User reviews

Contrary to the only other comment so far, I found this inspiring and elevating. I understood the civil war in a way nothing else in 17 years of formal education did. Burns was trying to tell what is perhaps the most compelling story since this country was founded. He had no footage, and was not interested in dramatizing the battles (which is notoriously difficult to to without boosting one side). Instead, he found a way to take the still images and remnants of the war and the stories of individuals and make them more real than any movie could do. Eleven hours of reenactments would have been interminable - and silly - as vaunted as the reenactors are, they get away with it because they are romanticized - can you imagine reenacting Ardennes or Khe Sanh? In a world where TV viewership is measured in 5-minute chunks if you're lucky, Burns kept viewers' attention for 11+ hours - and with no commercials - quite a feat.

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.

It's a technically revolutionary film. Burns and his colleagues have changed the nature of the documentary. Working with old photos on glass plates, an unpromising base, the occasional talking head, and often penetrating and sometimes poignant voiceovers, he contributed to our cultural iconography. His touches have been imitated often in the following decade: the sound of buzzing locusts, the voice-over reading a letter and then signing off by reading the name of the writer aloud, are now taken-for-granted techniques in documentaries (and commercials as well).

Before this series, interest in the Civil War was practically nonexistent. I'm not referring to seeing pretty ladies bounce down the stairs of the big house wearing hoop skirts and ribbons, but the ghastly things taking place at locations that previously had barely rung a bell, like Shiloh.

I was teaching at an eastern university when this series appeared, roughly fifty students, known to be among the brightest available, majoring in communications. I asked the class how many had watched at least one episode. One hand went up, tentatively. I asked why she'd been so hesitant and she said, well, she hadn't really "watched" it, but her husband was a CW buff and was taping it while she passed through the living room. Fewer than fifty percent of our High School seniors can pin the Civil War down to the correct half-century. I'm tempted to click the "Spoilers" box to warn those who don't know who won.

It's against this background of general ignorance that "The Civil War" should be viewed. The film's intent was as much popular as academic, and it seems to have had a good deal of general appeal, my elite class notwithstanding. Popular enough so that a book appeared shortly afterward, "Historians Respond," edited by Bob Toplin, which predictably consisted almost entirely of carping over details, and of claims that Burns missed the whole point of the CW, that he didn't pay enough attention to the role of women and African-Americans. In other words, that he didn't make the kind of movie that THEY would have made. They demand too much. For one thing, a viewing of the series makes it clear that Burns does present the points of view of women and African-Americans. If the prevailing professional opinion is that he didn't go far enough, well, every book has a last page. A program dealing exclusively with the part that slavery played in the CW would have been another program.

A word about the commentators. Bearse knows combat; he was a marine on Guadalcanal. He sticks to military facts, mostly tactical. Senator Symington is surprisingly smooth and knowledgeable. The two chief commentators represent the original opposing points of view. Shelby Foote states proudly in the epilogue to one of his historical volumes on the CW, "I am a Mississippian."

But he's a gentleman, not a stereotypical redneck. He admires the Confederate Southern Army without disparaging the Federals. (Who could help admiring the CSA as a military force?) But, like all polite Southerners, he seems slightly ill at ease discussing the CW in a public venue. He seems like a nice guy and is a marvelous story teller. Barbara Fields, an academic historian, has less screen time. The first impression the viewer gets is that, wow, she's a knockout! The second is that she's cool as a cucumber and presents the modern view that the CW was all about slavery, that whites were almost peripheral to the issues. It's hard to argue with her. After all, slaves were suffering for two hundred years while whites were engaged in "the pursuit of happiness". Yet her anger flares up and it seems misplaced to me. "I don't have much patience with people who say that abolition was difficult because of political circumstances". I hope future historians are kinder to us than our current ones are to Americans of the 1860s.

