New documentary on Stewart Udall premieres Nov. 28

Native Arizonan Stewart Lee Udall was the most famous and effective Interior Secretary in American history.

“Stewart Udall: The Politics of Beauty” is a feature documentary examining the trajectory of Udall’s life from his childhood through his Mormon mission, his World War II service, his student years at the University of Arizona, his time in Congress, and then, most significantly, his years as Secretary of the Interior and beyond.

Documenting the life and legacy of Stewart Udall, one of America’s most effective environmentalists, the film covers his role as Secretary of the Interior protecting our shared natural heritage and beauty.

John de Graaf, director and writer of the documentary, joined Arizona Horizon to discuss the details.

“I met Stewart back in 1988 for a documentary that I produced about the life of the environmentalist David Brower. It was a discussion about the Grand Canyon Dam which originally Stewart had favored and Brower had opposed,” de Graaf said. “I was so impressed by Stewart’s humility, admitting that Brower had shown him he was wrong and convinced him that the Grand Canyon Dam should not be built, and for that reason, he was in Brower’s debt. That’s not something you hear from political people too often.”

In 2020, de Graaf learned Udall was born 100 years prior. He really enjoyed meeting Udall and wondered if anyone had ever done a film about him. When de Graaf discovered no one had, he began looking into the possibility of getting the support to do a film himself. He met with many people relevant to Udall, including Udall’s children, and the documentary was born.

The documentary airs on Tuesday, Nov. 28 on Arizona PBS.