Hello r/movies, we're Erik Ewers & Christopher Loren Ewers.
We're the directors of the new PBS film HENRY DAVID THOREAU. It's produced by Ken Burns & Don Henley
It's a 3-part, 3-hour documentary that premiered yesterday (Monday 3/30) and can be watched here:
https://www.pbs.org/show/henry-david-Thoreau/
Our trailer:
https://www.pbs.org/video/series-preview-4fsv3e/
HENRY DAVID THOREAU examines the life and work of the 19th-century writer in the context of antebellum New England and the larger United States, as well as through the universal themes he focused on in his writings: an individual’s relationship to the state, how to live an authentic life, our connection to nature, and the impact of race on American life. Set against the political and social tensions of the mid-19th century, the film traces Thoreau’s journey from his early days in Concord, Massachusetts to his deep engagement with the moral crises of his time, including industrialization, slavery, war, and environmental degradation. Through his essays, journals, and landmark works such as Walden and Civil Disobedience, he became an inspiration for generations of writers, thinkers, and activists.
HENRY DAVID THOREAU is narrated by George Clooney and voices are provided by Ted Danson (Ralph Waldo Emerson), Tate Donovan (William Ellery Channing), Jeff Goldblum (Henry David Thoreau), and Meryl Streep (Lidian Emerson, Margaret Fuller, Mary Merrick Brooks, and Maria Thoreau).
The film draws on a rich collection of archival materials, newly filmed cinematography in Concord and beyond, and interviews with scholars, writers, and environmentalists. Among the people featured in the film are Pico Iyer, Douglas Brinkley, Lois Brown, Kristen Case, Laura Dassow Walls, Clay Jenkinson, Robin Kimmerer, J. Drew Lanham, Bill McKibben, Michael Pollan, Rebecca Solnit, and more.
Ask us anything! We will be back later today, Tuesday 3/31, to answer any question you may have. (and we may be back throughout the week as well!
by HenryDavidThoreauPBS
10 Comments
man, this sounds awesome! can’t wait to check it out, especially with such a stacked cast. what was the most surprising thing you learned while working on this doc?
how is it different to make a movie about thoreau vs writing a book about him? How is it similar? why did you want to make a movie?
Was Thoreau the person you thought he was when you started this journey? Meaning, did he turn out to be the person you saw him as?
(Also, I miss Concord and Lexington, I use to work there in an old house, managing it as a care home, after graduating from BU. Watching this will be a multi-layered treat.)
Very excited to check this out!
I’m a big Thoreau fan. One criticism I hear people make of him often is that he wasn’t really “roughing it” in the wilderness during the Walden years since people would sometimes bring him food and supplies. What would be your response to that?
Wait, is that producer Don Henley the singer? If so, how did he get involved?
Hi Erik and Christopher, thanks for joining us.
Can you tell us how you first started collaborating with PBS and Ken Burns?
And what are some of your favorite historical docs of all time?
No question; just came here to say Peter Coyote better be narrating this shit. All well and good that he’s producing but Burns really let you down if he didn’t hook you up with the Coy Boy!
We should all read “On Civil Disobedience.” Oo! Imma go read it again.
I am such a huge Thoreau follower that I got my favourite line of his tattoo’d on my arm, “I wish to speak a word for nature”. What are your personal most loved lines or passages of Thoreau’s?
What was the most surprising thing you learned about Henry David Thoreau?