Mark Twain (Ken Burns, 2001): USA

Reviewed by William Conlin. Viewed on DVD.

When it comes to literary icons, few can match a simple steamboat pilot from Hannibal, Missouri named Samuel Clemens. He is revered as a man of morality, humor and imagination–but no matter how fantastic his stories are, they rarely match the drama and intensity that occurred during his own lifetime. In this epic 4 hour film, master documentarian Ken Burns tells the story of a man we humbly know as Mark Twain.

Born under Haley’s Comet in 1835, Samuel Clemens was the sixth of his family’s seven children to grow up in the slave state of Missouri. At the age of 11, his father died, leaving Clemens and his brother in charge of a massive family. As he grew he moved from job to job until Clemens found a passion for steamboat piloting. As if one life passion wasn’t enough, he discovered that writing also brought him great pleasure, and he began a career that lasted five decades. He soon changed his name to Mark Twain. During his many years of creative brilliance, Twain wrote classics such as Huckleberry Finn, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Life on The Mississippi. Even though his stories brought joy to millions, his life was marred by tragedy after tragedy and when Twain’s time on earth ended, his death became even more poetic than anything he could have possibly written.

For any fan of Ken Burns, this film is a complete knockout. He pulls out all the stops to tell the story of this American icon. With an authoritative, yet plainspoken narration by Keith David and a powerful performance by Kevin Conway as the voice of Twain, this film lets viewers hear Twain as if he were standing right next to them . Through interviews with notable historians and fans of Twain, his triumphs and tragedies are accentuated to the point that it leaves you in tears. Though there is a small amount of motion picture footage of Twain during his later years, Burns incorporates hundreds of photos to tell his story. The film is painstakingly researched for accuracy and Burns’ mission to tell viewers everything they need to know is evident from the start.

Some may quickly say that four hours is far too long for a documentary, but when one looks at the scope of Twain’s life they realize that the film could easily be ten hours. Though Ken Burns never seems to change his style, his films never get boring. If you have a love of history, a love of Twain, or simply feel like watching a beautiful film, Mark Twain is the film for you.

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Published:
03.10.09 / 3pm
Category:
Documentary, DVD, Films