Favorite Ken Burns PBS Documentary
Director 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.
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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- StarsDavid McCulloughSam WaterstonJulie HarrisA comprehensive survey of the American Civil War.
- DirectorKen BurnsSarah BurnsDavid McMahonStarsAntron McCrayKevin RichardsonKharey WiseA 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.
- StarsDaniel OkrentGeorge F. WillJohn ChancellorA documentary on the history of the sport with major topics including Afro-American players, player/team owner relations and the resilience of the game.
- StarsPeter CoyotePete HamillCatherine Gilbert MurdockThe story of the American activist struggle against the influence of alcohol, climaxing in the failed early 20th century nationwide era when it was banned.
- StarsKeith DavidWynton MarsalisGary GiddinsA survey of the musical form's history and major talents.
- StarsKeith DavidKatharine PhillipsTom HanksA seven-part series focusing on the many ways in which the Second World War impacted the lives of American families.
- StarsPeter CoyoteWilliam CrononDayton DuncanThe 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.
- DirectorKen BurnsStarsJack JohnsonKeith DavidSamuel L. JacksonThe story of Jack Johnson, the first African-American Heavyweight boxing champion.
- StarsPeter CoyoteGeorge F. WillGeoffrey C. WardA 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.
- DirectorKen BurnsStarsHal HolbrookAdam ArkinJohn Logan AllenThe story of the most important American exploration expedition in American history and the participants in it.
- StarsDorothy WilliamsonDonald WorsterTimothy EganA documentary about the 1930s drought of North American prairie farm land, and its consequences during the great depression.
- DirectorKen BurnsStarsKeith DavidKevin ConwayPhilip BoscoA biographical film about the acclaimed American humourist and author.
- StarsGwyneth PaltrowSam WaterstonMichael PottsA biographical film about The United States' influential and profoundly enigmatic Founding Father.
- DirectorKen BurnsStarsKeith DavidTom HanksAdam ArkinThe saga of Horatio Nelson Jackson, the first man to cross the United States by automobile--in 1903!
- DirectorKen BurnsLynn NovickStarsEdward HerrmannPhilip BoscoJulie HarrisA biography of the life and work of the American architect.
- DirectorKen BurnsStarsPaul RoeblingJulie HarrisArthur MillerThis 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 current notables who describe the effects that the Brooklyn Bridge has had upon New York society and beyond.
- DirectorKen BurnsStarsDavid McCulloughJeremy IronsDerek JacobiDocumentary 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.
- DirectorKen BurnsStarsHuey LongRussell LongDavid McCulloughKen Burns' portrait of Louisiana governor/U.S. senator Huey Long.
- DirectorKen BurnsStarsJason RobardsRed BarberErik BarnouwFor 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.
- 19991 epTV-G8.0 (336)TV SeriesStarsCarolyn McCormickAdam ArkinAnn DowdThe story of Elizabeth Stanton and Susan B. Anthony and their life long fight to bring equal rights to women.
- DirectorKen BurnsAmy StechlerStarsMildred BarkerOlga BellinTucker BurrKen Burns examines the American utopian 19th century religious sect known as the Shakers.
- DirectorKen BurnsStarsHenry AdamsMatthew BaigellEarl BennettThomas 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.
- DirectorKen BurnsStarsDavid McCulloughCharles McDowellBarbara FieldsThe U. S. Congress is one of the country's most important and misunderstood institutions. Ken Burns tells the story behind this branch of government.
- DirectorKen BurnsStarsMarcia HammStewart MillerAnnie QuestStudents of a special boarding school for kids with learning disabilities are challenged to learn about and recite the Gettysburg Address.
- StarsKeith DavidJamie FoxxDocumentary 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.Added 12 April 2016
- StarsPeter CoyoteHuy DucJames WillbanksA comprehensive history of the United States' involvement in the bitterly divisive armed conflict in Southeast Asia.Added 01 August 2017
- DirectorKen BurnsChristopher Loren EwersErik EwersStarsKevin ConwayPeter CoyoteTom HanksThe 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 where there is no hope." The Mayo Clinic began in 1883 as an unlikely partnership between the Sisters of Saint Francis and a country doctor named William Worrall Mayo after a devastating tornado in rural Minnesota. Since then, it has grown into an organization that treats more than a million patients a year from all 50 states and 150 countries. Dr. Mayo had a simple philosophy he imparted to his sons Will and Charlie: "the needs of the patient come first." They wouldn't treat diseases...they would treat people. In a world where healthcare delivery is typically fragmented among individual specialties, the Mayo Clinic practices a multi-specialty, team-based approach that has, from its beginnings, created a culture that thrives on collaboration.Added 15 Augus 2019
- StarsPeter CoyoteMarty StuartVince GillThe story of the creation of modern Country music.Added 15 August 2019
- StarsPeter CoyoteJeff DanielsEdna O'BrienExplore the painstaking process through which Hemingway created some of the most important works of fiction in American letters.Added 05 April 2021
- StarsGerald EarlyTodd BoydSalim MuwakkilAn in-depth look at the life of boxer, Muhammad Ali, including his years as an activist and philanthropist.Added 25 January 2022
- StarsPeter CoyoteMandy PatinkinJosh LucasExploring 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.Added 14 March 2022
- StarsPeter CoyoteDaniel MendelsohnPeter HayesExplores America's response to the Holocaust, and how it challenged the ideals of democracy.Added 30 January 2023
- CreatorKen BurnsStarsPeter CoyoteTantoo CardinalMichael PunkeA 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.Added 30 October 2023