The War

After his landmark PBS-aired The Civil War (1990) emerged as an unlikely pop culture phenomenon, Ken Burns became America's best-known documentary filmmaker, and has since turned out a succession of lengthy series on such quintessential American subjects as jazz and baseball, as well as comparatively shorter films on figures such as Mark Twain, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Lewis and Clark. The War, made with co-director Lynn Novick, is a seven-part, 14-hour treatment of World War II, also known as the “good war,” said to be fought by the “greatest generation.” Admirers of Burns' previous work will find most of the familiar virtues here—copious interview segments combined with impressive archival footage and stills edited into a seamless and chronologically-clear whole, accompanied by the authoritative narration of Keith David, with passages from contemporary letters and other documents read by actors such as Tom Hanks, Josh Lucas, and Samuel L. Jackson, backed by an evocative score that includes both period songs and original music by Wynton Marsalis. In an age when documentaries have become much more stylistically adventurous (c.f., Michael Moore's films), Burns' extremely traditional approach may strike some viewers as rather staid, while others may be surprised—given the sweeping title—that The War's scope is almost entirely provincial, with Geoffrey C. Ward's script focusing on the American role in the war between 1941-1945. Of course, Burns' subject is and always has been America, and by that measure, The War succeeds nicely, interweaving the stories of individuals from four towns—Waterbury, CT; Mobile, AL; Luverne, MN; and Sacramento, CA—who either experienced the war firsthand (mostly as soldiers in the European and Pacific theatres), or followed events back home via newspapers and movie newsreels. Viewers will meet pilot Quentin Aanenson, former POW Glenn Frazier, and a grown-up Sascha Weinzheimer (interned in a Manila camp as a young girl), while the readings include columns written by Al McIntosh for Rock County, MN's Star Herald (read by Hanks), book excerpts by veteran Eugene Sledge of Mobile (read by Lucas), and entries from Weinzheimer's diary (read by Rebecca Holtz). What's notably missing from the mix, however, are any interview clips featuring historians, biographers, or government officials (except for Senator Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, a WWII veteran)—instead, Burns and Novick tell the story exclusively from the viewpoint of ordinary citizens. The War can be criticized on stylistic and—to some extent—narrative grounds, but as a cinematic window into the experiences of average Americans during WWII, both on the battlefield and at home, it makes a considerable impact (and carries a suitable warning regarding violence and adult language). DVD extras (not seen) include a “making-of” featurette, commentary track, deleted scenes, and interview outtakes (the PPR version also includes a bonus disc featuring a teacher's guide, lesson plans, and forms for collecting personal stories). Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (F. Swietek)