Slavery should never have been sanctioned under the Constitution but if allowances hadn't been made, the South would not have joined the Union. It was the slaves that paid the price for that union. Given that it was already in place, what could Lincoln have done about slavery that he did not in fact do? Declare it illegal at the firing of the first shot? Hardly. There were slave states that did not secede. Any attempt to turn the CW from a fight to preserve the union into a fight to free the blacks might have turned them back into the Southern camp. Moreover, Lincoln's support in the legislature depended on Democrats, and Republicans too, who were opposed to any attempt to make the CW into a struggle for black freedom. If Lincoln lost his majority in congress he might have lost the whole game. As it was he jumped at the first chance to issue his Emancipation Proclamation. Fields was wrong, too, in saying that we're still fighting the CW today. The chief issues of the war have been resolved. There is no more slavery. African-Americans can vote if they want to. They can take whatever empty seat on the bus is available. Affirmative action works to their benefit. If she means that "social equality" has still not been achieved, she's quite correct. One of the reasons perfect equality hasn't been achieved is that the achievement would involve our completely ignoring the fact of race in this country, and at this point it's inconceivable.

Equality depends on everyone's ability -- and willingness -- to ignore race and ethnicity. I'm all for it. These tribal loyalties are nothing if not bothersome. Burns's series shows one earth-shattering step that has brought that still impossible goal a little closer than it was.

For someone who lives outside the United States of America and has an interest in it's history 'The Civil War' for me delivers everything that I'm unable to get here in the UK.

History books don't even come close in highlighting the lives and stories of the those involved in this watershed of America history, it's effects not only felt in North America but eventually the world.

Outstanding.

As a historian I can say that there is little so difficult or gratifing as to bring history accurately alive for others. As a military historian I will say that war is both the highest and lowest achievement and calling of humanity. All wars are filled with pathos, and it is almost by definition impossible to fully understand and contextualize them until they are of the past. It may be that the US Civil War is that around which the greatest pathos exists; perhaps the last war in which honour and purpose were equally upheld on both sides - which is not to say that all those who participated were honorable or idealistic. In this work, Ken Burns brought history to life, made the war as understandable as possible, and transmitted the pathos, the honour, the horror, the vileness, and the humanity of the thing. In so doing he redefined film documentary. The Civil War is the best use to which television has been put.

This series is excellent, probably the best ever. Ken Burns brilliantly captures all of the elements of one of America's greatest disasters. Shelby Foote and all of the other authors and historians that took part in this series were excellent. Foote especially was great for bringing some really good incite on the war. Also Sam Waterston gives an excellent performance as the voice of Abraham Lincoln. Morgan Freeman also does an excellent job as Frederick Douglass. Not to leave anyone out, all the voice-overs were superb. Its a great way to spend 9 1/2 hours, if you have them. But, if you don't have time to watch all, I highly recommended seeing "The Cause" (part 1) and "The Better Angels Of Our Nature" (Final part). They both are truly masterpieces on their own.

This is by far the best documentary I've ever seen. History is my favorite subject to study and I have seen a lot of documentaries and "The Civil War" by Ken Burns is by far my favorite.

The Civil War is my favorite subject in history to study and Ken Burns does and excellent job at spacing out the sequence of the war in this set, basically two videos per year of the war. Many people stereotypically think of documentaries as dull and boring, but Ken Burns definately does not let "The Civil War" fall into that stereotype. Thats why this documentary is not only good for learning but the soundtrack, the scenery and everything else put into it makes you really appreciate and get a feel for the Civil War era. As you watch through the videos from Fort Sumter through Antietam and Gettysburg and up to Appomattox, you can really get the fealing of how the actual Yankee and Rebel soldiers felt during these times. burns does not only focus on the battles which would stand out as the most interesting part of a war, but he gets into the personal lives of the soldiers, the soldiers' families, abolitionists and slaves.

David McCullough has a wonderful voice as the narrator and it was also nice to hear some familiar voices for some of the characters such as Jason Robards, Morgan Freeman, and Sam Waterston. The interviews by Edwin Bears, Shelby Foote and other historians were always nice to hear among the documentary.

Overall a very well done documentary on the Civil War. If you are interested in American history in general this and "The West" also by Ken Burns are an excellent choice to see.

