The Civil War - A Film by Ken Burns
starring: David McCullough, Sam Waterston, Jason Robards, Morgan Freeman, Garrison Keillor
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Product Description:
Studio: Paramount Home VideoRelease Date: 09/30/2005Director: Ken Burns
Amazon.com:
The most successful public-television miniseries in American history, the 11-hour Civil War didn't just captivate a nation, reteaching to us our history in narrative terms; it actually also invented a new film language taken from its creator. When people describe documentaries using the "Ken Burns approach," its style is understood: voice-over narrators reading letters and documents dramatically and stating the writer's name at their conclusion, fresh live footage of places juxtaposed with still images (photographs, paintings, maps, prints), anecdotal interviews, and romantic musical scores taken from the era he depicts. The Civil War uses all of these devices to evoke atmosphere and resurrect an event that many knew only from stale history books. While Burns is a historian, a researcher, and a documentarian, he's above all a gifted storyteller, and it's his narrative powers that give this chronicle its beauty, overwhelming emotion, and devastating horror. Using the words of old letters, eloquently read by a variety of celebrities, the stories of historians like Shelby Foote and rare, stained photos, Burns allows us not only to relearn and finally understand our history, but also to feel and experience it. --Dave McCoy
On the DVD
The DVD features on The Civil War provide a wealth of insight, creative philosophy, historical perspective, and educational enjoyment. Twelve years after its premiere broadcast, the film was given a digital facelift, sharpening image clarity, correcting color, and enriching its soundtrack with a remastered 5.1-channel mix, as demonstrated in the "Civil War Reconstruction" featurette. In interviews from 2002, producer-director Ken Burns, historian Shelby Foote, journalist George Will, author Stanley Crouch, and composer-musicians Jay Ungar and Molly Mason reflect upon The Civil War's enduring significance. And Burns's eloquent commentary--selectively included on each disc and totaling five hours--illuminates the historical importance and creative impulse behind crucial chapters of the film. Fifty-seven onscreen biography cards detail important North, South, and civilian figures, and two 1990 featurettes—"Making History" and "A Conversation with Ken Burns"--provide a more personal perspective on the creation of this extraordinary film. Useful for both personal and academic study, these features stand as a fitting supplement to one of the greatest documentaries ever produced. --Jeff Shannon
Studio: Paramount Home VideoRelease Date: 09/30/2005Director: Ken Burns
Amazon.com:
The most successful public-television miniseries in American history, the 11-hour Civil War didn't just captivate a nation, reteaching to us our history in narrative terms; it actually also invented a new film language taken from its creator. When people describe documentaries using the "Ken Burns approach," its style is understood: voice-over narrators reading letters and documents dramatically and stating the writer's name at their conclusion, fresh live footage of places juxtaposed with still images (photographs, paintings, maps, prints), anecdotal interviews, and romantic musical scores taken from the era he depicts. The Civil War uses all of these devices to evoke atmosphere and resurrect an event that many knew only from stale history books. While Burns is a historian, a researcher, and a documentarian, he's above all a gifted storyteller, and it's his narrative powers that give this chronicle its beauty, overwhelming emotion, and devastating horror. Using the words of old letters, eloquently read by a variety of celebrities, the stories of historians like Shelby Foote and rare, stained photos, Burns allows us not only to relearn and finally understand our history, but also to feel and experience it. --Dave McCoy
On the DVD
The DVD features on The Civil War provide a wealth of insight, creative philosophy, historical perspective, and educational enjoyment. Twelve years after its premiere broadcast, the film was given a digital facelift, sharpening image clarity, correcting color, and enriching its soundtrack with a remastered 5.1-channel mix, as demonstrated in the "Civil War Reconstruction" featurette. In interviews from 2002, producer-director Ken Burns, historian Shelby Foote, journalist George Will, author Stanley Crouch, and composer-musicians Jay Ungar and Molly Mason reflect upon The Civil War's enduring significance. And Burns's eloquent commentary--selectively included on each disc and totaling five hours--illuminates the historical importance and creative impulse behind crucial chapters of the film. Fifty-seven onscreen biography cards detail important North, South, and civilian figures, and two 1990 featurettes—"Making History" and "A Conversation with Ken Burns"--provide a more personal perspective on the creation of this extraordinary film. Useful for both personal and academic study, these features stand as a fitting supplement to one of the greatest documentaries ever produced. --Jeff Shannon
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Like an old friend
Ever since I first saw this excellent documentary on PBS in the 1990s I have been returning to it over and over again.Not only to study and learn from this huge conflict, but - in a sense - to experience it.The production values, composition, and above all the variety and rhythm of the finely edited final product raise it to the level of poetry in my eyes.There have been many producttions that try to imitate it since, but none of these (sometimes valiant) attempts comes close.I will return ... Read More
Rating: - Grad Gift
Given as a graduation gift.Feedback from grad is:excellent viewing and plan to use it as a teaching aid.
Rating: - ken burns civil war
kens burns the civil war should be a manditory view for all young americans.the most entertaining and informational documentry i have ever seen.
Rating: - IF YOU WISH TO LEARN ABOUT AND SEE THE HISTORY, OF THE CIVIL WAR ,THIS IS FOR YOU!
This gives you a clear, and true picture of the Civil War! I was amazed at the actual true photographs of the civil war, and the photographs of the soldiers, and I love the way this documentary was done! I highly recommend it, especially for all you civil war bluffs out there!
I love the narrations, and all this true history brought to life! I loved the maps showing all these locations of where certain battles took place! Thank you Ken Burns for this priceless achievement, because now ... Read More
Rating: - A Ground-Breaking Series at a Great Price
I wanted this series to replace worn VHS tapes. Also, like so many others, I was missing a few chapters.
For those unfamiliar with Ken Burns or his Civil War series this is an epic journey, using photographs and paintings of the period, the best graphics of history books, and interviews with historians to present the war in a dynamic way. He made history live but he did so in a sensitive way. Ken Burns reviewed the script with a renowned group of Civil War historians before producing the ... Read More
- Like an old friendEver since I first saw this excellent documentary on PBS in the 1990s I have been returning to it over and over again.Not only to study and learn from this huge conflict, but - in a sense - to experience it.The production values, composition, and above all the variety and rhythm of the finely edited final product raise it to the level of poetry in my eyes.There have been many producttions that try to imitate it since, but none of these (sometimes valiant) attempts comes close.I will return ... Read More
- Grad GiftGiven as a graduation gift.Feedback from grad is:excellent viewing and plan to use it as a teaching aid.
- ken burns civil warkens burns the civil war should be a manditory view for all young americans.the most entertaining and informational documentry i have ever seen.
- IF YOU WISH TO LEARN ABOUT AND SEE THE HISTORY, OF THE CIVIL WAR ,THIS IS FOR YOU!This gives you a clear, and true picture of the Civil War! I was amazed at the actual true photographs of the civil war, and the photographs of the soldiers, and I love the way this documentary was done! I highly recommend it, especially for all you civil war bluffs out there!
I love the narrations, and all this true history brought to life! I loved the maps showing all these locations of where certain battles took place! Thank you Ken Burns for this priceless achievement, because now ... Read More
- A Ground-Breaking Series at a Great PriceI wanted this series to replace worn VHS tapes. Also, like so many others, I was missing a few chapters.
For those unfamiliar with Ken Burns or his Civil War series this is an epic journey, using photographs and paintings of the period, the best graphics of history books, and interviews with historians to present the war in a dynamic way. He made history live but he did so in a sensitive way. Ken Burns reviewed the script with a renowned group of Civil War historians before producing the ... Read More
