The Civil War - A Film by Ken Burns

Rating:
Summary: so tragic
Review: "One must study the past,..." to understand the present. So, I've modified my favorite quote of Confucius somewhat, yet one has to understand the present and past "to divine the future"; I think Confucius implies that. The American Civil War was a significant event of American history, no doubt about that. I watched a bootlegged VHS version of this recorded from the PBS series. What I like most about this film is the commentaries from different historians about the Civil War years. I particularly enjoyed Shelby Foote's and Barbara Fields' remarks. Shelby Foote's three volume set on the Civil War is a classic; he is a southerner who is also a veteran who served in WWII. Barbara Field is an African American historian. I felt that it was not biased and succeeded in showing faithfully what life was like during that era for people on all sides, and not just soldiers on the battlefields, by showing photographs of battle scenes and sites and soldiers, and by revealing the emotions of men and women who lived and died during that time through letters they wrote. On such an emotionally charged subject and divisive one at that, the series ends on a note of unity and understanding and caution. And I add we must understand this past, its real causes, to avoid repeating such tragedies in the future. Ken Burns and company did a beautiful job at illuminating an ugly and harrowing subject.

One of the songs that plays wordlessly in the background at various times during this documentary is a tune that was recycled probably from an Irish tune from 1688 during the Glorious Revolution there. It was known during America's Revolution as Johnny's Gone for a Soldier, in the late 1600's and before 1776, it was also called Shule Agra and Buttermilk Hill. One must wonder at why the southerners suffered so many deprivations during the war to keep fighting like they did without shoes on their feet and little food, marching and marching for countless miles, 20-30 a day. I agree with others when they say that the subject of reconstruction is not dealt with in this film. It is an important subject too but is more than enough for a film of its own. After the war, southerners had their properties confiscated which engendered the term carpet bagger to denote the true motives of northern transplants to the south. Such were some of the liberators of American slaves. It was such a tragic war and as Ken Burns and others comment at the end, its consequences are still with us.

All citizens of this country should watch this at least once.

'Here I sit on Buttermilk Hill/Who can blame me, cryin' my fill
And ev'ry tear would turn a mill/Johnny has gone for a soldier.

Me, oh my, I loved him so/Broke my heart to see him go,
And only time will heal my woe/Johnny has gone for a soldier.

I'll sell my rod, I'll sell my reel/Likewise I'll sell my spinning wheel,
And buy my love a sword of steel/Johnny has gone for a soldier.

I'll dye my dress, I'll dye it red/And through the streets I'll beg for bread,
For the lad that I love from me has fled/Johnny has gone for a soldier.'


Rating:
Summary: The Best Documentary Ever Made...Now Even Better
Review: Having owned and viewed the VHS edition of the Civil War numerous times, I didn't know if the DVD would make that much of a difference. Believe me, it does. Every frame of the film is digitally remastered and color corrected. The entire soundtrack is also digitally remastered. It's almost like seeing the film for the first time.

Concerning the film itself, for those of you who have been hiding under a rock and haven't seen it yet, this is probably the best Documentary ever made. Just get it.

Rating:
Summary: The Civil War - A Film by Ken Burns
Review: How many times does american history have to suffer under
the distortions of liberal freaks like Ken Burns. Burns
doesn't understand the war, the reasons for the war or
even the events of the war very well. He and his pet
liberal historians stay on message the whole time. They
spend hours saying nothing of value.

We never hear about the constitution, corruption of the
northern liberals or their anti-God agenda. All we hear
about is the usual propoganda.





Rating:
Summary: Absoloutly Wonderful
Review: Ken Burns brings the Civil War to life in pictures and by the wonderful words of the actual participants. It makes you long for a more literate America...the simplest foot soldier is more eloquent than most statesmen of today... truly a masterpiece that should be required viewing in all schools.

Rating:
Summary: Ken Burns Best
Review: Ken Burns has established himself as one of the greats in terms of historical documentaries. The Civil War is Mr. Burns' greatest work. The attention to detail brings the history to life. Mr. Burns does an excellent job of bringing humanity to the tragic time in America. With the use of solder's and family letters it is evident what a difficult time it was to be an American. Originally aired on PBS in September of 1990, nearly fifteen years later the series remains the ultimate narrative about the United States darkest time.

The series is finally released on DVD. While the price is a little high the amazing quality of the series makes the cost very reasonable. Ken Burns' Civil War is required for any Civil War historian's collection. The series is also a great way for those wishing to learn more about the Civil War. I would recommend this to anyone that loves historical documentaries. It does not get any better than The Civil War - A Film by Ken Burns.


Rating:
Summary: Unwatchable, bad, and BORING.
Review: Leave it to Ken Burns to take one of the most important events in American history and turn it into a 56 hour borefest. I don't know what most people see in this overrated and awful filmmaker, but all of his films are unwatchable, bad, and BORING. I don't know what is so great about seeing the same photographs of historical figures 500 times throughout the 56 hour period. I also don't know why Ken Burns uses the same two historians throughout the entire documentary, even though thousands of articles, journals, and books have been written about the Civil War and its key players.
Notice that Ken Burns plays it safe throughout the whole movie. He does not interview different historians and their different viewpoints about the causes, events, and aftermath of the Civil War. What we get instead is the same thing we've been fed our entrie lives; Lincoln was one of the greatest Presidents, the war was to free the slaves; the Southerns were evil and racist while the Northerners were great liberators.
The list could go on and on. I hope most people start to see Ken Burns for the charlatan that he really is. He is NO historian. He is a farce and a fraud.