DVD: The Civil War: A Film by Ken Burns (PBS, 6-Discs, 11-hours) [D0025]

1990 DVD 6-disc boxed set, in nice clean, complete condition. The most successful public-television miniseries in American history, the 11-hour Civil War captivated a nation, reteaching to us our history in narrative terms. When people describe documentaries using the "Ken Burns approach," its style is understood: voice-over narrators reading letters and documents dramatically and stating the writer's name at their conclusion, fresh live footage of places juxtaposed with still images (photographs, paintings, maps, prints), anecdotal interviews, and romantic musical scores taken from the era he depicts. The Civil War uses all of these devices to evoke atmosphere and resurrect an event that many knew only from stale history books. While Burns is a historian, a researcher, and a documentarian, he's above all a gifted storyteller, and it's his narrative powers that give this chronicle its beauty, overwhelming emotion, and devastating horror. Using the words of old letters, eloquently read by a variety of celebrities, the stories of historians like Shelby Foote and rare, stained photos, Burns allows us not only to relearn and finally understand our history, but also to feel and experience it.

From Amazon reviews: "An outstanding video if you are interested in the Civil War. Archival pictures, personal recollections from letters and diaries written at the time and A great sound track. I would say, given the times we are living in, it should be required viewing to understand the time back then. Ken Burns brings the Civil War and those involved to life."; "An honest and straightforward telling of the story - nothing is omitted. Ken Burns' tells the civil war story impeccably. The 1865 section regarding the assassination of Lincoln, had me in tears. I liked it so much I made a trip from the UK to the US to see Washington and Gettysburg. Terrific. I have passed on to my grandsons."; "I watched part of this documentary when it was airing on PBS at the time, and it is ever better than I remember now that I'm watching the whole thing. It's truly an eye-opening piece of media. History doesn't repeat itself, it echoes."; "Was always a fan of this series and most everything Burns does. He revolutionized the format of documentaries."