American Experience: New York: A Documentary Film by Ric Burns DVD 8PK

Liked some episodes more than others.

Binged watched to the whole series in three days!!! Love history!!

Flimsy Packing box Very Low Quality Documentary Packaging Very disappointed Documentary itself still great; among the very best

This is a very well-made series. It is interesting and entertaining for New Yorkers and those who love the city. I had watched it on PBS when it first came out. At that time I recorded the program to keep a copy for myself on VHS. That has become old technology so I decided to look for the series on DVD. It is definitely worth having in my library.

Insightful and Comprehensive Narrative of History of New York City, Objectively Told

very good documentary

This is absolutely my favorite DVD documentary ever (and I watch them all). The stories, anecdotes and imagery from this series is spellbinding and makes these disks completely re-watchable. Ive seen each disk about 10 times with various friends and family and catch something new each time. What Id love to see now is this classic DVD set updated in HD and Id buy it again.

Watching this always makes me feel closer to the City and my family. PBS, please take this treasure, give it the loving upgrade in sound and format, and re-release in blu-ray and digital.

This was the best documentary film I have ever seen in the U.S. or anywhere. A romantic, accurate and dynamic film of a New York history created by Ric Burns in the late 1990s. It shows how New York epitomizes the history of the United States from inception to the modern times. New York is not necessarily the only city that represents the U.S., but the U.S. could not become the U.S. without New York. It tells you how the Dutch colony, New Amsterdum, became New York, why it could not become the nations capital, why and how it became the center of the financial and commercial world, how the construction of Erie Canal acceralated the expansion of New York, how financial crushes in the late 1800s produced the House of J.P. Morgan, how the 12 million new immigrants aroud the turn of the century changed the face of New York, how the stock market boom in the 1920s took place and how it affected the Wall Street crush in 1928, how the Emire State Building was built and how the developments of the national highway system changed the character of the post-war New York. You will learn a lot about the city and about yourself. The background music is beautiful and narration is pleasant. Oh, it was created just before the 9/11 terrorist attack, so you can see the World Trade Centers in their original grandeur multiple of times. It is an epic of New York. I watched it two to three times and each time my heart was enthralled. Paul Muroyama

If you love the impeccable work of Ric Burns, please do yourself a huge favor and make time for this masterpiece. Each disc is like the next course of a gourmet meal...you cant wait to savor it! From the first through the eighth disc you will hear the stories of New York City told by the most incredible and vibrant group of historians, writers, architects, educators and politicians. If you were born and raised in NYC...if youd like to know NYCs history a bit better...and most of all, if you know nothing about the place except that its home to Lady Liberty and Ellis Island, watch it and be amazed! It is, hands down, the best documentary Ive ever seen and my absolute favorite creation by the brilliant Ric Burns.

If you have always wanted to visit NYC, if you have visited a few times or if you dont think youll ever get there...you should own this documentary! All documentarys should be judged by this one, if they makeem better I have not seen it.

Truly a remarkable piece of work by Ric Burns about the history of New York. The people as topics chosen (out of the billion or so that could have been chosen) are compelling - Hamilton, Boss Tweed, Robert Moses; and the events as topics are just as compelling: the draft riots, slum reform, the building of the Triborough Bridge, the 39 Worlds Fair. They make us long for the story of all the pieces in-between. The interviewees have an interesting non-contradictory story to tell, which says that they were selected to tell the same story the same way, and consist of some regulars all the way through, such as Mike Wallace (the author, not the news commentator), and one-off guest appearances by Bella Abzug, Ed Koch, and even a single shot of the late Spalding Gray. For such a long, long, program, it is difficult to have the music be cohesive; it is the only fault in this production that the music is enormously repetitious (how many times can you hear East Side, West Side?) and the original music is downright lugubrious (why? sometimes its illustrating neutral or prosperous times...) But its a minor flaw in a beautifully done work.

New York .... if Ric Burns and his colleagues could have created a better documentary, then perfection would require a new definition. This story of the struggles and successes that led a small Dutch colony to become a world-renowned mega-city of diversity and development is informative yes; but the tale is also presented by means of an enjoyable and seam-free flow of successive time capsules revealing the events and personalities that molded Gotham into the unique place that it became in world history. To many, New York is Broadway, the Yankees, and the sadness of September 11th; when they leave this documentary it will be a complimentary spider-web of interconnected nations, commerce, tragedies and triumphs. New York, New York ... bravo !!

This is a tour de force; an incredibly informative, suspenseful, beautiful and moving documentary. I think its even better than his brother, Ken Burns documentary The Civil War. Its long, but Ive watched it several times. Its just brilliant.

Grew up in NYC .Born 1939. I learned things I did not know about my Home Town.

I write with the most sincere gratitude for this experience. I have always loved New York, but not nearly as much as I do now. Exquisitely woven together, this series has been profoundly moving and inspiring. I have yet to watch the last episode which I look forward to with immense anticipation.

Truly the best -- and most comprehensive -- histories of New York. Very well done!! Do not miss this!

great documentary film love watching it being from New York. got here on time very thing is good.

Essential viewing for every citizen of the world

This multi episode documentary is simply the best program i have ever seen on television. The stories, the character voices, the music, the drama, all are beyond excellent. the last episode, about the history of the World Trade Center, is the most captivating story of them all and i watch and listen for three full hours and then want to play it again. Thanks to PBS and Ric Burns for such a great production.