Ken Burns’s The Civil War

Documentary Film and History

Viewing The Civil War

• September, 1990: 11-Hour Series Appeared on PBS

• Shattered all records for a PBS educational series

• 13.9 million watched the first complete broadcast

• 40 million watched one or more broadcasts• Millions more have watched repeats, VHS, DVD,

etc. • The Civil War helped renew popular interest in

American History.

Characteristics of the Film

• Deliberate decision not to use historical re-enactments

• Extensive use of “The Ken Burns Effect” (panning in and out over a photograph to show details).

• Many shots of landscapes & battlefields• Reliance on historians as “talking heads”• Precise use of authentic footage• Soundtrack attempts to remain in period

History & Film

• What role(s) should documentary film play in teaching about history?

• Is the market success of programs such as The Civil War and even networks such as The History Channel good or bad for historians?