Rating: 
Summary: A wonderful telling of one of the great American stories
Review: This is another well-made documentary by Ken Burns. What I love most about his films is that they incorporate beautiful and relevant images and scenery with important quotes, figures, and anecdotes from the event in question. It would have been a difficult task to produce a four-hour documentary on this expedition--there were no photographs taken, and little physical evidence still exists from the trip. But the scenery is still there, and Burns makes ample use of it.The best part about this documentary, however, is the characterization--not only of Lewis and Clark, but also of their men. This film portrays them as a closely-knit family, a band of brothers. And, most importantly, it shows that they were ALL heroes, down to the last and weakest of the men. Lewis and Clark are portrayed as the extraordinary individuals and talented leaders that they were, but the ugly side of both men is also apparent. Lewis and Clark were human, and this is one of the things that makes them such spectacular models of American spirit and courage. This film helps us to see Lewis and Clark, as well as Thomas Jefferson, as the great heroes they were. Like Burns's documentaries on Mark Twain and the Civil War, this film successfully conveys the emotion, the feeling of the Lewis and Clark expedition. This is much more than just a rambling of dry historians or a rattling of dates and facts, this is a story. Most importantly, it is a true story, told in a true manner, one which will give inspiration and courage for many generations to come.
Rating: 
Summary: This is not history
Review: This is not history. It's nonsense. The Corps of Discovery went out to establish U.S. claims to trade. It was not a particularly noble trip, it was not pure exploration, it had devastating effects for the tribes contacted. Where are the descendants of Clark? Why aren't they in this film?
They are out there. I've heard them speak at many conferences. Where is Sacagawea's family? They are still around. Why aren't their views represented? What about descendants of other members of the Corps? What of the theft of canoes at the western-most point of the trip (by L&C from the Native Americans living in the region)? What of Charbonneau's abuse of S.? He beat her so badly that three times it was entered into the official record of the trip. An official government record.
What of the maps that L&C brought with them? What of the French traders already in the area they subsequently claimed for the U.S. based on being the "first" in the area?
For a more interesting view of the Expedition I recommend the video of Johnny Arlee's pageant titled: Salish and Pend d'Oreille People Meet the Lewis and Clark Expedition"
This presents a different and more enlightening view of the Corps.
Rating:
Summary: Saw it twice, Loved it twice and would love to see it again.
Review: This video was recently shown on our Australian Broadcasting Commission Channel Two and it was a great success. I absolutely loved it and saw it again when it was repeated. However, I made an attempt to buy it here and it is unavailable in the VHS version and was wondering if it is ever going to be released in Australia. The scenery, story and the excellent narration was a shining example of what a documentary should be. I would love to own a copy so that my family and friends can marvel at your wonderful history of the exploration of the North West Passage again and again. Thank you for a wonderful effort.
Rating:
Summary: Bravo again for Burns
Review: What captured my imagination most when watching this film was how wonderful it must have been to take steps that no one east of them had ever known before. The discoveries -- the prairie dog, etc. -- that awaited them at every turn helped me to remember how new and precious our country is. Burns' greatest achievement! Better than any fiction out there.
Rating:
Summary: True American Heroes
Review: When the country was young and pristine, it was still possible to accomplish something heroic; and Lewis and Clark did just that. They took thirty men up the Missouri River into uncharted territory looking for the mythical "Northwest Passage," which others had searched for for three hundred years. They mapped the land, and catalogued the animals and plants. They befriended Indians and made promises successive generations would ultimately break. They lived off-of-the-land, or traded with natives for whatever they couldn't hunt or catch. The trek took two-and-a-half years. They traveled in spring and summer and put-up for the winter. During one lengthy encampment, they dined on nothing but elk for months - because they wouldn't eat the local salmon which was plentiful. They faced death on numerous occasions, yet came back suffering only one casualty (due to appendicitis). All of the men (except for a slave) were awarded 300 acres by the U.S. government. Lewis & Clark each earned 1,600. Lewis was manic-depressive; and his paranoia, which was controlled during their journey, revived to torment him after his return. His friend, Clark, lived a long life. Lewis, haunted by demons, committed suicide. President Thomas Jefferson, who had bought the Louisiana Territory from Napoleon, was a true visionary. But he was derided for the purchase. He waited years for the vindication that Lewis & Clark would eventually bring him. The movie's live footage of majestic scenery is awe-inspiring. The duo's tale as told by multiple historians is touching. If you've ever dreamt of accomplishing something great, you're sure to find Ken Burns' `Lewis & Clark' inspirational. I certainly did -- and I highly recommend it!
