I was anxiously awaiting the airing of yet another documentary from Ken Burns. But, having viewed the first two episodes of "The War," I regretfully must say I'm disappointed. In particular, I really dislike its application of its musical score. Hey, I *like* Benny Goodman! But must his music virtually drown out the speaking voices? Musical score should enhance, not drown out, the narration or other dramatic text. Also, I find many of the musical choices to be incongruous with the on-screen action. My wife got up and walked out of the TV room at one point, completely annoyed with the overbearing, shrill score that distracted, rather than enhanced, the experience. "Whoever did the score should be shot!" she remarked. While I think that's a bit over the top, I have to agree that the particular use of music is horribly done in this documentary. "The Civil War," this isn't!
Review of The War
