Films directed by Ken Burns
by jesterjunk | created - 27 Apr 2022 | updated - 30 Apr 2022 | PublicFilms directed by Ken Burns
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1. Brooklyn Bridge (1981)
TV-G | 58 min | Documentary, History
This 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 ... See full summary »
Director: Ken Burns | Stars: Paul Roebling, Julie Harris, Arthur Miller, Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Votes: 1,012
2. The Shakers: Hands to Work, Hearts to God (1984)
57 min | Documentary
Ken Burns examines the American utopian 19th century religious sect known as the Shakers.
Directors: Ken Burns, Amy Stechler | Stars: Mildred Barker, Olga Bellin, Tucker Burr, Jesse Carr
Votes: 495
3. The Statue of Liberty (1985)
TV-G | 60 min | Documentary, History
Documentary 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.
Director: Ken Burns | Stars: David McCullough, Jeremy Irons, Derek Jacobi, Paul Roebling
Votes: 712
4. Huey Long (1985)
Not Rated | 88 min | Documentary, Biography
Ken Burns' portrait of Louisiana governor/U.S. senator Huey Long.
Director: Ken Burns | Stars: Huey Long, Russell Long, David McCullough, Jennings Randolph
Votes: 571
5. The Congress (1989 TV Movie)
TV-G | 90 min | Documentary
The U. S. Congress is one of the country's most important and misunderstood institutions. Ken Burns tells the story behind this branch of government.
Director: Ken Burns | Stars: David McCullough, Charles McDowell, Barbara Fields, John C. Stennis
Votes: 348
6. Thomas Hart Benton (1989 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 85 min | Documentary, Biography
Thomas 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.
Director: Ken Burns | Stars: Henry Adams, Matthew Baigell, Earl Bennett, Jessie Benton
Votes: 193
7. The Civil War (1990)
TV-14 | 76 min | Documentary, History, War
A comprehensive survey of the American Civil War.
Stars: David McCullough, Sam Waterston, Julie Harris, Jason Robards
Votes: 18,568
8. Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio (1991)
TV-G | 113 min | Documentary, History
For 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.
Director: Ken Burns | Stars: Jason Robards, Red Barber, Erik Barnouw, Ken Bilby
Votes: 594
9. Baseball (1994–2010)
TV-PG | 104 min | Documentary, History, Sport
A documentary on the history of the sport with major topics including Afro-American players, player/team owner relations and the resilience of the game.
Stars: Daniel Okrent, George F. Will, John Chancellor, Doris Kearns Goodwin
Votes: 4,740
10. Thomas Jefferson (1997– )
180 min | Documentary, Biography, History
A biographical film about The United States' influential and profoundly enigmatic Founding Father.
Stars: Gwyneth Paltrow, Sam Waterston, Michael Potts, Ossie Davis
Votes: 815
11. Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery (1997 TV Movie)
TV-G | 240 min | Documentary, Adventure, Biography
The story of the most important American exploration expedition in American history and the participants in it.
Director: Ken Burns | Stars: Hal Holbrook, Adam Arkin, John Logan Allen, Stephen Ambrose
Votes: 1,418
12. Frank Lloyd Wright (1998)
TV-PG | 146 min | Documentary, Biography, History
A biography of the life and work of the American architect.
Directors: Ken Burns, Lynn Novick | Stars: Edward Herrmann, Philip Bosco, Julie Harris, Sab Shimono
Votes: 917
13. Not for Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Susan B. Anthony (1999)
TV-G | 181 min | Documentary, Biography, History
The story of Elizabeth Stanton and Susan B. Anthony and their life long fight to bring equal rights to women.
Stars: Carolyn McCormick, Adam Arkin, Ann Dowd, Sally Kellerman
Votes: 336
14. Jazz (2001)
108 min | Documentary, History, Music
A survey of the musical form's history and major talents.
Stars: Keith David, Wynton Marsalis, Gary Giddins, Delroy Lindo
Votes: 2,499
15. Mark Twain (2001 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 212 min | Documentary, Biography
A biographical film about the acclaimed American humourist and author.
Director: Ken Burns | Stars: Keith David, Kevin Conway, Philip Bosco, Blythe Danner
Votes: 1,114
16. Horatio's Drive: America's First Road Trip (2003 TV Movie)
TV-G | 107 min | Documentary, Adventure, History
The saga of Horatio Nelson Jackson, the first man to cross the United States by automobile--in 1903!
