Ken Burns has been telling stories about America for almost 50 years. The lauded documentary filmmaker has a new series on PBS, The American Revolution, which charts the period before and after 1776. It will air internationally ahead of the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence.
Mishal Husain asked Burns to join the show to mark Thanksgiving, looking at today’s America through the lens of its past and the characters who made history.
02:15 - The complexity of the American Revolution
04:00 - The underdog story
07:15 - The global significance of the American Revolution
13:43 - Mishal Husain’s connection to Lexington Green
16:15 - Why Ken Burns became a filmmaker
17:55 - “My mother’s gift in a funny way was dying”
19:20 - The Ken Burns Effect
20:15 - Hollywood actors as first person narrators
21:25 - Directing Josh Brolin as George Washington
22:00 - Why Tom Hanks didn’t want to be the voice of George Washington
23:00 - Filming reenactments
24:50 - The American Revolution is not over
29:10 Working for PBS, American Public Broadcasting
32:20 What is Ken Burns grateful for on Thanksgiving?
Watch this podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe4PRejZgr0Ns_wjGlmjlPz0cded0nTYS
You can find the written version of this interview with Mishal’s notes on Bloomberg Weekend: https://www.bloomberg.com/latest/weekend-interview
Contact The Mishal Husain Show mishalshow@bloomberg.net
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