Ford

Apesar de pobre, seu fascínio por carros iniciou na infância e desde cedo ele dedicou-se a estudar e criar máquinas. As cenas densas e dramáticas que envolvem a vida pessoal e profissional de Ford demonstram a personalidade forte de um dos homens que marcaram a historia do século XX.

"I don't think they will find it takes cheap shots at Henry. I don't think it burns incense in front of Henry's shrine, either," said John M. Staudenmaier, a professor of history at the University of Detroit Mercy who has written extensively about Henry Ford and the intersection of technology and culture.

Starting in October 2011, Colt immersed herself in Ford's life, poring through photos and film footage in the National Archives and traveling to Dearborn and Detroit to see the places where he lived and worked. What emerged was a portrait of Ford's legendary success with the Model T -- the vehicle that made cars an affordable, reliable option for ordinary people -- but with an emphasis on the complex, contradictory nature of the man himself.

The documentary looks at how Ford made possible the mobility that brought America into the modern age, and yet he wound up being drawn to his living museum of the past, Greenfield Village.

It looks both at how he helped build the middle class with his revolutionary $5 workday and how he fought the development of unions.

It details how he liked being a man of the people with humble pastimes, and yet was a genius at self-promotion. And it delves into the tycoon's dislike of the rich and the anti-Semitism that he expressed through his widely distributed Dearborn Independent newspaper -- views for which he later publicly apologized.

But the documentary is careful not to let a sole virtue or flaw define Ford's life. Along with exploring Ford's dark side, it reflects the real affection that consumers felt for him and his contributions to their lives.

Colt said it took her a long time to come to terms with Ford's many facets.

"I struggled with that from beginning to end," she said. "What does it mean when someone is so contradictory? I came to believe he's a very American figure. It's a very American way of revering the past but also being forward thinking. I think that's why people loved him in some ways. He tapped into both the anxiety about the 20th century, but also the excitement of it. He was living out what they also were experiencing, and they felt connected to him."

Raiding the Ford vaults

Colt tried unsuccessfully to get interviews with Ford family members, especially Ford's last surviving grandchild, Detroit Lions owner William Clay Ford Sr. Nobody from Ford Motor was interviewed for the documentary. Ford Motor executives haven't seen the documentary yet.