Rating:
Summary: True American Heroes
Review: When the country was young and pristine, it was still possible to accomplish something heroic; and Lewis and Clark did just that. They took thirty men up the Missouri River into uncharted territory looking for the mythical "Northwest Passage," which others had searched for for three hundred years. They mapped the land, and catalogued the animals and plants. They befriended Indians and made promises successive generations would ultimately break. They lived off-of-the-land, or traded with natives for whatever they couldn't hunt or catch. The trek took two-and-a-half years. They traveled in spring and summer and put-up for the winter. During one lengthy encampment, they dined on nothing but elk for months - because they wouldn't eat the local salmon which was plentiful. They faced death on numerous occasions, yet came back suffering only one casualty (due to appendicitis). All of the men (except for a slave) were awarded 300 acres by the U.S. government. Lewis & Clark each earned 1,600. Lewis was manic-depressive; and his paranoia, which was controlled during their journey, revived to torment him after his return. His friend, Clark, lived a long life. Lewis, haunted by demons, committed suicide. President Thomas Jefferson, who had bought the Louisiana Territory from Napoleon, was a true visionary. But he was derided for the purchase. He waited years for the vindication that Lewis & Clark would eventually bring him. The movie's live footage of majestic scenery is awe-inspiring. The duo's tale as told by multiple historians is touching. If you've ever dreamt of accomplishing something great, you're sure to find Ken Burns' 'Lewis & Clark' inspirational. I certainly did -- and I highly recommend it!
Rating:
Summary: A must, especially with the L & C Bicentennial
Review: With the soon coming Lewis & Clark Bicentennial, this DVD will go a long way in explaining the events surrounding that mementous journey. It is somewhat odd that in all of the reviews that I have read to date, none of them mentions the music. Mr. Burns is as well-known for the musical scores in his documentaries as he is for the style and content of his films. The music in this selection is no different. It is beautiful, listless, melodic, and very much appropriate to the period. Regarding the documentary itself, Burns uses top-name actors, and first-rate historians (Stephen Ambrose). By the way, if you want to see the keelboat that appeared in the film, it is kept at Lewis & Clark State Park near Onawa, Iowa. It's the only one of its kind. This is the definitive documentary on Lewis & Clark and the Corps of Discovery--it has no equal. James C. Moeller
Writer and Historian
Grace University
Omaha, Nebraska
Rating:
Summary: Relive one of the greatest journeys of all time
Review: With trips to the summit of Everest now quite routine, there are no more places on the surface of the Earth left to explore. The greatest feat of exploration of the past century was the manned landing on the moon. However, it was more a feat of technology than a voyage of discovery. In the nineteenth century, the greatest feat of exploration in North America was the journey of the corps of discovery, where Meriwether Lewis and William Clark led a small expedition up the Missouri river and over land to the Pacific ocean. Sent by President Jefferson shortly after the Louisiana Purchase, their mandate was to map, gather scientific data on the wildlife, search for a Northwest passage to the Pacific and to make contact with the native American inhabitants. Amazingly, they did all three, being more successful than even the greatest of optimists could have foreseen.
Retracing their journey and interspersed with dramatic reenactments, this tape is truly history in action. With no possibility of relief arriving for years, they were required to live on what they could carry as well as what they could find on the land or obtain from the natives. What was most interesting about the tape is the descriptions of their relationships with the various tribes they encountered. Truly, without the active assistance of several tribes, they would have starved to death or have been forced to turn back. In fact, a Shoshone woman named Sacagawea traveled with them for most of the journey, carrying her infant son every step of the way. It is a tribute to Lewis and Clark that they kept such accurate and honest journals. From them, we can learn what happened, and there is no hint of personal embellishment in their writings. In hearing these accounts, you cannot help but wonder if the native tribes understood that their world had changed forever, and of course not for the better.
I have traveled most of their route by vehicle, and when you move up the mountains, you cannot help but be impressed by how difficult it was for them to move over them by horseback. Keep in mind that they were also carrying extensive munitions, goods for trade and other miscellaneous necessities. Furthermore, there was only one fatality among the members of the corps, and that was most likely appendicitis, something that no medical person on the planet could have successfully treated.
The journey of Lewis & Clark irrevocably changed the social structure of half of what is now the continental United States. This tape is an accurate historical account of their adventure and should be a requirement for graduation from high school.
Rating:
Summary: A must have for amateur historians.
Review: Wonderful, great, stunning, visually stimulating. Pick the words. All are appropriate. As a compaion to Undaunted Courage, this video is as good as it gets.
| 
