Overrated

From my favorite movies..

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Ken Burns best series. I have watched the others he has made, but no matter what the subject, it is this one Burns covered the best. The things that made it great are-*Research - there is no doubt the intelligence and research behind this series shows up throughout. This makes points about the importance of this conflict to our country.Photography - this series pulled out many of the great photos of the war that had been obscured by history and makes them come to life. This conflict was marked by Matthew Brady, and this show even brings more of the first really photographed war into focus.Use of Civil War Diaries - there is no better way to tell history than through the notes/thoughts of the people who wrote down their own experiences of this war.Narration - this series employs a lot of narrators who add to the viewing effect of the film.Historic accuracy - Burns took pains to make sure the content of this series is accurate.Technology - a lot of the modern weapons used years later in both World Wars were invented by both sides in this war. Even at the end, the siege of Petersburg, Virginia employed the early use of trench warfare, years before World War 1.Railroads got their first war use here. The first Medals of Honor awarded to Union Soldiers by Lincoln during this war involved the stealing of a locomotive, The General. Railroads contributions to this conflict were real and a lot beyond just the stolen locomotive.This series is a statement about the importance of History, which if not stated and studied is doomed to be repeated. Hiding history is the most dangerous thing to do. Revising history is dangerous too.The graphic photos here from this war are a tale of horror and many more deaths than Vietnam, though I am very happy with Ken Burns latest new study of Vietnam. I wish he had done that one first. It was over due. Geoffrey C. Ward wrote The Civil War series and the Vietnam War series, and both show a lot of class.

This seminal Ken Burns 9 part TV series tells you almost everything you should ever need to know about the American Civil War. It's as good in its own way as the BBC's Great War from the '60's and Thames' World At War from the '70's were in theirs. Those 2 had plenty of still pictures and movie reels whereas of course the Civil War had to rely on stills – and lots of 'em. At one point we're even informed over a million photographs were taken during the course of the war, you feel by the end you've seen a good proportion of them too. While the images may be occasionally hard to watch and the barbarity of the war hard to stomach the oft-reprised background music and pleasant burr of the narration is very easy on the ear. Every episode is presented logically and with battle descriptions instead of re-enactments linked by informative narration, maybe with a trifle romanticised and flowery language. By 1865 I'm astonished by the relentless quality and exhausted by the powerful message.The main theme of past war documentaries are often the same though – the relative pointlessness and bestiality of war and the constant heroism bafflingly displayed by all manner of people. Another theme is how when it suits them our Betters the Generals and politicians are horrified and chastened by the apparently endless and senseless waste of ordinary people's lives – the British and American brasshats and bigwigs were during WW1 and 2 and cried oceans of crocodile tears, but if necessary will be ready to shed them again in their present or next war. The American Civil War had far more of an ideal to fight for: the abolition or retention of Negro slavery in the South, even though it wasn't the declared object for the North's rulers until 1863. The 2 parts of the whole were rival capitalist economies going in 2 different directions, slavery was not the issue in 1861 but was morally useful in helping fighting the good fight. Although white riots ensued in the North after it had become a war of black emancipation. Lincoln seemed more concerned about winning his 2nd term as President in 1864 than the casualty lists. And after the War was won and lost it eventually paved (and is still paving) the way for downtrodden African Americans to live on the same footing as downtrodden American whites – as wage slaves dependent on the capitalists for their daily bread. At least 600,000 men, women and children of all races died in those 4 years fighting for or defending their masters. The history of class society through the ages has shown that the direct ownership of slaves can be more expensive for the rulers to maintain than the workers having to fend for themselves at the mercy of market forces. The world progressed but sadly slavery still has a long way to run; at least it's now simplified and colourless.Lincoln has certainly gone down in History, in its own much smaller way this TV documentary has too. Yes, no matter what your personal prejudices are or which side you're on this is a vast and useful treasure house of information, to dip into every few years and bolster up your opinions!

The Civil War (1990) **** (out of 4)For a more detailed look at the episodes, check out their own pages where I've written on each of them.Ken Burns' nine-part series taking a look at the history of The Civil War is without question one of the greatest achievements of any documentary. Clocking in at over twelve-hours, this film doesn't have a single weak moment to be found and it's brutal honesty is something that one has to respect. It really does seem that Burns wasn't interested in taking sides or pushing any of his own political agenda, instead he just delivers a terrific film that gives you a clear idea of what was going on in the country leading up to the war, the attitudes during the war and the downfall after the battles. We get to hear about everything from the first shots being fired to the final man being killed in action. The documentary is so well-detailed that by the time it's over you're really going to feel as if you know everything on the subject and this here is also something very important for any documentary.The nine different episodes cover every inch of the war but some of the most haunting moments deal with the 600,000 plus that were killed during the war. Not only do we hear about the battles but it's also shocking to see how many of the deaths were due to illness and disease and not a gunshot. We also see the horrors that some soldiers found themselves in after being captured and held in Southern prisons that were overflowing with people. The horrors were that the South couldn't feed their own troops let alone all the prisoners. There are some pretty graphic photographs of soldiers that were nothing more than skin and bone and these images are very close to what we'd see decades later with the Holocaust. As with most of Burns' movies, this one here features photographs of the time and these here are certainly priceless and gives one a great view of the destruction caused by the war. Even the assassination of Abraham Lincoln is covered as well as its aftermath.History buff as well as film buffs are really going to love this documentary. I've seen several documentaries on the subjects covered here but having everyone in one package is a major plus and even better is how terrific the stories are told. You see the various ups and downs from both sides and you really get to understand why the war took place, how many times it came close to ending and of course what happened to make the South still not be too fond of the North even after all these years.

I love The US Civil War films, try to collect and watch them all. And was looking for the series for a long time, and finally got them. it took me several days to watch all 9 episodes, but that was really worth it. Ken Burns did a marvelous job here - the music, the interviews, the old photos, the scenery, the outstanding depth of materials prepared - everything here stands out and shines. The deliberate slow tempo of the narration makes it a treat for the unprepared, but the Civil War buffs like me devour every modicum of information and love it. I must praise the excellent voice-over, the great casting of actors doing this job, the supers array of facts and figures. The old footage of war veterans talking, laughing and hugging made me cry. I loved every minute of the whole serial Very highly recommended Not only for buffs but for all who like history