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American Umpire

Name: American Umpire
Director: James Shelley
Released: 2016
Duration: 56 min

Representation Score

3.9/10

Limited

2016

TV-G

Director

James Shelley

Runtime

56 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

American Umpire is a sophisticated documentary that excels at deconstructing Western institutional authority. It successfully shifts the perspective from the United States to the global community, providing a necessary critique of systemic power. While the film lacks focus on specific identity-based social categories like LGBTQ+ or disability, it provides a high level of cultural interrogation. It moves beyond a purely Anglo-Saxon viewpoint to examine the global consequences of empire. The film's strength lies in its intellectual depth and its ability to question the morality of established global hierarchies through a lens of systemic consequence.

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Category Breakdown

Does American Umpire have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film focuses strictly on geopolitical history and foreign policy. It contains no LGBTQ+ characters or narratives addressing non-binary gender identities.

How does American Umpire portray gender?

Fair

The documentary features prominent female figures like Madeleine Albright and Condoleeza Rice, who play significant roles in driving the story. However, the overall focus remains on masculine-coded geopolitical structures and statecraft.

How racially and ethnically diverse is American Umpire?

Good

The narrative disrupts Western-centric views by centering the impact of U.S. policy on non-Western populations. It examines interventionism's consequences on diverse ethnic landscapes.

How does American Umpire represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The documentary critiques Western hegemony and challenges notions of exceptionalism. It explores the friction between U.S. objectives and the sovereignty of other cultures.

Does American Umpire include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no documented evidence regarding the representation of physical or neurodivergent identities within this historical documentary.

Present on Screen

Challenges traditional nationalist narratives by questioning American hegemony.
Provides a platform for global scholars to examine the impact of U.S. interventionism.
Features high-level female figures in positions of significant institutional power.

Limited or Absent

Lacks representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-binary gender narratives.
Does not address physical or neurodivergent identities.
Primary focus remains on masculine-coded geopolitical and military structures.

Official Synopsis

AMERICAN UMPIRE, a thought-provoking documentary about U.S. foreign policy, chronicles how the United States became the world's policeman and questions how long the U.S. must continue to play this role. Narrated by Jim Lehrer, formerly of The MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour,and written by award-winning historian Elizabeth Cobbs, the film explores the history of American military intervention and the future of America's military commitment abroad. AMERICAN UMPIRE combines archival footage with candid interviews from former secretaries of state George Shultz, Madeleine Albright and Condoleeza Rice; General Jim Mattis and Lt. General Karl Eikenberry, former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan; Nobel Prize winner Michael Spence; Pulitzer Prize winner David Kennedy; and eight scholars from around the world.

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