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ASIN : B000BITUHU
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Essential Video
Another reliably well-crafted, generally engrossing documentary from Ken Burns, Lewis & Clark employs the director's now-familiar approach to his subjects, from its elegant juxtaposition of period illustrations and portraits against newly filmed footage of historic sites to Burns's repertory of accomplished actors to provide gravitas for quotes from the key figures. Granted the formula has become familiar enough to allow parody, but Burns knows how to invest his historical investigations with movement and drama, making this four-hour journey a worthwhile trip.
As narrated by Hal Holbrook, Dayton Duncan's script explicates the agenda presented by Thomas Jefferson to Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, placing it in the context of the young country's gamble in Jefferson's Louisiana Purchase, and the expedition's goals for opening the West. While preserving the heroic scale of the undertaking, Burns also finds time to delve into the politics of the venture and the disparate personalities of the two explorers; in particular, Duncan and Burns look at the career of Lewis, the presidential protégé, his moody demeanor, and his untimely death. The film also looks beyond its titular leaders to examine the personalities of their corps of soldiers, their boatmen, and the Indians they met and depended on, most notably their female Shosone guide, Sacagawea. --Sam Sutherland
Customer Reviews
I am watching this for the 10th time. At least. (2004-02-04)  Ken Burns has pulled me into this story like nothing else could have. This presentation combines stories told in a most compelling way, readings from the journals, pictures and paintings, and music in a way that makes the Lewis & Clark expedition come alive. It's an adventure story that transcends time. I was so blown away when I first saw it on PBS that I bought the book, the VHS video, and now the CD/book combo. I am watching it now for the 10th time, and I still cry when I get to Grinder's Stand. My son is now writing a report on Lewis and Clark for school, and he is using this DVD as his primary source. He chose the topic, and it's one of the few stories that has captured his attention other than Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. (Thank you, Ken Burns!) This is a real-life adventure story that is expertly told. (I would love to get the soundtrack that PBS used to sell, but they apparently no longer sell it.)
Visually beautiful with fine narration of an important story (2004-01-14) The expedition of Lewis & Clark is one of the great events in American History and is all but unknown today. This wonderful program is a great way to become more familiar with this fascinating story and that great band of explorers (including the woman on our Golden Dollar: Sacagawea). Hal Holbrook is a great narrator and the writing is quite good. The visuals are even better. It is stunning to view and brings some real appreciation to what the Corps of Discovery accomplished. Just taking that boat upstream for so many miles is stunning, let alone all the cataloging they did in the face of a very real struggle for survival. It is also amazing to see how many vistas Burns and crew were able to find in such a seemingly pristine state. One of the real shocks to me was to understand how nearly deadly the Great Plains were to the Corps because of the lack of wood. Growing up in Michigan with trees everywhere, we take wood for granted. On that expedition, its lack was a real hardship. While not as dramatic as war and without and the lack of contemporary illustrations requires a different presentation style than Burns normally provides, this is still a visual feast and good solid food for the brain. Worth viewing many times for many reasons. Don't forget to read Stephen Ambrose's "Undaunted Courage" as well.
PBS Video has a quality control problem (2004-01-12)  I bought this video as a gift, and so far Amazon had sent me two defective copies. Neither copy will play all the way through on any DVD player we have tried. The problem on both is shortly before "The Portage" begins. I have never had a problem with any other DVD, so I was extremely surprised that PBS Video has failed twice. I would love to be able to give this gift permanently, as the narrative is interesting, and the scenery is beautiful, and I would otherwise give 5 stars. Amazon's customer service also deserves some of the star deductions. I've never had to test the return policies of any other DVD distributors.
Lewis & Clark - The Journey of the Corps of Discovery (2003-12-09) More than a historical account of the Lewis & Clark expedition, this is a moving portrait of the journey and its participants. The music--as in all of Mr. Burns' productions--echoes the story, and Mr. Holbrook's narration is without peer. Most heart-wrenching of all is the recounting of Meriwether Lewis' post-expedition mental decline and suicide. I cannot say enough about this show: I've seen it on PBS at least twice, and doubt I'll ever tire of it.
Another American History Classic by Ken Burns (2003-11-07) This is a pure classic of American History. Before Neil Armstrong and "Buzz" Aldrin" walked on the moon, Lewis and clark began a journey of equal importance over 150 years before. We are now approaching the bicentennial of that voyage. This journey is equal to the United States quest of the moon. In the video they commented that during the Apollo 13 emergency JIm Lovell and crew were in constant communication with mission control in Houston. Lewis and Clark were completeley isolated from Washington. Any communication would take weeks to travel. In 1803 Thomas Jefferson Purchased the Louisiana Territory from Napoleon. Jefferson Comissioned his friend Merriwether Lewis to explore this new territory. Being a naturalist, Jefferson wanted Lewis to record all of the nature of this new area. His main purpose was to discover the northwest passage. In 1804 Lewis and his partner William Clark set out along the missouri river. Ken Burns does a great job of capturing the beauty of this area. The Buffalo herds today were not any where near the size of the herds when lewis and clark first saw them. They also saw prarie chickens as well as prarie dogs. Lewis sent a couple of prarie dogs back to Jefferson. Lewis and Clark never found the northwest passage, but they returned as heroes. Ken Burns includes what happened to Lewis and Clark after their journey, including the tragic suicide of Merriwether Lewis. The journey of Lewis and Clark was a major accomplisment for the young United States.
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