Shelby Foote's Civil War Trilogy...Any Good?
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"I heard that's all an act...he really lives in the Bronx, born and raised."
.....and his moustache is a stick on and he wears a tutu :rofl:
Regards,
Jay.
.....and his moustache is a stick on and he wears a tutu :rofl:
Regards,
Jay.
Several folks mentioned Ken Burns' 'Civil War' documentary. Well after reading up about it and a load of positive reviews I have now ordered "The Civil War - A Film by Ken Burns DVD [Restored and Remastered]" from Amazon. It's a 6 disc set giving over 15 hours of viewing. Not a cheap set but of course once owned can be viewed or loaned out as often as one chooses (I'm about to have my third viewing of Boardwalk Empire, another suggestion made on this forum).
It seems this Ken Burns is the David Attenborough of American history film making. If the first disc set pleases me then I will go for his 7 disc "America Collection" which covers Brooklyn Bridge, Statue of Liberty, Empire of the Air, The Congress, Thomas Hart Benton, Huey Long and The Shakers.
This thread is costing me serious money :?
Regards,
Jay.
It seems this Ken Burns is the David Attenborough of American history film making. If the first disc set pleases me then I will go for his 7 disc "America Collection" which covers Brooklyn Bridge, Statue of Liberty, Empire of the Air, The Congress, Thomas Hart Benton, Huey Long and The Shakers.
This thread is costing me serious money :?
Regards,
Jay.
The difference between Attenborough and Burns? Attenborough makes no attempt to hide his enthusiasm for his viewpoint. Burns is much more subtle in his approach. Attenborough, align with him or not is a treasure as a film maker and an unabashed salesman for his point of view. They are both consummate salesman and artists, presenting their view of the world and history. One minimizes his biases, the other, Attenborough, proclaims them loudly and proudly. He is on a mission. Burns, I think, less so. He picks subjects of personal interest, finds funding and then presents his vision. I don't think Burns is as invested in his subject matter as Attenborough. Burns stuff is a product of self-interest. Attenborough is on a quest!
To give Burns his due though, his presentation is first rate. One easily learns from both men. What a viewer learns may not agree with what the author/producer intended though. And, that is a very good thing. Both will, if you are serious, provoke a lot of critical thinking and internal debate if the viewer/reader is open to such.
To be fair, no author or producer is capable of stepping out of themselves totally. Plus what's the point of writing a book or producing a video if one cannot present their vision. The same applies to the owners of newspaper and editors.
Just keep striving for balance Jay, it's a never ending, sometimes tortuous endeavor.
To give Burns his due though, his presentation is first rate. One easily learns from both men. What a viewer learns may not agree with what the author/producer intended though. And, that is a very good thing. Both will, if you are serious, provoke a lot of critical thinking and internal debate if the viewer/reader is open to such.
To be fair, no author or producer is capable of stepping out of themselves totally. Plus what's the point of writing a book or producing a video if one cannot present their vision. The same applies to the owners of newspaper and editors.
Just keep striving for balance Jay, it's a never ending, sometimes tortuous endeavor.
I’m not sure about that comparison. For it to be apt, Sir David would have to be a die hard Labour supporter who blamed everything bad in the natural world On British Colonialism and gave the lion’s share of on air time to prominent anti-Tory Royal Fellows of Asian descent.
I like Burns' work. Some complain because he has a point of view, especially if they don't share it. I say hooray! Every historian and/or documentarian has a point of view. If you make an edit, you've expressed a point of view. Burns offers a wonderfully lyrical, sometimes elegiacal, approach to storytelling. Burns' Civil War series make much use of Foote's Trilogy.
"Just keep striving for balance Jay, it's a never ending, sometimes tortuous endeavor."
An interesting and thoughtful post as usual from Warren. Not having knowingly viewed anything by Ken Burns, my comparing him to David Attenborough was based purely on the respect he seems to attract for his cinematographic efforts and nothing else.
