The West

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding, moving, thorough, beautifully filmed
Review: So where is a DVD release!?? Unique, amazing, massive project thoroughly documenting the expansion of the United States into the vast territories of the American WEST. Brutally honest, sympathetic insight into the fall of the many Native American peoples... some of the material is painful, sometimes bleak, but an absolute MUST SEE for any feeling person with even a passing interest in the history of America. Outstanding photography and the classic Ken Burns look & feel (executive & senior producer), but with director Stephen Ives' own insightful point-of-view. This series ranks right along side Burns' "Civil War" in scope and depth, IMHO. See it anyway you can, then demand the set on DVD! (DVD not available at this writing).

Rating:
Summary: The West
Review: This is the best documentary I've ever seen. Peter Coyote's narration is wonderful. The skill with which the story of the westward-moving Americans is interwoven with the tragic story of the displaced Native Americans is truly amazing. The beautiful scenery of the western U.S. is intermingled with photographs from the past. Despite having learned the history of the West every year in school growing up, I learned many new things watching this documentary. It's definitely worth watching.

Rating:
Summary: A beautiful and moving documentary
Review: This is the best documentary I've ever seen. Peter Coyote's narration is wonderful. The skill with which the story of the westward-moving Americans is interwoven with the tragic story of the displaced Native Americans is truly amazing. The beautiful scenery of the western U.S. is intermingled with photographs from the past. Despite having learned the history of the West every year in school growing up, I learned many new things watching this documentary. It's definitely worth watching.

Rating:
Summary: PBS; The Best DVD production around....
Review: This movie, like all films on DVD that were made and released by PBS, has a high level of quality to them. They show the whole movie in it's entirety. No cut and paste editing that comes with commercial TV film prints, and they useually allow the film maker to put in extra footage that was not part of the original PBS boardcast, but widens the enjoyment of the film in it's DVD release. I must say that films made on PBS give you your money's worth and are not part of the big rippoffs that come from releaseing whole seasons of forgethable TV shows on other DVD boxed sets that cost way too much money and are not worth the film that they were made. I stay with PBS DVDs. They are worth it.

Rating:
Summary: PBS; The Best DVD production around....
Review: This movie, like all films on DVD that were made and released by PBS, has a high level of quality to them. They show the whole movie in it's entirety. No cut and paste editing that comes with commercial TV film prints, and they useually allow the film maker to put in extra footage that was not part of the original PBS boardcast, but widens the enjoyment of the film in it's DVD release. I must say that films made on PBS give you your money's worth and are not part of the big rippoffs that come from releaseing whole seasons of forgethable TV shows on other DVD boxed sets that cost way too much money and are not worth the film that they were made. I stay with PBS DVDs. They are worth it.

Rating:
Summary: Ken Burns Triumphs Again!
Review: With his exploration of "The West," Ken Burns again proves himself to be among the best historical documentary film makers of the day! As a college history teacher, I find this series to be generally accurate and stunningly captured through both archival stills and gorgeous, modern film. Of course it is a selective history--what survey of history is not selective? The hope is that with this as an interesting springboard, maybe a viewer will be stimulated to dig a little deeper. At least it is a view of the west that is populated with something other than stereotyped "cowboys" and "indians." I use at least two episodes from this series in my US survey classes each semester and for the most part my students seem to enjoy it.

Rating:
Summary: Dreary P.C. stuff
Review: Yes once more the academic liberals have hijacked what could be an interesting subject and turned it into a P.C rant. There is not much history here and given the biases that are so evident throughout the series, I am guessing that we should take all statements with a great grain of salt.

Rating:
Summary: Dreary P.C. stuff
Review: Yes once more the academic liberals have hijacked what could be an interesting subject and turned it into a P.C rant. There is not much history here and given the biases that are so evident throughout the series, I am guessing that we should take all statements with a great grain of salt.