Favorite Ken Burns PBS Documentary
by urbanemovies | created - 28 Mar 2016 | updated - 6 months ago | PublicDirector Ken Burns's Florentine Films is currently in production or filming a number of other upcoming PBS documentaries. Future projects cover a wide range of intriguing topics, including Leonardo da Vinci, The American Revolution, Henry David Thoreau, LBJ & the Great Society, and The History of Reconstruction.
Which of these select Ken Burns directed PBS documentary movies or mini-series is your favorite, so far?
Discuss the topic.
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1. The Civil War (1990)
TV-14 | 76 min | Documentary, History, War
A comprehensive survey of the American Civil War.
Stars: David McCullough, Sam Waterston, Julie Harris, Jason Robards
Votes: 18,569
2. The Central Park Five (2012)
Not Rated | 119 min | Documentary, Crime, History
A documentary that examines the 1989 case of five black and Latino teenagers who were convicted of raping a white woman in Central Park. After having spent between 6 and 13 years each in prison, a serial rapist confessed to the crime.
Directors: Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, David McMahon | Stars: Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Kharey Wise, Raymond Santana
Votes: 7,937 | Gross: $0.27M
3. Baseball (1994–2010)
TV-PG | 104 min | Documentary, History, Sport
A documentary on the history of the sport with major topics including Afro-American players, player/team owner relations and the resilience of the game.
Stars: Daniel Okrent, George F. Will, John Chancellor, Doris Kearns Goodwin
Votes: 4,741
4. Prohibition (2011)
60 min | Documentary, History
The story of the American activist struggle against the influence of alcohol, climaxing in the failed early 20th century nationwide era when it was banned.
Stars: Peter Coyote, Pete Hamill, Catherine Gilbert Murdock, Michael Lerner
Votes: 3,426
5. Jazz (2001)
108 min | Documentary, History, Music
A survey of the musical form's history and major talents.
Stars: Keith David, Wynton Marsalis, Gary Giddins, Delroy Lindo
Votes: 2,499
6. The War (2007)
TV-14 | 124 min | Documentary, History, War
A seven-part series focusing on the many ways in which the Second World War impacted the lives of American families.
Stars: Keith David, Katharine Phillips, Tom Hanks, Paul Fussell
Votes: 5,669
7. The National Parks: America's Best Idea (2009)
690 min | Documentary, History
The history of the U.S. National Parks system, including the initial ideas which led to the world's first national parks and the expansion of the system over 150 years.
Stars: Peter Coyote, William Cronon, Dayton Duncan, Shelton Johnson
Votes: 1,950
8. Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson (2004)
TV-PG | 214 min | Documentary, Biography, Sport
The story of Jack Johnson, the first African-American Heavyweight boxing champion.
Director: Ken Burns | Stars: Jack Johnson, Keith David, Samuel L. Jackson, Adam Arkin
Votes: 1,691
9. The Roosevelts: An Intimate History (2014)
TV-14 | 114 min | Documentary, Biography, History
A documentary that weaves together the stories of Theodore, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, three members of one of the most prominent and influential families in American politics.
Stars: Peter Coyote, George F. Will, Geoffrey C. Ward, Doris Kearns Goodwin
Votes: 2,652
10. Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery (1997 TV Movie)
TV-G | 240 min | Documentary, Adventure, Biography
The story of the most important American exploration expedition in American history and the participants in it.
Director: Ken Burns | Stars: Hal Holbrook, Adam Arkin, John Logan Allen, Stephen Ambrose
Votes: 1,418
11. The Dust Bowl (2012)
TV-PG | 229 min | Documentary, History
A documentary about the 1930s drought of North American prairie farm land, and its consequences during the great depression.
Stars: Dorothy Williamson, Donald Worster, Timothy Egan, Pamela Riney-Kehrberg
Votes: 2,111
12. Mark Twain (2001 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 212 min | Documentary, Biography
A biographical film about the acclaimed American humourist and author.
Director: Ken Burns | Stars: Keith David, Kevin Conway, Philip Bosco, Blythe Danner
Votes: 1,114
13. Thomas Jefferson (1997– )
180 min | Documentary, Biography, History
A biographical film about The United States' influential and profoundly enigmatic Founding Father.
Stars: Gwyneth Paltrow, Sam Waterston, Michael Potts, Ossie Davis
Votes: 815
14. Horatio's Drive: America's First Road Trip (2003 TV Movie)
TV-G | 107 min | Documentary, Adventure, History
The saga of Horatio Nelson Jackson, the first man to cross the United States by automobile--in 1903!
Director: Ken Burns | Stars: Keith David, Tom Hanks, Adam Arkin, Tom Bodett
Votes: 594
15. Frank Lloyd Wright (1998)
TV-PG | 146 min | Documentary, Biography, History
A biography of the life and work of the American architect.
Directors: Ken Burns, Lynn Novick | Stars: Edward Herrmann, Philip Bosco, Julie Harris, Sab Shimono
Votes: 918
16. Brooklyn Bridge (1981)
TV-G | 58 min | Documentary, History
This documentary chronicles the world-famous Brooklyn Bridge in New York City. The difficult construction process is described in interesting detail; later parts of the film interview ... See full summary »
Director: Ken Burns | Stars: Paul Roebling, Julie Harris, Arthur Miller, Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Votes: 1,012
17. The Statue of Liberty (1985)
TV-G | 60 min | Documentary, History
Documentary showing the history of the world-famous Statue of Liberty in New York harbor, the impact it still has on people and the state of liberty as a personal and political concept in America in 1985.
