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Summary: Excellent analysis and docuemntary of the famed explorers
Review: Ken Burns did another outstanding job in this documentary of an important part of American history, the Exploration of Lewis and Clark. The outdoor scenery from the East Coast to the West Coast is vivid and the great plains, the forestry of the East and West Coast and everything in between is beautiful and enhance this documentary brilliantly.Burns goes into the lives of Lewis and Clark before there famed journey and gives the explanation of the curiousity and drive that made these two men travel the unchartered territory of the Louisiana Purchase. Due credit is given to the third President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson who was the cornerstone and guiding force behind this journey. The account of the journey and the tales, joys and griefs as well as the unrelenting hardships are given with compassion and clarity. The narration by Hal Holbrook and the script written by Dayton Duncan, immediatly draws the viewers interest. The encounters with the Native Americans are fascinating and the contribution by the famous Native American guide Sacagawea is also given her due respect and admiration. Overall, this is an excellent documentary that is beautifully photographed, interesting and accurate in the historical analysis, and is a delight to watch. Highly recommended!
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Summary: Great
Review: Ken Burns does a great job showing the journey to discover a land route to the Pacific. You really get a sence of what they were feeling. Music was good too.
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Summary: Lewis and Clark review
Review: Ken Burns has done it again! Lewis and Clark is wonderful just as I figured it would be. I am never dissapointed when I watch a Ken Burns film.
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Summary: I am watching this for the 10th time. At least.
Review: Ken Burns has pulled me into this story like nothing else could have. This presentation combines stories told in a most compelling way, readings from the journals, pictures and paintings, and music in a way that makes the Lewis & Clark expedition come alive. It's an adventure story that transcends time. I was so blown away when I first saw it on PBS that I bought the book, the VHS video, and now the CD/book combo. I am watching it now for the 10th time, and I still cry when I get to Grinder's Stand. My son is now writing a report on Lewis and Clark for school, and he is using this DVD as his primary source. He chose the topic, and it's one of the few stories that has captured his attention other than Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. (Thank you, Ken Burns!) This is a real-life adventure story that is expertly told. (I would love to get the soundtrack that PBS used to sell, but they apparently no longer sell it.)
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Summary: I am watching this for the 10th time. At least.
Review: Ken Burns has pulled me into this story like nothing else could have. This presentation combines stories told in a most compelling way, readings from the journals, pictures and paintings, and music in a way that makes the Lewis & Clark expedition come alive. It's an adventure story that transcends time. I was so blown away when I first saw it on PBS that I bought the book, the VHS video, and now the CD/book combo. I am watching it now for the 10th time, and I still cry when I get to Grinder's Stand. My son is now writing a report on Lewis and Clark for school, and he is using this DVD as his primary source. He chose the topic, and it's one of the few stories that has captured his attention other than Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. (Thank you, Ken Burns!) This is a real-life adventure story that is expertly told. (I would love to get the soundtrack that PBS used to sell, but they apparently no longer sell it.)
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Summary: Ken Burns weaves the journey's history w/beautiful scenery.
Review: Ken Burns really shows how this impossible journey succeeded, and using beautiful scenery, tells the story of this amazing group of men. Only 1 member of the group died, and that was from appendicitis and right at the beginning practically.
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Summary: Lewis & Clark - The Journey of the Corps of Discovery
Review: More than a historical account of the Lewis & Clark expedition, this is a moving portrait of the journey and its participants. The music--as in all of Mr. Burns' productions--echoes the story, and Mr. Holbrook's narration is without peer. Most heart-wrenching of all is the recounting of Meriwether Lewis' post-expedition mental decline and suicide. I cannot say enough about this show: I've seen it on PBS at least twice, and doubt I'll ever tire of it.
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Summary: Lewis & Clark - The Journey of the Corps of Discovery
Review: More than a historical account of the Lewis & Clark expedition, this is a moving portrait of the journey and its participants. The music--as in all of Mr. Burns' productions--echoes the story, and Mr. Holbrook's narration is without peer. Most heart-wrenching of all is the recounting of Meriwether Lewis' post-expedition mental decline and suicide. I cannot say enough about this show: I've seen it on PBS at least twice, and doubt I'll ever tire of it.
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Summary: The Ultimate Road Trip
Review: So how *does* a 4-hour documentary dare to capture the imagination of a 21st century viewer without any photographs and with only a journal devoid of conflict? Breathtakingly, simply breathtakingly.
Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan traveled the same route as Lewis & Clark's expedition team and have woven the images together into a tapestry of beauty that conveys the awe and reverence that the original travelers must have felt as they were the first Americans to experience the enormous majesty of our country. The ethnic diversity of the expedition party (e.g. York, William Clark's slave, a Frenchman, an Indian) was important to the filmmakers and allows us to draw the conclusion that e pluribus unum reverberated as much then as it does now: out of many, one. The film does not spotlight only on Lewis & Clark, but gives adequate attention to the other members of the party so as to remind us that nothing is ever done without the strength of all of the fibers being woven together, lending itself to a film that is realistic in its portrayal of all of the efforts that went into this fantastic voyage.
As a fascinating twist, the main character is the geography as the viewer is constantly swept toward the next vista, encompassing the breadth and expanse that lies ahead, the enormous and humbling challenge that man faces every day in this nation which is blessed with rich resources. One cannot watch this film without yearning to make a similar journey, perhaps to find our own inner depths and to seek our own marvelous adventures that unfold before us, never knowing what's metaphorically around the next bend of the river or the next mountain that presents itself. Balance in the portrayal of Lewis & Clark is evidenced in that they are not shown as archetypal heroes, but instead are shown as normal people with problems and flaws. Credit to the filmmakers must be given for their being careful not to idolize the adventurers, but to point out that it is only with the help of one another that we are able to achieve great accomplishments, that no one discovery rests solely on the shoulders of just one individual but on the collective efforts of all those with whom we undertake such endeavours.
Finally, it must be said that one will come away with a sense of excitement as PBS once again achieves the amazing task of making history exciting, fresh, and vivid.
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Summary: Visually beautiful with fine narration of an important story
Review: The expedition of Lewis & Clark is one of the great events in American History and is all but unknown today. This wonderful program is a great way to become more familiar with this fascinating story and that great band of explorers (including the woman on our Golden Dollar: Sacagawea). Hal Holbrook is a great narrator and the writing is quite good. The visuals are even better. It is stunning to view and brings some real appreciation to what the Corps of Discovery accomplished. Just taking that boat upstream for so many miles is stunning, let alone all the cataloging they did in the face of a very real struggle for survival. It is also amazing to see how many vistas Burns and crew were able to find in such a seemingly pristine state. One of the real shocks to me was to understand how nearly deadly the Great Plains were to the Corps because of the lack of wood. Growing up in Michigan with trees everywhere, we take wood for granted. On that expedition, its lack was a real hardship. While not as dramatic as war and without and the lack of contemporary illustrations requires a different presentation style than Burns normally provides, this is still a visual feast and good solid food for the brain. Worth viewing many times for many reasons. Don't forget to read Stephen Ambrose's "Undaunted Courage" as well.
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