Ken Burns' "National Parks" Documentary Reviewed Adversely

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/25/AR2009092500064_pf.html

'National Parks': Camped Out, But Trailing Off
By Hank Stuever
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Ken Burns's "The National Parks: America's Best Idea" was six years in the making and it is 12 hours long, camped out every night this week on PBS, beginning Sunday. It is beautiful and erudite and contains all the underlined importance and swelling emotion that a major Ken Burns moment requires of its viewers, but at least four cumulative hours of it are goshawfully boring. Just like camping with people who love it more than you do. .......

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/25/AR2009092500064_pf.html

'National Parks': Camped Out, But Trailing Off
By Hank Stuever
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Ken Burns's "The National Parks: America's Best Idea" was six years in the making and it is 12 hours long, camped out every night this week on PBS, beginning Sunday. It is beautiful and erudite and contains all the underlined importance and swelling emotion that a major Ken Burns moment requires of its viewers, but at least four cumulative hours of it are goshawfully boring. Just like camping with people who love it more than you do. .......

Four sentences of his whining are goshawfully boring. Despite the fact that I learned almost nothing new from Burns in this offering, the first two hour segment was, for me, inspiring all over again. It reminded me strongly of why I went to the mountains to begin with, and cemented for me why I keep going back. Maybe Stuever will stay home with his limited attention span and sour grapes, and complain in front of his boob tube forever - fine with me. Neither the frontcountry nor the wilderness need this malcontent darkening their doorsteps.

I cannot wait to see the next ten hours. Moreover, I cannot wait to go out and explore those parks again and again, and am quite willing to pay my two bits for the greatest, GREATEST bargains on the planet.

I think Bruce hit a key point regarding the first episode. It repeatedly made reference to the core reasons we are drawn to the majesty of the High Sierra and other beautiful places. I've never really been able to find all the right words to convey these feelings but they managed to accomplish it with considerable eloquence.

Jim



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/28/2009 07:32PM by tomdisco.