Director: Ken Burns | Stars: David McCullough, Jeremy Irons, Derek Jacobi, Paul Roebling
Votes: 712
18. Huey Long (1985)
Not Rated | 88 min | Documentary, Biography
Ken Burns' portrait of Louisiana governor/U.S. senator Huey Long.
Director: Ken Burns | Stars: Huey Long, Russell Long, David McCullough, Jennings Randolph
Votes: 571
19. Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio (1991)
TV-G | 113 min | Documentary, History
For 50 years, radio dominated the airwaves as the first mass medium. Ken Burns examines the lives of three men who shared the responsibility for its invention and early success.
Director: Ken Burns | Stars: Jason Robards, Red Barber, Erik Barnouw, Ken Bilby
Votes: 594
20. Not for Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Susan B. Anthony (1999)
TV-G | 181 min | Documentary, Biography, History
The story of Elizabeth Stanton and Susan B. Anthony and their life long fight to bring equal rights to women.
Stars: Carolyn McCormick, Adam Arkin, Ann Dowd, Sally Kellerman
Votes: 336
21. The Shakers: Hands to Work, Hearts to God (1984)
57 min | Documentary
Ken Burns examines the American utopian 19th century religious sect known as the Shakers.
Directors: Ken Burns, Amy Stechler | Stars: Mildred Barker, Olga Bellin, Tucker Burr, Jesse Carr
Votes: 495
22. Thomas Hart Benton (1989 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 85 min | Documentary, Biography
Thomas Hart Benton's paintings were energetic and uncompromising. Today his works are in museums, but Benton hung them in saloons for ordinary people to appreciate.
Director: Ken Burns | Stars: Henry Adams, Matthew Baigell, Earl Bennett, Jessie Benton
Votes: 193
23. The Congress (1989 TV Movie)
TV-G | 90 min | Documentary
The U. S. Congress is one of the country's most important and misunderstood institutions. Ken Burns tells the story behind this branch of government.
Director: Ken Burns | Stars: David McCullough, Charles McDowell, Barbara Fields, John C. Stennis
Votes: 348
24. The Address (2014 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 85 min | Documentary
Students of a special boarding school for kids with learning disabilities are challenged to learn about and recite the Gettysburg Address.
Director: Ken Burns | Stars: Marcia Hamm, Stewart Miller, Annie Quest
Votes: 204
25. Jackie Robinson (2016)
TV-PG | 240 min | Documentary, Biography
Documentary chronicles the personal and professional life of Jackie Robinson from his birth in 1919 to his death in 1972. Robinson's rise from humble beginnings to became an American hero and pivotal figure in American history are detailed.
Stars: Keith David, Jamie Foxx
Votes: 534
Added 12 April 2016
26. The Vietnam War (2017)
TV-MA | 99 min | Documentary, History, War
A comprehensive history of the United States' involvement in the bitterly divisive armed conflict in Southeast Asia.
Stars: Peter Coyote, Huy Duc, James Willbanks, Duong Van Mai Elliott
Votes: 28,004
Added 01 August 2017
27. The Mayo Clinic, Faith, Hope and Science (2018 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 115 min | Documentary, History
The Mayo Clinic: Faith - Hope - Science tells the story of a unique medical institution that has been called a "Medical Mecca," the "Supreme Court of Medicine," and the "place for hope ... See full summary »
Directors: Ken Burns, Christopher Loren Ewers, Erik Ewers | Stars: Kevin Conway, Peter Coyote, Tom Hanks, Sam Waterston
Votes: 415
Added 15 Augus 2019
28. Country Music (2019)
Documentary, Music
The story of the creation of modern Country music.
Stars: Peter Coyote, Marty Stuart, Vince Gill, Rosanne Cash
Votes: 1,738
Added 15 August 2019
29. Hemingway (2021– )
TV-14 | 120 min | Documentary, Biography
Explore the painstaking process through which Hemingway created some of the most important works of fiction in American letters.
Stars: Peter Coyote, Jeff Daniels, Edna O'Brien, Michael Kitakis
Votes: 1,618
Added 05 April 2021
30. Muhammad Ali (2021)
445 min | Documentary, Biography, History
An in-depth look at the life of boxer, Muhammad Ali, including his years as an activist and philanthropist.
Stars: Gerald Early, Todd Boyd, Salim Muwakkil, Jerry Izenberg
Votes: 1,369
Added 25 January 2022
31. Benjamin Franklin (2022)
225 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Exploring the life and work of writer and publisher, scientist and inventor, diplomat and signer of both the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution: Benjamin Franklin.
Stars: Peter Coyote, Mandy Patinkin, Josh Lucas, Liam Neeson
Votes: 1,171
Added 14 March 2022
32. The U.S. and the Holocaust (2022)
TV-14 | 398 min | Documentary, History
Explores America's response to the Holocaust, and how it challenged the ideals of democracy.
Stars: Peter Coyote, Daniel Mendelsohn, Peter Hayes, Deborah Lipstadt
Votes: 1,584
Added 30 January 2023
33. The American Buffalo (2023– )
Documentary, History
A journey through more than 10,000 years of North American history and across some of the continent's most iconic landscapes, tracing the mammal's evolution.
Stars: Peter Coyote, Tantoo Cardinal, Michael Punke, N. Scott Momaday
Votes: 546
Added 30 October 2023
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