The HEMINGWAY series examines the visionary work and the turbulent life of Ernest Hemingway, one of the greatest and most influential writers America has ever produced. Interweaving his eventful biography — a life lived at the ultimately treacherous nexus of art, fame, and celebrity — with carefully selected excerpts from his iconic short stories, novels, and non-fiction, the series reveals the brilliant, ambitious, charismatic, and complicated man behind the myth, and the art he created.
Episode One – "A Writer" (1899-1929)
Hemingway enjoys an idyllic childhood in Oak Park, Illinois but, yearning for adventure, volunteers for the Red Cross during World War I. He marries Hadley Richardson, moves to Paris and begins his life as a writer, publishing In Our Time and The Sun Also Rises. He finds critical and commercial success with his second novel, A Farewell to Arms.
Episode Two – "The Avatar" (1929-1944)
Hemingway, having achieved a level of fame rarely seen in the literary world, settles in Key West with Pauline Pfeiffer and spends his time seeking new conquests in the natural world – marlin fishing in the Gulf Stream and hunting in Africa. Inspired by the fight against Fascism, he reports on the Spanish Civil War and begins a tempestuous romance with Martha Gellhorn.
Episode Three – "The Blank Page" (1944-1961)
Hemingway, reeling from his split with Martha, attaches himself to the U.S. Army as it moves through Normandy and liberates Paris. After the war he tries to start a new life with Mary Welsh but is beset with personal tragedies and professional mishaps. He publishes The Old Man and the Sea and wins the Nobel Prize but eventually is overcome by addiction, physical trauma and depression.
This special version just for educators features the complete 3-part, 6-hour series, edited for mature content and profanity. The set also includes a link to a collection of media-rich resources, including videos, primary sources, and modular support materials for teachers to explore Hemingway's life and work and to help students draw connections between Hemingway's life experiences and his novels and short stories; to understand Hemingway's relevance to and resonance with contemporary authors; and encourage student writing projects.
Producer: Sarah Botstein, Lynn Novick, Ken Burns
Executive Producer: Ken Burns
Production Company: Florentine Films
Production Year: 2020
Copyright Year: 2021
Rating: TV-14
Director: Ken Burns, Lynn Novick
Narrator: Peter Coyote
Actors: Jeff Daniels, Keri Russell, Patricia Clarkson, David Quay, Mary-Louise Parker, Olivia Gilliatt, Meryl Streep, Joe Morton, Josh Lucas, Arlo Hill
Writers: Geoffrey C. Ward
Number of Discs: 3
Length: 360 minutes
Subtitled: Y
Subtitle Languages: English (SDH)
Language Track: Spanish
Audio Format: 5.1 Surround
Aspect Ratio: 16x9 Widescreen
VIDEO USAGE RIGHTS
Why the Institutional version? Because it provides additional usage options for PBS videos. Institutional versions come with limited public performance rights so they can be shown in University classrooms and transmitted on a closed-circuit system within a building or on a single campus. Institutional version can be shown at free public screenings by libraries, businesses, clubs and community organizations, as long as no admission is charged. For additional questions or to arrange a screening where admission is charged, please contact [email protected]