Attenborough is pretty much worshiped over here both for his quality output and his determination to help clean up our planet. I got a similar impression of Burns from reading many reviews of many of his films, of course these reviews were mainly American though there was a smattering of favourable reviews from this side of the pond.
Back to the subject though, I got the impression the Foote trilogy and Burns boxed set go pretty much hand in hand and I have no doubt that after reading/viewing the above I will come away with a reasonable understanding of a subject I currently know pretty much nothing of save what I learned in school that the Civil War was started because slavery was vehemently detested by one side yet hugely encouraged by the other. A fact that I'll likely find to be profoundly incorrect.
We shall see!
Regards,
Jay.
An interesting and thoughtful post as usual from Warren. Not having knowingly viewed anything by Ken Burns, my comparing him to David Attenborough was based purely on the respect he seems to attract for his cinematographic efforts and nothing else.
Attenborough is pretty much worshiped over here both for his quality output and his determination to help clean up our planet. I got a similar impression of Burns from reading many reviews of many of his films, of course these reviews were mainly American though there was a smattering of favourable reviews from this side of the pond.
Back to the subject though, I got the impression the Foote trilogy and Burns boxed set go pretty much hand in hand and I have no doubt that after reading/viewing the above I will come away with a reasonable understanding of a subject I currently know pretty much nothing of save what I learned in school that the Civil War was started because slavery was vehemently detested by one side yet hugely encouraged by the other. A fact that I'll likely find to be profoundly incorrect.
We shall see!
Regards,
Jay.
i agree with everything Warren said about Burns/Attenborough.
In my view, maybe the best Burns film is one of the earliest, on the Brooklyn Bridge. He tells the sotry of an age by telling the story of the bridge. (Hmm. I think this needs re-watching.)
Ken Burns Brooklyn Bridge
In my view, maybe the best Burns film is one of the earliest, on the Brooklyn Bridge. He tells the sotry of an age by telling the story of the bridge. (Hmm. I think this needs re-watching.)
Ken Burns Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge is a very fine piece, and I recommend David McCullough's book The Great Bridge if you find the story of the Brooklyn Bridge at all compelling. It is, in its way, as perfect a evocation of the tug of war between ideals and corruption that is the history of the US, and possibly all human society at least since the beginning of recorded time.
David McCullough is a name I recall. A few months ago I read his very well written '1776: America and Britain at War' and I eagerly anticipate the 2019 publication of his latest book 'The Pioneers: American pioneers to the Northwest Territory'. That sounds right up my tree and perhaps yours too Warren as I believe that is your stamping ground?
http://about.simonandschuster.biz/news/dm-pioneers/
Regards,
Jay.
http://about.simonandschuster.biz/news/dm-pioneers/
Regards,
Jay.
Not quite Jay. The Northwest Territory referred to in the book is the area opened on to by the Ohio River, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, etc. late 1700's early 1800's. The Pacific-Northwest Territory is closer to my home range. That'll probably third in his The Pioneers series.
McCulloch is a very prolific writer. Very prolific! Perhaps more prolific than Winston and that is saying a lot. As such the quality and depth of his books can be sketchy. Truman Fires MacArthur is great. 1776 America and ... is a great read also. But, sometimes I think he loses interest, possibly finds a new interest, in the middle of authoring something and it shows. But, he still is a good read, even when off his game. Very informative.
McCulloch is a very prolific writer. Very prolific! Perhaps more prolific than Winston and that is saying a lot. As such the quality and depth of his books can be sketchy. Truman Fires MacArthur is great. 1776 America and ... is a great read also. But, sometimes I think he loses interest, possibly finds a new interest, in the middle of authoring something and it shows. But, he still is a good read, even when off his game. Very informative.
Jesse, thanks for the recommendation......"Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge" is now on order from MI which I presume to be Missouri or is it Michigan? It was the best deal I could get but I'm in no rush. I shall look out tomorrow for something similar on the Hoover Dam....some great engineering feat that has always amazed me.
I also bit the bullet and ordered Ken Burns' 'America Collection' 7 DVD set whilst at it as I doubtless will enjoy that too.
