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

Sam Waterston, who voices President Abraham Lincoln, also portrayed the 16th President in the TV movie Lincoln.

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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

[Reacting to the Confederate Government's move to have African American Slaves serve as soldiers in the Army]
Senator Howell Cobb: You cannot make soldiers of slaves, or slaves of soldiers. The day you make a soldier of them is the beginning of the end of the Revolution. And if slaves seem good soldiers, then our whole theory of slavery is wrong.

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Connections

Referenced in The Making of 'Gettysburg' (1993)

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Soundtracks

"Ashokan Farewell"
Written by Jay Ungar
Performed by Fiddle Fever

User Reviews

Great documentary by a great documentarian

This is by far the best documentary I've ever seen. History is my favorite subject to study and I have seen a lot of documentaries and "The Civil War" by Ken Burns is by far my favorite.

The Civil War is my favorite subject in history to study and Ken Burns does and excellent job at spacing out the sequence of the war in this set, basically two videos per year of the war. Many people stereotypically think of documentaries as dull and boring, but Ken Burns definately does not let "The Civil War" fall into that stereotype. Thats why this documentary is not only good for learning but the soundtrack, the scenery and everything else put into it makes you really appreciate and get a feel for the Civil War era. As you watch through the videos from Fort Sumter through Antietam and Gettysburg and up to Appomattox, you can really get the fealing of how the actual Yankee and Rebel soldiers felt during these times. burns does not only focus on the battles which would stand out as the most interesting part of a war, but he gets into the personal lives of the soldiers, the soldiers' families, abolitionists and slaves.

David McCullough has a wonderful voice as the narrator and it was also nice to hear some familiar voices for some of the characters such as Jason Robards, Morgan Freeman, and Sam Waterston. The interviews by Edwin Bears, Shelby Foote and other historians were always nice to hear among the documentary.

Overall a very well done documentary on the Civil War. If you are interested in American history in general this and "The West" also by Ken Burns are an excellent choice to see.