Blue and the Gray, Vol. 1
Reproduces over 150 narratives that combine to present a history of
the Civil War in the words of first-hand participants and observers,
covering events from the nomination of Abraham Lincoln to the eve of
Gettysburg.
Writers
Burns on video - 9 tape
collection
War may be hell, but it can make for great television, as Ken Burns
proves in his masterful 11-hour PBS series chronicling the deadliest
war in American military history. The Civil War was a landmark TV
event that held record numbers of viewers riveted to their screens and
reinvented the documentary form. Taking full advantage of the fact that
the Civil War was the first war to be captured extensively on camera,
Burns synthesizes evocative archival photographs (among them,
Matthew Brady's emblematic images of Union soldiers) with diverse
and illuminating narrative voices. Well-known actors read diary entries,
letters from the front, official dispatches, and speeches from the era.
These voice-over readings convey the full range of human fears and
hopes of those shaping and being shaped by the war, while an engaging
group of historians (most notably Shelby Foote) provide historical
perspective. The result is a seamless collage that illuminates, with quiet
nobility, this most painful chapter in our nation's past. It's been said that
history belongs to the victors; like Homer before him, Burns
demonstrates that a major chunk of it belongs to the best storytellers
Emily Fisher
Review
I watched the series when it first aired on my local PBS station. I
stayed riveted to the tv for a week. I found it very informative and it
made my interest peek. I have been researching and reading about the
war ever since.
I recommend this series to schools, libraries, and all people who want
to learn more about this time in our countries history.
Lavenia Ann Claman