Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies

Executive produced by Ken Burns, filmmaker Barak Goodman's three-part PBS-aired documentary melds archival material, interviews, graphics, and narration to present a clear, intelligent treatment of a broad subject. Based on the Pulitzer Prize–winning book The Emperor of All Maladies by Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee, the series explores how cancer operates within the body, while also providing a historical account of physicians' understanding of the disease over time, and ways in which treatment has evolved through trial and error. In addition, the series serves up incisive portraits of key practitioners and scientists, as well as philanthropists who are devoted to bringing victims out of the shadows and raise funds to support clinical research—both by appeals for donations and by prodding politicians to fund federal programs, efforts that resulted in the establishment of the American Cancer Society and also expanded the work of the National Cancer Institute. The first two episodes trace the narrative up through the end of the 20th century, while the third and last centers on the present, collectively conveying the complexity of a malady that not only takes many forms but has also proven frustratingly adaptable. Interspersed throughout are accounts focusing on individual patients, and the fact that some survive and others do not adds a powerful human dimension—as does the knowledge that narrator Edward Herrmann has himself succumbed to cancer since the series' completion. DVD extras include additional scenes and an interview with the filmmakers. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (F. Swietek)