Customer Reviews

Ken Burns's America: The Statue of Liberty

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4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
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The thing I liked most about this A&E production on the Statue of Liberty was its focus on not only the monument itself, but also the historical and social forces that have evolved around it. The film provides some interesting, little-known facts about the statue, from its shaky financial origins to its unstable architectural idiosynchrasies. Despite these weaknesses, the Statue of Liberty served as the inspiration for America's great waves of European immigrants. The film documents their late 19th/early 20th century struggle to become citizens of the United States. Its focus on the Statue's sister-monument, Ellis Island, is also quite elucidating and poignant. I would recommend the film to anyone interested in turn-of-the-century American History and/or Modern Architecture. This volumn in the Modern Marvels series is truly inspiring.

After seeing this video, I thought deeply about what the Statue of Liberty means to people who are coming to this country for the first time. If what is presented in the video is true, why was it such a controversial statue? It is not just a symbol of liberty or freedom or two countries coming together, nor does it have any political significance. It is about people and their search for solace and shelter in an uncaring world. The passage at the bottom of the statue, the time that it was built and erected, and its location, these seem to have more significance.

Well, enough of my ramblings. This video is a must-see for Americans and for historians of all ages. It really stirs the soul. That's what it did to me. My parents are immigrants and a lot of what was said rang true for me. Thanks for reading this.

I am a big fan of the films by Ken Burns, and this one is very good. It is very short compared to other multi-episode films like the Civil War, but is still inspiring, enjoyable, and educational.

The quality of the DVD is good, but the amount of content is rather low considering the price. The extras include two short features on Ken Burns, making this entire DVD about 1.5 hours of viewing. Should be priced at 9.99 or 12.99, or maybe combined with another Burns film, such as Brooklyn Bridge.

"The Statue of Liberty" by Ken Burns is a moving testament to the spirit of the American ideal. Like Burns' earlier "Brooklyn Bridge," this film also chronicles the construction of an American landmark as well as the reactions of various people to what that landmark stands for. Unlike the "Brooklyn Bridge," however, this approach works in "The Statue of Liberty." What the Statue means to one person or another is part of its importance, and Burns has captured that beautifully.

Using wonderful footage, sketches, photos and personal accounts of its construction, Burns ably documents the struggle to make a vision a reality. Burns well captures the engineering brilliance required to build the Statue. He also illustrates how the Statue has become a representation of the best and worst of our American ideals. The Statue is a symbol of new hope and second chances, and this film illuminates the power of that symbol.

Anyone who is proud to be an American should watch this film. Anyone who is not proud to be an American should watch this film. Anyone who likes a good story with a happy ending should watch this film and lastly, anyone who likes bucolic scenery, beautiful music and a microcosm of the making of America told in a sensitive, intelligent manner should watch this film. There! Did I leave anybody out?

Look, I get it. The Achilles heel of American history...of human history...is that one group of people would enslave another. Irreprehensible. I get it and I agree. Burns' shows are also about racial predudice & exclusion. I get it. Maybe I'm the wrong one to evaluate this documentary because I'm fully aware - ad nauseum - of our country's failings. Perhaps Mr. Burns isn't speaking to me. As much as I enjoy the subject matter - by title - of his documentaries (Baseball, Jazz, WWII, etc.)(his Civil War series being the exception for why slavery is intregal to the story), I am tired of the unrelenting drum beat of how inhumane our American ancestors were to African-Americans. I GET IT. I've already acknowledged that it was horrible. Why does he weave this theme into every documentary? How much guilt-blood does he want to extract from me?

Look, the abhorrance of slavery goes back to before the ancient Egyptians. They did it. So did the Romans. So did countries in Africa. And none of those actions and policies were humane or right. But why the singular and constant drumbeat into perpetuity about that horrible part of OUR history? Try as I might, searching through 100's of TV stations on a weekly basis (including international stations), can I find 'Egyptian guilt' or 'Roman guilt' about slavery. In fact, even present-day slavery in Africa is difficult to find on TV. But not in the U.S. when it comes to us. There seems to be an agenda amongst the Hollywood entertainment crowd that wants us to be singled out - to stand alone in unrelenting shame about our American past. Mr. Burns has ridden that horse to where I just can't watch anymore of his crusade to promote guilt.

