Reviews (8)

What is liberty?
Ken Burns's "Statute of Liberty" is about one of the greatest icon of America. In usual Burns' style, he presents the subject through well-shot video, interesting and informative interviews with historians, interviews with immigrants.

More important than the Statue of Liberty, the movie addresses the question "What is liberty?" and "What does liberty mean to me?" I love documentaries and history...and thoroughly enjoy history as presented by Ken Burns. If you like history too, this movie will not disappoint.

Celebrating Freedom and the American Experiment
What does liberty and freedom mean - to 20th century Americans, 19th century Frenchmen, and our 18th century founding fathers? Statue of Liberty, Ken Burns' award-winning documentary originally broadcast in 1985, asks that simple question in a refreshingly poignant manner. 21st century audiences will recognize the universal spirit and appreciate the classical questions raised in this moving film.
Conceived, directed, and broadcast long before Burns' became an American television legend for his insightful The Civil War and Jazz series, this inspiring documentary features illuminating interviews with Mario Cuomo, Barbara Jordan, James Baldwin, and Jerzy Kosinski reflecting on the unique aspirations of the American experiment in personal liberty. Burns, like in his more famous documentaries, combines a vast array of primary source material (diary entries, letters, newspaper articles) along with photographs, paintings, and drawings to tell the riveting story behind the making, exporting, and celebrating of the Statue of Liberty in New York's Harbor. Historian David McCullough provides, as he so often does on PBS documentaries, a calm narration sensitive to both the text and context of historical figures and events.
One can only hope that this outstanding work will be shown to schoolchildren, taught in citizenship classes, and kept in libraries across the United States and France. The enlightenment ideals of personal liberty still need to be remembered, celebrated, and protected.

What else do you expect?
It's a spendid Ken Burns. It's actually the biography of a nice lady, the Statue of Liberty. It's everything about her "pregnacy", her birth, her youth and her life.

But there is more, and you will see a nice slice of NY history too!

Good job!

Excellent film by Ken Burns, DVD a little disappointing
I am a big fan of the films by Ken Burns, and this one is very good. It is very short compared to other multi-episode films like the Civil War, but is still inspiring, enjoyable, and educational.

The quality of the DVD is good, but the amount of content is rather low considering the price. The extras include two short features on Ken Burns, making this entire DVD about 1.5 hours of viewing. Should be priced at 9.99 or 12.99, or maybe combined with another Burns film, such as Brooklyn Bridge.

Ken Burns and PBS = Great Television.
PBS makes very good DVDs. Here Ken Burn's Statue of Liberty film has been restored and remastered and the movie has never looked and sounded better. Using newspaper accounts, photographs, and the personal accounts of those who helped create this symbol of freedom and hope of America. The movie is both great film making and good documentry, the kind only found on Public Television. ... Read more

Amazon.com

From America's documentarian Ken Burns (The Civil War, Baseball, Jazz) comes this intimate portrait of a "serene creed" whose members considered themselves America's "chosen people." They called themselves the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, but because of their ecstatic dancing, they are more popularly known as the Shakers. Its members put their "hands to work and their hearts to God," creating a legacy of fine and priceless furniture and magnificent architecture. A model for the world's utopians, the Shakers believed in social, economic, and spiritual equality, and in pacifism, feminism, and joyful personal worship. They also believed in celibacy, which is why, when Burns filmed this in 1989, there were but a dozen Shakers left in America. On-location footage, contemporary interviews with historians and present and former members, and dramatic voice-overs culled from diaries create a moving portrait of the Shakers and "[keep] the light shining bright." --Donald Liebenson ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Excellent documentary that left me wanting more
Ken Burns brings his inimitable style and "emotional archaeology" to one of the most fascinating and least understood religious sect in American history.

I love the images and the sweeping scope of the narration.But that is where I have to fault the film -- I don't think it goes deep enough.Some of the most engaging images and topics are treated with only a cursory touch.I wanted to hear and learn much more.

Unlike Burns' later work, this film actually felt a bit rushed in places.

As a primer on the Shakers, this film is virtually peerless, but I'm afraid it had me asking more questions than it answered.Still and all, it is beautiful and compelling.
****1/2

Good, but what about the Socialisim references?
This video was helpful in my studies of the Communial Communities that sprung up around the US in the advent of our country. However, I was unhappy that the director omitted the fact that these communities depict early socialist ideals. It is important in the understanding of where American Socialist movements began or where their inspiration may have come from. I recommend this movie if you are looking for religous movement info or insight on the firstreligous "Great Awakenning" that took place in the US.

