Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan
Documentary on Lewis & Clark
Lewis and Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery
Ken Burns, who received high acclaim for his documentaries on the Civil War
and Baseball, has teamed up with author Dayton Duncan (Out West) to
create a powerful documentary on the Lewis & Clark Expedition, one of the
greatest stories in the history of America. This four hour film is scheduled
to be shown on local PBS stations on November 4th and 5th, 1997. With the work of
cinematographers Buddy Squires and Allen Moore, Ken Burns' latest documentary
is filled with moving images of the American West. Using these images and
interviews with historians such as Stephen Ambrose, author of the best-selling
novel Undaunted Courage, he recalls the story of the journey of the Corps
of Discovery to the Pacific Ocean and back in the years 1804 to 1806. The few
dramatizations are portrayed mainly by shadowy silhouettes. The main narrator
is Hal Holbrook, with various Expedition member's voices handled by a variety
of celebrities such as Adam Arkin as Meriwether Lewis.
Ken Burns, Dayton Duncan and the sponsors from General Motors, have been
previewing portions of the documentary to areas and groups that were helpful
in preparation of the work. The previews began July 27th in Clarkston,
Washington, followed by a similar presentation on July 30th at the 29th annual
meeting of the Lewis & Clark Trail Heritage Foundation in Stevenson,
Washington. It was also presented on August 1st at Fort Clatsop near Astoria,
Oregon, where the piece on life at Fort Clatsop replaced an alternate segment.
The documentary is accompanied by the release of a
hardcover book, which is available now from Knopf.
The book is also titled "Lewis and Clark: The Journey of the Corps of
Discovery". It contains 288 pages and 150 illustrations, 100 of which
are in color. It lists for $40.00. The ISBN number is 0679454500.
Film poster signed by both Ken Burns and
Dayton Duncan
Report on Ken Burns & Dayton Duncan's Lewis & Clark Documentary
Jay Rasmussen
September 26, 1997
Updated: January 24, 1998
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Jay Rasmussen