Mark Twain - A Film Directed by Ken Burns (2002)

Given the legendary life of its subject, it's not surprising that Mark Twain is perhaps the most entertaining documentary Ken Burns has made. The creator of The Civil War and Jazz achieves reverent harmony with the magnificent story of Missouri-born author Samuel Clemens (a.k.a. Mark Twain), encompassing legend and fact with an exhilarating sense of adventure. Hailed by Hemingway as the originator of American literature, Twain (a nom de plume taken from a riverboat pilot's term for "safe waters") viewed himself as the American. Burns's film backs that claim as it follows Clemens's literary odyssey around the globe, from unrivaled acclaim as a writer to near destitution and the devastating deaths of his wife and three children. As usual, eloquent writers and scholars (including longtime Twain performer Hal Holbrook) provide a wondrous flow of anecdotes and observations, recounting Twain's remarkable humor while acknowledging a darker side that felt anger toward an indifferent god. Like all of Burns's films, Mark Twain is must-see viewing. --Jeff Shannon Amazon.com

Beautifully done biography

This is a fantastic biographical film about Mark Twain, really Samuel Clemens. It covers everything from his birth to his death. This man, considered to be one of America's greatest humorists, suffered a lot of personal grief - some of it by his own doing. The film is typical of Ken Burn's style; very engrossing, very long, and always worth the time. September 30, 2008

Ken Burns does his bit for Mark Twain

If you've seen anything by Ken Burns, you know his formula, and you will not see anything different here. But the formula is good, and it works.

If you don't care about Mark Twain, this probably won't capture your attention, but if you have read Twain and are a fan of him, as I am, this bio will do a great job of putting Twain's works into the context of a life that was remarkable in so many ways. The thing I most learned from this that I didn't know before had to do with the extent to which Twain's life was marked by personal tragedy, and thinking through the extent to which the appeal of his material is because it is comedy that is not glibly funny, but is marked by the gravitas of someone who knows life is hard. That to say you will understand Twain better for having watched this, and I recommend that you do. January 3, 2008

Mark Twain - A Film Directed by Ken Burns

Ken Burns is a great film maker. As a history buff I found this very interesting. December 18, 2007

American Original

"I am not an American I am THE American." Ken Burns and Company go about demonstrating, through this brilliant piece of work, why those words of Samuel Clemens ring even truer than ever today. Buy this and be inspired and thought-provoked by Twain's multi-faceted, and facinating life. December 5, 2007

Burns' Best

At least as good as Burns' other, more heralded works, the concision and love with which Twain's life is here presented make this a true masterpiece. If your local library doesn't have it, make them get it; every school and library in the land should have this at the front of their dvd collection.
If ever there was doubt as to Twain's status as one of the finest and most quintessentially American of American artists, it is laid to rest here. A stunningly tragic life filled with triumphant humor and wisdom is given gorgeous tribute; the deep and almost transcendant love of the interviewees for Twain is especially striking.
Burns' pet technique of panning over still photos is tailor-made for this story and era. I'm not sure if it was thinking of my deep childhood love of Twain's books or just how moving his life was, but I found myself crying more during these four hours than any other movie I can recall. By the tenth deluge I had to laugh and realize that this is the best biographical film I have ever seen.
If you love Twain's writing, you will be amazed at the sadness he lived through while writing some of the funniest words ever penned. Even if you've never read any Twain, you will marvel at the life he lived, and the strength he showed in the face of one tragedy after another.
This is the American Spirit writ large. Not the bs version sold on tv, but the truly intelligent, open-hearted, adventurous, pioneering spirit that has become so rare.
If only we could find a man of this depth today and make him president.
I can almost hear Sam Clemens laughing at the thought right now... July 4, 2007

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