Educational Media Reviews Online

One of 10 entries in Davidson Films’ “Giants Series,” this film feels rushed and is too basic for all but entry-level psychology students. Within 40 minutes, the filmmakers attempt to encapsulate not only the biography and major contributions of William James to psychology, but also include bits of interviews with a recovering alcoholic and with a professional pottery maker, to illustrate with human faces the academic points being made.

In terms of content, most of the information included could be as easily found through Wikipedia or other online brief overviews of James’ life and work. Consistently, the information presented opens pathways to deeper questions, but then shifts to a new topic in its race to cover more broad ground. John J. McDermott, a lifelong James scholar, presents this information in a concise but not in an engaging way; his monotone and rapid speaking voice is one of the biggest drawbacks to the documentary. The accompanying visuals, whether static or active, are often not necessary to understand the topics being presented. In other words, the information is not communicated in a significantly better way by being incorporated into the visual format a film offers. The human interest offered by the recovering addict and potter are a good idea, but are less effective than intended, because the interviews are chopped into pieces and scattered throughout the documentary, fragmenting their stories and making it harder for them to be connected to James’ ideas in striking or obvious ways.

A beginning psychology student with no prior experience of William James will learn a few important features of James’ life and work through this film, but would be equally served by online research of their own, and better served by 40 minutes of face time with a knowledgeable high school or college instructor. Not Recommended