Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
10 new from £26.05
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
The West - Ken Burns [DVD]
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images

The West - Ken Burns [DVD]

DVD ~ Peter Coyote; Gary Sinise; Matthew Broderick; Martin Moran; Ken Little Hawk; Terrence Currier; Blythe Danner; August Schellenberg; Adam Arkin; Pamela Reed; Tony Plana; Julie Harris; Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio; Michael Potts; Robert Prosky
4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
RRP: £50.99
Price: £34.98 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £16.01 (31%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Want guaranteed delivery by Friday, July 17? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
10 new from £26.05
Learn about Lovefilm
Amazon's choice for DVD rental.
With a 14 day FREE trial. Learn more

Frequently Bought Together

The West - Ken Burns [DVD] + The American Civil War [DVD] + The World At War - Complete TV Series (11 Disc Box Set) [DVD]
Total RRP: £201.97
Price For All Three: £119.53

Show availability and shipping details

  • This item: The West - Ken Burns [DVD] DVD ~ Peter Coyote; Gary Sinise; Matthew Broderick; Martin Moran; Ken Little Hawk; Terrence Currier; Blythe Danner; August Schellenberg; Adam Arkin; Pamela Reed; Tony Plana; Julie Harris; Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio; Michael Potts; Robert Prosky

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • The American Civil War [DVD] DVD ~ David McCullough (Pres/Narr)

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • The World At War - Complete TV Series (11 Disc Box Set) [DVD] DVD ~ Laurence Olivier

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The West - Ken Burns [DVD]
67% buy the item featured on this page:
The West - Ken Burns [DVD] 4.8 out of 5 stars (5)
£34.98
The American Civil War [DVD]
16% buy
The American Civil War [DVD] 4.4 out of 5 stars (18)
£38.27
The Great Indian Wars 1540-1890 [DVD] [2007]
10% buy
The Great Indian Wars 1540-1890 [DVD] [2007] 5.0 out of 5 stars (2)
£13.98
Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee (HBO) [DVD] [2007]
5% buy
Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee (HBO) [DVD] [2007] 3.1 out of 5 stars (14)
£4.68
Explore similar items

Product details

Reviews

Special Features
English
Region 2


Synopsis
The complete Ken Burns documentary series which tells of the taming of the Wild West.

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The American Civil War [DVD]

The American Civil War [DVD]

DVD ~ David McCullough (Pres/Narr)
4.4 out of 5 stars (18)  £38.27
The Great Indian Wars 1540-1890 [DVD] [2007]

The Great Indian Wars 1540-1890 [DVD] [2007]

DVD ~ The Great Indian Wars
5.0 out of 5 stars (2)  £13.98
The World At War - Complete TV Series (11 Disc Box Set) [DVD]

The World At War - Complete TV Series (11 Disc Box Set) [DVD]

DVD ~ Laurence Olivier
4.8 out of 5 stars (45)  £46.28
Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee (HBO) [DVD] [2007]

Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee (HBO) [DVD] [2007]

DVD ~ Aidan Quinn
3.1 out of 5 stars (14)  £4.68
Ken Burns - The War [DVD] [2007]

Ken Burns - The War [DVD] [2007]

DVD ~ Ken Burns
2.3 out of 5 stars (3)  £34.98
› Explore similar items

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
Check the boxes next to the tags you consider relevant or enter your own tags in the field below
(1)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags
 

Customer Reviews

5 Reviews
5 star:
 (4)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
76 of 77 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful! For all fans of Ken Burns, 10 Feb 2004
If you have seen and enjoyed Ken Burns' legendary documentary mini-series, The American Civil War, then you will not be disappointed by The West.

Burns employs the same techniques (letters, photos, old maps, drawings with Hollywood actors providing the voices and historians occasionally fleshing out the tones) to tell the story of the American West. It is a wonderful story told from every angle. If you enjoy American history and value good film-making, then do not miss this wonderful documentary series.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Definitive documentary but at a pedestrian pace, 16 Dec 2007
By DF McCleland (Johannesburg, South Africa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This landmark series will probably always be the definitive series on how the West was "won". These vast roaming plains were initially the home to the various Indian tribes & equally vast herds of bison.

