Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery (1997)

The story of the most important American exploration expedition in American history and the participants in it.

Director:

Ken Burns

Writers:

Ken Burns (book), Dayton Duncan (book)

Stars:

Hal Holbrook, Adam Arkin, John Logan Allen

4 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
John Logan Allen	...	Himself - Geographer
Stephen Ambrose	...	Himself - Historian (as Stephen E. Ambrose)
Adam Arkin	...	Merriwether Lewis (voice)
Gerard Baker	...	Himself - Mandan-Hidatsa
Matthew Broderick	...	John Ordway (voice)
Tantoo Cardinal	...	(voice)
Tim Clark	...	(voice)
Kevin Conway	...	Patrick Gass (voice)
Dayton Duncan	...	Himself - Writer
Erica Funkhouser	...	Herself - Writer
Murphy Guyer	...	William Clark (voice)
Ken Little Hawk	...	(voice)
William Least Heat-Moon	...	Himself - Writer
Hal Holbrook	...	Narrator (voice)
Gene Jones	...	Joseph Whitehouse (voice)

Storyline

This film documents the exploration expedition led by Meriwether Lewis William Clark into the interior of North America in the early 19th century. We follow the Corps of Discovery as they winded their way across the unknown territory gained in the Louisana Purchase by the United States in their futile search for the legendary Northwest Passage. Along the way, they discovered wonderous new things as they depended on the aid of Native Americans like their adept guide, Sacagawea, as they conducted the most important exploration mission in American history.

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Plot Keywords:

exploration | expedition | sacagawea | native american | wilderness | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Adventure | Biography | History

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Official Sites:

PBS [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 November 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Льюис и Кларк: Путешествие трупов с Дискавери

Company Credits

Production Co:

American Lives Film Project,Florentine Films,WETA

Technical Specs

Runtime:

240 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Due to numerous inconsistencies, oddities and lack of hard facts and evidence, the death of Meriwether Lewis became, in time, a topic of great discussion, wild speculation and genuine controversy as more and more people including some historians began to favor the idea that he was in fact murdered. Examples of this discussion can be found in pop culture as well. For instance, in one of the first chapters of The Secret History of Twin Peaks, a companion book to the television series Twin Peaks, it's theorized in great semi-fictional detail, some of it based on actual historical facts, that the man behind the conspiracy to murder Meriwether Lewis was none other than General James Wilkinson, commander of the U.S. army during the first three American Presidents who was discovered after his death to have been a spy for the Spanish Crown. He was also the first Governor of Louisiana Territory until Lewis took over this duty. The book suggests that Lewis had evidence against Wilkinson and that this was the real reason why he had decided to personally travel to Washington by horse in 1809. After Lewis' tragic demise, Wilkinson's men including Major James Neely, Lewis' shady companion during the final leg of his journey, covered up all evidence of murder, took most of Lewis' valuable belongings and incriminating evidence and paid off the owners of the cabin where Lewis had died to keep quiet and repeat the agreed cover story of suicide if anyone ever asks them about it.

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Connections

Spoofed in Almost Heroes (1998)

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Soundtracks

Cheyenne Eyes
Written and performed by Gary Stroutsos, Epamindondas Trimis, Joseph Fire Crow
From "Winds of Honor"
Courtesy of Makoche Music/BMI

User Reviews

Extremely well made and thorough

"Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery" is a very lengthy documentary that seems almost as long as the group's two year journey! This really isn't a complaint--more a comment about how incredibly thorough the show is. It's yet another exquisitely made documentary by Ken Burns--using the same wonderful and familiar style you'll see in his other PBS films. And, perhaps, it's made a bit better--very slow and lovingly rendered. The cinematography might just be the best thing about it--with wonderful vistas of the west and northwest United States. There were a few interesting surprises in the film--especially concerning Lewis' sad life due to debilitating difficulties which today would be diagnosed as a Bipolar Disorder. The interactions of the expedition with the natives was also an interesting surprise. All in all, a terrific film--just know that you'll need to devote a lot of time to it. However, IMDb indicates it's four hours long but the DVD was only about three and a half. I am not sure what this discrepancy is all about--I assume that the time listed on IMDb is just a simple mistake.

By the way, it's never mentioned in the film, but I wonder if President Jefferson sent OTHER expeditions as well but these were just never heard from again. Could this be the case? I do know that Zebulon Pike was soon sent on another western expedition--but there must have been others.

Perfect in every way--not to be missed.