Not worth the time!
Although this video does contain some interesting photos andmusic, it's attributes end there. As a historical work it ismisleading at best by perpetuating uninformed myths andstereotypes.He does nothing to really explore the foundations ofShaker spirtuality, which gathered thousands to Shaker Villages fromMaine to Kentucky. He neglects to give the viewer a true insight toMother Ann and the Church that she brought to America. But ratherfocuses on the temporal by products of their faith (furniture,architecture, and the like).Worst of all Mr. Burns leaves theviewer with the incorrect notion that the Shakers are about tovanish. A total misrepresentation of the facts. The community atSabbathday Lake contuines to grow and is excited about thefuture. Even at the time this video was made several new coverts hadrecently joined the community at Sabbathday Lake. It seems odd thatMr. Burns would leave such an important detail out of hisdocumentary. Or maybe editorial is a better word.The BBC did videoon the Shakers in 1990, 4 years after the Burns video. It is stillavalable, and will give you a much better picture of the Shakers pastand PRESENT.

Well done documentary on an interesting topic
While I was watching this documentary by myself (the fam is more into action packed dramas), my hubby stuck his head in the door, became interested in this video on Shakers and watched most of it with me.

Now*that's* an endorsement!

It is a very well done piece with some amazinginsights into the day to day life of Shakers, with many interesting tidbitsabout their history and American history.

They were an ultra-strict groupand they strove for perfection in everything they did. Some of the tidbitsI enjoyed most - a woman Shaker is credited with inventing the circular sawand Shakers are also credited with the invention of the clothes pin.

Shakers were devoted, devout, quiet, principled and deeply religiouspeople. Above all, they were highly disciplined, rising at 4:30 eachmorning to begin prayers and chores.

I highly recommend this video - evenif you have only a passing interest in Shakers. It is a compellingdocumentary.

Beautiful and simple history of a misunderstood religion.
In The Shakers:Hands to Work, Hearts to God" Ken Burns truly hit his stride as a documentarian.By combining personal journals of shakers, historic and social commentary of scholars and contemporaries, andwonderfully insightful interviews with present day Shakers, Burns tells asimple story, but tells it beautifully.By illustrating the Shaker lifeand ideology, Burns presents a group of dedicated people who strove to putGod into every aspect of their lives.

If you know the Shakers for onlytheir furniture and ritual dancing, then this film will illuminate yourunderstanding of early America's most powerful Utopian movement. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Empire of the Air=Empire of the Documentary
This documentary skillfully tells the story of the three men most responsible for what radio has become today. It is also the story of radio.

Burns portrays brilliant yet egocentric FM radio inventor Edwin Howard Armstrong as the centerpiece of his film. Armstrong's friendship with RCA Chairman David Sarnoff and his personal and legal troubles with Lee DeForest and later Sarnoff are really the center of the documentary.

While Armstrong's story is somewhat heartbreaking, Sarnoff's story is alternately despicable and inspiring. It shows his rise from a Russian immigrant selling papers on the street to become, at his death, one of the most cutthroat and powerful people in entertainment.

Then, there's Lee deForest. He's portrayed as a flamboyant self promoter that built his life and career on the backs of others including Armstrong.

With the stories of these three men is also the story of radio from its early days. Burns weaves together old-time broadcasts and many interviews with popular public figures, people who knew Armstrong, deForest, and Sarnoff, and individuals associated with early radio. I acknowledge the earlier review that says the movie slights Tesla...it does. The documentary probably should have mentioned Tesla in some way, but the focus of the movie is more on the lines of the three men that made radio what it is today.

You will laugh at Lee Deforest, and you will feel deep sorrow in your heart for Edwin Armstrong. You may even hate David Sarnoff a bit. Ken Burns is a great filmmaker, and he's working with great material here. He clearly has a message in this movie. I wish Hollywood would get ahold of this book and make it into a feature-length movie. The documentary based on the book is really and truly a masterpiece. I recommend this documentary to anyone interested in the medium of radio or television. I also recommend this film to anyone interested in inventing or the history of inventing in general.

