Review
“…A strong candidate for the most beautiful program ever to air on American television. It’s the Burns effort that most closely rivals “The Civil War,” his masterpiece.” –Orlando Sentinel
THE NATIONAL PARKS is the story of an idea as uniquely American as the Declaration of Independence: that the most special places in the nation should be preserved for everyone. The series traces the birth of the national park idea in the mid-1800s and follows its Read more…
March 20th, 2010 on 2:54 am
I live in Gardiner, Montana (location of the Roosevelt Arch) and work in Yellowstone, and I experienced firsthand the genuine passion and forthright efforts of Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan and their staff as they took their vision and turned it into a poetic masterpiece. Their years of hard work not only in Yellowstone but throughout the entire national park system have paid off, and we are the lucky beneficiaries of their skillful and spirited tenacity. This film speaks gently and lovingly of the National Parks idea. The majestic vistas, the enlightening interviews, the background music — woven together they demonstrate the power of “place”, and fill us with a desire to further protect and honor these sacred sites. We cannot live without the land, and we cannot live well without understanding our past. “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea” is an authentic rendering of those very truths, and like all things good and beautiful, will be experienced and revered for ages to come, just as will the national parks themselves.
March 20th, 2010 on 4:47 am
Not sure why people are complaining about not getting more geological data or wildlife info. This documentary is about the IDEA of our National Park systems which includes inspirations and motivations. As history lover’s review says…its how (and why) our National Parks came to be. I’m sure Burns included the term “idea” for good reason. The idea that Burns goes after seems to be a philosophy against commercialism and greed which makes sense after seeing the first episode. Who cares if spirituality was one of the inspirations though? For many, appreciating nature is a spiritual or at least meditative experience regardless of what they do or don’t believe. So far this documentary is organized much the same as Burns’ other films. Nice music, nice scenery captured in nice camera work with nice photographs- all interwoven with Park Rangers, historians, writers and other experts on the people and places mentioned. So far so good! Leave it to Burns to use National Parks to provide another reminder that not everything in this country is money motivated. If the rest of the episodes are as good as what I’ve seen it’ll be worth a purchase. e: Now that the series is over I can say I really enjoyed it. I feel pretty much the same as my initial review above. I do agree with some of the other reviews that this series didn’t feel as cohesive as some of Burns’ other films but it was still a really good one. My only gripe was that although I enjoyed the music (especially the guitar-work) I wish there was more variety. I wish they had recorded more music for this specific film so that songs weren’t reused as much. It didn’t detract from the film all that much though. When it was all said and done, not only did I learn about interesting things about interesting people and places, this film inspired more appreciation for our National Parks from me. That’s enough for me to say its worth a watch and worth owning. Recommended.