Ken Burns
A Filmmaking Icon
Learn about the man behind the movies.
DISCUSSION
Impact
Which Ken Burns film had the greatest impact on you?
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08/03 at 01:11 PM from State College, PA
The Civil War hands down. Not only was it thoroughly researched and perfectly cast, but it made people look at the the conflict beyond the simple “war to end slavery” vs “war for state’s rights”. It gave our defining national moment context and complexity and an elegiac terrible beauty.
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08/04 at 10:53 AM from PA
JAZZ is my favorite documentary from Burns. It might be the most comprehensive documentary made on the subject. The footage he found was great and the way he used the music in telling the story of Jazz was amazing. A great deal of what I know about Jazz came from watching this documentary.
ABOUT THE EPISODE
Ken Burns has been called one of “the most influential documentary makers” of all time. Hear him discuss his career, his belief in the power of film to change lives, and the letter he’s carried in his wallet for more than twenty years.
For a captioned version of this interview, go to YouTube.
ABOUT THE GUEST
Ken Burns has been making documentary films for more than 30 years. His productions have won four Emmy awards and garnered two Academy Award nominations, among many other distinctions.
“The Civil War,” a nine-part series first broadcast by PBS in 1990, is often cited as his greatest accomplishment. “The Civil War” won more than 40 major television and film honors, including two Emmy awards, two Grammy awards, a People’s Choice award, a Peabody award, and Producer of the Year award from the Producers Guild of America.
Among Burns’ other notable works are “Brooklyn Bridge” (1981), “Baseball” (1994), “Frank Lloyd Wright” (1998), “JAZZ” (2001), and “The War” (2007). His four-hour documentary, “Lewis and Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery,” earned the second-highest ratings in PBS history when it first aired in 1997.
More About Burns
- The Letter He Carries
- Ken Burns Effect
- Complete List of Films
- Florentine Films
- Images from the Civil War
PENN STATE CONNECTION
WHERE TO WATCH
WPSU
Thursday, August 12 at 9pm
Big Ten Network
Monday, August 23 at 12:00pm and 3:00am
ABOUT THE HOST
Veteran interviewer Patty Satalia hosts in-depth conversations with a broad range of remarkable people.
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