Mark Twain - A Film Directed by Ken Burns [VHS]

Mark Twain - A Film Directed by Ken Burns [VHS]
by Ken Burns

Mark Twain - A Film Directed by Ken Burns [VHS]
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VHS Tape Cover Information

Actor: Blythe Danner, Keith David, Kevin Conway, Philip Bosco, Tim Clark
Director: Ken Burns
Cinematographer: Allen Moore
Cinematographer: Buddy Squires
Producer: Ken Burns
Producer: Dayton Duncan
Writer: Dayton Duncan
Producer: Pam Tubridy Baucom
Writer: Geoffrey C. Ward
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
Running Time: 212 minutes
Release Date: 2002-01-08
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Publisher: Pbs Home Video
Studio: Pbs Home Video

VHS Movie Reviews of Mark Twain - A Film Directed by Ken Burns [VHS]

Movie Review: Another gem from Ken Burns
Summary: 5 Stars

No one I know can tell a story as powerfully and movingly as Ken Burns. This biography on Mark Twain was not only entertaining, it was a rare look at a man of genius who reached the pinnacle of success as an author who created unforgettable characters and a fearless social critic who used his humor and razor sharp wit to expose the hypocrisies of his day. He delighted millions the world over with his observations on human behavior, delivered with great humor, and left the world with countless sayings which are quoted to this day. Despite his great success, he also suffered disastrous defeats and crushing tradgedy. This is a riveting story of a brilliant, complex and very human man whose social comment is as relevant today as it was in his day. Utterly fascinating.

Summary of Mark Twain - A Film Directed by Ken Burns [VHS]

He was considered, in his time, to be the funniest man on Earth. Mark Twain is the fifth film in Ken Burns's popular American Lives series and features interviews with Hal Holbrook, Arthur Miller and leading Twain scholars.

A popular humorist, philosopher and social satirist, Mark Twain was the well-known nom-de-plume of writer Samuel Clemens, the nation's first literary celebrity. One of the most quoted men of his time, he was born in 1835, the year Haley's Comet passed over, and vowed that he would not die until he saw the famous comet. He died in 1910 -- the day after the comet's return. Tracing Twain's rise from his humble birth in Missouri to his prosperous life in Connecticut as the nation's best-selling author, Mark Twain reveals a compelling portrait of the father of American literature.

Nearly three years in the making and drawing from 63 hours of material, thousands of archival photographs and nearly 20 interviews with top writers and Twain scholars, Mark Twain is the story of an extraordinary life?-one full of rollicking adventure, stupendous success and crushing defeat, hilarious comedy and unbearable tragedy. Told primarily through the words of Twain himself and narrated by Keith David (the voice of Jazz), viewers of all ages will be personally introduced to this compelling yet contradictory genius, who said with some justification, "I am not an American, I am the American."


Given the legendary life of its subject, it's not surprising that Mark Twain is perhaps the most entertaining documentary Ken Burns has made. The creator of The Civil War and Jazz achieves reverent harmony with the magnificent story of Missouri-born author Samuel Clemens (a.k.a. Mark Twain), encompassing legend and fact with an exhilarating sense of adventure. Hailed by Hemingway as the originator of American literature, Twain (a nom de plume taken from a riverboat pilot's term for "safe waters") viewed himself as the American. Burns's film backs that claim as it follows Clemens's literary odyssey around the globe, from unrivaled acclaim as a writer to near destitution and the devastating deaths of his wife and three children. As usual, eloquent writers and scholars (including longtime Twain performer Hal Holbrook) provide a wondrous flow of anecdotes and observations, recounting Twain's remarkable humor while acknowledging a darker side that felt anger toward an indifferent god. Like all of Burns's films, Mark Twain is must-see viewing. --Jeff Shannon

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