Mark Twain - A Film Directed by Ken Burns

Product Description:
Studio: Paramount Home VideoRelease Date: 10/20/2005Director: Ken Burns

Amazon.com:
Given the legendary life of its subject, it's not surprising that Mark Twain is perhaps the most entertaining documentary Ken Burns has made. The creator of The Civil War and Jazz achieves reverent harmony with the magnificent story of Missouri-born author Samuel Clemens (a.k.a. Mark Twain), encompassing legend and fact with an exhilarating sense of adventure. Hailed by Hemingway as the originator of American literature, Twain (a nom de plume taken from a riverboat pilot's term for "safe waters") viewed himself as the American. Burns's film backs that claim as it follows Clemens's literary odyssey around the globe, from unrivaled acclaim as a writer to near destitution and the devastating deaths of his wife and three children. As usual, eloquent writers and scholars (including longtime Twain performer Hal Holbrook) provide a wondrous flow of anecdotes and observations, recounting Twain's remarkable humor while acknowledging a darker side that felt anger toward an indifferent god. Like all of Burns's films, Mark Twain is must-see viewing.--Jeff Shannon

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Customer Reviews

Rating: - The Avatar Of American Letters
No, this will not be a paean to the `transformative' nature of reading Samuel Clemens' (hereafter Mark Twain) seminal works, "Huckleberry Finn" and "Tom Sawyer" in childhood. I spend no long nights reading his works under a blanket, flashlight at the ready, until I fell asleep exhausted. (I did do that form of reading but not for Mr. Twain's work.) I, frankly, could not relate to the characters and the dialogue that seemed rather stilted (although I would not have known enough to call it that then). ... Read More
Rating: - Excellent Biography
Ken Burns 3 and half biography is a masterpiece in bring the life of Mark Twain to life. Full of humor and insights into the life of America's greatest author. The story is full of Mark Twain's axioms and wisdom on life. This in itself makes it worth the price of the tape - In my opinion, Twain's humor and sayings are even greater tan the old master of Ben Franklin.

The biography is not only laughs and humor, but there is also a considerable amount of commentary on Huck FInn (About 30 ... Read More
Rating: - Beautifully done biography
This is a fantastic biographical film about Mark Twain, really Samuel Clemens. It covers everything from his birth to his death. This man, considered to be one of America's greatest humorists, suffered a lot of personal grief - some of it by his own doing. The film is typical of Ken Burn's style; very engrossing, very long, and always worth the time.
Rating: - Ken Burns does his bit for Mark Twain
If you've seen anything by Ken Burns, you know his formula, and you will not see anything different here.But the formula is good, and it works.

If you don't care about Mark Twain, this probably won't capture your attention, but if you have read Twain and are a fan of him, as I am, this bio will do a great job of putting Twain's works into the context of a life that was remarkable in so many ways. The thing I most learned from this that I didn't know before had to do with the extent to which ... Read More
Rating: - Mark Twain - A Film Directed by Ken Burns
Ken Burns is a great film maker.As a history buff I found this very interesting.