Ken Burns on His War of Independence Project: ‘We Won’t Work on a More Important Film’

Ken Burns has evolved into more than a historical storyteller; his name is a franchise, a prolific creative force. Whenever he releases television endeavor premiering on the television, everyone seeks a part of him.

The filmmaker completed “countless podcast appearances”, he notes, nearing the end of his marathon promotional journey featuring 40 cities, dozens of preview events and innumerable conversations. “There seems to be a podcast for every citizen, and I believe I’ve appeared on most of them.”

Fortunately Burns possesses boundless energy, equally articulate in interviews as he is prolific in the editing room. The 72-year-old has traveled from Monticello to popular podcasts to talk about a career-defining series: this historical epic, a comprehensive multi-part historical examination that dominated ten years of his career and arrived recently through the public broadcasting service.

Classic Documentary Style

Comparable to methodical preparation amidst instant gratification culture, The American Revolution is defiantly traditional, reminiscent of The World at War rather than contemporary online content audio documentaries.

However, for the filmmaker, whose entire filmography exploring national heritage spanning various American subjects, the nation’s founding represents more than another topic but foundational. “I recently told collaborator Sarah Botstein recently, and she concurred: this represents our most significant project Burns states during a telephone interview.

Massive Research Effort

Burns, co-directors Botstein and David Schmidt plus scripting partner Geoffrey Ward referenced numerous historical volumes plus archival documents. Multiple academic experts, representing diverse viewpoints, provided on-air commentary in conjunction with distinguished researchers from a range of other fields like African American history, indigenous peoples’ narratives plus colonial history.

Characteristic Narrative Method

The documentary’s methodology will appear similar to fans of historical documentaries. The characteristic technique incorporated slow pans and zooms over historical images, extensive employment of contemporary scores featuring talent interpreting primary sources.

That was the moment Burns built his legacy; a generation later, now the doyen of documentaries, he can apparently summon any actor he chooses. Appearing alongside Burns during a recent appearance, acclaimed writer Lin-Manuel Miranda commented: “Nobody declines an invitation from Ken Burns.”

Remarkable Ensemble

The extended filming period also helped in terms of flexibility. Recordings took place in studios, at historical sites and remotely via Zoom, a method utilized amid COVID restrictions. Burns explains the experience with performer Josh Brolin, who found a few free hours while in Georgia to perform his role as George Washington before flying off to subsequent commitments.

Additional performers feature numerous acclaimed actors, respected performing veterans, emerging and established stars, Tom Hanks, Ethan Hawke, Maya Hawke, accomplished dramatic artists, international acting community, Edward Norton, David Oyelowo, Mandy Patinkin, television and film stars, and many others.

The filmmaker continues: “Truly, this might be the most exceptional group gathered for any production. Their work is exceptional. They’re not picked because they’re celebrities. I got so angry when somebody said, about the prominent cast. I explained, ‘These are artists.’ They represent global acting excellence and they can bring this stuff alive.”

Multifaceted Story

However, the absence of living witnesses, visual documentation compelled the production to rely extensively on primary texts, weaving together the first-person voices of nearly 200 individual historic figures. This methodology permitted to introduce audiences beyond the prominent leaders of the founders but also to “dozens of others essential to the narrative, several participants remain visually unknown.

The filmmaker also explored his personal passion for territorial understanding. “Maps fascinate me,” he observes, “featuring increased geographical representation in this project compared to previous works I’ve done combined.”

International Impact

The team filmed at numerous significant sites in various American regions and in London to preserve geographical atmosphere and partnered extensively with historical interpreters. All these elements combine to present a narrative more violent, complex and globally significant than the one taught in schools.

The revolution, it contends, was no mere parochial quarrel about property, revenue and governance. Instead the film portrays a violent confrontation that ultimately drew in multiple global powers and unexpectedly manifested what it calls “mankind’s greatest hopes”.

Internal Conflict Truth

Early dissatisfaction and objections aimed at the crown by American colonists in 13 fractious colonies rapidly became a brutal civil conflict, setting brother against brother and creating local enmities. During the second installment, the historian Alan Taylor observes: “The main misapprehension regarding the Revolutionary War centers on assuming it constituted that unified Americans. It leaves out the reality that Americans fought each other.”

Sophisticated Interpretation

According to his perspective, the independence account that “for most of us is drowning in sentimentality and idealization and remains shallow and fails to properly acknowledge actual events, and all the participants and the widespread bloodshed.”

It was, he contends, an uprising that declared the transformative concept of fundamental personal liberties; a bloody domestic struggle, dividing revolutionaries and royalists; and a global war, continuing previous patterns of struggles among European powers for control of the continent.

Unpredictable Historical Moments

Burns additionally aimed {to rediscover the