Ken Burns’ new documentary, “The War,” which intertwines the stories of four towns during World War II, premiered Tuesday night in the Davis Auditorium.
Burns has been criticized for leaving out the Latino community’s participation in the war effort. This was addressed in a panel after the screening. The panelists included two men who served in World War II, Dr. Robert Hardaway and Marvin Lederman, one veteran from the Vietnam War, Cipriano Greigo, a member from Rocky Mountain PBS, Lisa D. Olken. The panel also included two DU history professors, Susan Schulten and Elizabeth Escobedo, who specializes in Latino history.
During the beginning of the panel discussion some members of the audience started to question the lack of factual information around the Latino community’s involvement in the war. The conversation got heated, as some of the veterans were a bit touchy at being accosted which put an end to most of the discussion.
However, it was never explained that Burns had altered the film to attempt to include soldiers and their stories from the Latino community.
The film, he explained in a handout distributed at the screening, was intended to show that World War II had affected all communities, all towns and touched every family. Until the final product is shown later this month, it is not known how much has been altered and whether or not the Latinos will feel their issues with the film were addressed.
The documentary has more than 15 hours of footage. The Public Broadcasting System began running the documentary this past Sunday at 7 p.m. on Rocky Mountain PBS. The documentary will run in two-hour increments over a period of seven weeks.
The audience was shown a one hour clip of this work which highlighted some of the most interesting parts of the series. Narrators for the program included Tom Hanks and Samuel L. Jackson.
Much interest was generated at DU premiering this preview early and the excitement was tangible in the audience. Veterans had been asked to come and veiw the film as well as evaluate if the film re-created their experiences.
The hour-long segment included individual stories of veterans still alive today and their families. It focused on four towns in Minnesota, California, Alabama and Connecticut, which sent their young men to fight in the war.
The visuals were graphic, violent and bloody, much like a war. Photographs were accompanied by sounds of gunfire and explosions, which created a very intense viewing experience.
For the most part the film was chronological, starting with Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor and moving to the Battle of the Bulge and other battles. The nightmarish quality of the war was intensified with stories by those who fought in or witnessed these events. The film also included accounts of many people who were victims of the war.
Images of men on fire, women and children throwing themselves off a cliff, and dead soldiers strewn about in the snow were quite stark and abundant.
The event was part of Constitution Day at DU and drew a large crowd of DU students. The film preview and panel discussion was sponsored by the AUSA Senate, Rocky Mountain PBS and the DU History Department.
