Ken Burns's America: Packaging the Past for Television Book

Though Gary R. Edgerton writes that he did not intend Ken Burns's America to be a biography, it is exactly that: a study not only of the life of the documentary auteur--his rise from student filmmaker to the "most recognizable and influential historian of his generation"--but of his cinematographic and historical influences and philosophy, and his abilities as a businessman. Ken Burns's America is nothing if not comprehensive. Though Burns's most famous works (The Civil War, Baseball, Jazz) are discussed in detail, his many less well known works (The Shakers, Brooklyn Bridge, Thomas Hart Benton) receive their fair due, as do obscure early works like Working in Rural New England. Edgerton discusses Burns's stylistics, and his long-running--and often cantankerous--skirmishes with professional historians. Burns, in his own words, stresses plot over analysis, and says, somewhat obscurely, that there is "more unum than pluribus" in his work. Edgerton also devotes much time and space to Burns's organizational and fundraising prowess. Though clearly an admirer of Burns, the author utilizes the filmmaker's own "pluralistic" approach when it comes to criticism, including a compendium of reactions to the films (both pro and con) rather than a personal analysis. Though his prose is not exactly lithe, he has written a well-documented and detailed book that should aid and interest serious students of Burns's life, works, and methodology. --H. O'Billovitch Read More