Yes, but where's Tesla?
This film was a very good in-depth look at the people who were most responsible for bringing radio to the masses. However, I find it distressing that Nikola Tesla was never mentioned once in this documentary. Everyone remembers Marconi as the "father" of radio, but it was actually Tesla, in his experiments with the wireless transmission of power, who invented radio and who was the true father. Ken Burns would have done good to at least mention that fact. Other than this discrepancy, the documentary is a very good look into the early history of radio.

Excellent Program
I first saw "Empire of the Air" on PBS when it debuted in 1991. At the time, I was a junior in high school and I had heard that there was going to be a program about Radio on PBS. All I can say is this is a great program for anyone who loves Radio and Television, and it really captures not only the history behind Broadcasting and Broadcast engineering, but it also examines the lives of the great men who built the legacy of the Broadcast industry into what it is today. I also have the book that this program is based on, and it is excellent too. Ken Burns has a unique way of telling a story and taking a viewer into another place and time that few documentary filmakers today are really able to do. The late actor Jason Robards narrates this film, and he was the right guy to have as a narrator for this production. Ken Burns proved with the Civil War series that he is a master storyteller, and I will also be buying "The Civil War" DVD set in the near future. I have a degree in Broadcasting from Eastern Kentucky University and we watched this program in a couple of my classes. One professor I had told us that the film could tell us more about the history of Radio and Television in two hours than he could ever hope to. That is saying a lot, because it was coming from a professor with a PhD. who had been teaching Broadcasting for probably 20 years. I am also an amateur radio operator, and there is a little of the history that ham radio operators played in the role of Broadcasting depicted in this film as well. I have been waiting for about 4 years for PBS to finally release "Empire of the Air" on DVD, and I will be buying this title shortly. I highly recommend this video, it is able to take the viewer to another place and time before the age of entertainment that we know today when families would gather around the radio for their news and entertainment. It is really a shame in some ways that we have lost a lot of the kind of closeness that Radio brought to families so many years ago. All I can say is Ken Burns is a genius!

Interesting documentary
Though the video do not show more details of how the radio works, it presents the events that started broadcoasting business.Very much engaging.

The sun never sets on their empire.
You awaken to a clock radio, press a button on a miniature transmitter to unlock your car and chat on a wireless phone. A pager dangles from your belt and the headphones of a miniature FM radio are perched on your ears. Whether the TV shows you watch arrive over a cable, a satellite dish or an antenna, at some point, they travelled through the air.

It's easy to think we've progressed so much since the invention of radio but when you think about it, radio and its progeny are everywhere. Even the computer on which you're reading this owes its very existence, ultimately, to the trinity of Lee de Forest, Edwin Howard Armstrong and David Sarnoff. A more colorful cast of characters could not have been created by mere fiction.

De Forest, the frustrated-at-every-turn inventor who, nonetheless, stumbled upon the pivotal technology that began the age of electronics. Armstrong, voracious reader of scientific journals and tinkerer, who understood de Forest's inventions even better than de Forest himself. David Sarnoff, protege of the great Marconi, opportunistic, driven by a fierce loyalty to the company he headed at its inception until his death, RCA.

Ken Burns tells the story with remarkable detail in just 2 hours. Like his other productions for PBS, "Empire of the Air" is mostly archival footage and still photos interspersed with interviews of those who were present at the creation of radio. The stories of the three "Men who Made Radio" begin with brief histories of each and more detailed descriptions of their contributions. Lee de Forest invented the Audion tube, mostly by copying or "borrowing" the work of others, but when pressed for an explanation of how it functioned, he found himself at a loss. Edwin Howard Armstrong DID understand it, so much so that he invented the technologies that enabled de Forest's "fire bottle" to carry voice and music into the air. David Sarnoff, at first a courier for American Marconi and eventually put in charge of the brand new Radio Corporation of America, saw in radio a means of bringing information and entertainment to far-flung Americans.

Burns also captures the personalities of each: de Forest's belief in the lone inventor and that the fame he always sought was just around the next corner; Armstrong's sheer brilliance that ultimately led to the invention of both AM radio as we know it and FM radio as well; Sarnoff's drive and his faith in the corporation above all else, even to the point of choosing his allegiance to RCA over his long-time friendship with Armstrong. All three would eventually battle it out in court, at a cost of the life of one of them at his own hand.

