Product Description: Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 10/20/2005 Director: Ken Burns
Amazon.com essential video: Another reliably well-crafted, generally engrossing documentary from Ken Burns, Lewis & Clark employs the director's now-familiar approach to his subjects, from its elegant juxtaposition of period illustrations and portraits against newly filmed footage of historic sites to Burns's repertory of accomplished actors to provide gravitas for quotes from the key figures. Granted the formula has become familiar enough to allow parody, but Burns knows how to invest his historical investigations with movement and drama, making this four-hour journey a worthwhile trip.
As narrated by Hal Holbrook, Dayton Duncan's script explicates the agenda presented by Thomas Jefferson to Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, placing it in the context of the young country's gamble in Jefferson's Louisiana Purchase, and the expedition's goals for opening the West. While preserving the heroic scale of the undertaking, Burns also finds time to delve into the politics of the venture and the disparate personalities of the two explorers; in particular, Duncan and Burns look at the career of Lewis, the presidential protégé, his moody demeanor, and his untimely death. The film also looks beyond its titular leaders to examine the personalities of their corps of soldiers, their boatmen, and the Indians they met and depended on, most notably their female Shosone guide, Sacagawea. --Sam Sutherland
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Binding: DVD Brand: Paramount EAN: 0841887051385 Format: Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC Label: Pbs Paramount Languages:EnglishOriginal Language Manufacturer: Pbs Paramount MPN: PARD705138D Number Of Items: 1 Publisher: Pbs Paramount Region Code: 1 Release Date: September 28, 2004 Running Time: 240 minutes Studio: Pbs Paramount Theatrical Release Date: November 04, 1997
Customer Reviews
Lewis and Clark DVD
I am a history buff and have read books on the Lewis and Clark expedition, and this movie is a terrific complement to the cold information in the books. I have recommended this to all my friends. If you liked this movie, you should read "Undaunted Courage" by Steven Ambrose; it is a real page turner.