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 - A War to Define OurselvesThis documentary emphasizes why America's Civil War was also its most significant: it was a war of national self-definition. We were fighting to define who we were and who we would be. The devastation of the war, with 600,000 Americans dead, the use of repeating guns and ironclad boats, and the Holocaust-like conditions at the Confederacy's "Andersonville" POW camp were some of the precursors to the horror of modern warfare. It was total warfare, extending to civilians as Sherman's brutal march to the sea made clear. One weakness of this production is that it does not make the causes of the war explicit enough, and make clear that slavery on its own did not cause the war. Abraham Lincoln himself had said at the beginning that if he could preserve the Union and free no slaves, he would do it. Robert E. Lee did not support the institution of slavery, though he believed that whites were a superior race. At the beginning, slavery was more a touchstone to conflict, an issue where deep-seated differences between north and south came to a head. It was probably inevitable that northern society with its industrial base and "classless" society would clash with the agrarian South, which was built on a hierarchy of privilege, with white plantation owners at the top and black slaves and poor whites and the bottom. With the North's economic progress came southern anxieties about the growth in the federal government's power and what that meant. Could the federal government override the ability of new states to decide if they were to be free or slave states? The states that would make up the Confederacy said no. The profiles of the major players in the war, Lincoln, Lee, Grant, McClellan, Sherman, Stonewall Jackson and others, as well as the correspondence of rank and file soldiers, brings out the humanity of the conflict. Its wounds remain. I once knew a descendent of Robert E. Lee, who carried himself with a sense of honor and grace that seems to have almost completely disappeared from our national life. He'd get choked up talking about the "War between the States." It is hard to understand how Robert E. Lee, someone of such outstanding character, could allow himself to be so blind to racial injustice. But that famous Mathew Brady photograph of him standing outside Appomatox Courthouse after the surrender, depicted in this documentary, shows his noble bearing. In his own way, Lee depicted those qualities so lacking in our political and social life these days: duty and honor. This documentary brought home the Civil War's devastation. It helped me understand more about who we are as Americans. Rating: - Excellent introduction, but it is only a first stepThis is a superb film, combining the emotion evoked from images and selected narratives (wonderfully read by great actors) as well as some analysis by prominent scholars or writers. So far as it goes, Burns has exploited the attributes of the film medium to what I believe is the maximum extent: you leave this experience with a good idea of what went on and how it changed the country. It is moving, horrible, and beautiful all at once. That being said, I believe that Burns was also very conscious of what the film medium could accomplish less well, i.e. the deeper scholarly treatment that can only be plumbed from the concentration and effort that books demand. That is where some of the reviewers here went wrong IMHO, as they expected more than a film can reasonably deliver. This is not a university lecture and there is not enough space to explore all the details as they might deserve. Nonetheless, I did not find any glaring inaccuracies or unacceptable biases - it was a good critical bit of work. What you get with Burns is a taste of the Civil War, some clear ideas, and feelings about what happened. For real depth of understanding, the viewer will have to go elsewhere, and that is fine. After all, this is a life long labor of love for some of us Civil War buffs. I watched this while my son (7) played next to me, and every so often he would look up and ask questions about what was portrayed - it was a nice bonding medium, got him thinking a bit, and engraved certain images into his mind. Just what I wanted, while I went over the outlines of hte Civil War again. Warmly recommended as an outstanding starting point. Rating: - the not so civil civil warThis series gives great insights into what went on during the civic war and its implications for us today. I don't agree with all the views given by those historians interviewed but I know what their agenda is in some cases so I kept that in mind while viewing. This is well worth ones time and is very educational while being enjoyable at the same time. You can and should view this more than once and it is as good viewing the third time as it was the first time. Rating: - A Must Have for All Civil War Buffs!I became interested in the Civil War because I read the book "The Killer Angels" by Michael Shaara, and, like Ken Burns, I became fascinated with Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, a figure who apparently was very prominent in the Army of the Potomac, but never written about in any of the history books I had studied while in school. His story made the war real to me, and Ken Burns' documentary brought all of those historical figures to life - as well as the plight of those who suffered during the war. I loved the use of real historical photos, and the music in the background set the mood. I recommend this documentary to all Americans, as both North and South are well represented in their views. It truly represents what a miraculous country America is! Rating: - The Best Film on the War between the States so far!I frankly think that this is the best film made about the Civil War. Burns does a great service to all those who took part in the war and the nation that was shaped by our "greatest" War. As Shelby Foote so wisely put it, "It was a divide in the road and a hell of a divide it was". (The War basically made us the Nation that we are for better or worse and I like to think for the better) The use of the old photos and the actual terrain by Burns was frankly brillant.It really helps one gets a feel for what it must of been like and what the people of the war thought and behaved. I think that this film will be watched & enjoyed by future Americans a 100 years from now.
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