I'm 13, and I learned more about the Civil War in these videos than I have in my entire life! It might just be that my teachers don't teach it well, but I think it's something else! When I first started watching them with my parents, I was doubtful of their quality. How is a guy going to make a documentary about a time when there were only still photographs? I thought it wasn't possible to keep the audience interested, especially in a 12.5 hour long documentary. Well, I was wrong.

Ken Burns is actually an amazing film maker. He not only gave information in his documentary, he told a story. And not just any story, he told the story of one of the worst wars in the history of the world. By using still photographs mixed with voice overs and quotes, he brought the world of the Civil War to life.

A great documentary!

Not only is "The Civil War" Ken Burns' best documentary, it is one of the best out there, also. It easily mixes emotions with facts, while keeping an eye on narration.

It doesn't go for cheap "recreation" moments; in other words, we don't see a redo of the tale told with about five soldiers who look like they're dressed for Halloween; we instead see real pictures while listening to vivid narrations by such actors as Jason Robards, Laurence Fishburne, Morgan Freeman, Jeremy Irons, M. Emmet Walsh, Pamela Reed, and more.

If you haven't seen this four hour epic yet, then go find it at a video store right now.

Ken Burns is a genius and we owe him a huge debt of gratitude for making this wonderful documentary on the American civil war. Even though this is several hours long, I have watched it over and over and still never tire of it. Each time I see it I learn something new. The voices doing the various parts are perfect, the pictures are perfect, EVERYTHING IS PERFECT! From the experienced historian to the novice all will enjoy this. So many things touched my soul from the start of the war to that lovely true letter from the soldier, Sullivan Ballough written to his wife when he knew he would die... (many tears were shed at this point) to the end. In my opinion I could comment on this for pages and pages but no matter what I said it could not show my depth of gratitude for seeing this masterpiece. It will go down as the best documentary ever about the civil war.

Ken Burn's film of the American Civil War is easily the finest documentary I have ever seen. It is incredible in it's depth and at over 11 hours in length expansive in its scope. The film spans a number of episodes originally made for PBS network but its pace and storytelling never flag.

These episodes are quite amazing for the fact that these stories are told largely through the use of historical diaries, letters (read by actors) and still pictures of the time. Thankfully the filmmakers never resort to the use of historical recreations.

Highlights for me include the Sullivan Balou letter (letter from a civil war soldier to his wife) and the appearances of historian Shelby Foote.

Features some great voice talent including Jason Robards, Morgan Freeman and many others, along with the wonderful narration by David McCullough.

Very accessible for those with limited familiarity of the subject but also engrossing for those quite familiar with the material.

I watched THE CIVIL WAR when it first aired in 1990 and have seen it several times since, and it never seems to lose its impact. While it wasn't Burns' first film, it typified his style perfectly and was really the peak of his form. I enjoy how he uses accounts of both the great and the common participants, and how he doesn't offer an oversimplified account of either side or their motives. I doubt it'll ever be topped.

I had to watch a civil war movie for my AP/IB History class over Christmas break. I don't own any discs of such content because my family has never been into history like that. So, I searched on Netflix. This show and the movie, Lincoln, was the only things I could find. Lincoln, we watched in class so that was out. Now my only option was this super long tv show that was basically 9 movies long compared to others in my class who were probably watching an hour and a half movie and done with it. Well, I ran with it. It was definitely super song, but if we're thinking about the positives of the show, it gave me all the details about the Civil War. I know what caused it, how it began, all the battles, all the disputes and arguments, and how it ended, and what came next. The lengthy show gave me all the information necessary. I really enjoyed watching this documentary show. I would definitely recommend this to other people because it was very interesting and you learn so much from watching it. This was not my cup of tea, but I'm glad I tried something different!

Worth watching as a visual supplement to written history but far from complete and contains inaccuracies. He states that Robert E. Lee opposed slavery. This position is belied by Lee's ownership of 92 slaves and his treatment thereof. The documentary omits and vastly understates the actions of women who played major roles in the Civil War, including even Clara Barton, which is quite a feat of historical revisionism, while including plentiful trivia that slows the pacing of the documentary. It reiterates as fact accusations of Grant's drinking during the war, which were character assassinations by his detractors and not factual accounts of his wartime drinking. Grant's heavy drinking occurred earlier in his life, not during the war. Grant's weakness during that time of his life was the cigar. The tactical and strategic coverage is good.

