The Civil War

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.