Particle.news
Download on the App Store
22 ARTICLES
·
2w ago

Ken Burns’ 'The American Revolution' Premieres Sunday on PBS

Critics describe a reframing of the founding through vivid battle maps alongside voices long left on the margins.

In the absence of period photography, Ken Burns' landmark documentary "The American Revolution" makes the most of other forms of imagery*
The 1851 painting by Emanuel Leutze titled “Washington Crossing the Delaware.” Ken Burns is back with “The American Revolution,” a six-part, roughly 12-hour documentary that debuts Sunday, Nov. 16, on PBS.
Ethan Hawke and Maya Hawke in April 2024.
Image

Overview

  • Six-part, 12-hour series airs over six consecutive nights starting Nov. 16 on PBS, with streaming on PBS.org and the PBS app.
  • Burns co-directs with Sarah Botstein and David P. Schmidt; Peter Coyote narrates as roughly 50 actors voice about 400 first-person quotations.
  • The film presents the conflict as both civil and global, foregrounds Indigenous peoples, enslaved Black Americans and women, and closely examines George Washington’s leadership.
  • Production techniques include animated and 3D maps, archival paintings, restrained reenactments and location footage from sites such as Valley Forge and Mount Vernon.
  • Reported to be a decade in the making—one account cites about $30 million in costs and 18,000 maps—the release is expected to shape conversation heading into the 250th anniversary.