My English is not very good, and so i write only comments about movies, that had me completely mesmerized. "The Civil War" from Ken Burns was the second film that I ranked with full 10 stars! I saw it for the first time a few years ago and get every episode on VHS to see it almost every year again. It is a awesome documentation with no other documentation can compare. It's fascinating, because it's contains only old original photographs, the voices of some narrators, and sometimes a short interview with a historian, but it will jolt you out of your seat and captivate you on the screen to miss not one second of it! The live and fate of all the persons that was described in this documentation let your think, they are still alive today, perhaps in your neighborhood or your family. A lot of them will become almost personal friends of you. Ken Burns simply did a perfect job, he build a time-machine for us. He did not use simple re-enactments, only old original pictures and cuttings from newspapers, comments and quotes from diaries and letters tell the stories of the soldiers and civilians of the Civil War. I am really not a sissy, i can count the very, very few movie-scenes that make me cry on the fingers of one hand, but when the narrator read out the Letter from Sullivan Ballou for his wive Sarah, i burst into tears. It is a monument of true love! Every member of a government today that play with the idea to declare war should be forced to read this letter!

Your Hackles will rise and your tears will fall. This is a stunning documentary that defines the time of Lincoln and in a way that brings clarity to who we are today. It is hard to comprehend what these people went through by today's standards, I found myself rethinking everything I thought I knew and you will too. Although it doesn't go into detail for every battle, that is not its purpose but rather using broad brush strokes gives more of a timeline of events and key eyewitness accounts from those who fought and or witnessed it as it highlights key battles and key moments. I recommend ken burns make a companion piece to this documentary based on the time period right after the end of the civil war called and known as the Reconstruction lasting from 1865 to 1877. A very bloody period in American history that rivals the civil war itself. You can find source material on this if you look but nobody does it like ken burns and it would breath new life into this work of his. Just a thought ken.

Ken Burns is noted for many find documentaries that leave little out and still keeps your attention. This time we get to set our "way back" machine to 1861 where we start with the cause of the Civil War. Now I know there are many causes for the Civil War as the one that I learned from my economics class was that it was economics. However, Kim Burns gives a more holistic look at what was happening at the time and the indicators that foretold of the war. Each chapter or section of this documentary is approximately an hour-long we go through several titles such as "A very Bloody Affair" and "Forever Free 1862".

What keeps this film from being a dry documentary is Ken Burns' balance between sounds and sights of the civil war re-created from sketches and extracted from books and drawings. To tie this together we get a talking head presentation from Shelby Foote. Shelby makes you feel like you are right there as he can describe in every detail any piece of the civil war that you care to ask about.

One thing not to be overlooked is the voices in this presentation are those of popular actors. So be sure to watch the credits to find out whose voices are being used for which people are portrayed.

I do not want to go into too much detail because that is why you are buying this documentary. However, it has something for everybody; for those that already know the Civil War, it adds more depth and maybe a different spin on the politics and people of the time. This also works as one of the best introductions far superior to anything that I was able to receive in school history classes.

This is also a must background reading for anybody in the military as everyone knows each war is different from the last but attitudes and sometimes knowledge of previous tactics can help carry you through the next.

Even though the war is over while watching this documentary, you will find yourself kibitzing.

Do not forget to buy the companion book to this film for contains many of the pictures and diagrams that were displayed so that you do not have to put the film back in to see this on the extras. Oh yes, do not forget to look at the DVD extras.

If like me you were fascinated with the presentation by Shelby Foote, do not forget to buy the three-volume set of civil War books, a narrative By Shelby Foote.

