When The Civil War first aired in 1990, it became a phenomenon. I
was a little kid, but I remember "Ashokan Farewell" and the
intriguing black and white images and voiceovers from the screen,
and people talking about it all over the place. To be sure, the
intimacy of the film eventually made me a Civil War buff, as it has
for tens of thousands across the country.
The fact is, Ken Burns created a monumental piece of television
that chronicled, if not in a general fashion, by far the most defining
moment in our history and an incredibly groundbreaking way.
The film is simple, yet is so profound in it's simplicity and style,
using just pictures and accounts and music and some bursts of
color from modern cinematography. For the first time, we heard the
accounts of real soldiers and people, and instead of taking sides,
it gave a sense of humanity to both sides in a war that is riddled
with political and social posturing, but was ultimately all slaughter.
