Ken Bruns American Lives

DVD Wholesale Quick Overview:

I just started watching the series and so far have only watched Ep. 1 about Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. I pulled the series up as I wanted to watch the episode on Thomas Jefferson because of some things I had read recently (positive things) that I was not aware of. But I thought, why not start at the beginning and I am delighted I did. Having grown up in central New York state not far from Seneca Falls, I thought I knew everything there was to know about the women’s suffrage movement, but I didn’t, or had forgotten! I learned several things that I was not aware of and, like all Ken Burns documentaries, it was riveting. I strongly recommend this to everyone, but particularly to those who have an interest in history. We think we know everything there is to know about our famous Americans, but if you’re like me you don’t!!!!-JoAnne H.

Ken Burns does a fabulous job on all his titles. Some have been better than others but all are worth the time. In this package we’ve enjoyed all the titles. Lewis and Clark, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth C. Stanton, Frank Lloyd Wright and the others have just come alive for me. I am an audio learner so reading a book is not a good way for me to learn. Watching these DVDs and hearing the stories narrated, retold and opined engraved it all in my memory. We let our kids watch these and they love it. According to my experience Ken Burns documentaries hold your attention well with lots of facts. Subjects I never found interesting have become thoroughly intriguing thru this series. My only experience with a Ken Burns documentary I had a hard time getting through is the Jazz one, but it’s not in this package. I love Jazz and figured I would love the DVD but it was a bit long and some things were repeated too much. I’m glad I stuck it out though because I learned a lot I didn’t know about a subject I thought I knew a lot about. Another series not included in this package that we really liked was the one on civil rights. I think it was a full 6 hours long but we really enjoyed it, appreciated the approach and learned a good bit too.
All in all: this is a great purchase, well worth-Amazon Customer

Ken Burns does it right. The footage is either live footage of places that still exist, like Jefferson’s Monticello, paintings of the events in question, or live footage of historians and well-educated figures who know their history. If there is film footage of something, it is used. The music is generally time-period appropriate, and well-done. When excerpts of writings are given, they are given by actors and actresses who are different than the narrator, and who are approximate in age, and they move the narrative along wonderfully. The pacing allows for digestion on a number of sensory levels, without rushing forward to sate some toxic craving for excitement.- Gregory

DVD Wholesale Main Features:

Actors: Edward Herrmann, Hal Holbrook, Adam Arkin, Philip Bosco, Julie Harris
Directors: Ken Burns, Lynn Novick
Format: Box set, Black & White, Color, NTSC, Widescreen
Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0)
Dubbed: English
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only.)
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 10
Studio: PBS
DVD Release Date: October 25, 2005
Run Time: 1480 minutes