Ken Burns Pair

I am a huge fan of documentary filmmaker Ken Burns.  My bet is that his work really came to our attention with “The Civil War” in 1990.  At his best, his movies and series are sweeping poetry done in film.  His visual style, use of music and ability to interweave personal narratives to the larger story make well-worn topics spring to life.  The movies reviewed below are two of his first three documentaries.

The Brooklyn Bridge (1981) – There are few pieces of  architecture that became as iconic to America in the 20th century as the bridge that connected Brooklyn and Manhattan.  It’s been around so long that it has largely just become a bridge to most of us.  Burns takes us back to marvel at the incredible engineering feat requited to build it.  It basically killed both the man who designed it, John Roebling, and his son, Washington Roebling, who would actually complete the project.  The bridge was like nothing ever attempted before, using materials in ways that had never been done on this scale.  At the time of its completion, its towers were the tallest structures in the city.

The Statue of Liberty (1985) – Just a few years later, a controversial monument was erected in the harbor not far from the bridge.  The Statue of Liberty is so much a part of our modern image of our nation and that city that it’s hard to imagine that there was considerable resistance to it at first.  Burns leads us through from original idea to the symbol of the lady with lamp has become in the more than a century since she arrived.

Both of these documentaries are interesting.  I was fascinated to discover the intersections of my life and John Roebling for example.  Roebling founded Saxonburg, PA, a small town just down the road from where I grew up.  He built bridges in both Pittsburgh and Niagara Falls.  The story of the Statue of Liberty controversy was large new to me as well.

If they come up short, it is in the final twenty minutes or so of both.  Burns shows no clear idea of how he wanted these stories to end.  The documentary on the Statue of Liberty came at the same time as the massive renovation, headed by Lee Iacocca.  It would re-open the same year as this documentary debuted.  The difficulty is that what we’re left with as endings for both are these long, rather wandering tributes.  In the case of the second film, it’s not even a tribute to the statue but to the concept of liberty.  After being fascinated for the first forty minutes, I quickly lost interest at the end.

Burns is one of the filmmakers whose work I actively seek out.  It brings together my passion for history and love of great movie making.  These are not his very best work, but given that they are among his very first work, it gave us all reason to look forward to more.

Why I Liked It – The up close and personal look at history.

Why You Will Like It – The incredible storytelling magic of Ken Burns.

Rating – The Brooklyn Bridge *** Worth A Look
              The Statue of Liberty  ** 1/2 Almost Worth A Look