Primary
Synopsis
Primary is a documentary film about the primary elections between John F. Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey in 1960. Primary is the first documentary to use light equipment in order to follow their subjects in a more intimate filmmaking style. This unconventional way of filming created a new look for documentary films where the camera’s lens was right in the middle of what ever drama was occurring. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with The Film Foundation in 1998.
Trailers, Teasers & Extra Featurettes
Official promotional previews, behind-the-scenes footage, and exclusive clips.
John F. Kennedy rallies the crowd in PRIMARYOfficial
Type: Clip • Published 2016-04-06
Top Cast
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Release History & Theatrical Window
One World Film Festival
Festival / Special Debut
November 8, 1960
Wide Cinema Exhibition
October 14, 2003
Physical Home Media
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- Robert Drew
- Screenplay & Story
- Robert Drew
- Original Title
- Primary
- Country of Origin
- United States of America
- Spoken Languages
- English
- Runtime
- 53m
- Production Studios
- Drew Associates
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
Robert Drew
Robert Drew
Richard Leacock, Albert Maysles
D. A. Pennebaker, Terence Macartney-Filgate, Richard Leacock
Robert Drew
Department Leadership Roster
Robert Drew
Director
D. A. Pennebaker
Editor
Terence Macartney-Filgate
Editor
Richard Leacock
Editor
Richard Leacock
Director of Photography
Albert Maysles
Director of Photography
Robert Drew
Writer
Robert Drew
Producer
Age Classification & Content Advisories
Official viewer rating standards and content warnings across international classification boards.
NR: Not Rated — Evaluated outside standard classification boards.
International Certification Matrix
Not Rated — Evaluated outside standard classification boards.
Production Stills & Gallery
Official cinematic photography and background stills for Primary.
Featured In Curated Collections
Editorial lists, community rankings, and cinematic collections featuring Primary.
Criterion Collection
The Complete Criterion Collection. The Criterion Collection is a video distribution company that sells 'important classic and contemporary films' in editions that offer the highest technical quality. This list contains only the featured films released on DVD, BluRay and 4K Criterion releases — no supplements are included. Organized by spine number with the newest releases first. CC标准收藏完整收录版： 收录标准收藏（Criterion Collection）发行的重要经典及当代电影。仅包含正片（涵盖 DVD、蓝光及 4K 版本），已排除花絮补充内容。按 CC 发行编号倒序排列（最新发行在前）。 *注：榜单源数据中包含部分剧集/迷你剧，由于本片单只收录纯电影，故不再收录以下非电影条目：* • [#214] Mangrove (2020) • [#215] Lovers Rock (2020) • [#216] Red, White and Blue (2020) • [#217] Alex Wheatle (2020) • [#486] Eight Hours Don’t Make a Day (1972) • [#647] Dekalog (1989) • [#944] World on a Wire (1973) • [#1187] Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) • [#1338] Fanny and Alexander (1984) • [#1341] Tanner '88 (1988) • [#1371] Scenes from a Marriage (1973) *注：以下影片因 TMDB 尚未收录，暂不在此片单中展示：* • [#531] First (2012) • [#1699] Ulysse (1983) *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-11 07:39:08 UTC+8)*
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National Film Registry
Films preserved in the Library of Congress National Film Registry.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Primary
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is Primary about?
Primary is a documentary film about the primary elections between John F. Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey in 1960. Primary is the first documentary to use light equipment in order to follow their subjects in a more intimate filmmaking style. This unconventional way of filming created a new look for documentary films where the camera’s lens was right in the middle of what ever drama was occurring. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with The Film Foundation in 1998.
Who directed Primary?
Primary was directed by Robert Drew.
Who stars in Primary?
The principal cast of Primary includes John F. Kennedy, Hubert H. Humphrey, Jacqueline Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Muriel Humphrey.
When was Primary released and how long is it?
Primary was released in 1960 with a total runtime of 53m.
What is the age rating and content advisory for Primary?
Primary holds official age classifications: US: NR (Not Rated — Evaluated outside standard classification boards.).