As a big fan of history I checked this out on a whim and I now understand why it is the highest rated TV series ever. You learn about things that are never even mentioned in school and you actually gain knowledge instead of just sitting there bored; this series literally pulls you in and just makes you want to watch it all the more. There are very vivid visuals, especially when it comes to the battles and the tactics used; it almost feels like you are completely engrossed in whatever is happening right then. The biggest pull for me was seeing the parallels and similarities of today's America with the current rising tension(s) across party and state lines.

We in Britain believe that we make the best television documentaries in the world and, in David Attenborough, we probably do have one of the best. Ken Burns' series, "The Civil War", though, outshines them all. Lord Reith, Founding Father of the BBC, said that broadcasting, by which, at the time, he meant radio, should inform, educate and entertain. The BBC may, from time to time, forget this, but Ken Burns has done all three. If a tsunami, a tornado, an earthquake should suddenly take away everything you hold dear, after the family photographs, "The Civil War" is the one thing you should save. It is, quite frankly, the best documentary ever made.

What a marvellous documentary, which I had the pleasure to watch in German TV afternoon after afternoon due to my vacation leave. Nowadays here at least historical events are presented with historical photos/movie clips which are added to by awfully staged scenes by mediocre actors, mostly even dubbed because these scenes are shot in Rumania or the likes (no offence).

This production here is simply breathtaking. No staged scenes just heartbreaking photographs of all these young people, staring confidently, sometimes a little fright is visible, into a camera. Add to this the letters being read - in German in my case, by marvellous contributors - it makes you feel like being there and rooting for Elisha Rhodes and Mary Chesnut and all their contemporaries.

I as a German never learned f all about the Civil war but was fortunate to have a Dad who was fascinated by all things American, the liberators for a young soldier who was drafted at 18 to do the Russian campaign. Should there ever be a documentary about these boys, I'd proudly present a little tin cigarette case which dad received from a Russian POW, made from a tin plate, the upper side shows a tank and war planes, the other side shows a little peaceful house with birds. All made by use of a fork and as a gift for bread being smuggled in by dad, Breslau it reads.

This drifting towards an other war just goes to tell how many heartbreaking stories have to be told. And the Ken Burns documentary is epic and wonderful by showing the faces of war, the voices of war. Could you imagine photographs of dead soldiers, some unimaginably mutilated in our days? Unimaginable. We today have clean wars, you get the numbers of deads but are spared the pictures. This documentary made me shed so many tears, war is hell (Sherman) and so many stories are still untold. War is hell indeed. And should be shown as such. Where is the documentary about letters, unsufferable pictures and such about nowadays wars? Unbelievable, but the two last centuries dealt with war much more honest than today when we are sold for in these days of internet and all around "information".

Watch it.

History, and the major events within it, can be hard to get across at times to those who either don't know about it or didn't live through it. Especially when you are trying to get across a conflict that lasted four years, had its roots in the very foundation of the country, cost hundreds of thousands of lives and whose repressions can be felt to this very day. That conflict would be the Civil War and in the eleven hours that this documentary series covers, history comes across very well. In that time, director Ken Burns creates on a large canvas a fascinating real-life story that is both epic and yet personal.

One of the great things about the series is that while it tells an epic story, it is a story that is personal story nonetheless thanks to the voice work and interviews. Burns choice of actors is virtually perfect in casting voices to the real people who wrote the words. Sam Waterston is a perfect Abraham Lincoln and his rendition of Lincoln's most famous speeches (the Gettysburg Address and the second inaugural address) are beautifully done. There's also fine work from Jason Robards as Ulysses S. Grant, Morgan Freeman as Fredrick Douglas, noted playwright Arthur Miller as General Sherman and George Black as Robert E. Lee amongst others. There's also the work of Derek Jacobi and Jeremy Irons as various voices throughout, especially Irons when he reads the article from the New York Times on Matthew Brady images of Antietam. Last not least is the narration of historian David McCullough who leads the viewer through the journey across the war that changed the United States forever. Outside of the voice work for a moment there are the interviews with historians and in particular Shelby Foote who relates not only facts but the personal stories of those who fought the battles and lived through the war. Foote also reads the occasional piece as well including two fantastic pieces in the last episode that help to sum up the entire series brilliantly. Together, they form the personal connection to an epic story from our past.

