Henry Ford:Tin Lizzy Tycoon

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Summary: Henry Ford: The man who changed the 20th Century...
Review: After being constantly reminded that Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone and Thomas Alva Edison used to take the President of the United States camping every summer in the first SUV, I thought I might find out a bit more about the maker of the Model T. This A&E Biography, narrated by Jack Perkins, makes the case that no one had a bigger impact on the 20th century than Ford based on the way he used massed production to popularize the automobile. I certainly have no problem with the idea that automobile did more to revolutionize life in the United States more than any other invention, although somewhere down the road we may well have to rethink that proposition in terms of the computer (and do not ask me where electricity, which leads to mass communication and all sorts of kitchen appliacnes enters into the equation as well). As told in this biography Ford's life falls neatly into two halves, defined by both the Great Depression and his taking ownership of his company. In the first half of his life Ford proves himself to be a visionary and while he cannot be called a true inventor, his practical application of the work of others in the world of business is certainly on a grand scale. His concern for both the workers at his factories and the people who will buy his cars speaks to a different sort of greatness as well. If this biography fails on any significant level, then it is in its inability to speak to what changed Henry Ford. The only explanation offered is the old maxim that power corrupts, yet that seems woefully inadequate to the task. After the Depression, when the V-8 engine retored the fortunes of the Ford Company, Henry Ford became the sort of ruthless business tycoon we usually associated with the owners of coal mines and steel companies. The great life afforded workers in the early days of Ford are sudden forgotten and thugs are employed by the company to keep workers in line. Next to such inhumanity Ford's anti-Semitism seems rather pathetic, like the inane babblings of a doddering old fool. In many regards the story of Henry Ford is like a horror story, where good is corrupted beyond recognition. Was it the tragedy of the Great Depression or was Ford always a deeply flawed man? This is one of those questions that will require you to go find a detailed written biography of Henry Ford, because this video biography is only a start to any sort of understanding.