The Civil War (1990– )

A comprehensive survey of the American Civil War.

Stars:

Sam Waterston, Julie Harris, Jason Robards

Won 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 8 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Sam Waterston	...	President Abraham Lincoln (9 episodes, 1990)
Julie Harris	...	Mary Chestnut (9 episodes, 1990)
Jason Robards	...	Ulysses S. Grant (9 episodes, 1990)
Morgan Freeman	...	Frederick Douglass (9 episodes, 1990)
Garrison Keillor	...	Walt Whitman (9 episodes, 1990)
Arthur Miller	...	William Tecumseh Sherman (9 episodes, 1990)
George Plimpton	...	George Templeton Strong (9 episodes, 1990)
Horton Foote	...	Jefferson Davis (9 episodes, 1990)
George Black	...	Robert E. Lee (9 episodes, 1990)
Philip Bosco	...	Horace Greeley (9 episodes, 1990)
Derek Jacobi	...	Various (9 episodes, 1990)
Jeremy Irons	...	Various (9 episodes, 1990)
Hoyt Axton	...	Various (9 episodes, 1990)
Colleen Dewhurst	...	Various (9 episodes, 1990)
Laurence Fishburne	...	Various (9 episodes, 1990)
Shelby Foote	...	Himself (9 episodes, 1990)
David McCullough	...	Narrator (9 episodes, 1990)
Charles McDowell	...	Sam Watkins (9 episodes, 1990)
Christopher Murney	...	Elijah Hunt Rhodes (9 episodes, 1990)
Kurt Vonnegut Jr.	...	Various (9 episodes, 1990)
M. Emmet Walsh	...	Various (9 episodes, 1990)
Ed Bearss	...	Himself (6 episodes, 1990)
Barbara Fields	...	Herself (5 episodes, 1990)
James Symington	...	Himself (4 episodes, 1990)

Storyline

This highly acclaimed mini series traces the course of the U.S. Civil War from the abolitionist movement through all the major battles to the death of President Lincoln and the beginnings of Reconstruction. The story is mostly told in the words of the participants themselves, through their diaries, letters, and Visuals are usually still photographs and illustrations of the time, and the soundtrack is likewise made up of war-era tunes played on period instruments. Several modern-day historians offer periodic comment and insight on the war's causes and events.

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Plot Keywords:

civil war | american civil war | african american | tv mini series | reference to abraham lincoln | 

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Taglines:

It divided a country. It created a nation.

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Genres:

Documentary | History | War

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Also Known As:

Az amerikai polgárháború története

Company Credits

Production Co:

American Documentaries Inc., Florentine Films, Kenneth Lauren Burns

Technical Specs

Runtime:

680 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The piano music used to soundtrack the Abraham Lincoln scenes is "God Save the South".

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Goofs

In describing the assassination of President Lincoln, the narrator states the president was 54 years old when he died. He was, in fact, 56 years old. This mistake, however, has been corrected on the DVD.

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Quotes

[On his escape from slavery]
Frederick Douglass: I appear this evening as a thief and robber. I stole this head, these limbs, this body from my master and ran off with them.

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Connections

Spoofed in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #19.190 (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Marching Through Georgia"
Written by Henry Clay Work

User Reviews

The best use to which television has been put

As a historian I can say that there is little so difficult or gratifing as to bring history accurately alive for others. As a military historian I will say that war is both the highest and lowest achievement and calling of humanity. All wars are filled with pathos, and it is almost by definition impossible to fully understand and contextualize them until they are of the past. It may be that the US Civil War is that around which the greatest pathos exists; perhaps the last war in which honour and purpose were equally upheld on both sides - which is not to say that all those who participated were honorable or idealistic. In this work, Ken Burns brought history to life, made the war as understandable as possible, and transmitted the pathos, the honour, the horror, the vileness, and the humanity of the thing. In so doing he redefined film documentary. The Civil War is the best use to which television has been put.