🔗 Share this article Ken Burns on His Latest War of Independence Documentary: ‘This Is Our Most Crucial Work’ The acclaimed documentarian has evolved into not just a historical storyteller; his name is a franchise, an unparalleled production entity. With each new documentary series arriving on the small screen, all desire his attention. The filmmaker completed “countless podcast appearances”, he notes, approaching the conclusion of his extensive publicity circuit comprising 40 cities, numerous film showings and innumerable conversations. “I think there are 340.1m podcasts, one for every American, and I’ve done half of them.” Thankfully the filmmaker is incredibly dynamic, equally articulate in interviews as he is accomplished in the editing room. The 72-year-old has appeared at locations ranging from prestigious venues to The Joe Rogan Experience to discuss one of his most ambitious projects: The American Revolution, a comprehensive multi-part historical examination that dominated ten years of his career and premiered this week on PBS. Defiantly Traditional Approach Similar to traditional cooking in today’s rapid-consumption era, Burns’ latest project proudly conventional, more redolent of traditional war documentaries as opposed to modern online content and podcast series. However, for the filmmaker, whose entire filmography documenting American historical narratives including baseball, country music, jazz and national parks, the nation’s founding represents more than another topic but foundational. “I said this to my co-director Sarah Botstein recently, and she concurred: this represents our most significant project Burns states from his New York base. Comprehensive Scholarly Work The filmmaking team plus scripting partner Geoffrey Ward referenced numerous historical volumes and primary source materials. Numerous scholars, representing diverse viewpoints, provided on-air commentary along with leading scholars covering various specialties including slavery, Native American history and the British empire. Signature Documentary Style The documentary’s methodology will appear similar to devotees of The Civil War. The characteristic technique featured methodical photographic exploration over historical images, extensive employment of contemporary scores and actors reading diaries, letters and speeches. Those projects established the filmmaker cemented his status; years later, currently the elder statesman of documentary filmmaking, he can attract any actor he chooses. Collaborating with the filmmaker at a recent event, renowned playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda noted: “A call from Ken Burns commands immediate acceptance.” Extraordinary Talent The extended filming period proved beneficial concerning availability. Sessions happened in studios, at historical sites through digital platforms, a method utilized during the pandemic. Burns explains working with Josh Brolin, who scheduled a brief window while in Georgia to perform his role portraying the founding father then continuing to other professional obligations. Brolin is joined by Kenneth Branagh, Hugh Dancy, Claire Danes, Jeff Daniels, Morgan Freeman, Paul Giamatti, emerging and established stars, Tom Hanks, Ethan Hawke, Maya Hawke, Samuel L Jackson, Michael Keaton, Tracy Letts, Damian Lewis, Laura Linney, Tobias Menzies, versatile character actors, Wendell Pierce, Matthew Rhys, Liev Schreiber, and many others. The filmmaker continues: “Truly, this might be the most exceptional group gathered for any production. Their work is exceptional. Their celebrity status wasn’t the criteria. I became frustrated when someone asked, regarding the famous participants. I go, ‘These are actors.’ They’re the finest actors in the world and they animate historical material.” Historical Complexity However, the absence of living witnesses, visual documentation compelled the production to depend substantially on primary texts, weaving together individual perspectives of numerous historical characters. This methodology permitted to show spectators not only to the “bold-faced names” of the founders plus numerous additional who are seminal to the story”, many of whom remain visually unknown. The filmmaker also explored his particular enthusiasm for territorial understanding. “I have great affection for cartography,” he observes, “with greater cartographic content in this project compared to previous works throughout my entire career.” Worldwide Consequences The team filmed at numerous significant sites across North America and in London to capture the landscape’s character and collaborated substantially with historical interpreters. These components unite to depict events more bloody, multifaceted and world-changing than the one taught in schools. The film maintains, represented more than local dispute concerning territory, taxes and political voice. Conversely, the project presents a brutal conflict that finally engaged more than two dozen nations and unexpectedly manifested what it calls “the noble aspirations of humankind”. Internal Conflict Truth Initial complaints and protests aimed at the crown by American colonists across thirteen rebellious territories quickly evolved into a brutal civil conflict, pitting family members against each other and creating local enmities. In episode two, the historian Alan Taylor observes: “The main misapprehension about the American Revolution centers on assuming it constituted a unifying experience for colonists. It leaves out the reality that colonists battled fellow colonists.” Historical Complexity According to his perspective, the revolutionary narrative that “for most of us suffers from excessive romance and wistful remembrance and is incredibly superficial and fails to properly acknowledge the historical reality, and all the participants and the incredible violence of it. The historian argues, a movement that announced the revolutionary principle of the unalienable rights of people; a vicious internal conflict, dividing revolutionaries and royalists; and a global war, the fourth in a series of struggles among European powers for the “prize of North America”. Unpredictable Historical Moments Burns also wanted {to rediscover the