenhiser.