Does Ken Burns lie?
Mr. Burns has made many documentary films on American subjects such as the Civil War, jazz, baseball, America’s national parks, and Prohibition. He’s interviewed in this 5-minute film:
"Jean-Luc Godard said cinema is truth 24 times a second. Maybe. It’s lying 24 times a second, too. All the time.
All story is manipulation. Is there acceptable manipulation? You bet. People say: "Oh boy, I was so moved to tears in your film. That’s a good thing?" I manipulated that. That’s part of storytelling. I didn’t do it disingenuously, I did it sincerely. I am moved by that too. That’s manipulation.
Truth is, we hope, a byproduct of the best of our stories…"
Ken Burns on Story
– A short documentary on the documentary filmmaker Ken Burns by Redglass Pictures>>
– Ken Burns on Why His Formula for a Great Story Is 1+1=3, The Atlantic>>
– Found via Kottke>>