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Prior to his 1997 breakthrough documentary Lewis and Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery, Ken Burns directed this three-hour chronicle of American Founding Father Thomas Jefferson. Through interviews with columnist George Will and author Gore Vidal, among others, Burns takes viewers in deep into the life of this shy, well-spoken member of the Virginia aristocracy, from his writing of the Declaration of Independence through his presidency and the monumental Louisiana Purchase to his later life, in which he founded the University of Virginia and reestablished his friendship with John Adams. Featuring voice-overs by Ossie Davis and Sam Waterston, the film also highlights Jefferson's duties at the First Continental Congress, his famous Monticello mansion, and his controversial ownership of slaves despite being a champion of freedom. An inspiration to American statesmen for centuries to follow and arguably the most influential political thinker in American history, Jefferson provided the nation with a blueprint for religious, political, and intellectual freedom -- best expressed in the Bill of Rights -- that remains the bedrock of American civil liberties. The DVD release of Thomas Jefferson includes "Ken Burns: Making History" and "A Conversation with Ken Burns," interview featurettes that give viewers a rare look at the filmmaker, a history buff whose own works have somehow come to feel like part of history themselves. Lewis Somoza Manalo

All Movie Guide

Ken Burns, America's most popular and successful documentarian of history, has called Thomas Jefferson "the most important human being born in the last 500 years." It is with this passionate admiration, tempered as always by a blunt acknowledgement of Jefferson's flaws, that Burns approaches his subject. Following the brilliant, fiery young revolutionary from his writing of the Declaration of Independence to his love affair with France and his extraordinary political career, this compelling film delves into the classic Burns-ian themes: unquenchable hope, agonizing loss, and how men and women throughout history have negotiated the two in creating the quintessential American experience. ~ Sarah Welsh, All Movie Guide

Product Details

• UPC: 841887051392
• Source: PBS PARAMOUNT
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Pre-1954 Standard (1.33.1)
• Presentation: B&W
• Sound: Dolby Digital Stereo
• Language: English
• Time: 3:00:00
• Sales Rank: 4,087

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Ken Burns American Lives

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