Jerry Brown: The Disrupter - A Look at His Legacy in Politics and Business

The latest edition of the biographical series "American Masters" features "Jerry Brown: The Disrupter." The film, directed by Marina Zenovich, is dedicated to "Thought Leaders: A series on innovative American thinkers," including episodes on Bella Abzug, William F. Buckley Jr., Cesar Chavez, and Daniel Patrick Moynihan. The film delves into the life of Jerry Brown, the former California governor, secretary of state, attorney general, and mayor of Oakland. Brown is known for his seriousness, dedication, and singularity.

Despite his political career, Brown is a temperamental outsider who spent most of his life in the mainstream of politics. He was a national figure who ran for president three times, unsuccessfully. He is a man of many thoughts, consistently honest and honestly consistent, even in his apparent evasions, a person true to an ever-evolving self.

The film features archival news footage and photographs and new conversations with Brown, his friends and associates, and journalists including Times columnist George Skelton, who has covered politics nearly as long as Brown has been in it. The documentary is admiring, and there are more supporters than critics onscreen here. However, it isn't fawning, and it effectively renders its shape, including the low points that helped refine Brown and redefine him.

Brown is a practical sort of radical, willing to fight his own party in order to make things work. He was a national figure who was decades ahead of his time on renewable energy and climate change. Brown was instrumental in improving the city's fortunes during his time as mayor of Oakland. He is known for his ascetic lifestyle and his willingness to do things differently.

Overall, "Jerry Brown: The Disrupter" is a fascinating documentary that delves into the life of a man who is known for his seriousness, dedication, and singularity. The film is a mix of archival footage and new conversations with Brown and those who know him best. It effectively renders the shape of Brown's career, including the low points that helped refine him and redefine him.