«A Great History Lessons, But Lacks The Emotional Punch Of "The War"»

Ken Burns' epic documentary about the Civil War is perhaps the greatest and most all-encompassing history lesson of the North/South conflict that has ever been put on film or page. Not only is every important detail of the war covered (and in such a way that the details are interesting and important, not boring), but two entire episodes are devoted to the build-up and aftermath of the conflict. Essentially, if you were teaching a class on the Civil War, this video is all you would need, as it both conveys the vital information of the war, and does so in a way that doesn't stagnate. In essence, a very tight, well-produced series.

The only reason I give this set four stars out of five, though, is that it lacks (althouht through no fault of its own) the emotional punch of Burns' more recent "The War" (World War II) series. Such things as personal interviews and live video could obviously not be obtained from the 1860s, but the reading of letters and still photographs doesn't quite measure up. The best example I can give of this is that while watching the Civil War series I found myself treating it as one extended history class session, while "The War" was almost more of a dramatic event (what with the live interviews and video footage).

So, although the Civil War documentary by Ken Burns is a brilliant work of research and cinematography, I can only give it a four-star rating due to its lacks of live video footage or emotionally moving personal interviews. I do, however, strongly recommend this series to anyone wanting to learn a bit more about the most brutal war in United States history. You may not need the tissue box while watching this series (unlike "The War"), but I guarantee you will come away with a much more solid understanding of the events that caused, prolonged, and ended the American Civil War.

[Monday, November 03, 2008]

«As good as it gets.»

This is another great documentary accredited to Ken Burns. Nicely done and extremely informative. I purchased this for my wife who loves it and has watched it several times over.

[Thursday, October 04, 2007]

«A true masterpiece, regardless of historical reservations!»

Regardless of historical reservations and allegations of bias from both North and South, I regard this work of Ken Burns as a true masterpiece. I bought my first set on VHS several years ago at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and played it through a dozen or more times. I went to the expense of having this set transferred to new tapes for my VHS player here in England. Having heard in 2002 that it was available on DVD and that the whole series had been digitally enhanced, I purchased the same and I can vouch for its much improved picture quality. I have played the DVD series several times, too, and I never tire of it (nor of the separate music CD, which is one of my all-time favourites).

Why do I love the series? Well, despite (as I have said) historical reservations on my part and allegations of bias from both North and South (as I have read), Mr Burns has gathered together over many years the most remarkable collection of old still pictures, interviews with such as the superb Shelby Foote, extremely beautiful modern scenery film footage and stills, inimitable commentary by David McCullough, and, most especially, ancient film footage of such as the reunion of veterans at Gettysburg in 1938 (the last mentioned brings tears to my eyes to this day). Mr Burns has made a wonderful whole of wonderful parts and has done a wonderfully impressive technical job.

And my historical reservations? Well, I am British and, in a British tradition dating from well before the American 'Civil War' or 'The War for Southern Independence,' I am a Southern sympathiser. I feel 'at home' when visiting such as Virginia to this day and I regret very much the loss of much of what went with the dreadful wind from the North of 1861 - 1865. I have many Yankee friends but we mostly steer clear of discussion of the Northern aggression under the appalling law-bender Lincoln and the religious hypocrites at his back. I tend, therefore, not to believe any medium that portrays the old Southerners as other than victims. This magnificent video or DVD set does not do this: it makes an attempt at balance - maybe successfully, maybe not.

Thankfully, the South has 'risen' again in a manner of speaking, but it's a shame that more than a century and so many lives were lost by succeeding and successive generations of Dixie's people.

Having got that off my British chest, I urge those who have not seen the PBS TV series, the VHS videos or the DVD set to rush out and get them/it. Of course, you don't need to rush out: just order the lot from my friends at Amazon!

[Sunday, August 26, 2007]

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