On the Front Lines of ‘Civil War’ : Massive 9-Part Series On PBS Tells History As It Really Was

A few years ago, documentary filmmaker Ken Burns knew very little about the Civil War. “I had never been taught about the fighting,” he said. “I had the most rudimentary sense of its centrality to the rest of the events in American history. To find out more, the way I do it is to make a film.”

Burns’ “The Civil War” turned out to be more than “a film.” It’s a definitive, 11-hour, nine-part documentary premiering Sunday night on PBS.

Five years in the making--a year longer than the Civil War itself--the documentary uses more than 3,000 archival photos, newsreels of Civil War veterans, interviews with historians, live cinematography of the battlefields and first-person quotes from the time. Historian David McCullough of the PBS series “The American Experience” is the narrator.

“I think you’re going to love it,” said Burns with pride.

The Civil War, Burns said, was the closest our nation has come to suicide. “It’s the skeleton in our psychic closet. Periodically, the Civil War boils up to the surface, which it is doing now with (the 1989 film) ‘Glory’ and our series.

“People prefer to wrap the war in rather bloodless myths and are perfectly content to perpetuate stereotypes. It’s important to tell the real story because it doesn’t lack in drama or excitement.”

Burns initially planned “The Civil War” as a five-hour documentary with each hour exploring one year of the war. Halfway through production, Burns realized five hours would barely do justice to the massive subject.

“The first few months of editing produced an assembly that was 16 hours,” he said. “We whittled it down to 11 hours.”

During the process, Burns discovered “thousands and thousands” of surprises about the Civil War. “I got to understand what happened in 20 or so battles--each one a film unto itself,” he said. “I got to see the heroic struggle of blacks, which is really one of the most inspiring stories to tell. We need to tell these stories and tell them truthfully.”

More than 160 archives throughout the country supplied the 3,000 photographs used in the film. “It was a huge organizational job,” Burns said. “Can you imagine looking at 100,000 photographs, filming 16,000 and using 3,000?”

Burns brings those stills to life by using such camera techniques as zooms, pans and wide shots. “I isolate minute portions of the image, creating new imagings,” he explained. “If you combine this with the sound effects, sometimes you actually believe you are looking at a newsreel.”

One of the great faults of recorded history, Burns said, is that it dwells on famous figures. In the documentary, Burns uses quotes not only of Abraham Lincoln and Robert E. Lee, but also those of diplomats, women, townspeople and, most important, Pvt. Elisha Hunt Rhodes of the Union Army and Pvt. Sam Watkins of the Confederacy. “They are marvelous,” Burns said. “They become the counterpart to the Lincolns, Lees and Grants.”

Among the writers and actors who provide voices for the 900 quotes are Sam Waterston, Morgan Freeman, Garrison Keillor, Horton Foote, Jeremy Irons, Derek Jacobi and Arthur Miller.

“No Hollywood producer could pay for this cast,” Burns said. “Most of these people worked for free or minimum scale.”

Included in the cast is Oscar-winning actor and Civil War buff Jason Robards Jr., who is the voice of Ulysses S. Grant. Robards said he jumped at the opportunity to be part of the series. “Ken really knows what he wants,” said Robards, who previously worked with Burns on “Thomas Hart Benton.” “He has a point of view, which can help you in documentaries. He just stuck a pen in my mouth as a cigar and I just talked. The material is what carries you.”

Burns used a complicated soundtrack to complement the stills and narration. “There are hundreds of music cues and then the sound effects, layer upon layer of muskets, yells, whoops and things like that,” he said.

With “The Civil War” behind him, Burns is busy on his next project. “I am doing the history of baseball,” he said gleefully. “Once again, I’m saying it’s going to be five one-hours, but I don’t trust myself.”

“The Civil War” airs Sunday-Thursday at 8 p.m. on KCET Channel 28 and KVCR Channel 24 and at 9 p.m. on KOCE Channel 50. It will air Sundays at 11 a.m. Sept. 30-Oct. 28 on KLCS Channel 58.