# Ken Burns' "The National Parks: America's Best Idea" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 26, 2009, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-burns-the-national-parks-americas-best-idea/511652 "2009-09-26T16:28:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2009, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-burns-the-national-parks-americas-best-idea/511652/1 "2009-09-26T16:28:04Z")
Premiers this Sunday–[PBS website](http://www.pbs.org/nationalparks/) As a huge fan of the parks, I’ve really been looking forward to this. The reviews are somewhat mixed–to be expected I suppose. After the recent spate of terrific HD nature documentaries, 12 more hours of landscapes and wildlife might be a bit boring for some folks. I think that National Parks ARE one of our greatest ideas. Whatever issues people have with how the land is managed, the parks remain places of inspiration, wonder and adventure. We owe the people that made–and make–them possible a huge debt of gratitude. (even if some rangers don’t know how far it is from Grand Canyon Village to Tusayan…:p) I’m glad that Burns took on the job of telling their story. I particularly like what he said about seeing Yosemite in person for the first time: - > [@](#): > > “I’ve never in my life felt the way I felt at that moment…It was like losing your virginity, or becoming a parent for the first time. You think you know what it’s like to make love, or be a parent, and then you come to realize you really had no idea.” - ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2009, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-burns-the-national-parks-americas-best-idea/511652/2 "2009-09-26T22:19:30Z")
My only question is, HOW is Burns going to turn the entire documentary into a commentary on American racism… ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2009, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-burns-the-national-parks-americas-best-idea/511652/3 "2009-09-26T23:40:07Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > My only question is, HOW is Burns going to turn the entire documentary into a commentary on American racism… I watched all the Civil War documentary but didn’t really watch more than episode or two of the baseball and jazz documentaries as I’m not that into either baseball or jazz. Is that where he went with both of those shows? ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2009, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-burns-the-national-parks-americas-best-idea/511652/4 "2009-09-27T00:43:22Z")
Damnit, I don’t have tv. Will this be available on the web? ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2009, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-burns-the-national-parks-americas-best-idea/511652/5 "2009-09-27T01:40:53Z")
Here’s all I see so far, Cisco: > [@PBS National Parks Web site](#): > > iTunes Downloads > All six episodes of THE NATIONAL PARKS will be available for download, along with the soundtrack and an iPhone application. > **[The National Parks: America's Best Idea | Ken Burns | PBS | Watch The...](https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/the-national-parks/)** > > The National Parks: America's Best Idea is story of an idea as American as the Declaration of Independence and just as radical. Full documentary by Ken Burns now streaming. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2009, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-burns-the-national-parks-americas-best-idea/511652/6 "2009-09-27T02:28:49Z")
Bah, my hard disk is full, and if I had whatever they’re charging in my entertainment budget, I’d just go buy some bunny ears and watch it on my big screen. Thanks, though. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2009, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-burns-the-national-parks-americas-best-idea/511652/7 "2009-09-27T02:52:44Z")
It looks like you can watch the episodes online beginning on the 28th. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2009, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-burns-the-national-parks-americas-best-idea/511652/8 "2009-09-27T02:56:13Z")
You can see that he’s shooting on an Aaton. I have one of those! 🆒 OK, so mine is rather a lot older and not as advanced as his; but still… ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2009, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-burns-the-national-parks-americas-best-idea/511652/9 "2009-09-27T04:41:50Z")
> [@astro](#): > > I watched all the Civil War documentary but didn’t really watch more than episode or two of the baseball and jazz documentaries as I’m not that into either baseball or jazz. Is that where he went with both of those shows? Well, it’s virtually impossible to explore any of these 3 American institutions without dwelling on racism, but Burns has done other historical docs (_Brooklyn Bridge_, for one) that are terrific windows in the past without having a particular agenda or “p.c.” ax to grind. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2009, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-burns-the-national-parks-americas-best-idea/511652/10 "2009-09-27T06:56:53Z")
I love me parks too. They’re awesome! Though I do think it’s funny that our nation’s “best idea” has been virtualized and televised like everything else. I wonder if the parks’ original supporters envisioned miles and miles of pristine wilderness preserved for generations to come, all viewable in 1080p high-def while tweeting “omg you won’t believe this pretty ‘nature’ thing I saw TV!” 🙂 But hey, some parks eve have Wi-Fi these days, so there’s no excuse not to watch The National Parks: America’s Best Idea from inside one. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2009, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-burns-the-national-parks-americas-best-idea/511652/11 "2009-09-27T07:12:20Z")
