Re: Re: Re: Re: Ken Burns film on PBS


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Posted by Robert E. Lee on January 02, 2001 at 10:36:25:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Ken Burns film on PBS posted by Carl on January 01, 2001 at 11:02:41:

And Mr. Burns doesn't necessarily even pretend to present an even-handed view of his subjects. Interesting? Yes. Popular? Yes. Provocative? Sometimes. Precise? Yes. Accurate? Not always. The selection of certain facts to the exclusions of other facts does often lead one to the wrong conclusion. This occurred frequently during the Civil War series, and also during the baseball series. You tend not to notice them unless you are on the short end of the stick.

Burns is a skilled popular film-maker who works with a few popular historians to create a world for us to experience the feel of something. He is a great artist in that endeavor. But he is not an academic historian, and we probably do him a disservice when we expect him to be. So, I agree that anybody wanting a real history should supplement this with extra study.

For those who oppose the aural museum of traditional jazz because of its impact on what's happening now, ANY history will be a disappointment. There are just as many people who rail against the effects (read: performance) of historical classical music and the stifling effect it has on the orchestral avant-garde.


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