Won't You Be My Neighbor?
Tuesday, June 12, 2018 10:25:47 PM | (Age Not Specified)
WON'T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? - Mr. Fred Rogers Documentary, is a very touching look at a man who lived by his values, morals and passion. By 1968 TV programming for children was often silly, violent and used as a venue for marketing. Not much has changed, except for the gems along the way. Mr. Rogers was one of those gems.
Fred Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian minister, who first produced the show at Pittsburgh public television station WQED. He felt compelled to get into TV so that he could teach children and send a message of kindness, caring, hope, love and acceptance.
I was impressed by the fact that YoYo Ma learned much from Mr Rogers, who became a lifelong friend and mentor. Ma's son, Nicolas, is one of the producers of this film. He had met Mr. Rogers as a youth and you can see that Fred had a profound impact on Nicolas.
This documentary uses clips from the show and present-day interview with his wife, two sons and many of people who worked with Mr. Rogers. Their love and respect for this soft-spoken man still resonates. Fred Rogers, had his signature sweater, shoes, voice, mannerisms, puppets, TV sets and friends. He addressed issues of racisms, special needs, death, violence and the importance of being open minded and accepting of everyone, despite differences. His was genuine and would not think to say no, if he was called upon to help: there is great footage of Fred Rogers addressing the American Senate, defending the need for more money for Public Broadcasting.
Fred Rogers truly understood what was going on inside the minds of children and he treated them with such love and respect. I had tears in my eyes as he spoke with one young wheelchair dependant fan. I was in awe as he explained how superheroes are not real, that people do bad things (the assassination of Bobby Kennedy), that bad things do happen in this world (9/11, the explosion of the Apollo). At times this movie is slow, but it a reflection of Mr. Rogers, who preferred to talk slowly
