Ken Burns discussing His Latest Revolutionary War Documentary: ‘This Is Our Most Crucial Work’

The acclaimed documentarian has become more than a filmmaker; he represents an institution, a prolific creative force. With each new documentary series premiering on the PBS network, everybody wants an interview.

He participated in “an astonishing number of podcasts”, he says, nearing the end of his extensive publicity circuit that included numerous locations, numerous film showings and innumerable conversations. “I think there are 340.1m podcasts, one for every American, and I’ve done half of them.”

Happily Burns is a force of nature, as loquacious behind the mic as he is prolific during post-production. The veteran director has traveled from historical sites to popular podcasts to promote one of his most ambitious projects: this historical epic, a monumental six-part, 12-hour documentary series that consumed the past decade of his life and arrived currently through the public broadcasting service.

Classic Documentary Style

Comparable to methodical preparation in an age of fast food, this documentary series intentionally classic, reminiscent of historical documentary classics than the era of streaming docs audio documentaries.

For the documentarian, who has built a career chronicling strands of US history spanning various American subjects, the nation’s founding represents more than another topic but essential. “As I mentioned to directing partner Sarah Botstein during our discussions, and she shared this view: we won’t work on a more important film Burns contemplates from his New York base.

Extensive Historical Investigation

Burns and his collaborators along with writer Geoffrey Ward utilized thousands of books plus archival documents. Multiple academic experts, spanning age and perspective, contributed scholarly insights along with leading scholars representing multiple disciplines including slavery, indigenous peoples’ narratives and the British empire.

Distinctive Filmmaking Approach

The documentary’s methodology will seem recognizable to fans of historical documentaries. The unique approach incorporated methodical photographic exploration through archival photographs, generous use of period music featuring talent voicing historical documents.

That was the moment the filmmaker cemented his status; years later, presently the respected veteran of historical films, he can attract numerous talented actors. Appearing alongside Burns at a recent event, acclaimed writer Lin-Manuel Miranda commented: “A call from Ken Burns commands immediate acceptance.”

Remarkable Ensemble

The decade-long production schedule provided advantages regarding scheduling. Recordings took place at professional facilities, on location using online technology, an approach adopted during the pandemic. The director describes collaborating with actor Josh Brolin, who found a few free hours in Atlanta to perform his role as the revolutionary leader then continuing to his next engagement.

The cast includes numerous acclaimed actors, established Hollywood talent, diverse creative professionals, household names and rising talent, accomplished dramatic artists, Damian Lewis, Laura Linney, Tobias Menzies, Edward Norton, David Oyelowo, Mandy Patinkin, Wendell Pierce, Matthew Rhys, Liev Schreiber, and many others.

The filmmaker continues: “Truly, this might be the most exceptional group gathered for any production. Their work is exceptional. Selection wasn’t based on fame. It irritated me when questioned, ‘So why the celebrities?’. I explained, ‘These are artists.’ They’re the finest actors in the world and they vitalize these narratives.”

Multifaceted Story

However, the absence of living witnesses, visual documentation required the filmmakers to lean heavily on the written word, integrating individual perspectives of numerous historical characters. This methodology permitted to present viewers beyond the prominent leaders of that era along with multiple who are seminal to the story”, several participants never even had a portrait painted.

Burns also indulged his individual interest for geography and cartography. “I have great affection for cartography,” he observes, “with greater cartographic content in this project compared to previous works across my complete filmography.”

Global Significance

The team filmed at numerous significant sites throughout the continent plus English locations to document environmental context and collaborated substantially with living history participants. Various aspects converge to depict events more violent, complex and globally significant than the one taught in schools.

The film maintains, transcended provincial conflict over land, taxation and representation. Conversely, the project presents a violent confrontation that finally engaged more than two dozen nations and improbably came to embody what it calls “the noble aspirations of humankind”.

Brother Against Brother

Initial complaints and protests directed toward Britain by colonial residents in 13 fractious colonies soon descended into a vicious internal war, setting brother against brother and neighbour against neighbour. In one segment, academic Alan Taylor comments: “The primary misunderstanding concerning independence struggle is that it was something a consolidating event for colonists. This omits the fact that colonists battled fellow colonists.”

Sophisticated Interpretation

For him, the revolution is a story that “for most of us suffers from excessive romance and wistful remembrance and is incredibly superficial and fails to properly acknowledge actual events, and all the participants and the widespread bloodshed.”

Taylor maintains, a revolution that proclaimed the transformative concept of fundamental personal liberties; a bloody domestic struggle, dividing revolutionaries and royalists; plus an international conflict, continuing previous patterns of struggles among European powers for control of the continent.

Uncertain Historical Outcomes

Burns additionally aimed {to rediscover the