Almost 8,000 posts and I’m finally making an impression. > [@Reply](#): > > Though I do think it’s funny that our nation’s “best idea” has been virtualized and televised like everything else. I wonder if the parks’ original supporters envisioned miles and miles of pristine wilderness preserved for generations to come, all viewable in 1080p high-def while tweeting “omg you won’t believe this pretty ‘nature’ thing I saw TV!” 🙂 I went to Yosemite for the first time about a year ago[sup]\*[/sup]. You could film that place with the best IMAX 3-D in existence, and it wouldn’t hold a candle to the real thing. I stood in the meadow at the base of El Capitan for a while, sharing binoculars and telephoto lenses with another guy. We managed to find a few Gore-Tex clad specs clinging to cracks in the wall. I can see why that place has inspired people, but no photograph, no movie, no description, is as jaw-dropping as actually being there. Don’t know that I’m really qualified to agree with the rest of Burns’ assessment, but it sure sounds good. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2009, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-burns-the-national-parks-americas-best-idea/511652/12 "2009-09-27T07:33:36Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I went to Yosemite for the first time about a year ago[sup]\*[/sup]. You could film that place with the best IMAX 3-D in existence, and it wouldn’t hold a candle to the real thing. I stood in the meadow at the base of El Capitan for a while, sharing binoculars and telephoto lenses with another guy. We managed to find a few Gore-Tex clad specs clinging to cracks in the wall. I can see why that place has inspired people, but no photograph, no movie, no description, is as jaw-dropping as actually being there. Oh, I completely agree. I just hope those people watching at home know what they’re missing. I sure as hell never knew any better until I actually went to places like Alaska and Yosemite and experienced them for myself. Before then, I figured “Seen one postcard, seen the world”. I’ve met people who’ve _never_ hiked or camped before and their idea of the Great Outdoors really is the Discovery Channel. Anything that gets people interested enough in these treasures to actually use them is a good thing, IMO, and I certainly hope that movie helps. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_Clock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Shot\_Clock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_Clock)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2009, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-burns-the-national-parks-americas-best-idea/511652/13 "2009-09-27T21:34:16Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > My only question is, HOW is Burns going to turn the entire documentary into a commentary on American racism… Like this: “The National Parks sure are swell, but you really shouldn’t enjoy them, because President Andrew Jackson put the screws to the Native Americans 180 years ago.” There’s the series in a nutshell, and I haven’t even seen it yet 🙂 Seriously, injustice needs to remembered and placed in its proper context, but going overboard with it can be self-defeating. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2009, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-burns-the-national-parks-americas-best-idea/511652/14 "2009-09-27T22:19:43Z")
i’ve seen a bit of the first section. there is native history. it is amusing that they wanted to preserve yellowstone so the hot springs wouldn’t go the way of niagara falls. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2009, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-burns-the-national-parks-americas-best-idea/511652/15 "2009-09-27T23:21:04Z")
I think I’ve seen all of KB’s stuff, and it’s true that many of them (Civil War, natch, and Baseball, Jazz and The War) do manage to find a racial POV. I don’t think any of them went particularly overboard in doing so. I was somewhat surprised to find that the Indians’ name for Yosemite was “place of the gaping mouth” (Ahwahnee…which is now the name of the hotel in the park). I wondered if you lived there long enough, your mouth would stop hanging open. Apparently not. I \*like \*John Muir. A fruitcake…but my kinda fruitcake. And I think I agree with him and might’ve done likewise if I were him. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2009, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-burns-the-national-parks-americas-best-idea/511652/16 "2009-09-28T00:42:12Z")
People might be surprised to learn that blacks (the Buffalo Soldiers) were among [the earliest National Park Rangers](http://www.nps.gov/yose/historyculture/buffalo-soldiers.htm). ---
**Author:** ![tofergregg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tofergregg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tofergregg)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2009, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-burns-the-national-parks-americas-best-idea/511652/17 "2009-09-28T01:07:48Z")
I enjoyed the first 2 hours (my local station had it on _six_ times today, starting at noon). I really liked the John Muir mini-biography, and I didn’t realize he was such a crazy outdoorsman (“He climbed to the top of a tree during a storm to know what the tree felt”, etc.). My only criticism is that it dragged a bit. Otherwise, it was great, and I now feel that my HDTV purchase was worth it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2009, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-burns-the-national-parks-americas-best-idea/511652/18 "2009-09-28T13:14:51Z")
Big fan of the Parks here - not so much of Ken Burns. Haven’t made it through one of his marathons yet, and doubt this will be an exception. Recorded 4 hours of it yesterday, and made it through the first 1. His films just seem (to me) to be so slowly paced. And I really get tired of the same noodling on guitar in the background. And this atheist could do with a few less references to God, spiritualism, etc. Will probably try to slog through some more, but the task will seem more daunting as the hours pile up on my recorder . . . ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2009, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-burns-the-national-parks-americas-best-idea/511652/19 "2009-09-28T13:40:09Z")
Nothing against Yosemite and Yellowstone, but I’m looking forward to learning more about the other national parks. I know next to nothing about the parks in Hawaii, and that flowing lava looked spectacular. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2009, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-burns-the-national-parks-americas-best-idea/511652/20 "2009-09-28T14:56:37Z")
I thought the first installment was marvelously assembled, balancing the informative with something larger and more ethereal and philosophical (democracy, spirituality, etc.). Great stuff, I look forward to the dramatic tensions that appear to be in store for the rest of the series. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ken-burns-the-national-parks-americas-best-idea/511652.md?page=2)