Lewis & Clark - The Journey of the Corps of Discovery
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VHS Movie Reviews of Lewis & Clark - The Journey of the Corps of Discovery
Movie Review: Another American History Classic by Ken Burns
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Movie Review: One of the Finest Documentaries Ever
Summary: 5 Stars
I first saw this film on PBS quite by accident. I was channel surfing, and in a very restless mood. When I came upon it, what initially transfixed me was the spectacular photography. The sweeping vistas of the American West captured in this film are almost breathtaking. Then the narrative itself reeled me slowly into shore and I could not stop watching it. I have seen hundreds of documentaries over the years but few have made me almost forget that what I was watching and hearing was fact, not fiction. Ken Burns, the director, producer, and jack-of-trades behind this production has put forth a yeoman's effort nearly rivaling in vision what the explorers themselves were guided by. The film editing is superb--giving the story a variety of narrative voices needed to sustain it over such a lengthy project. I was especially impressed by the way the commentary of historians who have written on this monumental undertaking were added to the voices of the journals themselves. Even if you are not a history buff, you will enjoy and appreciate this film. It is instructive on many levels, both practical and spiritual. As others have said, its retelling is poignant, sensitive, and engaging, particularly in relating the fates of these men and women. This is one of those films you buy as a family investment, to share with the younger generation when they are ready to receive it.Movie Review: A wonderful telling of one of the great American stories
Summary: 5 Stars
This is another well-made documentary by Ken Burns. What I love most about his films is that they incorporate beautiful and relevant images and scenery with important quotes, figures, and anecdotes from the event in question. It would have been a difficult task to produce a four-hour documentary on this expedition--there were no photographs taken, and little physical evidence still exists from the trip. But the scenery is still there, and Burns makes ample use of it.The best part about this documentary, however, is the characterization--not only of Lewis and Clark, but also of their men. This film portrays them as a closely-knit family, a band of brothers. And, most importantly, it shows that they were ALL heroes, down to the last and weakest of the men. Lewis and Clark are portrayed as the extraordinary individuals and talented leaders that they were, but the ugly side of both men is also apparent. Lewis and Clark were human, and this is one of the things that makes them such spectacular models of American spirit and courage. This film helps us to see Lewis and Clark, as well as Thomas Jefferson, as the great heroes they were.
Like Burns's documentaries on Mark Twain and the Civil War, this film successfully conveys the emotion, the feeling of the Lewis and Clark expedition. This is much more than just a rambling of dry historians or a rattling of dates and facts, this is a story. Most importantly, it is a true story, told in a true manner, one which will give inspiration and courage for many generations to come.
Movie Review: True American Heroes
Summary: 5 Stars
When the country was young and pristine, it was still possible to accomplish something heroic; and Lewis and Clark did just that. They took thirty men up the Missouri River into uncharted territory looking for the mythical "Northwest Passage," which others had searched for for three hundred years. They mapped the land, and catalogued the animals and plants. They befriended Indians and made promises successive generations would ultimately break. They lived off-of-the-land, or traded with natives for whatever they couldn't hunt or catch.The trek took two-and-a-half years. They traveled in spring and summer and put-up for the winter. During one lengthy encampment, they dined on nothing but elk for months - because they wouldn't eat the local salmon which was plentiful.
They faced death on numerous occasions, yet came back suffering only one casualty (due to appendicitis). All of the men (except for a slave) were awarded 300 acres by the U.S. government. Lewis & Clark each earned 1,600. Lewis was manic-depressive; and his paranoia, which was controlled during their journey, revived to torment him after his return. His friend, Clark, lived a long life. Lewis, haunted by demons, committed suicide.
President Thomas Jefferson, who had bought the Louisiana Territory from Napoleon, was a true visionary. But he was derided for the purchase. He waited years for the vindication that Lewis & Clark would eventually bring him.
The movie's live footage of majestic scenery is awe-inspiring. The duo's tale as told by multiple historians is touching.
If you've ever dreamt of accomplishing something great, you're sure to find Ken Burns' `Lewis & Clark' inspirational. I certainly did -- and I highly recommend it!
Movie Review: The Ultimate Road Trip
Summary: 5 Stars
So how *does* a 4-hour documentary dare to capture the imagination of a 21st century viewer without any photographs and with only a journal devoid of conflict? Breathtakingly, simply breathtakingly. Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan traveled the same route as Lewis & Clark's expedition team and have woven the images together into a tapestry of beauty that conveys the awe and reverence that the original travelers must have felt as they were the first Americans to experience the enormous majesty of our country. The ethnic diversity of the expedition party (e.g. York, William Clark's slave, a Frenchman, an Indian) was important to the filmmakers and allows us to draw the conclusion that e pluribus unum reverberated as much then as it does now: out of many, one. The film does not spotlight only on Lewis & Clark, but gives adequate attention to the other members of the party so as to remind us that nothing is ever done without the strength of all of the fibers being woven together, lending itself to a film that is realistic in its portrayal of all of the efforts that went into this fantastic voyage.
As a fascinating twist, the main character is the geography as the viewer is constantly swept toward the next vista, encompassing the breadth and expanse that lies ahead, the enormous and humbling challenge that man faces every day in this nation which is blessed with rich resources. One cannot watch this film without yearning to make a similar journey, perhaps to find our own inner depths and to seek our own marvelous adventures that unfold before us, never knowing what's metaphorically around the next bend of the river or the next mountain that presents itself. Balance in the portrayal of Lewis & Clark is evidenced in that they are not shown as archetypal heroes, but instead are shown as normal people with problems and flaws. Credit to the filmmakers must be given for their being careful not to idolize the adventurers, but to point out that it is only with the help of one another that we are able to achieve great accomplishments, that no one discovery rests solely on the shoulders of just one individual but on the collective efforts of all those with whom we undertake such endeavours.
Finally, it must be said that one will come away with a sense of excitement as PBS once again achieves the amazing task of making history exciting, fresh, and vivid.