The most successful public-television miniseries in American history, the 11-hour Civil
War didn't just captivate a nation, reteaching to us our history in narrative terms; it
actually also invented a new film language taken from its creator. When people describe
documentaries using the "Ken Burns approach," its style is understood: voice-over
narrators reading letters and documents dramatically and stating the writer's name at
their conclusion, fresh live footage of places juxtaposed with still images (photographs,
paintings, maps, prints), anecdotal interviews, and romantic musical scores taken from
the era he depicts. The Civil War uses all of these devices to evoke atmosphere and
resurrect an event that many knew only from stale history books. While Burns is a
historian, a researcher, and a documentarian, he's above all a gifted storyteller, and
it's his narrative powers that give this chronicle its beauty, overwhelming emotion, and
devastating horror. Using the words of old letters, eloquently read by a variety of
celebrities, the stories of historians like Shelby Foote and rare, stained photos, Burns
allows us not only to relearn and finally understand our history, but also to feel and
experience it.

The DVD features on The Civil War provide a wealth of insight, creative philosophy,
historical perspective, and educational enjoyment. Twelve years after its premiere
broadcast, the film was given a digital facelift, sharpening image clarity, correcting
color, and enriching its soundtrack with a remastered 5.1-channel mix, as demonstrated in
the "Civil War Reconstruction" featurette. In interviews from 2002, producer-director Ken
Burns, historian Shelby Foote, journalist George Will, author Stanley Crouch, and
composer-musicians Jay Ungar and Molly Mason reflect upon The Civil War's enduring
significance. And Burns's eloquent commentary--selectively included on each disc and
totaling five hours--illuminates the historical importance and creative impulse behind
crucial chapters of the film. Fifty-seven onscreen biography cards detail important
North, South, and civilian figures, and two 1990 featurettes—"Making History" and "A
Conversation with Ken Burns"--provide a more personal perspective on the creation of this
extraordinary film. Useful for both personal and academic study, these features stand as
a fitting supplement to one of the greatest documentaries ever produced.