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Ken Burns is a master filmmaker who has rolled out some of the most noteworthy and critically acclaimed documentary titles over the years. With a career spanning over 40 years, Ken Burns has made over 30 documentary films and series to educate the masses.
With a penchant for in-depth storytelling backed up by meticulous research, archival footage, and intimate interviews, he quickly made a name for himself in the American documentary scene.
In this article, we explore some of the most notable documentary films and series created by Ken Burns. Ranging from topics of war and famine to crime and sports, his filmography has everything to offer.
The Civil War, Baseball, and 5 more documentary films and series by Ken Burns
1) The Civil War
The Civil War is a historical war TV documentary mini-series from the house of PBS. Ken Burns directed the show with a screenplay written by Geoffrey C. Ward and Ric Burns. The show premiered on the channel on September 23, 1990, and aired nine episodes over five consecutive nights.
The series featured actors like Sam Waterston, Julie Harris, Jason Robards, Morgan Freeman, Paul Roebling, and others voicing prominent historical characters while David McCullough acted as the narrator. On its release, The Civil War became one of the most notable sources of information on the movement for generations to come.
The official synopsis for the series, as available on PBS, reads as follows:
"Heralded as an unforgettable introduction to a four-year conflict fought in 10,000 places, The Civil War was five years in the making. The film vividly embraces the entire sweep of the war: the complex causes and lasting effects of America's greatest and most moving calamity, the battles and the homefront, the generals and the private soldiers, the anguish of death in battle and the grief of families at home."
2) The Dust Bowl
The Dust Bowl is a historical documentary mini-series from the house of PBS. Dayton Duncan wrote the screenplay for the four-part series while Ken Burns directed. With a total runtime of close to 4 hours, the series explores the causality of the Dust Bowl on the environment and society through interviews with survivors.
The voice cast for the series included prominent actors like Amy Madigan, Patricia Clarkson, Kevin Conway, and Carolyn McCormick alongside Peter Coyote in the role of narrator. The series was released in 2012 on PBS and received positive feedback from critics and audiences. However, historians have argued that the research was selective and fell short of being completely accurate.
The official PBS synopsis for the title reads as follows:
"The Dust Bowl chronicles the environmental catastrophe that, throughout the 1930s, destroyed the farmlands of the Great Plains, turned prairies into deserts, and unleashed a pattern of massive, deadly dust storms that for many seemed to herald the end of the world. It was the worst man-made ecological disaster in American history."
3) The Vietnam War
The Vietnam War is another historical war TV documentary mini-series from the house of PBS. The writing credit for the title went to Geoffrey C. Ward while Ken Burns and Lynn Novick co-directed the series. The series was released in 2017 with 10 episodes, each going well over an hour of runtime.
Peter Coyote narrated the series while the crux of the show was based on interviews with a wide variety of people who could be found at the epicenter of the Vietnam War. Ranging from vets, anti-war activists, Vietnamese civilians as well as combatants, the series includes excerpts from 80 interviews to tailor an intricate view of the war.
The official PBS synopsis for the series reads as follows:
"The Vietnam War, tells the epic story of one of the most consequential, divisive, and controversial events in American history as it has never before been told on film. Visceral and immersive, the series explores the human dimensions of the war through revelatory testimony of nearly 80 witnesses from all sides—Americans who fought in the war and others who opposed it, as well as combatants and civilians from North and South Vietnam."
4) The Central Park Five
The Central Park Five is a true-crime documentary that used interviews of the wrongfully convicted, representatives of the State, journalists who covered the incident, lawyers, and others involved alongside archival footage and expert analysis to draw a detailed picture of the ordeal.
The writing and direction for the film were all handled by the Burns family, Ken Burns, his daughter Sarah Burns, and her husband David McMahon.
The official synopsis for the film reads as follows:
"THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE tells the story of the five black and Latino teenagers from Harlem who were wrongly convicted of raping a white woman in New York City’s Central Park in 1989. The film chronicles The Central Park Jogger case, for the first time from the perspective of these five teenagers whose lives were upended by this miscarriage of justice."
5) The Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is a documentary film from PBS. Ken Burns directed the title with a screenplay written by Ric Burns, Amy Stechler, and Geoffrey C. Ward. The hour-long film aired in 1985 on PBS and received positive feedback from critics. It was even nominated under the Best Documentary category at the Academy Awards.
The official synopsis from PBS reads as follows:
"For more than 100 years, the Statue of Liberty has been a symbol of hope and refuge for generations of immigrants. In this compelling and provocative portrait of the statue, Ken Burns explores both the history of America’s premier symbol and the meaning of liberty itself. Featuring archival photographs, readings from diaries, letters and newspapers of the day the story of the monument is told."
6) Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge is a historical documentary film which was directed by Ken Burns with Amy Stecher working on the screenplay. Released in 1981, Brooklyn Bridge was Ken Burn's directorial debut and even went on to win him his first Academy Award nomination under the Best Documentary category.
The film featured a voice cast including the likes of Paul Roebling, Julie Harris, Arthur Miller, and others with David McCullough as the narrator. Burns also used archival footage alongside an extensive understanding of the construction marvel of Industrial Age America.
The official synopsis from PBS reads as follows:
"Today it's a symbol of strength and vitality. 135 years ago, it was a source of controversy. This documentary examines the great problems and ingenious solutions that marked the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. From conception to construction, it traces the bridge's transformation from a spectacular feat of heroic engineering to an honored symbol in American culture."
7) Baseball
Baseball is a sports documentary mini-series from the house of PBS. Ken Burns directed the film and co-wrote the screenplay alongside Geoffrey C. Ward. Released in 1994, it was Burn's 9th film and earned him an Emmy under the Outstanding Informational Series of the year.
The series featured nine episodes on its release, each episode running close to two hours. With such extensive episodes, the series explored the intricacies of the game of baseball alongside its history and different eras.
The official synopsis for the series reads as follows:
"The story of Baseball is the story of America. It is an epic overflowing with heroes and hopefuls, scoundrels and screwballs. It is a saga spanning the quest for racial justice, the clash of labor and management, the transformation of popular culture, and the unfolding of the national pastime."
Ken Burns released a sequel of sorts, later on in 2010, under the name The Tenth Inning. Two two-hour-long episodes were aired on PBS which covered the history of the sports that occurred between 1992 to 2009.
These were some of the best documentaries that Ken Burns has rolled out during his long career. If you are a documentary enthusiast or are just entering the thrilling and extensive world of documentaries, then the aforementioned titles are some of the best options for you.
