Production
Ken Burns was inspired to make this documentary because of Mathew Brady's photographs. More than 10 hours in length, the documentary has nine episodes that explore the Civil War through personal stories and photos. During the creation of the movie, Burns made extensive use of more than 16,000 archival photographs, paintings, and newspaper images from the time of the war. This resulted in the coining of the term the "Ken Burns Effect".
He combined these images with contemporary cinematography, music, narration by David McCullough, anecdotes and insights from authors such as Shelby Foote, historians Barbara J. Fields, Ed Bearss, and Stephen B. Oates; and actors reading contemporary quotes from historical figures such as Abraham Lincoln, Mary Chesnut, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, Walt Whitman, Stonewall Jackson, and Frederick Douglass. A large cast of actors voiced correspondence, memoirs, news articles, and stood in for historical figures from the Civil War.
Burns also interviewed Daisy Turner, a then 104-year-old daughter of an ex-slave, whose poetry features prominently in the series.
The film took five years to produce, longer than the four years it took to fight the Civil War – which lasted from April 12, 1861, when the Confederacy attacked Fort Sumter, South Carolina, until April 9, 1865, when General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House, Virginia.
The film was co-produced by Ken's brother Ric Burns, written by Geoffrey C. Ward and Ric Burns, edited by Paul Barnes with cinematography by Buddy Squires.
Read more about this topic: The Civil War (TV series)
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