The Civil War: A Film By Ken Burns

Starring: Sam Waterston, Julie Harris, Jason Robards, et al.

Product Description

The Civil War A Film by Ken BurnsThe DVD features on The Civil War provide a wealth of insightcreative philosophy historical perspective and educational enjoyment.Twelve years after its premiere... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: DVD
• UPC: 097368858244
• Release Date: January 1
• Rating: Unrated (Not Rated)
• Publisher: Pbs Paramount
• Director: Ken Burns
• Starring: Sam Waterston, Julie Harris, Jason Robards, Morgan Freeman, Paul Roebling, Garrison Keillor, George Black, David McCullough, Arthur Miller
• Runtime: 11 hours
• Number of Disks: 5
• Other Video Info: box_set
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Ken Burns opens some eyes and makes you feel “You are there.”

TV Mini Series 1990 TV-14 1h 30m Also, on PBS Home Video. Ken Burns is noted for many find documentaries that leave little out and still keep your attention. This time, we get to set our “way back” machine to 1861, where we start with the cause of the Civil War. Now I know there are many causes for the Civil War, as the one that I learned from my economics class was that it was economic. However, Kim Burns gives a more holistic look at what was happening at the time and the indicators that foretold the war. Each chapter or section of this documentary is approximately an hour-long we go through several titles such as "A very Bloody Affair" and "Forever Free 1862". What keeps this film from being a dry documentary is Ken Burns’s balance between sounds and sights of the Civil War, re-created from sketches and extracted from books and drawings. To tie this together, we get a talking head presentation from Shelby Foote. Shelby makes you feel like you are right there as he can describe in every detail any piece of the Civil War that you care to ask about. One thing not to be overlooked is that the voices in this presentation are those of popular actors. So be sure to watch the credits to find out whose voices are being used for which people are portrayed. I do not want to go into too much detail because that is why you are buying this documentary. However, it has something for everybody; for those who already know the Civil War, it adds more depth and maybe a different spin on the politics and people of the time. This also works as one of the best introductions, far superior to anything that I was able to receive in school history classes. This is also a must-read background reading for anybody in the military, as everyone knows each war is different from the last, but attitudes and sometimes knowledge of previous tactics can help carry you through the next. Even though the war is over, while watching this documentary, you will find yourself kibitzing. Do not forget to buy the companion book to this film as it contains many of the pictures and diagrams that were displayed, so that you do not have to put the film back in to see this on the extras. Oh yes, do not forget to look at the DVD extras. If, like me, you were fascinated by the presentation by Shelby Foote, do not forget to buy the three-volume set of Civil War books, a narrative by Shelby Foote.