On the other side of the equation is the epic tapestry that are the events of the war. Burns and his team take years of building tensions, four years of war and the aftermath and successfully condense it all into eleven hours and nine episodes. Burns use of archive photographs, when combined with the use of sound effects, help to bring to life not only the battles but the political maneuverings, the home lives of civilians and the like for example. Burns also makes fine use of paintings and drawings made at the time and afterwords to help illustrate battles where, due to the photographic technology at the time, there are no photographs such as the first Ironclad battle for example. There is also some fine use of newly filmed footage which, even if a field of battle is now empty, help to illustrate the sites where the battles took place. Plus there are moments, such as the corn fields at Antietam if my memory serves correctly, that help put the viewer into the point of view of those who fought the battles. All of these help to portray the epic scale of the Civil War.

Last but not least is the music used in the series. In particular is the use of Ashokan Farewell, a modern piece that nonetheless beautifully fits not only the period but the underlying tragedy of the war. In particular the use of the piece to underscore the letter by soldier Sullivan Ballou, Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, the story behind the founding of Arlington National Cemetery and Foote's reading in the last minutes of the final episode make those poignant word all the more emotional. There are also beautiful versions of We Are Climbing Jacob's Ladder and Battle Cry of Freedom as well. But perhaps the most moving piece, besides Ashokan Farewell, is a heartbreaking version of Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier which in musical form illustrates the sense of loss felt by those who fought, died and lost family and comrades in the war. The music, both of the era and afterwords, brings the viewer to the era and adds an incredible emotional power to the entire series as well.

Ken Burns massive documentary The Civil War is, at is heart, everything a great documentary should be. It features fine readings by fine actors, great interviews, fine use of images in the form of photographs and paintings, the use of newly filmed footage and the use of incredible and at times heartbreaking pieces of music. Together all of these elements succeed in doing that is truly rare of a documentary or any film telling of history for that matter: history comes alive again.

No war on earth has generated more literature than the American Civil War, most of the story being familiar to most people. So how do you hold the attention of a mass audience for eleven hours?

One way is to involve Shelby Foote, who wrote the 3000-page history that will surely never be supplanted as the definitive account of the conflict. Foote manages to look and sound unlike any other Mississippian of 70-plus, despite the authentic Deep South accent. He always said he didn't want to be just another Lost Cause apologist, and he is certainly anything but that. He manages to exude a profound knowledge of this vast subject, edged with creative insight, humour and a unique whimsical charm.

As in his book, themes are the key - how to maintain a long narrative thread, with the main events in sequence, but without making it feel like a series of tutorials. Instead of just marching forward, it manages to dance. Dozens of themes glide past each other, some of them major topics like Conscription or the Siege of Petersburg, others quite minor, like home-made hooch or the mysterious 'acoustic shadow' that could make a battle inaudible to troops in the next valley. Like any old soldier, I can connect with the front-line joke about Tullahoma. It comes from two ancient Greek words. One means mud. The other means more mud! And I like the jibe about the beleaguered Confederate President Davis: by the end, he was presiding over a Confederacy of the mind.

The spoken quotations from generals and politicians, or from letters and diaries, can seem like rather a conventional treatment - until you start to notice the unusually high quality of speech. These are actually some of the world's most famous actors, as listed in the last frame, if you ever get there. But certainly too conventional is the musical track - same old tunes over and over, all too loud and distracting, and some of the recordings distinctly wobbly.

As the slaves' view of the war is emphasised more than usual, I was surprised there was nothing on how the Native Americans felt about it too. And there were some rather odd disembodied statements that didn't seem to relate to anything before or after, as well as some quite unnecessary reminders of what was happening in the rest of the world in each of these years. The historian Ed Bearss seems to think he's in a horror-film, with his strange posture and weird hand-signals, curiously lit as well. His glamorous Afro-American counterpart Barbara Fields appears to carry conviction until she declares that the civil war is not over yet - not while some people live in houses and others on the street. Oh dear, just another PC indoctrinaire after all.