The Radio Era began with the work of lone inventors and ended with major improvements and new technologies coming out of the well-funded and staffed research laboratories of the likes of RCA, Westinghouse, General Electric and AT&T. By the late 1950s, the days of great inventions appeared to be over. There were no new worlds for individuals to conquer. Having survived 2 World Wars with the help of radio, with color TV beaming entertainment into our homes, America and the world believed that they had seen it all. We would never again see the likes of de Forest, Armstong and Sarnoff, as well as their contemporaries Edison, Bell and Ford.

That is, until the 1970s when a guy named Steve in Cupertino, California convinced his friend, also named Steve, that they could start a company to sell computers that would fit on a desktop. That's a story for whole 'nother PBS special called, appropriately, "Triumph of the Nerds," ... ... Read more

Description

Frank Lloyd Wright was the greatest of all American architects. He was an authentic American genius, a man who believed he was destined to redesign the world, creating everything anew. Over the course of his long career, Wright designed over eight hundred buildings, including such revolutionary structures as the Guggenheim Museum, the Johnson Wax Building, Fallingwater, Unity Temple and Taliesin. Wright's buildings and his ideas changed the way we live, work and see the world around us. Frank Lloyd Wright's architectural achievements were often overshadowed by the turbulence of his melodramatic life. In ninety-two years, he fathered seven children, married three times, and almost constantly embroiled scandal. Some hated him, some loved him, but in the end, few could deny that he was the most important architect in America and perhaps the world. With exquisite live cinematography, fascinating interviews, and rare archival footage, this riveting film brings Wright's unforgettable story to life. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Ken Burns's fourth short film gives us a clear taste for the style that he made famous with The Civil War and Baseball. The first half of this hour-long program examines the design and construction of the Statue of Liberty using drawings, photographs, and readings (Jeremy Irons gives voice to French sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, who designed the statue). As narrator David McCullough states, no one at the dedication ceremony mentioned immigration, but the statue became a towering symbol of America's open-door policy. The second half examines the meaning of the statue and of liberty itself. Comments by author James Baldwin, director Milos Forman, and politicians Barbara Jordan and Mario Cuomo reverberate, as does Paul Simon's song "American Tune," which bookends the picture. --Doug Thomas ... Read more

Amazon.com

This hard-drinking "bantam rooster" of a painter was arguably as famous for his art-world politics as he was for his remarkable body of work, according to Ken Burns's dynamic documentary. Using the usual interviews with friends, family, critics, and historians combined with old newsreels, television interviews, and myriad paintings as backdrops, Burns has produced an unusually entertaining work. His subject matter helps: Benton embodied contradiction. A sophisticate who yearned to be simple, he observed and painted a world of factory work, saloon frequenting, and prizefighting. He mentored Jackson Pollack, but publicly lambasted abstract impressionism. In his 85 years he struggled, became the rage, and saw his oeuvre go out of style. Benton's outspokenness is augmented by Burn's unwillingness to coddle his subject. Students laud him, but critics get their say, too, calling him talentless and questioning his legacy. The DVD comes with two short "conversations" with Burns about his work. --Kimberly Heinrichs ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Superb documentary of a great American painter.
"Thomas Hart Benton" is a revealing and immensely watchable biography of an artist who probably reached more Americans than any other. As Ken Burns ably proves, Benton's work captured the spirit and history of the average American man and woman.

Combining samples of Benton's work, interviews with art critics, family, friends and enemies as well as footage of Benton himself, Burns presents a perfectly balanced approach to an artist's life and his statement of America as a struggling, vibrant land.

You don't have to like Benton's art to like this film. In fact, several of the critics Burns interviewed for this one-hour documentary dismiss Benton as a serious artist. However, what they say about Benton is as revealing as the praise of critics who revere him. Perfectly balanced and entertaining. ... Read more

Description

This award-winning program by filmmaker Ken Burns recaptures all the drama, the struggles and the personal tragedies behind this greatest of all achievements of America's industrial age. As this fascinating program reveals, it was the largest bridge of its era, marked by enormous construction problems and ingenious solutions. Witness the human heroics of the larger-than-life men who built the bridge that seized the imagination of New Yorkers and all Americans. Discover the enduring charm and beauty of this granite and steel structure, as you travel across its span to the heart of the metropolis. ... Read more

Description

Two women. One allegiance. Together they fought for women everywhere, and their strong willpower and sheer determination still ripples through contemporary society. Here lies the story of two of our century's most celebrated pioneers Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. Recount the trials, tribulations and triumphs of these two women as they strive to give birth to the women's movement. Not until their deaths was their shared vision of women's suffrage realized. A powerful historical introspective. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

A story lost to history
I'm a woman in a male-dominated field, engineering. But I always cringed at the "feminist" viewpoints and attitudes of some of my friends. I did my work and didn't really think about being the only female in class. All that changed when I saw this documentary.

