Thomas Jefferson - A Film by Ken Burns
by Ken Burns
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DVD Cover Information
Director: Ken BurnsBrand: Paramount
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 180 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-09-28
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: PBS Paramount
Movie Reviews of Thomas Jefferson - A Film by Ken Burns
Movie Review: Nice refresher.
Summary: 4 Stars
Not being a history buff, I watched this documentary because I think we should all have at least a basic knowledge of how our country came to be, and its been many years since I've had an American history class. This was visually a pleasant program to watch.The rural setting of Monticello with its gardens and trees gives a feel for the agrarian nature of America during Jefferson's time, and emphasizes his strong connection to the land and agriculture. And, it seems to me that, more than just trying to portray Jefferson's role within his historical timeframe and in relation to political events of the time, Ken Burns was aiming to illuminate Jefferson the human being - his character, his motivation. I think that what we got from the program is probably pretty sketchy, considering the magnitude of Thomas Jefferson's impact on the early days of our country. But it would be unreasonable to expect a definitive study in 3 hours, and I felt that what was covered was quite worthwhile. The main concept I came away from this presentation with, is that it was a remarkably fortuitous coincidence for the future of America that the idealistic and paradoxical Jefferson happened to be a part of it's beginning. The mere fact that many of the important and intelligent men in the colonies wanted to break away from monarchial rule was no guarantee that the common man was going to gain any enhancement of his liberty. While there was no doubt a large degree of liberal sentiment among these leaders, it was the idealist Jefferson who gave these sentiments a concreteness through expressing them in inspiring language. By being the major spokesman of the intents and ideals of the revolutionaries, Jefferson was able to ensure that the ideal of personal freedom would occupy a prominent position. Being an owner of slaves, Jefferson certainly did not fully practice what he preached, but we are lucky that he was enough of a hypocrite to champion the cause of personal freedom even while abusing it. Of course it was wrong to own slaves, and being such an intelligent man, he must have severely compartmentalized his life in order to deal with it. This program does not reveal how he exonerated himself, and we can probably never know. According to the documentary Jefferson was inept in many ways at being a political officeholder. His forte was the grand, idealistic concept, the big picture - not the practical details. He is represented as being the prime figure promoting individual liberty against those who favored a more authoritarian central government. He was the force behind separation of church and state, and also education for all, not just the upper classes. A man of contradictions, he did not always practice the ethics he espoused, but it was fortunate for the United States that he did believe in and promote those ethics. That is the impression that Ken Burns' documentary left with me.
Summary of Thomas Jefferson - A Film by Ken Burns
Patriot & drafter of the declaration of independence president inventor & diplomat - all this & more was thomas jefferson americas foremost documentary historian offers a riveting portrait of this remarkable & controversial man. Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 09/30/2005 Run time: 180 minutes Rating: Nr Director: Ken BurnsThe complicated life of Thomas Jefferson is the subject of this excellent documentary by noted filmmaker Ken Burns. Using techniques that will seem comfortably familiar to viewers of other films by Burns, historians and writers (including Joseph Ellis, Daniel Boorstin, Garry Wills, and Gore Vidal) appear on camera to speak about Jefferson, a cast of actors read the words of Jefferson and others. The visuals include beautifully photographed shots of Jefferson's famed estate, Monticello, other locations where Jefferson lived and worked, and a vast number of period drawings and paintings. Jefferson, who was born into a prosperous Virginia family but lost his father when he was young, became a skilled lawyer despite his natural shyness. And the story of how he became a public figure and rose to prominence during the American Revolution is told intelligently. Commentators, including the noted African American historian John Hope Franklin, grapple with the peculiar inconsistencies of Jefferson's life. The man who wrote the Declaration of Independence owned slaves, and some of what he wrote about race is both troubling and puzzling. This film (which covers Jefferson's entire life, including his two terms as the young country's president and his later years in Virginia) doesn't sidestep controversy but provides a balanced account of one of the most fascinating of all Americans. --Robert J. McNamara
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