6 Months Ago I Bought PBS Ken Burns "The Civil War" on DVD

muzzleloader · #1 03-11-2006, 02:53 AM

I consider this as one of the greatest historical film documentaries about The USA ever. Any subject. It may have some warts as far as accuracy if you dig hard. But does not every film such as this with the scope it covers? I bought the Gold Edition - I paid about 50 bucks- worth every penny. I first saw it in the early nineties when it first came out. It continues to amaze and educate. It is a Gem.

gary · #2 03-11-2006, 11:32 AM

The novel thing about Burns' work is how he'd pan a still and make it look as if the camera was moving across a live subject. This was superior to just showing the still as a still. Masterful blending of voices and use of contemporary music help made The Civil War the classic it is today.

william42 · #3 03-11-2006, 07:08 PM

Muzzle, did you buy it new for 50.00? If so, that's quite a deal. Might I ask where you got it? I ordered it from Amazon last month new, for 95.00. They shipped me "Mutual of Omahas Big Cats of the Jungle" instead. I shipped it back and cancelled the order, because I actually needed the money to go elsewhere. I saw it in the gift shop at the Abraham Lincoln Museum for 130.00.

It's a great documentary. I remember watching it when it was on PBS in the early '90s, and I taped it. The VHS tapes are long gone now. The documentary was very well received and some folks have said that it was the catalyst for a renewed interest in the Civil War. Johnny Carson actually plugged it during his monologue one night. I was pretty amazed when I saw that. I don't ever remember him plugging another networks programming during his standup before that.

Terry

Wild_Rose · #4 03-11-2006, 09:39 PM

Terry, I've been looking at the sets on e-bay. The DVD set of 5 is going for around $65. to $90.. I've been tempted to just buy the VHS set for $10 to $20. bucks. The only problem is I've gotten lazy and I'm not sure I want to get up every two hours to change the tape.

Rose

william42 · #5 03-11-2006, 09:55 PM

Thanks Rose. I forgot to mention in my earlier post that I had ordered DVD's. 65.00 is still a deal as far as I'm concerned for DVD's. I guess VHS would be a little cheaper but I no longer have a VCR. I'm not sure how many discs are in the set. Thanks for the heads up on ebay.

Terry

muzzleloader · #6 03-11-2006, 10:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by william42

Muzzle, did you buy it new for 50.00? If so, that's quite a deal. Might I ask where you got it? I ordered it from Amazon last month new, for 95.00. They shipped me "Mutual of Omahas Big Cats of the Jungle" instead. I shipped it back and cancelled the order, because I actually needed the money to go elsewhere. I saw it in the gift shop at the Abraham Lincoln Museum for 130.00.

It's a great documentary. I remember watching it when it was on PBS in the early '90s, and I taped it. The VHS tapes are long gone now. The documentary was very well received and some folks have said that it was the catalyst for a renewed interest in the Civil War. Johnny Carson actually plugged it during his monologue one night. I was pretty amazed when I saw that. I don't ever remember him plugging another networks programming during his standup before that.

Terry

I checked my receipt and actually paid $65 for it on Ebay.

Battalion · #7 03-11-2006, 11:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wild_Rose

Terry, I've been looking at the sets on e-bay. The DVD set of 5 is going for around $65. to $90.. I've been tempted to just buy the VHS set for $10 to $20. bucks. The only problem is I've gotten lazy and I'm not sure I want to get up every two hours to change the tape.

Rose

Any amount spent...would be a waste.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gary

Masterful blending of voices and use of contemporary music help made The Civil War the classic it is today.

This is true. Visuals, music.....very well done.

But what is presented....and what is left out/ignored....is the problem.

blue_zouave · #8 03-12-2006, 12:26 AM

Sure, Batallion, but it was the way a LOT of people got interested/re-interested in the Civil War. It made the era live for them as nothing else ever had. From there theywanted to learn more and dug deeper. I'm included in that group.

And Ashokan Farewell will still bring a tear to my eye.

Zou

Wild_Rose · #9 03-12-2006, 07:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Battalion

But what is presented....and what is left out/ignored....is the problem.

I have to agree with you there, but I think Ken Burns' "Civil War" is probably less biased against the South than many other accounts up to that time. There has not been a fair and realistic accounting of the WBTS on film to date, IMO.

Rose

samgrant · #10 03-22-2006, 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wild_Rose

Terry, I've been looking at the sets on e-bay. The DVD set of 5 is going for around $65. to $90.. I've been tempted to just buy the VHS set for $10 to $20. bucks. The only problem is I've gotten lazy and I'm not sure I want to get up every two hours to change the tape.

Rose

Well Rose,

On the other hand, if you want to stop it and continue later, VHS just picks up where you left off. DVD wants you to go find the place.