I'm sure we've all had our shared of Pledge Breaks and Wayne Dyer marathons over the past months, but this is not a proposal to stage an attack on their offices. Starting Sunday, PBS will be the place to be, as they start airing the long awaited Ken Burn's documentary entitled "The War". I'm a rabid fan of documentaries, and between Ken and Ric Burns, they've produced some of the most incredible and awe inspiring documentaries I've ever seen. The Civil War. The West. New York. Thomas Jefferson.... all have been subjects of their movies, and they are each of these were excellent and groundbreaking. This one promises to be an event worth every minute of your time. I'll be TiVo'ing it, but likely glued to and watching each live broadcast. I hope you'll do the same.
Midway [updated 09/27]:
I remember seeing "Saving Private Ryan" in the theaters. We'd waited a month or two and we'd heard all the advice about how brutal the opening scenes were, but no degree of commentary could have prepared us for that experience, and after watching the entire film, we silently filed out along with the rest of the viewers. We drove home in absolute silence. We did not speak a word for the entire trip. When we got home, we collapsed on the bed and wept at the thought of anybody having to go through such horror.
For the past four nights I've watched this documentary and it's been an incredible experience. They're doing an amazing job of showing not only what happened and when, but the impact on every level; global, national, community and family.
Part Four aired last night. In took us through the D-Day battle on Omaha beach and up through the liberation of Paris. And it's built up to a degree of intensity that is on par with the experience of watching the aforementioned film. Although the movie had the ability to really put you in a state of mind of "being there" through sound and effects, the stark footage, stories and realities of that day are even more haunting and disturbing when you know they're real.
They're taking some time before the next episode. It air's on Sunday. I can use the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEItXS35g8o]
Read about it on PBS • Video Podcasts on iTunes • Schedule it via TiVo • Reserve it on Netflix