Ken Burns on His American Revolution Project: ‘This Is Our Most Crucial Work’
The veteran filmmaker has become not just a historical storyteller; he is a brand, a one-man industrial complex. When he has project heading for the PBS network, everybody wants his attention.
Burns has done “more fucking podcasts than I ever thought possible”, he says, nearing the end of his marathon promotional journey featuring 40 cities, dozens of preview events plus countless media sessions. “There seems to be a podcast for every citizen, and I believe I’ve appeared on most of them.”
Fortunately Burns possesses boundless energy, equally articulate in interviews as he is accomplished in the editing room. The veteran director has appeared at locations ranging from prestigious venues to mainstream media outlets to talk about his latest monumental work: his Revolutionary War documentary, a monumental six-part, 12-hour documentary series that dominated ten years of his career and premiered currently on PBS.
Classic Documentary Style
Similar to traditional cooking in today’s rapid-consumption era, Burns’ latest project is defiantly traditional, evoking memories of The World at War as opposed to modern online content audio documentaries.
However, for the filmmaker, whose professional life documenting American historical narratives covering diverse cultural topics, the nation’s founding represents more than another topic but essential. “I recently told collaborator Sarah Botstein the other day, and she agreed: this represents our most significant project Burns contemplates during a telephone interview.
Extensive Historical Investigation
Burns, co-directors Botstein and David Schmidt along with writer Geoffrey Ward referenced numerous historical volumes and primary source materials. Numerous scholars, representing diverse viewpoints, contributed scholarly insights in conjunction with distinguished researchers from a range of other fields like African American history, first nations scholarship and the British empire.
Characteristic Narrative Method
The documentary’s methodology will appear similar to devotees of The Civil War. Its distinctive style featured gradual camera movements across still photos, extensive employment of contemporary scores and actors interpreting primary sources.
Those projects established the filmmaker cemented his status; a generation later, currently the elder statesman of documentary filmmaking, he seems able to recruit any actor he chooses. Collaborating with the filmmaker at a New York gathering, renowned playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda noted: “Nobody declines an invitation from Ken Burns.”
Extraordinary Talent
The decade-long production schedule also helped concerning availability. Sessions happened in recording spaces, at historical sites using online technology, a method utilized amid COVID restrictions. Burns explains the experience with performer Josh Brolin, who scheduled a brief window in Atlanta to perform his role portraying the founding father then continuing to other professional obligations.
Brolin is joined by multiple distinguished artists, respected performing veterans, diverse creative professionals, Tom Hanks, Ethan Hawke, Maya Hawke, Samuel L Jackson, Michael Keaton, Tracy Letts, international acting community, skilled dramatic performers, Wendell Pierce, Matthew Rhys, Liev Schreiber, Dan Stevens, Meryl Streep.
Burns emphasizes: “Frankly, this may be the best single cast ever assembled for any movie or television show. They do an extraordinary service. Selection wasn’t based on fame. I became frustrated when someone asked, about the prominent cast. I go, ‘These are actors.’ They represent global acting excellence and they can bring this stuff alive.”
Historical Complexity
Still, no contemporary observers remain, visual documentation required the filmmakers to depend substantially on historical documents, weaving together individual perspectives of multiple revolutionary participants. This allowed them to introduce audiences not only to the “bold-faced names” of the revolution plus numerous additional essential to the narrative, many of whom never even had a portrait painted.
Burns additionally pursued his personal passion for geography and cartography. “I love maps,” he notes, “featuring increased geographical representation in this project compared to previous works I’ve done combined.”
International Impact
Filmmakers captured footage across multiple important places in various American regions plus English locations to capture the landscape’s character and partnered extensively with re-enactors. These components unite to depict events more violent, complex and globally significant than the one taught in schools.
The revolution, it contends, represented more than local dispute concerning territory, taxes and political voice. Conversely, the project presents a blood-soaked struggle that eventually involved more than two dozen nations and surprisingly represented termed “humanity’s highest ideals”.
Internal Conflict Truth
Initial complaints and protests aimed at the crown by American colonists in 13 fractious colonies quickly evolved into a vicious internal war, pitting family members against each other and creating local enmities. In episode two, scholar Alan Taylor notes: “The greatest misconception about the American Revolution involves believing it represented a consolidating event for colonists. This ignores the truth that Americans fought each other.”
Sophisticated Interpretation
For him, the revolutionary narrative that “generally is overwhelmed by emotionalism and idealization and remains shallow and insufficiently honors actual events, all contributors and the widespread bloodshed.”
It was, he contends, an uprising that declared the revolutionary principle of fundamental personal liberties; a vicious internal conflict, separating rebels and supporters; and a worldwide engagement, continuing previous patterns of wars between imperial nations for dominance in the New World.
Contingent Historical Events
Burns also wanted {to rediscover the
