DVD Review: The Civil War – 150th Anniversary Commemorative Edition

Paramount | 1990 | 680 mins. | NR

Though Ken Burns’ 1990 epic documentary, The Civil War has been released on DVD at least twice before, the new “Commemorative Edition” is worth buy if you haven’t already done so. It’s less expensive than previous editions and some retailers are selling it at half that price – an incredible deal for 11-plus hours of living history.

Originally broadcast on PBS in September of 1990, Forty million viewers tuned in. Burns approach to the material was unique. Rather than stringing along a series of photos and maps, Burns interspersed traditional documentary elements with modern-day footage of battlefields, carefully captured at the correct times of year, which gives the The Civil War a poetic quality that viewers likely hadn’t seen before. Now often referred to as “The Burns Style,” it has  since been replicated in countless documentaries.

Buns makes the American Civil War (1861-65) interesting; even for those not normally attracted to history. He puts an emphasis on emphasis on personal reflection rather than the minutiae of battle strategies and the politics of states-rights. Interviews with modern-day historians are minimized and used to explain things. Instead, the focus is on the first-person testimony of those actually there: letters written on the battlefield by soldiers on both sides, diaries kept by Mary Chesnut, the wife of a Confederate officer, by newspaper columnists, abolitionists, escaped slaves, poets, generals, and presidents. Their expressions of hopelessness, exhilaration, terror, confusion, repulsion, and every other emotion in the book, bring the events to life. Smartly, Burns allows viewers to become as acquainted with with Mary Chesnut (voiced by Julie Harris), ordinary Confederate soldier Sam Watkins (Charley McDowell), and Union private Elisha Hunt Rhodes (Chris Murney) as Abraham Lincoln (Sam Waterston), Ulysses S. Grant (Jason Robards), and Robert E. Lee (George Black).

If you hadn’t already guessed, the voice talent on display here is impressive. Aside from those already mentioned, Morgan Freeman (as Frederick Douglass), Arthur Miller (as William Tecumseh Sherman) and, in various roles, Colleen Dewhurst, Ronnie Gilbert, Jeremy Irons, Derek Jacobi, Kurt Vonnegut, Laurence Fishburne, Pamela Reed, and M. Emmet Walsh are heard.

What follows is a brief rundown of the nine episodes:

Episode 1: The Cause – This episode introduces some of the key players in the war without actually revealing who they are and the important role they will play. The genesis of the war was slavery and how the south supported it and the north opposed it. The effect on the country is shown, from the attack at Fort Sumter to the 5,000 casualties that were the product of the battle at Manassas, Virginia.

Episode 2: A Very Bloody Affair – Opening with the writing of the Battle Hymn of the Republic, this episode shows the immediate effects the start of a civil war had on the country. Also covered are Abraham Lincoln’s political struggles, and the technological advances in warfare. More than just focusing on battles, this episode focuses on what it was like being a soldier, and the young children that were enlisted in the armies.

Episode 3: Forever Free – Lincoln comes to his decision that slavery isn’t necessary but wants to wait and issue the proclamation until after a Union victory. The politics of war are explained as the South cuts cotton production to England and France. General Benjamin “The Beast” Butler is made infamous after his General Order No. 28 proclaims that women insulting any of his troops will be treated as ladies of the street. The episode closes with the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862.

Episode 4: Simply Murder – The episode starts off with a history of the rebel yell and then describes the mistakes that plagued the North. After a brief introduction describing more of the major players and events that would happen that year, we learn more about the troubles facing the north. The episode ends with the death of Stonewall Jackson after losing his arm.

Episode 5: The Universe of Battle – The main focus of this episode is the Battle of Gettysburg. Over 150,000 men will fight in what will come to be known as the greatest battle fought on American soil. Ironically, the battle was started by marching Confederate soldiers who were in search of shoes. Their March led them straight into the Union army. Interludes in the episode provide information on the role that black troops and women played in the war and ends with Lincoln delivering the Gettysburg Address.

Episode 6: The Valley of the Shadow of Death – Like many of the episodes this one shines when it focuses on more than just the battles. The highlight of this disc is the exploration of the growth of hospitals. The largest hospitals had gardens, livestock and breweries The harsh reality of the hospitals is conveyed with a slow procession of photos from an outdoor embalming session, accompanied only by the sounds of insects.

Episode 7: Most Hallowed Ground – The focus here is on Lincoln’s bid for reelection. We hear stories about spies for both sides and the important role that slaves played in those attempts. Black soldiers in the war face both a victory and a vicious defeat. They are elated when given equal pay. Nathan Bedford Forrest shocks many as he slaughters 300 black soldiers that surrendered. The episode ends with the creation of Arlington National Cemetery.

Episode 8: War Is All Hell – This episode covers the events that lead to the surrender at Appomattox. General Sherman makes his famous march through the south, destroying all in his path. Slaves are freed and soldiers desert their units as the South begins to lose all hope of victory. After the formal surrender the episode ends on John Wilkes Booth.

Episode 9: The Better Angels of Our Nature – The surrender is revisited once again as the motive behind John Wilkes Booth’s assassination of Lincoln is explored. We revisit most of the key players in the war.

The Civil War is presented in a solid full-frame presentation, the series having been remastered in 2006. The region 1 discs, distributed by Paramount, have also been remixed for 5.1 surround, which really shines during the battle sequences, and enhances all the music. The nine episodes are presented two to a single-sided, dual-layered disc (except the 99-minute first episode, which gets its own disc).

The special features are mostly identical to those seen in the 2002 edition, with a few changes. Still included is the Ken Burns’ commentary over selected scenes. Also ported over are the interviews with Shelby Foote, conservative commentators George Will and Shelby Steele, and musicians Jay Ungar and Molly Mason, whose song “Ashokan Farewell” provided the show’s main theme. In addition, this reissue includes the text bios, quizzes, and maps from the 2002 release. Omitted here are the featurettes “A Conversation with Ken Burns,” “Ken Burns: Making History,” and “Behind the Scenes: Civil War Reconstruction.” These are not great losses, but there’s little reason for eliminating them, since this set has an entire extra disc devoted just to featurettes. The new featurettes are as somewhat interesting. The newly uncovered interviews with Foote (39:51), shot back in 1987 but hidden away until now, contain some fascinating nuggets and thoughts. The only other new feature is an interview with Ken Burns, which, again, is of interest to fans but not all that different from previous interviews and commentaries he’s given about the series. Appended to it is the previous interview he gave for the original 2002 set, you’ll see that the new interview doesn’t really differ all that much. Also included in this edition is a twelve-page booklet with a new essay by Burns and some timelines and facts.