Moynihan

Synopsis

A biographical portrait of Daniel Patrick Moynihan, twentieth century colossus: public intellectual, policy specialist, ambassador and U.S. Senator from New York. The film captures the spirit of Moynihan's remarkable ideas as they evolved over the course of his tumultuous life in postwar America, featuring both the triumphs and the controversies. A poor boy who grew up on the streets of Depression-era NY to become a Harvard professor, Moynihan devoted his decades-long career -- serving both Democratic and Republican administrations -- to battling poverty. Possessed of a natural wit that appealed to both elite and street, Moynihan remains one of the most widely quoted people of his generation. Moynihan's legacy continues to be claimed by both the left and right, even as he defies easy categorization. The film is an exploration into the heady and boisterous world of ideas that helped shape his complex worldview, and the policy prescriptions that have stood the test of time. At a moment of degraded political discourse, MOYNIHAN re-elevates the debate.