'It's a Good Film' - Ken Burns unveils his first-ever Doc on PBS"

Ken Burns: Unveiling a 50-Year-Old Cinematic Gem on PBS

Iconic filmmaker Ken Burns is marking his 70th birthday with a gift for his fans. He's releasing his first-ever film, "Working in Rural New England", made during his undergraduate years at Hampshire College. The film, a 28-minute documentary capturing life in rural New England from 1790 through the 1830s, is now available on PBS's UNUM, reports Variety.

A Journey Back to 1973

The film, which originally served as Burns' senior thesis at the liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, focuses on Old Sturbridge Village, an outdoor history museum that vividly re-creates life during this era. Initially commissioned by the museum in 1973, the documentary now comes to us coupled with a pre-recorded conversation between Burns and New York Times literary critic A.O. Scott.

Scott admitted, "It in some ways does not look like a Ken Burns film." However, he notes that the moving images soon begin to tell a different story. "These actors for Sturbridge Village are in a sense doing the work that the still photographs would do in your later films. They are carrying you into and putting into motion a historical reality.”

From Scratchy Old Print to Modern Screens

Once displayed on a rotating basis at Old Sturbridge Village's visitor center throughout the 70s and 80s, the film, shot on 16mm ektachrome, lay mostly forgotten. “I was lamenting that the film didn’t really exist,” Burns says. However, a few years ago, Burns managed to find an unprojected release print, leading to a resurrection of sorts for the aged documentary.

While not as visually striking as the original, it certainly holds its charm. "It feels good to revisit that time,” the director admits. This initial project, Burns confesses, still informs his current work, as it was a crash course in everything from budgeting to pitching and editing.

Burns continued his journey in film with his first feature documentary, "Brooklyn Bridge," earning him an Oscar nomination in 1981. The decades that followed have been a celebration of American history, with the director delving into pivotal events and influential figures through his notable docuseries on PBS.

Despite being his maiden venture, Burns doesn’t find anything about the project that makes him cringe. Comparing it to old photos of himself, he says, “I look at the film and I say, that was me. Also, it’s a good film, but I’m not anxiously waiting for the reviews to come out.”

UNUM, on PBS, aims to provide a historical perspective to contemporary issues, spotlighting themes throughout American history to promote a comprehensive understanding of our past, present, and future.

(Several parts of the text in this article, including the title, were generated with the help of an AI tool.)