Ken Burns on showing the dark parts of US history

Ahead of his upcoming PBS documentary, The American Revolution, acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns talks to BBC Special Correspondent Katty Kay about his unique approach to documenting our history, from war and conflict to baseball and jazz.

Titles such as Brooklyn Bridge, Prohibition, and Dust Bowl may remind you of the vision of classroom lessons and book readings of facts, but they may portray historical events in a friendly and fascinating way. Since the 1980s, he has brought history and culture to his viewers in ways that textbooks simply cannot.

Burns’ work won him two Academy Award nominations, two Grammy Awards and 15 Emmy Awards. At his home in Walpole, New Hampshire, the acclaimed documentary maker tells BBC special correspondent Katty Kay that, like most creatives, he has more ideas than he knows what to do.

“My head is always filled, so your head may be filled with 40 or 50 topics, [topic] When you fall into your mind, you realize it’s fired in every cylinder,” Burns tells Kay.

These topics flock to everything from jazz to baseball, to the vastness of Leonardo Da Vinci’s life and work chronicles, such as the 2009 The National Parks: America’s Best Idea.

“I don’t want to talk about anything I know,” he says. “I want to share the process of discovery with you. So I will dive into something I don’t know enough.” His next field of exploration is in the 18th century. His six-part 12-hour series, The American RevolutionPBS air will be released on November 16th. This month marks the 250th anniversary of the beginning of the American Revolutionary War, which began in 1775 in 13 colonies of British America, and lasted for many years, leading to the establishment of the United States.

“The American Revolution is one of the most important events in human history,” Burns said. PBS It will be ahead of a special screening for students and teachers across the United States. “We have started from subject to new concepts, citizens, and democratic revolutions around the world.”

On the subject of history, Burns says he disagrees with the popular view that it is destined to repeat itself, leaving it to the views of 19th-century Spanish-American philosopher George Santayana. “People who don’t remember the past are being criticized for repeating it,” Santagna commented in connection with the Holocaust. “the [a] The nice phrase you want is true,” Burns says. He also points to a famous quote attributed to our author, Mark Twain.

Burns doesn’t let the uncomfortable parts of our history shine. I point out that for him, being patriotism doesn’t mean erasing the past. For example, the fact that Benjamin Franklin owned a slave. “He knew it was wrong, and he continued it,” Burns said.

“In the beginning, I grew up and had an idealized version of my country. I love my country. I don’t know anyone who loves their country more than I do. I make movies about America, but I make movies We. ”

Burns tells Kay that he believes it takes time for the story to be understood. “I’ve been interviewing Obama about his administration, and the more I wait to do that film, the better it will be because of the perspective that time gives me,” Burns says.

When asked about the breadth of his work, ranging from the biography of a single individual to global events, Burns says he can focus on the laser on the tasks at hand. As Burns concludes the American Revolution and the upcoming Obama Project, he says there is enough material to last beyond the “2030s.” In particular, he looks at the history of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

“Someone asked the Duke of Ellington, he is certainly our most prolific [composer, with] Maybe 22…, 2,300, 2,400 compositions, what is the most important? He said, “What I’m working on right now.” And for me, that’s what we feel. ”

Katty Kay will air on Friday at 21:30 ET on the BBC News channel.