The Civil War
- Country
- USA
- Year
- 1990
- Director
- Ken Burns
- Producer
- Ken Burns & Ric Burns
- Finance
- General Motors Corporation
National Endowment for the Humanities
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Arthur Vining Davis Foundations
John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation - Length
- 9 part series
- Website
- www.pbs.org/civilwar
Synopsis
The Civil War is an ambitious documentary series by Ken Burns that tells the story of the bloodiest war in American history. The documentary uses first person narration, archival photographs, music and live modern cinematography at the original battle sites to tell an amazing story that the filmmaker has described as an 'emotional archaeology' of his country. The film recounts a historical story but its underlying theme is about the development of American identity. It deals with contemporary themes of race, equality and tolerance.
Impact
The series initially screened on PBS. It was the highest rated series in the history of PBS and attracted an audience of 40 million during its premiere. The film won many awards, including two Emmys. The Civil War has also had significant commercial success around the world.
General Motors Corporation was the corporate underwriter for the project. Other support was provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
The PBS's website (http://www.pbs.org/civilwar/) has resources about the film, including links to other websites with historical information about the Civil War. There is also a section devoted to the use of The Civil War in the classroom. This section includes lesson plans with classroom activities, feedback from other teachers and further resources for teachers and students.