Director: Ken Burns | Stars: Keith David, Tom Hanks, Adam Arkin, Tom Bodett
Votes: 594
17. Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson (2004)
TV-PG | 214 min | Documentary, Biography, Sport
The story of Jack Johnson, the first African-American Heavyweight boxing champion.
Director: Ken Burns | Stars: Jack Johnson, Keith David, Samuel L. Jackson, Adam Arkin
Votes: 1,691
18. The War (2007)
TV-14 | 124 min | Documentary, History, War
A seven-part series focusing on the many ways in which the Second World War impacted the lives of American families.
Stars: Keith David, Katharine Phillips, Tom Hanks, Paul Fussell
Votes: 5,669
19. The National Parks: America's Best Idea (2009)
690 min | Documentary, History
The 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.
Stars: Peter Coyote, William Cronon, Dayton Duncan, Shelton Johnson
Votes: 1,950
20. Prohibition (2011)
60 min | Documentary, History
The story of the American activist struggle against the influence of alcohol, climaxing in the failed early 20th century nationwide era when it was banned.
Stars: Peter Coyote, Pete Hamill, Catherine Gilbert Murdock, Michael Lerner
Votes: 3,424
21. The Dust Bowl (2012)
TV-PG | 229 min | Documentary, History
A documentary about the 1930s drought of North American prairie farm land, and its consequences during the great depression.
Stars: Dorothy Williamson, Donald Worster, Timothy Egan, Pamela Riney-Kehrberg
Votes: 2,111
22. The Central Park Five (2012)
Not Rated | 119 min | Documentary, Crime, History
A 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.
Directors: Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, David McMahon | Stars: Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Kharey Wise, Raymond Santana
Votes: 7,937 | Gross: $0.27M
23. The Address (2014 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 85 min | Documentary
Students of a special boarding school for kids with learning disabilities are challenged to learn about and recite the Gettysburg Address.
Director: Ken Burns | Stars: Marcia Hamm, Stewart Miller, Annie Quest
Votes: 203
24. The Roosevelts: An Intimate History (2014)
TV-14 | 114 min | Documentary, Biography, History
A 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.
Stars: Peter Coyote, George F. Will, Geoffrey C. Ward, Doris Kearns Goodwin
Votes: 2,652
25. Jackie Robinson (2016)
TV-PG | 240 min | Documentary, Biography
Documentary 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.
Stars: Keith David, Jamie Foxx
Votes: 534
26. Defying the Nazis: The Sharps' War (2016)
PG | 90 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Defying the Nazis: The Sharps' War: Waitstill Sharp, a Unitarian minister, and Martha Sharp, a trained social worker, in February 1939, boldly commit to a life-threatening mission in Europe to assist refugees.
Directors: Ken Burns, Artemis Joukowsky | Stars: Marina Goldman, Tom Hanks
Votes: 639
27. The Vietnam War (2017)
TV-MA | 99 min | Documentary, History, War
A comprehensive history of the United States' involvement in the bitterly divisive armed conflict in Southeast Asia.
Stars: Peter Coyote, Huy Duc, James Willbanks, Duong Van Mai Elliott
Votes: 27,997
28. The Mayo Clinic, Faith, Hope and Science (2018 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 115 min | Documentary, History
The 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 ... See full summary »
Directors: Ken Burns, Christopher Loren Ewers, Erik Ewers | Stars: Kevin Conway, Peter Coyote, Tom Hanks, Sam Waterston
Votes: 415
29. Country Music (2019)
Documentary, Music
The story of the creation of modern Country music.
Stars: Peter Coyote, Marty Stuart, Vince Gill, Rosanne Cash
Votes: 1,736
30. Hemingway (2021– )
TV-14 | 120 min | Documentary, Biography
Explore the painstaking process through which Hemingway created some of the most important works of fiction in American letters.
Stars: Peter Coyote, Jeff Daniels, Edna O'Brien, Michael Kitakis
Votes: 1,618
31. Muhammad Ali (2021)
445 min | Documentary, Biography, History
An in-depth look at the life of boxer, Muhammad Ali, including his years as an activist and philanthropist.
Stars: Gerald Early, Todd Boyd, Salim Muwakkil, Jerry Izenberg
Votes: 1,367
32. Benjamin Franklin (2022)
225 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Exploring 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.
Stars: Peter Coyote, Mandy Patinkin, Josh Lucas, Liam Neeson
Votes: 1,170
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