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The West - Ken Burns
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Absolutely compelling and triumphant docmentary
Review date: 2008-10-10 Rating: 10 out of 10
Ken Burns has captured the drama, the triumph, the tragedy and more importantly - The truth of the opening and colonization of the American West in this masterpiece of film work. I ordered "The West" as a follow up to watching Ken Burns' "The Civil War" (also an excellent production) to fill in some of the "gaps" and I was not disappointed, "The West" provides a massive amount of historical information in a well-planned, easy to follow and concise manner. The rich panoramic camera-work coupled with original photos, quotes, commentaries and period music delivers a sense of reality, one can almost imagine standing on the plains with the pioneers or cringing from a cavalry charge. The film is not patriotic, there is no attempt to conceal or sugarcoat unpleasant events perpetrated in the course of "manifest destiny", the film is raw and unapologetic, Ken Burns merely delivers the truth of what happened, he doesn't take sides. I highly recommend this series for anyone wishing to know about "The West" or how the United States came to be what it is today. Again, kudos to Mr. Burns, keep up the good work.
Similar Products
- The American Civil War
- The Great Indian Wars 1540-1890 [2007]
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Reviews
Definitive documentary but at a pedestrian pace
Review date: 2007-12-16 Rating: 8 out of 10
This landmark series will probably always be the definitive series on how the West was "won". These vast roaming plains were initially the home to the various Indian tribes & equally vast herds of bison.
The video deals with the slow dispossession of the Indians to these lands. Initially the impact of the white man was inconsequential as they only had to deal with hunters, traders & trappers. These were hardy frontiersmen who impinged little on the Indians traditional way of life except for 3 things - guns, horses & booze.
This idyll was about to change irrevocably with the discovery of gold in California & the building of the railroads across the continent. With the opening up of the West, came the immigrants from Europe and the outlaws, unemployed & adventurers from the east coast. Their voracious appetite for land meant the slow inexorable dispossession of the Indian peoples despite treaties to the contrary. By reneging on these promises, the Indians experienced the eventual demise of their traditional way of life. Part of this change was wrought by the utter destruction of the bison heads - once estimated to number up to 30 million - to the point of their imminent extinction.
Ironically the greatest victory of the Indians against the white man viz the slaughter of the federal troops under George Custer at Little Bighorn was the prelude to their eventual rounding up & placement in reservations.
One gets a sense of the dichotomy of the opening up of the West to development but also the simultaneous destruction of the Indian way of life.
This reviewer certainly finds fault in the production. These principally revolve around what I refer to as the cardinal sins of documentary making. The first relates to the repeated use of the same footage. The existence of plentiful footage of certain aspects was probably problematic and a huge challenge but it was not overcome. Secondly was the display of a photo or scene for lengthy periods whilst some quote was made. The accepted practice to overcome this problem when using stills is to zoom in on an aspect of the picture & then to zoom out. To merely have a static image of the screen is unacceptable. Thirdly the episodes are too long. It would have been preferable to have a maximum length of 50 minutes. All of these negatives tend to make the pace tedious & pedestrian which detracts from an otherwise impressive presentation.
There is no other video which deals so comprehensively with this subject & deals with its epic scale. For all those wanting such a compelling overview of the subject, this is the DVD to buy but be prepared to loose focus occasionally.
Compulsive viewing
Review date: 2007-10-23 Rating: 10 out of 10
If anybody needs to try and fathom out the American psyche of today then they could do not better than to watch this series, as everything America has become is rooted in their past....and this amazing series pulls no punches in showing us what a perverted; evil; exploitative; hate filled; bigoted; racist; nature destroying; war mongering bunch of n'ere-do-wells they were and are!
It was an eye opener to me, it makes for tough viewing as there are not many redeeming features to many of the characters.
America then and America now......the blasted and barren tree.
Wonderful! For all fans of Ken Burns
Review date: 2004-02-10 Rating: 10 out of 10
If you have seen and enjoyed Ken Burns' legendary documentary mini-series, The American Civil War, then you will not be disappointed by The West.
Burns employs the same techniques (letters, photos, old maps, drawings with Hollywood actors providing the voices and historians occasionally fleshing out the tones) to tell the story of the American West. It is a wonderful story told from every angle. If you enjoy American history and value good film-making, then do not miss this wonderful documentary series.
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Peter Coyote; Gary Sinise; Matthew Broderick; Martin Moran; Ken Little Hawk; Terrence Currier; Blythe Danner; August Schellenberg; Adam Arkin; Pamela Reed; Tony Plana; Julie Harris; Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio; Michael Potts; Robert Prosky
Creators:
Peter Coyote; Gary Sinise; Matthew Broderick; Martin Moran; Ken Little Hawk; Terrence Currier; Blythe Danner; August Schellenberg; Adam Arkin; Pamela Reed; Tony Plana; Julie Harris; Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio; Michael Potts; Robert Prosky (Primary Contributor)
Director(s):
Recording label: Dd Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: Dd Home Entertainment
EAN: 5019322060864
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 4
Format: Box set, Black & White, Colour, PAL,
Release date: 2003-03-10
Number of discs: 4
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Audience rating: Exempt
Region code: 2
Running time: 704 minutes
Language: English (Unknown)
Language: English (Original Language)