For the first time, I understand what a woman's life was like back 150 years ago. I understand how much progress has been made, and how everything that I take for granted every day -- being able to choose my career, have a life separate from my husband, vote, own property -- was gotten only through the incredible struggle of women like Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Lucretia Mott. They faced mockery, disdain, insults, dismissal and a millenium of tradition at every step, but never stopped fighting. They fought not just for themselves, but for me and every generation of women that came after them.

The fact that I graduated from high school and college without knowing the story of these two great women is almost unforgivable.

Worth every cent
I saw this brilliant and beautiful documentary when it was aired on public television and while it has been readily available on VHS, I have been holding out for a DVD. Finally the long wait is over! The only thing that surprises me is that it wasn't offered on DVD earlier. This isn't just some angry feminist rant or emotional tirade against men--the suffragist movement is dealt with as the historical event it actually was, and this documentary goes in-depth with historical details, letters, photos, and even comments from very old women who were just young women when they voted in the first-ever election in which women could vote. After seeing this for the first time, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, one of the unsung heroes and leaders of the suffragist movement, became one of my heroes, and I immediately sought out a copy of "The Woman's Bible". I have been returning to Amazon over and over, checking to see if this was on DVD yet, and it had gotten to the point where I didn't hold out much hope that I would find it. I can't begin to describe how excited I am over this!

One of the top 5 best video documentaries I've ever seen...
And I've seen a LOT of video documentaries!

I always thought of myself as somewhat well-informed on the topic of American History, but I knew virtually nothing about these two incredible women.

Their friendship, the beautiful blending of their unique gifts to create one stupendous and powerful whole of a suffrage movement, their dedication and devotion - all these elements combined to make this story perfectly wonderful.

I borrowed the video from our local library, but I think I need to buy it. I've watched it twice and wept tears of joy and gratitude at these womens' sacrifice and unselfish labors for all womankind. It is a delight to watch.

I just had no idea women had to fight so hard and so long to be granted a basic human right like voting.

And Elizabeth's "best" lecture, "The Solitude of Self" was one of the most powerful essays I've ever heard. Very stirring and inspiring. Even the [background] music was superior.

This video will not leave you where it found you. Should be required viewing for everyone. Period.

Something for the entire family
Both men and women need to understand where human rights were once and how far they have progressed at the sacrifice of the very few during the past 150 years. This is classic Ken Burns offering his unique kind of perspective. I am giving this to my niece who will soon be leaving home as a young woman. I hope EVERYONE in her family - both male and female - will view this tape since both sexes need to better understand what women have faced and continue to face in making meaningful lives through their own talents and abilities. If nothing else this video exemplifies courage and determination in the finest and yet most human sense.

Not for Ourselves Alone
This film is truly a must-see. I was appalled at how little I knew about this remarkable and significant history. It is inspiring to see these women struggle for basic human rights. It is moving to hear about the tremendous friendship between Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. It is amazing to hear the words of one of the most provocative and profound writers in our nation's history (Stanton). (How can her works be so unknown! ) It is informative to learn about this very momentous period in American history. Bravo for Ken Burns. This film fills a void in our understanding of American history. Plus it is a very riveting story. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The story of Huey Long is the quintessential drama of power and ethics. To his constituents, he was a populist hero. To his critics, he was the unscrupulous "dictator of Louisiana" who didn't break the law, but used the law to achieve his own ends. A towering figure on the political landscape, Louisiana's infamous governor and United States senator may well have wound up in the White House, had he not been felled by an assassin's bullet in 1935. Long was the inspiration for Robert Penn Warren's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel All the King's Men (a film version of which earned Broderick Crawford an Academy Award). As this fascinating documentary by Ken Burns (The Civil War, Baseball, Jazz) vividly illustrates, truth is even more compelling than fiction. Originally broadcast on the award-winning PBS series The American Experience, Huey Long painstakingly charts Long's inexorable rise to power. Archival footage and interviews with Louisiana natives, politicians, family members, historians, and political colleagues bring Long to thundering and bombastic life. --Donald Liebenson ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Life of an American dictator
Although forgotten or largely discounted today as a political aberration, Huey Long came closer to becoming a total dictator than any other American. This film by Ken Burns brings the power and presence of Long into its proper context of a poor and desperate state in the throes of a crippling depression. Burns illustrates this documentary with excellent interviews with Long's contemporaries, constituents, friends and opponents. There is also revealing footage of Long himself that reflects his intended image of a "countrified buffoon," which caused his enemies to underestimate him. This doucmentary brings Long back to life as a veritable dictator who might have won the presidency if not for his assassination.

