The American Civil War (1990– )
"The Civil War" (original title)

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

Narrator: The trickle of runaways coming into Northern lines now swelled to a flood. One ex-slave who had recently bought his freedom told a Union soldier "if I had known you gun men was a-coming, I'd have saved my money."

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Connections

Spoofed in Community: Pillows and Blankets (2012)

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Soundtracks

"Marching Through Georgia"
Written by Henry Clay Work

User Reviews

Broke new ground, still unsurpassed.

Contrary to the only other comment so far, I found this inspiring and elevating. I understood the civil war in a way nothing else in 17 years of formal education did. Burns was trying to tell what is perhaps the most compelling story since this country was founded. He had no footage, and was not interested in dramatizing the battles (which is notoriously difficult to to without boosting one side). Instead, he found a way to take the still images and remnants of the war and the stories of individuals and make them more real than any movie could do. Eleven hours of reenactments would have been interminable - and silly - as vaunted as the reenactors are, they get away with it because they are romanticized - can you imagine reenacting Ardennes or Khe Sanh? In a world where TV viewership is measured in 5-minute chunks if you're lucky, Burns kept viewers' attention for 11+ hours - and with no commercials - quite a feat.