My wife and I just started watching the Ken Burn's documentary The Civil War. This truly is a masterful work of art and a great history lesson along the way. I know this was released probably 10 years ago or so on PBS, but I was too young to be interested at the time.
Basically this is a glorified 10 hour slideshow. Sounds boring right? Hardly. The narration is top notch with the likes of Morgan Freeman on some of it. The photos are true to the period and very moving and the music is about as good as it gets.
Instead of the usual mindlessness of most of what Hollywood churns out, check out this 5 part documentary. You won't be sorry.
Find it here on Netflix.
6 comments:
Actually it was released something like 17 years ago! And you are right it is an incredible documentary. I think it should be required viewing for all Americans because it is important that we understand the history, strength, faith, perseverance, struggles, and everything about our past. Our history will teach us and prepare us for the future, but if we have forgotten the past then it would seem like we are forging ahead with ... nothing.
It is amazing, isn't it.
Favorite part (it's hard to name just one) ... Lincoln's quote at the very beginning about America living free forever or dying by suicide.
Z - you gotta watch the special features, specifically the making of the project, and the interview with Ken Burns ... he's brilliant.
He just released another on about the WWII, and his docs on Baseball and on Lewis and Clark are amazing, too.
Oh ... and how sweet is Shelby Foote? A very engaging historian!
Ken Burns also made a documentary on the history of jazz that showed on PBS a few years ago. Have you seen it, Z? As a jazz fan myself, I thought it was very good in some places, and unfortunately wanting in others. Cecil Taylor was unjustly dismissed in a matter of minutes, and there was next to nothing about contemporary experimental jazz... but there was still much in the documentary worth watching. The episode on Coltrane was great.
True what Christopher said...and the 5-cd set has a nice overview of a lot of good music. Stuff to introduce others to jazz greats, guiding them to dive into the plethora of quality blue note artists and others.
Classic.
Zach: Recently watched Ken Burns' film about the Shakers and was excellent.
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