The film's main strength lies in its balanced approach to this controversial figure. Although Burns interviewed many of Long's enemies, he also sought the opinion of the average Louisiana citizen who benefited from Long's provision of free school books and hospital care. These people were Long's source of strength of power who still regard him as a great man and never cared how Long managed to give them these things. Again, Burns balances the man who provided relief to a struggling people, and the dictator who compromised decomcracy in order to provide that relief. This is an excellent documentary.

Good documentary of an American dictator
Although forgotten or largely discounted today, Huey Long came closer to becoming a total dictator than any other American. This film by Ken Burns brings the power and presence of Long into its proper context of a poor and desperate state in the throes of a crippling depression. Burns illustrates this documentary with excellent interviews with Long's contemporaries, constituents, friends and opponents. There is also revealing footage of Long himself that reflects his intended image of a "countrified buffoon," which caused his enemies to underestimate him. This doucmentary brings Long back to life as a veritable dictator who might have won the presidency if not for his assassination.

The film's main strength lies in its balanced approach to this controversial figure. Although Burns interviewed many of Long's enemies, he also sought the opinion of the average Louisiana citizen who benefited from Long's provision of free school books and hospital care. These people were Long's source of strength of power who still regard him as a great man and never cared how Long managed to give them these things. Again, Burns balances the man who provided relief to a struggling people, and the dictator who compromised decomcracy in order to provide that relief. This is an excellent documentary.

Old Huey was something else!
My grandmother was born on the day Huey was elected governor and is in this video as the only woman named after Huey P. Long. This is indicative of the impression this man made on the Louisiana voter- a better propagandist you'd be hard pressed to find. Even without my bias towards the content, this is one of the finest documentaries I have seen, as one would expect from Ken Burns.

Worth seeing!!!
Another unbiased look at our american past by Ken Burns. Very well done.

Outstanding, revealing documentary of the Kingfish
This was an excellent portrait of Huey Long. Specifically, the documentary does very well in presenting both sides of Long from the people who loved him and the enemies who loathed him. Burns shows that while Huey used powers that often bordered on the dictatorial, he did a lot for his state during the Depression and was loved by the poor who had been ignored for years.

After watching it, I was most struck by the vicious hatred aristocrats and others had for the Kingfish. These people expressed glee at Long's assasination and noted that many of them had plotted to kill him on numerous occassions. The reason that this is so noteworthy is because Long is often savaged by historians (such as Arthur Schlesinger on the DVD who labeled Huey "sinister"), but they often fail to mention that Huey needed to be politically heavy-handed to deal with the similarly powerhungry artistocrats and machine politicians that had total control of Louisiana before the Kingfish was elevated to the governorship.

All in all an excellent look at Huey that I highly recommend to anyone with an interest in politics or history. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

...
A Brief History of Time is an uncomfortable combination of autobiography and a bibliography of some (generally Hawking dominated) concepts in cosmology. While it does go into more depth (and is slightly more entertaining) than Stephen Hawking's Universe does when it covers these topics, the movie is greatly distracted by anecdotes about his life. Some of these offer an entertaining glimpse into his life and personality, some into how certain of his and other scientests' ideas were come across, but others are pointless and annoying, and on the whole they distract from the science, which is really the most interesting topic the film could cover.

It does deserve some props for being, visually, slightly superior to Universe. The Phillip Glass soundtrack also provides a nice ambience throughout, but it often seems inappropriate, and would be much more enjoyable to hear on its own. A Brief History of Time is something to watch if you're interested in learning some details of Stephen Hawking's life, an introduction to his work, or were dissatisfied with Universe, but, even if it lacks visually, I feel Universe was much more inspiring during its better moments.

Redundant and Mindbending
'A Brief History of Time' is a film that mixes both the story of Stephen Hawking's life and his theories on quantum physics. At times, it goes through unnecessary stories about Hawking's life; for example, they showed how much he loved Monopoly when he was young. Is this really needed? How many people in the western civilization didn't or haven't played monoply? Nonethless, the movie is mindbending at times, espicially when discussing black holes and the theories of time. Beautiful Philip Glass score, and an inspirational ending.

