Trapped in the Sierra Nevadas during the bitter winter of 1846, nearly 90 members of the Donner and Reed families longed for California's "Promised Land." But an untried shortcut became a death warrant for half of them?victims of madness, death, and cannibalism. The program re-creates the Donner Party's journey from family journals, newspaper accounts, and interviews with historians and descendants.
Producer: Lisa Ades, Ric Burns
Executive Producer: Mark Samels
Production Company: Steeplechase Films
Production Year: 1992
Copyright Year: 1992
Rating: TV-PG
Narrator: David McCullough
Actors: J.D. Cannon, Timothy Hutton, Gene Jones, Amy Madigan
Writers: Ric Burns
Number of Discs: 1
Length: 90 minutes
VIDEO USAGE RIGHTS
Why the AV version? Because it provides additional usage options for PBS videos. AV versions come with limited performance rights so they can be shown in classrooms, at PTA meetings, during after school programs, and transmitted on a closed-circuit system within a building or on a single campus. They also can be enjoyed in admission-free public screenings, which also makes them ideal for use by library patrons and businesses involved in community clubs and organizations.