We are also the country that produced Abraham Lincoln; and Eisnhower who sent troops to Little Rock to enforce desegragation; we are the country of JFK and LBJ who focused on and championed civil rights and liberties; we are the country that strives to undo our wrongs. Where is the drum, drum, drumbeat about that?

I remembered watching this on PBS when it was first shown. I did not know who Ken Burns was, even after seeing this. It was only after THE CIVIL WAR (when I was dating a woman who was a friend of Burns at Hampshire College) that I really became conscious of him. I then learned that he had also done THE STATUE OF LIBERTY, HUEY LONG, and THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE, all of which confirmed to me that he was someone whose work I needed to follow. Given the excellence of his many projects since then, I needn't have worried about keeping track of him. Watching his most recent series, on the National Park system, has caused me to go back and watch many of his earlier documentaries. Burns is still a relatively young man and when he has finished the entire body of his work could well be used to introduce an alien from another planet to the United States. It is absolutely astonishing how much of American life he has chronicled in his films. I can't wait to see what he will do next.

Americans really hate the French today. I do not, even though I don't eat French cuisine (I'm vegetarian and it isn't, unlike Italian cuisine, vegetarian friendly). I don't drink wine. I unfortunately do not speak French. But I've never understood the hatred of the French. So many things that we love in modern life originated in France, and the country has generated an astonishing literature and film industry. I love French painting and much French music. And I love things French from many different periods, such as Montaigne and Rabelais from the 16th century to Racine in the 17th century to Montesquieu and Rousseau in the 18th century to Tocqueville, Flaubert, and Balzac in the 19th century to Proust, Sartre, Foucault, and countless others in the 20th. And the help that the French rendered to the colonies in the Revolutionary War and the joint efforts in the two world wars shows a long record of cooperation. I know that many today hate the French because of the opposition of the French to the invasion of Iraq. But most Americans today take pretty much the same position that the French did and probably wish that they'd been more successful in opposing us. But we ought to think more about how this was a gift to America from France.

And what a great gift it was! In fact, have we ever received a finer one? Try to think of New York or America or even the world without it. We would be impoverished without it. I vividly remember going up into it at a time when you could go into the crown. My lone regret was that there were so many people that we could only stay for a few seconds before having to rush off. My boss's boss has an office in Jersey City. If he turns in his chair slightly to his left he can gaze out both on Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. What a great view!

The best thing about this documentary is the amazing photos used throughout. It is fascinating to see the bits and pieces of the Statue of Liberty, many of them quite familiar. one shot, for instance, of the arm holding the torch standing on a French boulevard is striking, and there is a haunting photo of the face with scaffolding around it is especially memorable. There is another with the dissembled torch sitting beside the head.

I loved learning about how the engineer Eifel, who would later build the famous tower, build the internal scaffolding that held the various bits of the statue together. Frankly, there wasn't as much content in this film as much as in Burns's other films, but the great archival footage made up for that. I would have loved to see more photos of the statue being assembled in New York. Surely there are some photos. But that is one of the things that Burns's best films do: they make you want to learn more. In fact, I think I'm going to check right now to see if there are some good photo books on the building and assembling of the Statue.

I am wondering. Does this show (The statue Liberty - CD) have closed capition? I am hard of hearing.

Thanks,
Tammy Johnson

This was a special request from my 13-yr old grandson who's facinated by American History and monuments. He loves it.

Most of us think we "know" the Statue of Liberty...but much of what we think we know is myth. Initially, the statue was supposed to be set up in Egypt - to be a modern counterpart to the majestic pieces such as the "Sphinx." Only later did the French decide to give it as a gift to America. The extraordinary challenges of its engineering (before the skyscraper was born) needed the genius of Eiffel of France. Then, the problem was that America was supposed to pay for the pedestal...and the wealthy elite would not put up the money. Pulitzer asked for donations from all Americans in his paper, "The New York World"...and that is how the pedestal was funded...with contributions usually ranging from one dollar or even twenty five cents.

One issue I had with the film is that so little is given of the history of Emma Lazarus who wrote the poem that celebrated the Statue of Liberty. "Her" story should be as important as the copper statue itself. One of the strengths is that Ken Burns presents many images from magazines, papers, political cartoons, that have used the Statue of Liberty as a symbol of America...both good and bad.

Overall, a very interesting essay. Could have been superb...but still is very worthwhile.