Enjoyable and thought provoking
This delightful documentary gives a keen look at the intimate parts of Stephen Hawking's remarkable life. Interviews of friends, family members, and colleagues are artfully weaved with pictures of Hawking, computer graphic illustrations, and the commentary of Hawking himself. Along with the overview of Hawking's life we get fascinating bits of physics and philosophy that challenges his mind and everyone else's. If you have an interest in popular physics, then this would be a worthy purchase.

This isn't a spectacular documentary, it stays true to the accepted style that is both entertaining and at times predictable and plodding. It is humorous though, the opening scene involves a chicken and some stars, and much of Hawking's narration is filled with wry wit.

The First portion of the film is almost solely devoted to the early years of Professor Hawking's life. He wasn't good at school we learn surprisingly. He was never as attentive as he later wished he should have been. However, his genius was enough, and he got his degrees. However, it was being diagnosed with ALS that forced him to focus on what really interested him, the aftermath of which has been the cosmologist we know today.

Further into the movie there is a discussion of black holes, which is the subject of Hawking's first successes in physics. This segment alone I consider worth the price of admission, however an even stronger segment comes next; a discussion of the origin and outcome of the universe in which we live. It's all concluded by some whimsical observations by Hawking. This isn't a classic, but for those that don't have the time to jump into many works of cosmology and physics and philosophy, this provides entertainment and a fair dose of where physics stands today.

Interesting developments in science
This short film is about a monumental cosmologist attempting to delve into the unknown in order to know it. It poses the question as to whether there is a God behind the universe or a self-contained boundless system running blindly by its own physical laws (or perhaps there is a God but one who is impersonal to the universe). Today there are two theories about the expansion of the universe. Some believe that it will continue to expand forever while others think it will slow down, contract, and collapse with the cycle continuing infinitely. Hawkings clearly thinks the latter is more plausible. This probably explains his agnostic stance on creationism, while many theologians would naturally be more inclined to reject the theory of a collapsing and expanding universe because it does seem to do away with the idea of a "beginning" and "end." As an ignoramus in the field of physics and cosmology, I found this film to be a good compliment to his book (which is a read somewhat difficult for a person without a background in physics). Hawking's idealism is vibrant as he sounds hopeful that scientists are close to developing a unified theory of the universe that will be explicable not only to philosophers and scientists, but to the average person as well. This films only flaw is that it doesn't have captions telling us who is being interviewed and what their relation is to Stephen, but that's only a minor one at most.

A Brief History of Time
Rob Lightner's review says it all. This is a beautifully crafted glimpse at the very frontiers of scientific research. Hawking's quest for the ultimate theory is not only scientifically compelling but spiritually uplifting as well. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Edited Home Movies = Boring in this case
This is a very dishonest "film". Taping your life and editing out anything that doesn't make you seem cute, funny or insightful is not a documentary or a film. All I can see is a commercial for what he obviously thinks is his zany life. He is trying to sell you ideas that aren't even worth your time. Some of the scenes intended to be funny seem set-up or scripted. About as real as the reality shows on TV. I liked his first film OK but this one is just a bore.

Perfect
A perfect, humble, and delightful documentary. Few other films could equal it. Sure, this review doesn't tell you much about the actual film, but so what? I just really like this film. Saw it in my second semester in film school. I'll never forget it.

A Fine, Quiet Chronicle
This is a real masterwork. It's a subtle, painful film and takes some time to develop, but the themes it considers are profound. McElwee is a charming man, and his omnipresence never grates. Indeed, the viewer is often aware of the camera only as a surrogate self. When watching this movie one feels honored to be observing firsthand the life of another person and community, and ain't that why we go to the movies?

N/T
I love Ross.

Brilliant
I just couldn't disagree more vigorously with "Chewbacca." SHERMAN'S MARCH was wondrous, but many were tempted to compare its wit with regard to romance with Woody Allen's take on that subject. Though SM touched on nuclear war, etc, it was still about a young guy looking for love. TIME INDEFINITE is a much weightier investigation of death and love and family, but the wit and gentle affection is still there. It's much more Kafka or Camus than Woody Allen. And, if anything, McElwee's ability to collage the small incidents of his life into something profound has only increased. ... Read more