Just watched this complete miniseries on Netflix. It was amazing, poignant, heart-wrenching. The letters that were read by actors-wow. People just don't communicate that way any more, which is sad. If you haven't seen this documentary, you should. Excellent.
Haven't seen it lately but I remember it vividly. I don't buy DVDs as a rule, but for this series I would make an exception.
I want to hole up in the winter and watch this. I'll get it from the Library.
This year was supposed to be my Civil War year but I never got around to reading or viewing much of anything. I wanted to supplement my course with trips to places in my state associated with the War Between the States because Missouri has a colorful history--it was Southern and part Northern. In my neighborhood there are stories of courting girls and boys from families of opposing sides who would meet in our neighborhood park as neutral territory. Most of the houses around here now were built 10 - 20 years after the war, but here are few that are original to that time.
Saw it when it first aired my senior year of college, fall of 1990. I've seen it several times since. Excellent.Originally Posted by Aspen
I actually could not watch Burns series on the civil war. Well done, but was sort of a downer. I Netflixed the Jazz series recently and liked it a lot. I understand that Ken Burns will be coming out with a series on the dust bowl soon.
Am working through this series right now, Aspen. Really well done. Depressing, yes, but a lot of little things I never thought about before (the trait of a Ken Burns documentary: perspective) I've ordered up the Mark Twain one, and will wait on the Dust Bowl one too. The Prohibition series was amazing. I can get lost in a Ken Burns doc.
I know the subject matter was quite depressing, but it seems so important to me that these stories be remembered, especially the average person. Those men on the front lines, the women who observed from home (Mary Chestnut), and the amazing photos make up the tapestry of American history. This series and his other works should be mandatory viewing in public schools. If I had kids I was homeschooling, I would make these documentaries part of the cirriculum.
I agree, Aspen. The more I see of his work, and the beautiful way he shows all sides of very complex issues, the more I think it would be truly useful for homeschoolers (and any schoolers).
I too am a big fan of this series - we even had the sound track. I especially like the way the letter of Sullivan Ballou was done - so poignant.
Link to the full text of his letter to his wife: http://www.civil-war.net/pages/sullivan_ballou.asp
Greg, that letter really is one of the most beautiful moments in the whole series (13 hours!) and is such a heart-twisting example of a letter that can be utterly romantic yet utterly patriotic. I would've liked to have known Sullivan Ballou.
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