Apologies Warren for getting my geography somewhat askew.....I'm getting there....slowly, but surely getting there :wink:
Regards,
Jay.
I also bit the bullet and ordered Ken Burns' 'America Collection' 7 DVD set whilst at it as I doubtless will enjoy that too.
Apologies Warren for getting my geography somewhat askew.....I'm getting there....slowly, but surely getting there :wink:
Regards,
Jay.
Apologies totally unwarranted and unnecessary. I doubt 95% of Americans today have any idea that there was a region in the US referred to as the "Northwest Territory". 5% of those who might have heard of it would incorrectly ID Washington and Oregon Territories as the locale. Way too obscure for history classes to even mention.
Trivia Factoid of the Day: The great Sioux uprising (Minnesota and the Northwest Territories, first of the so-called "Indian Wars") in the 1860's would be the only reason well, and the fact that most of the US Army response was a bunch of quickly organized Confederate prisoners who were released from the camps if they would fight "injuns" in the Union army. They were assigned to the small garrisons guarding the frontier during the War. Other "Galvanized Yankees" joined the army upon the end of the Civil War. None were allowed to serve as officers no matter their rank in the Confederate Armies.
Trivia Factoid of the Day: The great Sioux uprising (Minnesota and the Northwest Territories, first of the so-called "Indian Wars") in the 1860's would be the only reason well, and the fact that most of the US Army response was a bunch of quickly organized Confederate prisoners who were released from the camps if they would fight "injuns" in the Union army. They were assigned to the small garrisons guarding the frontier during the War. Other "Galvanized Yankees" joined the army upon the end of the Civil War. None were allowed to serve as officers no matter their rank in the Confederate Armies.
Just to say my Ken Burns 'Civil War' 6 DVD disc set arrived this morning. I just watched the first disc and was pretty impressed.
Lots of sepia tone photographs to go along with the narrative which were clearly selected for the particular text.
The only problems I encountered.....and they were of no fault of the discs or their production...was many of the names of the 'main players' of the Civil War meant little to nothing to me.
One pleasant surprise was hearing Morgan Freeman reading certain letters from slaves of the period.
I think I'll now wait for the weekend and binge watch the other five :
:
Regards,
Jay.
Lots of sepia tone photographs to go along with the narrative which were clearly selected for the particular text.
The only problems I encountered.....and they were of no fault of the discs or their production...was many of the names of the 'main players' of the Civil War meant little to nothing to me.
One pleasant surprise was hearing Morgan Freeman reading certain letters from slaves of the period.
I think I'll now wait for the weekend and binge watch the other five :
:Regards,
Jay.
Nothing to worry about. Right now, you're even with the vast majority of Americans. By the time you're completed your traversal of the Civil War, you'll know more about it than 90% of the American public.
Uggg, I grew up saturated from K thru 12 in the Civil War. Everywhere around here is a sign about this or that General's army camping, stealing, or just killing everyone in town. The idea of setting through a show that is about the Civil War will just remind me of the 12 years of public school brainwashing we went through programming our minds of the notion that slaves liked being slaves, and the war had nothing to do with slavery. With the way the war is taught in Alabama, it really didn't sink in that the South lost the war until my first year of college. They mentioned it, but the way they tell it, General Grant bowed the knee to Lee, and we all became friends again. ::
:
Regional history is fascinating.
Jay: You'll soon have a well rounded understanding of the war and be set to explore deeper should you wish. I can't stress Churchill's wee tome, The American Civil War, for a grand overview, to be used as a reference point, which you can use when reading books more narrow and detailed in subject matter.
will put a fairly comprehensive list with short, very short biographies at your finger tips for quick reference.
Jay: You'll soon have a well rounded understanding of the war and be set to explore deeper should you wish. I can't stress Churchill's wee tome, The American Civil War, for a grand overview, to be used as a reference point, which you can use when reading books more narrow and detailed in subject matter.
will put a fairly comprehensive list with short, very short biographies at your finger tips for quick reference.
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