Finally, don't miss the diaries of Mary Chesnut, far more sensitive and insightful than you would expect from a fashionable lady of South Carolina. And a clip from the 75th anniversary reunion of Gettysburg veterans (1938, and with sound) is a startling piece of theatre, right there on the battlefield, though I can't help wondering if there might be a few sly gatecrashers among all those fine old boys with their brave white moustaches and rebel yells.

The Civil War (1990)

**** (out of 4)

For a more detailed look at the episodes, check out their own pages where I've written on each of them.

Ken Burns' nine-part series taking a look at the history of The Civil War is without question one of the greatest achievements of any documentary. Clocking in at over twelve-hours, this film doesn't have a single weak moment to be found and it's brutal honesty is something that one has to respect. It really does seem that Burns wasn't interested in taking sides or pushing any of his own political agenda, instead he just delivers a terrific film that gives you a clear idea of what was going on in the country leading up to the war, the attitudes during the war and the downfall after the battles. We get to hear about everything from the first shots being fired to the final man being killed in action. The documentary is so well-detailed that by the time it's over you're really going to feel as if you know everything on the subject and this here is also something very important for any documentary.

The nine different episodes cover every inch of the war but some of the most haunting moments deal with the 600,000 plus that were killed during the war. Not only do we hear about the battles but it's also shocking to see how many of the deaths were due to illness and disease and not a gunshot. We also see the horrors that some soldiers found themselves in after being captured and held in Southern prisons that were overflowing with people. The horrors were that the South couldn't feed their own troops let alone all the prisoners. There are some pretty graphic photographs of soldiers that were nothing more than skin and bone and these images are very close to what we'd see decades later with the Holocaust. As with most of Burns' movies, this one here features photographs of the time and these here are certainly priceless and gives one a great view of the destruction caused by the war. Even the assassination of Abraham Lincoln is covered as well as its aftermath.

History buff as well as film buffs are really going to love this documentary. I've seen several documentaries on the subjects covered here but having everyone in one package is a major plus and even better is how terrific the stories are told. You see the various ups and downs from both sides and you really get to understand why the war took place, how many times it came close to ending and of course what happened to make the South still not be too fond of the North even after all these years.

Although Ken Burns documentary is well researched, it still lacks a larger view of American history as it stood at that time. Shelby Foote is over utilized and his sympathies are quite apparent. David McCulloch gives the documentary an instant legitimacy that no documentary deserves. An unknown narrator would have given this show a better push for viewers to search out this war for themselves. And what of the "Nullifiers" and their precious 10th Article of the Constitution? The Civil War started decades before 1861 and current events show that it's still being fought today. This series, even giving it's length, is nothing more than an overview, a glossing over of events. But that's his style, all style. Billy Crystal and Bob Costas for "Baseball", all style, all voices, all faces. As a documentary film maker, he's not in the top 10. Given his funding, that's a terrible shame.

From the mournful theme music to the many historical inaccuracies, this series presents a sanitized and in many ways a revisionist version of an epic event and is not recommended for anyone wanting to learn about the war. It reeks of the milquetoast sensitivities that Ken Burns has displayed in his various other series. That maudlin letter from a doomed Union officer to his wife that was read in the first episode took up more time than Burns devoted to the bloody Peninsula and Overland Campaigns in Virginia combined! So much of the war and the people involved were overlooked or barely mentioned despite the extensive length of the series. When David McCullough actually said that Lee's losses at the December 1862 battle of Fredericksburg included men who were sent home on leave for the holidays, I knew something was seriously amiss. At least that battle was mentioned; many others were not, including Stones River, Spotsylvania and Cold Harbor. Yet every few minutes it seemed we were looking at the face of that black women professor talking about the slaves, while leaving so much out, like GAeneral Ben Butler's contribution to the Emancipation Proclamation via his treatment of runaway slaves as contrabands of war.

I you want to lean about the war, read James McPherson's "Battle Cry of Freedom" or the books on the war by Bruce Catton, Alan Nevis and Shelby Foote,