Unforgettable…
Tragic… Horrific… any one of these three worlds would be a perfect
description of Ric Burns’ 1992 documentary THE DONNER PARTY
($20). Burns has taken one of the most infamous events in American
history and crafted an emotional and highly disturbing film from
interviews with historians, aged photographs and the journal entries of
members of the Donner Party. THE DONNER PARTY establishes the
migration and the settlement of the American west as one of the great
boons of the nineteenth century- a time filled with history making events.
One of these history making events took on an almost legendary status
because bared witness to an enormous tragedy, one that demonstrated what
otherwise civilized human beings would be capable of doing in order to
survive.
THE
DONNER PARTY recounts the calamitous events that began in the spring
of 1846, when the families Donner and Reed left Springfield, Illinois in
search of prosperity in a new Garden of Eden known as California. This
trek across the North American Continent was expected to take roughly half
a year; however due to the poor choice of taking a supposedly shorter,
albeit unproven route, the members of the Donner Party found the trip
taking many months more. This unproven route turned out to be almost
completely unpassable by wagon, which created extensive delays that
eventually stranded roughly eighty people on the other side of the
Sierra-Nevada Mountains during the worst winter in recorded history. With
a near continual snowfall and drifts up to twenty feet deep, the settlers
ran out of food during the winter of 1846-47. Facing starvation and death,
members of the Donner Party turned to cannibalism- eating those members of
their company that harsh winter had already claimed.
THE
DONNER PARTY comes to DVD from Warner Home Video through their
association with PBS Video. The presentation is in the full screen aspect
ratio of its original television broadcast and looks good. As a
documentary made for television, THE DONNER PARTY does not provide
the same stellar appearance as a theatrical film, but the visual quality
does not disappoint. Sequences that featured period photographs and images
of actual journal entries aren’t particularly attractive, but do serve
to create the proper atmosphere. Interview footage with various historians
and experts appears respectable, while outdoor footage of various
landscapes along the Donner Party route has the biggest visual impact.
Overall, the DVD produces an image that is superior to the best quality
broadcast, but not significantly so. Digital compression artifacts are
never a concern on the DVD.
The
Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo soundtrack provides a good sense of presence for
the more dramatic moments of the film. A number of well know actors
provide the voices of the members of the Donner Party, and these
recordings, as well as that of the narration, have warmth and a genuine
sense of character. In addition, the dialogue is rendered cleanly, with
complete intelligibility. Nature sounds, as well as bits of music are well
recorded and nicely integrated into the mix. The basic interactive menus
provide access to the standard scene selection feature. There are no real
supplemental features included on the DVD, any and all materials
supporting the program are relegated to the PBS website.
THE
DONNER PARTY is a documentary that is guaranteed to have an emotional
impact, and for some perhaps a physical one as well. Ric Burns masterfully
brings this tragic historic tale to life, without focusing unnecessary
attention to the more ghoulish aspects of the story. The Warner/PBS DVD
offers better quality than broadcast; thus making it the best way to
experience THE DONNER PARTY.
Unforgettable…
Tragic… Horrific… any one of these three worlds would be a perfect
description of Ric Burns’ 1992 documentary THE DONNER PARTY
($20). Burns has taken one of the most infamous events in American
history and crafted an emotional and highly disturbing film from
interviews with historians, aged photographs and the journal entries of
members of the Donner Party. THE DONNER PARTY establishes the
migration and the settlement of the American west as one of the great
boons of the nineteenth century- a time filled with history making events.
One of these history making events took on an almost legendary status
because bared witness to an enormous tragedy, one that demonstrated what
otherwise civilized human beings would be capable of doing in order to
survive.
THE
DONNER PARTY recounts the calamitous events that began in the spring
of 1846, when the families Donner and Reed left Springfield, Illinois in
search of prosperity in a new Garden of Eden known as California. This
trek across the North American Continent was expected to take roughly half
a year; however due to the poor choice of taking a supposedly shorter,
albeit unproven route, the members of the Donner Party found the trip
taking many months more. This unproven route turned out to be almost
completely unpassable by wagon, which created extensive delays that
eventually stranded roughly eighty people on the other side of the
Sierra-Nevada Mountains during the worst winter in recorded history. With
a near continual snowfall and drifts up to twenty feet deep, the settlers
ran out of food during the winter of 1846-47. Facing starvation and death,
members of the Donner Party turned to cannibalism- eating those members of
their company that harsh winter had already claimed.
THE
DONNER PARTY comes to DVD from Warner Home Video through their
association with PBS Video. The presentation is in the full screen aspect
ratio of its original television broadcast and looks good. As a
documentary made for television, THE DONNER PARTY does not provide
the same stellar appearance as a theatrical film, but the visual quality
does not disappoint. Sequences that featured period photographs and images
of actual journal entries aren’t particularly attractive, but do serve
to create the proper atmosphere. Interview footage with various historians
and experts appears respectable, while outdoor footage of various
landscapes along the Donner Party route has the biggest visual impact.
Overall, the DVD produces an image that is superior to the best quality
broadcast, but not significantly so. Digital compression artifacts are
never a concern on the DVD.
The
Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo soundtrack provides a good sense of presence for
the more dramatic moments of the film. A number of well know actors
provide the voices of the members of the Donner Party, and these
recordings, as well as that of the narration, have warmth and a genuine
sense of character. In addition, the dialogue is rendered cleanly, with
complete intelligibility. Nature sounds, as well as bits of music are well
recorded and nicely integrated into the mix. The basic interactive menus
provide access to the standard scene selection feature. There are no real
supplemental features included on the DVD, any and all materials
supporting the program are relegated to the PBS website.
THE
DONNER PARTY is a documentary that is guaranteed to have an emotional
impact, and for some perhaps a physical one as well. Ric Burns masterfully
brings this tragic historic tale to life, without focusing unnecessary
attention to the more ghoulish aspects of the story. The Warner/PBS DVD
offers better quality than broadcast; thus making it the best way to
experience THE DONNER PARTY.