There are few moments in television I look forward to more than a new series by Ken Burns. This is not to say that all of his 
documentaries have been satisfying to the soul, brain or heart, but he always attempts to do justice to his topics and, he usually succeeds.
Ken Burns' "The Civil War" remains to this day the single greatest television series ever produced. It was artistic beyond belief and it was poetic from start to finish. Of course, as a history buff it was as close as those of us living in this time and age would know what that generation lived through and fought for. This even still bests the beautiful, stunning and superbly crafted piece of artistry that was the BBC's "Planet Earth."
Tonight, Ken Burns' newest entry "The National Parks: America's Best Idea" premiered. Two hours of sheer bliss. Everything is perfect! Obviously, it is physically beautiful, but as always, the writing, the casting of actors reading roles, the Peter Coyote narration, the historians/assorted other knowledgeable folks, the music is all spot-on brilliant.
Nothing is missed. Tonight, Burns and his team took us to Yosemite (the dreams of John Muir came to life) and Yellowstone (one of my favorite places on planet earth). I am looking forward to the next episode. I almost can't wait.
This is one of those glorious reasons why television matters! God's most mighty, majestic and monumental creation's are on display on my nice HD television set!
documentaries have been satisfying to the soul, brain or heart, but he always attempts to do justice to his topics and, he usually succeeds.Ken Burns' "The Civil War" remains to this day the single greatest television series ever produced. It was artistic beyond belief and it was poetic from start to finish. Of course, as a history buff it was as close as those of us living in this time and age would know what that generation lived through and fought for. This even still bests the beautiful, stunning and superbly crafted piece of artistry that was the BBC's "Planet Earth."
Tonight, Ken Burns' newest entry "The National Parks: America's Best Idea" premiered. Two hours of sheer bliss. Everything is perfect! Obviously, it is physically beautiful, but as always, the writing, the casting of actors reading roles, the Peter Coyote narration, the historians/assorted other knowledgeable folks, the music is all spot-on brilliant.
Nothing is missed. Tonight, Burns and his team took us to Yosemite (the dreams of John Muir came to life) and Yellowstone (one of my favorite places on planet earth). I am looking forward to the next episode. I almost can't wait.
This is one of those glorious reasons why television matters! God's most mighty, majestic and monumental creation's are on display on my nice HD television set!
This is worth watching and clearly it will be worth watching over and over again.
(Flaming Nose note: Check out Jane's post about this amazing series, too! PBS' excellent website for the production is here.)
I think the National Forests and all of Nature should be preserved, especially in areas where the building has gone out of control. We need some trees and "green" stuff around...or we will go totally mad.
ReplyDeleteThanks for another great reminder about Ken Burns National Park series with this terrific post! I just got back from a brief trip to Las Vegas, which I'm guessing just might be the antithesis of a National Park. How lovely to see the Yosemite and Yellowstone episodes and see that they exceed my expectations. I'm watching in HD-TV, which enhances the experience, but the photography is so breathtaking, it would be gorgeous on a 12 inch color kitchen TV. I'd like to point out that the haunting Native American music at the opening is created by Robbie Robertson, former singer/guitarist from the legendary rock group The Band, who now composes and produces fantastic music for movies and television.
ReplyDelete