The War (Ken Burns)

The War (Ken Burns)
Title	The War
Director	Ken Burns
Producers	Sarah Botstein, Ken Burns, Lynn Novick
Music	Jay Ungar, Joseph Brackett
Cinematography	Buddy Squires
Distributor	PBS
Released	2007
Runtime	14 hours
Country	United States
Language	English

The War (Ken Burns) is a 2007 American documentary film series directed by Ken Burns that chronicles the American experience of World War II through the lives of citizens from four towns: Waterbury, Connecticut, Mobile, Alabama, Luverne, Minnesota and Rochester, New Hampshire. Combining archival footage, period music, personal letters, and first-person interviews, the series situates combat operations such as the Pacific War, Operation Overlord, and the Italian Campaign within community stories of mobilization, sacrifice, and return. Its narrative interweaves the experiences of service members in theaters including Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, and the Battle of the Bulge with homefront dynamics shaped by institutions like the United States Navy, United States Army, and War Production Board.

Background and development

Burns developed the series after previous documentaries on the Civil War (United States), Baseball (documentary), and Jazz (documentary), aiming to produce a comprehensive oral history of World War II focused on American communities. Drawing on interviews inspired by the oral history methods of Studs Terkel and archives such as the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institution, the production secured access to collections from museums like the National WWII Museum and the Imperial War Museums for film, photographs, and personal artifacts. Funding and distribution came through Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) with financial partnerships involving the National Endowment for the Humanities and various private foundations.

Content and narrative structure

The series spans seven episodes and approximately fourteen hours, organized chronologically and thematically to follow the rise of global conflict from events including the Attack on Pearl Harbor and the Fall of France to the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the war’s aftermath. Each episode alternates between frontline operations—featuring battles like Midway, Leyte Gulf, and Anzio—and homefront vignettes addressing rationing, industrial mobilization, and civil rights tensions exemplified by cases like the Detroit race riot of 1943 and the experience of Japanese American internment. Primary narrators include veterans who saw action in campaigns such as the Solomon Islands campaign and the Normandy landings, alongside family members recounting correspondence related to the War Relocation Authority and the Selective Service System. The musical score incorporates period songs from performers like Bing Crosby and Glenn Miller together with original compositions to evoke settings from Birmingham, Alabama shipyards to Minneapolis-Saint Paul farming communities.

Production and participants

The production assembled a team including cinematographers, editors, and historians: Burns collaborated with co-producers Sarah Botstein and Lynn Novick and historian consultants connected to universities such as Harvard University and Yale University. Interviewees included veterans, nurses, factory workers, and public officials from locations including Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, San Francisco, California, and Washington, D.C.. Military footage was drawn from archives of the United States Army Air Forces, United States Marine Corps, and newsreel companies like Pathé News and Movietone News. The project also engaged prominent actors and voice artists to read letters and diaries, including performers associated with The Actors Studio and award-winning narrators who had worked on prior Burns projects.

Release and reception

Premiering on PBS in September 2007, the series aired nationally as a multipart broadcast and was later released on DVD and streaming platforms. Critical reception in publications connected to institutions like The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times praised the scale and emotional depth while some reviewers compared its approach to earlier television histories such as Auxiliary Television Project and the BBC’s The World at War. The series received nominations and awards from bodies including the Emmy Awards and the Peabody Awards, reflecting acclaim for editing, archival research, and storytelling. Audience response varied across demographics, with strong interest from veteran organizations such as the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Historical accuracy and criticism

Scholars from institutions including Columbia University and the University of Virginia evaluated the series for fidelity to primary sources and contextual balance. Critics highlighted strengths in oral testimony and archival synthesis but raised concerns about selection bias in oral history, the representation of events like the Firebombing of Dresden and the Bataan Death March, and the degree of focus on American perspectives relative to Allied partners such as the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union. Some historians noted limitations in coverage of topics like the Manhattan Project’s scientific community and postwar diplomacy at conferences such as Yalta Conference and Potsdam Conference.

Legacy and influence

The series influenced subsequent documentary projects on twentieth-century conflicts and public history pedagogy at institutions like the National Archives and state historical societies. It reinvigorated discussions in museums including the National World War II Museum and contributed oral histories to collections at the Veterans History Project. Academics and filmmakers have cited it as a model for integrating microhistory—case studies of towns such as Waterbury, Connecticut—with macro-level military narratives, shaping curriculum at universities and programming at media outlets like American Public Media and NPR.

Category:Documentary films about World War II