Ken Burns - I am really looking forward to this one!

shack

Ken Burns may be the greatest documentary filmmaker/cinematographer of our time. His Civil War film was one of the most interesting and mesmerizing films I have ever watched.

This is a subject that is special to me and I will be in front of the TV starting on Sunday Night. I will record every segment and will probably buy the DVD.

For those with Blu-Ray, I would imagine this will have some spectacular images that the format will make even better.

Here is the PBS site.

http://www.pbs.org/nationalparks/

AsSiMiLaTeD

He does do good work, can't wait for this one. He does tend to sneak his liberal viewpoint into some of his work, especially noticeable in The War (which was still good IMO but not on the level with band of Brothers - yes I know two different things but still often times compared), but I've really enjoyed some of his work.

treitz3

Hasn't parts of this already been on PBS? I remember watching it or something very similar not very long ago.

shack

AsSiMiLaTeD wrote:

He does do good work, can't wait for this one. He does tend to sneak his liberal viewpoint into some of his work, especially noticeable in The War.

I know...he is very open about his political POV...but, he still puts out good work. Many artists, actors, musicians, etc. lean differently from me, but I still enjoy the fruits of their craft.

treitz3 wrote:

Hasn't parts of this already been on PBS? I remember watching it or something very similar not very long ago.

I don't think so...unless there have been some previews. I watch PBS some and don't recall seeing any of this. There have been a lot of shows in our area (SE) about the Smokey Mountains NP since this is the 75th Anniversary. Maybe that is what you have seen.

AsSiMiLaTeD

There was another series done on the National Parks, wasn't on PBS though I think. I have no doubt that this will be the best one done yet.

treitz3

shack wrote: »

I don't think so...unless there have been some previews. I watch PBS some and don't recall seeing any of this. There have been a lot of shows in our area (SE) about the Smokey Mountains NP since this is the 75th Anniversary. Maybe that is what you have seen.

Naw, it documented from the very start how, why, who, when and all that jazz when the National Park Service started. It went back to who the "starting fathers" were, how the idea came about and who donated the first piece of land [Rockefellers IIRC]. Then went on to the progression of the service and the rest of it's history. I don't know if this was the same thing or not but I do know that it was very interesting and filled with facts I had always wondered about.

I love this subject as well and Ken ROCKS! Beautiful photography.

shack

I watched the first 2 hour segment last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. It primarily covered the history and formation of Yosemite and Yellowstone. It also spent a lot of time about John Muir who is considered to be the "The Father of our National Parks," and was one of the founders and the first president of the Sierra Club. He was a very eccentric individual and I know there are quite a few people that believe the Sierra Club is too extreme in it's conservation efforts (something I tend to agree with on SOME issues), but without Muir there would be no National Parks. I’m sure he will be a key figure in the next segment as well as he was very influential to Teddy Roosevelt and his expansion of the NPS.

Anyway, the show kept me glued to the TV watching for nearly two solid hours even though I was recording it. I am definitely looking forward to the rest of the series.

Jstas

I saw some of this while flipping back and forth between commercials on the new Family Guy.

PBS is supposed to be making episodes available online after they air. But it was quite captivating. I was planning on finishing watching it after Family Guy was over but then she wanted Chinese food at 9:30 on a Sunday so I had to scramble to find a place that was open and get there before they closed. Girls can be such **** sometimes.

Any way, if this is anything like Baseball or The Civil War from ken Burns, it's going to get endless play time on virtually every PBS station from now through Christmas and the DVD set will out by Christmas too.

Jstas

YUP! Full episodes online!

Here's the first one in case you missed it!

http://www.pbs.org/nationalparks/watch-video/#872

It looks like they might be in HD online too so if you have the bandwidth, probably a good way to watch it. After all, computers have been "HD" since the advent of EGA level graphics.

shack

Jstas wrote:

the DVD set will out by Christmas too.

The DVD and Blu-Ray will be availble next Tuesday, Oct. 6th.

Jstas

Dang, they ain't wastin' any time!

AsSiMiLaTeD

I hiked the John Muir Trail the last time I was in Yosemite, among many other, more challenging, trails. I've been lots of places, and Yosemite is still my favorite - we'll see how that holds up after my trip to Alaska next year.

I missed this last night, glad it's out on Blu Ray next week I'll pick it up then.

miner

Watched the first episode and was very entertained for 2 hrs. Will be going to Yosemite in 10 days so it was good to hear about the history. Will be staying at the historic Ahwahnee Lodge.

shack

So far this has been everything I expected and I have watched every minute. Part of the film tonight was about the creation of the Great Smokey Mountains National Park which is basically my back yard. Horace Kephart was the man who envisioned the park and his friend George Masa took his vision and put it on film for all to see what it could be. These two men are responsible for the park existing today. I am pleased to say that this month I hiked over the peaks that honor these men...Mount Kephart at 6,217 feet and Masa Knob at 5,700 feet.