Legendary filmmaker Ken Burns previews new documentary in Richmond

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) – Award-winning filmmaker Ken Burns says he “won’t work on a more important film” than his newest documentary, "The American Revolution." In a nearly sold-out Altria Theater, Burns joined co-directors and historians to present a 40-minute preview of the 12-hour documentary on Sunday, March 23.

“You have a sense with the story of the American Revolution that we’re getting at the heart of who we are and at a particularly fractured time. It’s really important to tell the story of how these incredibly fractured colonies coalesced into the United States of America,” Burns said. “It’s a sense that even though things may be tough, by telling stories we have a way to be united and this is the best story I know in American history. I mean, this is the origin story. This is like being in the Garden of Eden.”

8News sat down with Burns after the event to better understand his thought processes in creating the film.

As this is a topic that is so highly discussed in historical spaces, what is your process for gathering information?

Burns says his team avoids theories, fashions and dangers of romanticizing history, and instead focuses on telling the realest story possible.

Through research, he is bringing layers of information to the surface that may not have received as much coverage as today’s prominent figures. He highlights unfamiliar names playing a prominent role in the Revolution, many of whom are children, teens and underrepresented individuals.

“After a while, the accumulation of all of these people, all of these voices, the stories, the battles, the ideas begin to coalesce into something that we hope is greater than the sum of its parts,” Burns said.

Burns’s documentary process includes reading as much as possible and constant researching, shooting video and editing.

In his editing room, a neon sign reads "It’s complicated," which serves as a sort of affirmation for how contradictory the story of the American Revolution can be. An example from Burns is the story of Benedict Arnold.

“It’s filled with spies and coded messages and people caught and betrayals and that’s just one tiny, tiny little thread of hundreds of things that we’re juggling to tell,” he explained.

Would you say we are debunking what we’ve learned in American history or rather building on the knowledge we already have?

Burns says he’s not debunking what we’ve learned, but building on it. In the last decade of filming, his team has collected the latest academic studies about the Revolution.

“Betsy Ross is not mentioned in this,” Burns said, “There is no evidence that she, in any way, had anything to do with making the first flag.”

“When the British are advancing up Breeds Hill in the Battle of Bunker Hill. It’s on Breeds Hill. The legend is they said, ‘don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes,’” Burns said. “We don’t know where that came from. Lots of stuff developed in the generations, the decades after the Revolution.”

Burns says he works to verify every fact and the direction during the Battle of Bunker Hill was based on distance rather than anecdotes.

Burns says these detailed and storied perspectives of characters woven throughout the Revolution allow for viewers to humanize these historical figures. A prime example is George Washington.

“I think we’ve elevated Washington to a position that he deserves without also pointing out other aspects to him that are, kind of, less perfect because I have yet to meet a perfect person,” Burns said.

The point you’ve made about Betsy Ross and maybe the aspects that you don’t mention in the film, do you think viewers will have questions about where those stories did come from? How do you plan to address them, if at all?

Burns says viewers will likely be too captivated by the story to be thinking about what may be left out. However, if the question arises afterwards, he says he can explain the choices he makes. He works to ensure he is not part of the perpetuation of unfounded aspects.

Burns uses a baseball analogy to explain this: “I could say, let me tell you the truth about Babe Ruth. He struck out a lot. That’s true. And then if you walk away you’ve been unfair because he also hit a lot of home runs.”

Any moves, both positive and negative, are examined in The American Revolution, keeping transparency at the forefront of the film.

“If you look at our cutting room floor, it’s not filled with bad stuff, it’s filled with really good stuff that just didn’t fit in with the storytelling,” Burns said.

Burns says he hopes the film will prompt viewers to want to learn more.

How has your end vision/goal of the film evolved throughout the process?

“It’s just deepened," Burns said.

Burns says his team becomes so enthralled in researching the American Revolution that throughout the 10 years it took to make the film, the end vision has become increasingly complex.

Now that the film is nearing completion, what emotions are you experiencing?

Burns focuses on emotions when it comes to telling historical stories, carrying this sentiment with him since the early days of his career.

“I wasn’t just interested in excavating the dry dates and facts of the past. The stuff that makes history to most people seems like castor oil. Something you know is supposedly good for you but not good tasting,” Burns said.

“When you work on it, there’s this sense of, I don’t want to be done with it. I want to do it,” Burns said. “People say, ‘how do you work on a project for nearly 10 years? You must get so bored.’ I go, are you kidding?”

Burns says he doesn’t want to let go of the film because he gets so close to it. For now, the documentary is still in its polishing stage.

To mitigate the disappointment, Burns says he is motivated by promoting the film and traveling to share the story of the American Revolution with communities around the country. He says the timing with America’s 250th anniversary makes the film extremely relevant.

"The American Revolution" was previewed at the Altria Theatre on the same day as Patrick Henry’s “Give me liberty or give me death!” speech took place in Richmond 250 years ago. A reenactment was held at St. John’s Church that day. Protestors came in droves outside of the event to speak out against the current presidential and gubernatorial administrations.

“The war may be over, but the ideas are still active and we’re debating them today,” Burns said. “Part of the reason why things are so fraught today is because one person’s version of what America is is not necessarily another person’s version.”

Burns emphasizes the importance of collecting stories of a wide variety of people, including women, freed individuals, runaways, enslaved people and native groups.

You mentioned representing all people and how the film dives into that. Even yesterday, protests erupted outside of the Patrick Henry speech, so this is still an issue we are trying to figure out. How is this documentary, which takes place 250 years ago, still relevant today?

“It’s so relevant,” Burns said, “I mean, the fact that there were protestors outside is wonderful. It was a kind of music.”

Burns says the country is founded on the right to free speech thanks to the American Revolution. Many of the signs targeted the event directly, reading, "No King."

“This idea that somehow the past doesn’t have a relevance. It’s actually the opposite,” Burns said. “There is nothing more relevant.”

Human nature doesn’t change according to Burns. He says parallels can be seen among various historical figures in a variety of circumstances.

Burns says understanding what happened in history allows people to gain some perspective and relief about present-day events.

“What could be more important?” Burns said. “This is the most important event since the birth of Christ: the American Revolution. What can be more important than understanding actually what happened?”

We’ve all heard the phrase, 'history repeats itself…'

“History does not repeat itself,” Burns said. “There has never been a moment that has happened twice. Never. But, human nature doesn’t change.”

Burns says history rhymes rather than repeats itself.

“The quantities of greed and generosity back then, virtue and venality, same as today,” Burns said. “You can then sort of set your watch by that. You can actually count on there being that and then the human story becomes the most interesting and important thing.”

The pursuit of happiness, according to Burns’s research, entails lifelong learning.

What do you want viewers to take away from the documentary? The documentary itself will be something history lovers are inclined to watch, how are you ensuring or hoping that it goes beyond that sector of individuals?

Burns says he specifically chose public broadcasting for his documentary’s platform because he wants people to have their own takeaways from it. When the audience grows while the film plays on PBS, it allows for a national conversation to begin.

“If you set out a complex story, then you’re inviting every reader,” Burns said.

If you could have dinner with one person from the Revolution, who would it be and why?

“I have to be kind of boring and obvious,” Burns said, “There is something so compelling about George Washington.”

Due to his distant and closed-off personality, Burns would like the opportunity to try to pick Washington’s brain. He’s interested in learning the key ingredient that inspired Washington to enlist people to stand up against an oppressive force.