The writer of Walden has been flattened into a caricature, but Henry David Thoreau was much more than a "prophetic hermit," the directors of the documentary say.
Playlist Ken Burns
Ken Burns
How to Watch ‘The American Revolution’ – And A Complete List of Other Ken Burns Documentaries
Meredith FrancisThe American Revolution premieres on WTTW on Sunday, November 16 through Friday, November 21 at 7:00 pm. All six parts will be free to stream on the PBS app starting Sunday, November 16 at 7:00 pm and will be available until Sunday, December 14.
Ken Burns Answers Your Burns-ing Questions
Meredith FrancisWhen Ken Burns stopped by WTTW this fall, we asked him some questions submitted by our audience. See how he answered!
What Burns-ing Questions Do You Have for Ken Burns? Let Us Know!
Meredith FrancisDo you have a burning question for Ken Burns? Let us know, and we’ll ask him when he’s in town next month ahead of the premiere of The American Revolution!
The Illinois Campaign: Before It Was a State, Illinois Played a Small Supporting Role in the American Revolution
Meredith FrancisIn what would one day become Illinois, a smaller theater of war called the Illinois Campaign would push the fight for independence deep into the interior of the young country.
A Conversation with the Filmmakers Behind 'Leonardo Da Vinci,' the Latest Ken Burns Documentary
Daniel HautzingerThe latest documentary from Ken Burns and his team tries to encompass Da Vinci’s multitudinous pursuits and put viewers “in between his ears,” as the filmmaker David McMahon says. We spoke to him and Sarah Burns.
A Q&A with an Expert Featured in Ken Burns' 'American Buffalo'
Daniel HautzingerThe latest Ken Burns documentary tells the story of the United States’ national mammal, The American Buffalo. We spoke to an environmental historian and ethnobotanist who is also an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Tribe of Montana and Métis and featured in the film.
The Top-Secret Army Unit of Artists Who Deceived German Troops in World War II
Meredith FrancisAn ongoing exhibition at the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center in Skokie tells the story of how a unit of artists, engineers, and other soldiers deceived German troops using inflatable tanks, weaponry, phony radio calls, and other artistic effects.
A Chicago Artist Honors Muhammad Ali
Daniel Hautzinger“Muhammad Ali is the athlete equivalent of an artist," says the visual artist Rahmaan Statik, a South Side native and former Nation of Islam member who has painted a mural of Ali at 2847 S. Kedzie Avenue in Little Village.
Chicago, Chicago, That Boxing Town
Daniel HautzingerThree of the most famous world heavyweight champions—most famous athletes in general—have lived in and had some of their most formative experiences and bouts in Chicago, a city that has also always been a stepping stone for amateur boxers.
Chicago's Significance to the "Greatest of All Time" - An Interview with Ali's Biographer Jonathan Eig
Daniel Hautzinger"Muhammad Ali lived here for some of the most important years of his career," says his biographer Jonathan Eig. "Chicago was really where he began to find a national stage and to realize that he could be special." Plus, he had his "racial awakening" here.
Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, and David McMahon Take on Muhammad Ali
Daniel HautzingerKen Burns, Sarah Burns, and David McMahon take on "the greatest of all time" in their upcoming four-part documentary, examining the three-time heavyweight champion who was also a lightning rod for controversy around activism, pacifism, religion, and race.
How the Soundtrack of 'Hemingway' Evokes the Romantic Locales of the Writer's Life
Daniel HautzingerHavana, Paris, Spain: the soundtrack of Ken Burns and Lynn Novick's new Hemingway documentary helps set the places and moods of the writer's life, via the creative music produced by Johnny Gandelsman of Brooklyn Rider and the Silk Road Ensemble.
Ken Burns and Lynn Novick on Hemingway's Childhood
Daniel HautzingerJoin a conversation between filmmakers Ken Burns and Lynn Novick along with Hemingway scholar Verna Kale and acclaimed author Tim O'Brien as they discuss Hemingway's childhood in Oak Park.
Ernest Hemingway's Youth in Oak Park and Chicago
Daniel HautzingerHemingway was born in Oak Park but left as soon as he could and began framing himself in opposition to what he considered the middle-class values of the suburb. A sojourn in Chicago helped introduce him to a literary world and sent him on his way to Paris.