The video deals with the slow dispossession of the Indians to these lands. Initially the impact of the white man was inconsequential as they only had to deal with hunters, traders & trappers. These were hardy frontiersmen who impinged little on the Indians traditional way of life except for 3 things - guns, horses & booze.

This idyll was about to change irrevocably with the discovery of gold in California & the building of the railroads across the continent. With the opening up of the West, came the immigrants from Europe and the outlaws, unemployed & adventurers from the east coast. Their voracious appetite for land meant the slow inexorable dispossession of the Indian peoples despite treaties to the contrary. By reneging on these promises, the Indians experienced the eventual demise of their traditional way of life. Part of this change was wrought by the utter destruction of the bison heads - once estimated to number up to 30 million - to the point of their imminent extinction.

Ironically the greatest victory of the Indians against the white man viz the slaughter of the federal troops under George Custer at Little Bighorn was the prelude to their eventual rounding up & placement in reservations.

One gets a sense of the dichotomy of the opening up of the West to development but also the simultaneous destruction of the Indian way of life.

This reviewer certainly finds fault in the production. These principally revolve around what I refer to as the cardinal sins of documentary making. The first relates to the repeated use of the same footage. The existence of plentiful footage of certain aspects was probably problematic and a huge challenge but it was not overcome. Secondly was the display of a photo or scene for lengthy periods whilst some quote was made. The accepted practice to overcome this problem when using stills is to zoom in on an aspect of the picture & then to zoom out. To merely have a static image of the screen is unacceptable. Thirdly the episodes are too long. It would have been preferable to have a maximum length of 50 minutes. All of these negatives tend to make the pace tedious & pedestrian which detracts from an otherwise impressive presentation.

There is no other video which deals so comprehensively with this subject & deals with its epic scale. For all those wanting such a compelling overview of the subject, this is the DVD to buy but be prepared to loose focus occasionally.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely compelling and triumphant docmentary, 10 Oct 2008
By Can Ortac (Turkey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Ken Burns has captured the drama, the triumph, the tragedy and more importantly - The truth of the opening and colonization of the American West in this masterpiece of film work. I ordered "The West" as a follow up to watching Ken Burns' "The Civil War" (also an excellent production) to fill in some of the "gaps" and I was not disappointed, "The West" provides a massive amount of historical information in a well-planned, easy to follow and concise manner. The rich panoramic camera-work coupled with original photos, quotes, commentaries and period music delivers a sense of reality, one can almost imagine standing on the plains with the pioneers or cringing from a cavalry charge. The film is not patriotic, there is no attempt to conceal or sugarcoat unpleasant events perpetrated in the course of "manifest destiny", the film is raw and unapologetic, Ken Burns merely delivers the truth of what happened, he doesn't take sides. I highly recommend this series for anyone wishing to know about "The West" or how the United States came to be what it is today. Again, kudos to Mr. Burns, keep up the good work.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars If 'accurate' , comprehensive history interests u buy this.
I had already watched Ken Burns' 'The Civil War' and thus knew what to expect. In general it did not reveal anything at the macro level that I did not know, however, it is his... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Graeme Newton

5.0 out of 5 stars Compulsive viewing
If anybody needs to try and fathom out the American psyche of today then they could do not better than to watch this series, as everything America has become is rooted in their... Read more
Published 21 months ago by C. Copp

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]

   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Feedback

Fun for Everyone

Christmas Gifts
Achieve over 15,000 RPM with our great range of Powerballs.

›Shop the Powerball store

  

Let Olay Amaze You

Olay Total Effects Day Moisturiser SPF15 50ml
Amazon.co.uk sells all your favourite ranges from Olay, including Regenerist and Total Effects.

›Discover Olay at Amazon.co.uk

  

Up to 53% off Braun Series Shavers

Braun Series 3 390cc Clean & Renew System Rechargeable Foil Electric Shaver
Get in touch with your smooth side with Braun Series shavers, now with Gillette blade technology.

›Discover Braun Series at Amazon.co.uk

  

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

  
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates