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IMDb > "The Civil War" (1990)

"The Civil War" (1990) More at IMDbPro »TV series

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Overview

User Rating:
9.6/10   2,061 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 2% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Contact:
View company contact information for The Civil War on IMDbPro.
Seasons:
1 full episode list
Release Date:
23 September 1990 (USA) more
Tagline:
It divided a country. It created a nation.
Plot:
A comprehensive survey of the American Civil War. full summary
Awards:
Won 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 7 wins & 1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(3 articles)
The Return of Captain America…
 (From Screen Rant. 16 June 2009, 9:13 PM, PDT)

Hugh Jackman on X-Men Origins: Wolverine
 (From CanMag. 28 April 2009, 10:31 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
A groundbreaking film, for our defining moment more

Cast

 (Series Cast [13])

Sam Waterston ... President Abraham Lincoln (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)
David McCullough ... Narrator (9 episodes, 1990)
Christopher Murney ... Elijah Hunt Rhodes (9 episodes, 1990)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
"The American Civil War" (UK)
more
Runtime:
USA:680 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Stereo

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Took six years to make - two years longer than the war itself. more
Goofs:
Factual errors: 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. more
Quotes:
Frederick Douglass: Verily, the work does not end with the abolition of slavery, but only begins. more
Movie Connections:
Spoofed in "South Park: The Red Badge of Gayness (#3.14)" (1999) more
Soundtrack:
We Are Climbing Jacob's Ladder more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
17 out of 18 people found the following comment useful:-
A groundbreaking film, for our defining moment, 28 September 2002
10/10
Author: Mercy Bell (mercybell) from MA

When The Civil War first aired in 1990, it became a phenomenon. I

was a little kid, but I remember "Ashokan Farewell" and the

intriguing black and white images and voiceovers from the screen,

and people talking about it all over the place. To be sure, the

intimacy of the film eventually made me a Civil War buff, as it has

for tens of thousands across the country.

The fact is, Ken Burns created a monumental piece of television

that chronicled, if not in a general fashion, by far the most defining

moment in our history and an incredibly groundbreaking way.

The film is simple, yet is so profound in it's simplicity and style,

using just pictures and accounts and music and some bursts of

color from modern cinematography. For the first time, we heard the

accounts of real soldiers and people, and instead of taking sides,

it gave a sense of humanity to both sides in a war that is riddled

with political and social posturing, but was ultimately all slaughter.

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Does Burns avoid controversy in this documentary? mlovmo-2
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