Thomas Jefferson

Director: Ken Burns

Overview

This Ken Burns produced documentary on Thomas Jefferson comes to DVD with a standard full-frame transfer that preserves the original aspect ratio of 1.33:1. The English soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital Stereo. There are no subtitles, but the soundtrack is closed-captioned. Supplemental materials include a conversation with Burns, and a featurette on Ken Burns' creative process. This is a solid release from PBS Home Video that should appeal to history buffs and may be of value to teachers in a classroom setting.

Product Details

Release Date:	09/28/2004
UPC:	0841887051392
Original Release:	1996
Rating:	NR
Source:	Pbs (Direct)
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Time:	3:00:00
Sales rank:	20,929

Special Features

Closed Caption; Ken Burns: Making History; A Conversation with Ken Burns

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Ken Burns	Participant
Ossie Davis	Narrator
Sam Waterston	Thomas Jefferson

Technical Credits

Geoffrey C. Ward

Ken Burns	Director,Producer
Paul Barnes	Editor
Kevin Michael Kertscher	Editor
Allen Moore	Cinematographer
Camilla Rockwell	Producer
Geoffrey C. Ward	Screenwriter

Scene Index

Disc #1 -- Thomas Jefferson: A Film By Ken Burns
1. Introduction [8:53]
2. Life [18:30]
3. Liberty: Our Sacred Honor [42:23]
4. The Head and the Heart [15:00]
5. Credits [1:57]
1. Introduction [2:19]
2. Liberty: The Age of Experiments [10:32]
3. The Pursuit of Happiness [33:38]
4. Credits [40:31]

Menu

Disc #1 -- Thomas Jefferson: A Film By Ken Burns
   Play Part One
   Play Part Two
   Scene Selections
      Part One: Scene Selections
      Part Two: Scene Selections
   Special Features
      Ken Burns: Making History
      A Conversation With Ken Burns
   PBS Online

Editorial Reviews

Prior to his 1997 breakthrough documentary Lewis and Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery, Ken Burns directed this three-hour chronicle of American Founding Father Thomas Jefferson. Through interviews with columnist George Will and author Gore Vidal, among others, Burns takes viewers in deep into the life of this shy, well-spoken member of the Virginia aristocracy, from his writing of the Declaration of Independence through his presidency and the monumental Louisiana Purchase to his later life, in which he founded the University of Virginia and reestablished his friendship with John Adams. Featuring voice-overs by Ossie Davis and Sam Waterston, the film also highlights Jefferson's duties at the First Continental Congress, his famous Monticello mansion, and his controversial ownership of slaves despite being a champion of freedom. An inspiration to American statesmen for centuries to follow and arguably the most influential political thinker in American history, Jefferson provided the nation with a blueprint for religious, political, and intellectual freedom -- best expressed in the Bill of Rights -- that remains the bedrock of American civil liberties. The DVD release of Thomas Jefferson includes "Ken Burns: Making History" and "A Conversation with Ken Burns," interview featurettes that give viewers a rare look at the filmmaker, a history buff whose own works have somehow come to feel like part of history themselves.

Barnes & Noble - Lewis Somoza Manalo