Historian returns to war with documentary
By: Joan Ruddiman
A new Ken Burns documentary is cause for excitement among lovers of history, but getting to hear Mr. Burns talk about his work in person was the thrill of a lifetime for thousands of kids and adults for whom history is the passion of their lives.
With the support of PBS, Mr. Burns was the keynote speaker at the recent opening ceremonies for National History Day at the University of Maryland in College Park, Md.
Cathy Gorn, the dynamic director of the National History Day program, introduced Mr. Burns as the "rock star of history."
The wildly appreciative cheers and applause from NHD contestants from around the nation and the world students from American Samoa and the Department of Defense Schools in Europe are avid NHD participants offered a resounding affirmation of how kids who love history feel about Mr. Burns.
From his 1981 documentary on the Brooklyn Bridge, to films on jazz and baseball and his highly honored Civil War series, Mr. Burns has inspired Americans to look closely at and think deeply about this country’s unique culture.
In introducing him to his adoring fans, Ms. Gorn said Mr. Burns’ work gives us a "feel for the time, place and experiences that make us Americans."
The late Stephen Ambrose, a beloved American historian in his own right, once said, "More Americans get their history from Ken Burns than any other source."
On a perfect summer evening, Mr. Burns looked out onto a sea of young faces that are his intellectual offspring. Over 2,000 middle and high school students from as far as Alaska, Florida, Maine, Hawaii and far-flung countries across the seas have not only learned about history, but also about how to do history from the master of the historical mini-series.
So, when Mr. Burns spoke about his latest venture, titled "The War: A Ken Burns Film" and set to begin running on Sunday, September 23, on PBS stations, students and their parents and teachers listened avidly to how this epic seven-part, 14-hour film came to be.
It almost did not happen.
"After the Civil War," Mr. Burns related, the decision by his team was "we won’t do another war."
In part, they did not want to be typecast as doing just war history. But more so, he shared, they "did not want to descend into the frightening and mesmerizing world of war."
They studied jazz and baseball upbeat and very American topics that engaged their interest and captured the hearts of viewers.
But then, Mr. Burns came across two facts that redirected his focus to war.
He told his audience that, to "our horror," they learned that 1,000 veterans of World War II "are dying each day."
"The connections to an oral tradition" from men and women who were innately reticent to speak of their heroics and experiences was being lost forever.
The second factor that forced his attention back to war was the research done in the 1990s that revealed that high school graduates "thought we fought WITH the Germans AGAINST the Russians" in World War II.
With the horror of what he calls "historical amnesia" outweighing the horror of descending again into the study of war, Mr. Burns and his crew turned their talents to finding a way to communicate the struggle that defined the 20th century and defines who we are today.
"Without a past … with no sense of historical ties … we can not know where we are going," he said to the NHD contestants.
Six years ago, Mr. Burns and co-producer and director Lynn Novick acknowledged "these terrible two truths." The generation that lived the history was dying away, and the generations left had little or no understanding or appreciation of that history. So they decided to take on World War II "the biggest of them all."
History begins with context the place and time that shaped decisions and events. How, Mr. Burns asked, could context be established for such an immense story? How to start?
"How could we relate the reality of that war? What battles must be covered? What of the quotidian details? The simultaneity of two theaters? How to show the home front? How to convey the rise of industry out of the Great Depression?"
On September 23, 17 years after his award winning Civil War series began, Mr. Burns, Ms. Novick and their team will show us how they answered these questions and more.
In a classic less-is-more format, which all historians come to understand, "The War" is focused on 40 people from four American towns "that could be any towns" who represent the "courage, leadership, perseverance, hunger for freedom" that Mr. Burns believes "brought out the best and worst of a generation."
How to start?
Mr. Burns quoted William Blake, "We find the world in a grain of sand."
The Burns production team found their answers by following people from four communities. Their stories stand for thousands of stories of how men and women went to war overseas and here at home and how their lives were forever changed and how "its lessons are so fresh today."
"From the specifics we could understand the whole," Mr. Burns explained.
Mr. Burns believes that "there are no ordinary lives." This self-professed "abiding faith in humankind" drives his work. This film, particularly, is intended "to honor and celebrate these 17- and 18-year-olds who saved the world."
In explaining his work, Mr. Burns said, "We have made the same film every time. Each production asks the simple question ‘Who are we?’"
In what he calls "this business of emotional archeology," Mr. Burns has tackled topics that help us overcome our collective historical amnesia to better understand and appreciate who we are.
Mr. Burns was obviously delighted to address an audience that so deeply absorbed his philosophical reveries, as these are people who share his passion for history.
"It is an amazing treat to get caught up with your perpetual energy here," he said to the adoring audience.
Awards are wonderful, but what this noted man experienced in front of that audience was confirmation that his good work has taken root in a generation of new historians.
Over half a million students produced a project this year. In papers, performances, film documentaries and exhibits, students followed in the footsteps of Ken Burns, Stephen Ambrose and so many other great researchers who produce history.
As he walked to his car, Mr. Burns was heard to say, "This was the best day of my life."
The PBS Web site reports that a companion book, written by Geoffrey C. Ward and introduced by Ken Burns, will be published by Alfred A. Knopf in August.
The soundtrack of original music which Mr. Burns said is intended "to bring you uncomfortably into the war" as composed and arranged by Wynton Marsalis with lyrics by Gene Scheer, will be released in September by Sony BMG Legacy Recordings.
Joan Ruddiman, Ed.D., is a teacher and friend of the Allentown Public Library.

