The Renowned Filmmaker on His War of Independence Project: ‘We Won’t Work on a More Important Film’

The veteran filmmaker has evolved into not just a historical storyteller; he represents an institution, an unparalleled production entity. Whenever he releases project arriving on the small screen, everyone seeks his attention.

He participated in “an astonishing number of podcasts”, he remarks, approaching the conclusion of his extensive publicity circuit comprising 40 cities, dozens of preview events plus countless media sessions. “I think there are 340.1m podcasts, one for every American, and I’ve done half of them.”

Happily Burns is a force of nature, as loquacious behind the mic as he is prolific during post-production. The 72-year-old has gone everywhere from Monticello to popular podcasts to talk about his latest monumental work: this historical epic, an extensive six-episode, twelve-hour film project that occupied a substantial portion of his recent years and arrived currently through the public broadcasting service.

Defiantly Traditional Approach

Comparable to methodical preparation in today’s rapid-consumption era, this documentary series intentionally classic, more redolent of The World at War rather than contemporary online content new media formats.

However, for the filmmaker, whose entire filmography documenting American historical narratives including baseball, country music, jazz and national parks, its origin story is not just another subject but foundational. “I said this to my co-director Sarah Botstein recently, and she concurred: we won’t work on a more important film Burns reflects during a telephone interview.

Comprehensive Scholarly Work

Burns and his collaborators plus scripting partner Geoffrey Ward referenced countless written sources plus archival documents. Dozens of historians, representing diverse viewpoints, provided on-air commentary along with leading scholars from a range of other fields like African American history, Native American history and the British empire.

Characteristic Narrative Method

The style of the series will feel familiar to devotees of The Civil War. The characteristic technique included gradual camera movements over historical images, generous use of period music and actors voicing historical documents.

Those projects established Burns built his legacy; a generation later, now the doyen of documentaries, he can apparently summon numerous talented actors. Appearing alongside Burns at a recent event, acclaimed writer Lin-Manuel Miranda commented: “A call from Ken Burns commands immediate acceptance.”

Extraordinary Talent

The lengthy creation process proved beneficial in terms of flexibility. Sessions happened at professional facilities, at historical sites through digital platforms, an approach adopted during the pandemic. The director describes the experience with performer Josh Brolin, who scheduled a brief window while in Georgia to voice his character as the revolutionary leader prior to departing to subsequent commitments.

The cast includes multiple distinguished artists, established Hollywood talent, emerging and established stars, Tom Hanks, Ethan Hawke, Maya Hawke, Samuel L Jackson, Michael Keaton, Tracy Letts, international acting community, versatile character actors, small and big screen veterans, Dan Stevens, Meryl Streep.

Burns adds: “Frankly, this may be the best single cast recruited for any project. Their contributions are remarkable. Their celebrity status wasn’t the criteria. I became frustrated when someone asked, ‘So why the celebrities?’. I go, ‘These are actors.’ They are among the world’s best performers and they can bring this stuff alive.”

Multifaceted Story

Still, the absence of living witnesses, visual documentation forced Burns and his team to lean heavily on historical documents, combining individual perspectives of multiple revolutionary participants. This allowed them to show spectators not just the famous founders of the founders but also to “dozens of others crucial to understanding, numerous individuals remain visually unknown.

The filmmaker also explored his personal passion for geography and cartography. “I have great affection for cartography,” he observes, “featuring increased geographical representation in this project compared to previous works I’ve done combined.”

International Impact

The team filmed at nearly a hundred historical locations throughout the continent and British sites to document environmental context and partnered extensively with historical interpreters. These components unite to tell a story more bloody, multifaceted and world-changing than the one taught in schools.

The documentary argues, was no mere parochial quarrel concerning territory, taxes and political voice. Instead the film portrays a violent confrontation that ultimately drew in multiple global powers and surprisingly represented what it calls “mankind’s greatest hopes”.

Brother Against Brother

Initial complaints and protests aimed at the crown by American colonists in 13 fractious colonies quickly evolved into a bloody domestic struggle, dividing communities and households and neighbour against neighbour. During the second installment, scholar Alan Taylor notes: “The greatest misconception regarding the Revolutionary War is that it was something a unifying experience for colonists. This omits the fact that Americans fought each other.”

Sophisticated Interpretation

In his view, the independence account that “generally is drowning in sentimentality and idealization and is incredibly superficial and insufficiently honors actual events, all contributors and the incredible violence of it.

The historian argues, a revolution that proclaimed the world-changing idea of fundamental personal liberties; a brutal civil war, separating rebels and supporters; plus an international conflict, another installment in a sequence of struggles among European powers for dominance in the New World.

Contingent Historical Events

The filmmaker also sought {to rediscover the