Amazon offering deep discounts on Burns' National Parks

Amazon offering deep discounts on Burns' National Parks

Thursday, November 19, 2009

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Earlier this fall, PBS aired Ken Burns' excellent documentary film, The National Parks: America's Best Idea. Hopefully all of you got a chance to watch it.

The documentary is the story of an idea as uniquely American as the Declaration of Independence and just as radical: that the most special places in the nation should be preserved, not for royalty or the rich, but for everyone. It was filmed over the course of more than six years at some of the most spectacular locales, including Acadia, Yosemite, Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon as well as Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

If you missed the film, or if would like to have your own copy of the DVD to watch at any time, Amazon is now offering both the DVD and the companion book at some pretty deep discounts.



The DVD Box Set contains six discs with a total of 720 minutes of run time. Amazon is selling the DVD set for just $79.99. That's a 20% mark-off from the original price of $99.99. This item also ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Please click here for more product information.





The National Parks film companion book, at 432 pages, goes into much more depth about the creation of the national park system. Additionally, you'll find hundreds of stunning photos (historic and contemporary) of the people and landscapes from our national parks. Amazon is selling the companion book for only $29.25. That's a 42% discount off the original price of $50.00. This item also ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Please click here for more information about the book.



Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, hiking gear store, and more.

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Ken Burns' National Parks: Short Review

Ken Burns' National Parks: Short Review

Saturday, October 3, 2009

2 comments

First off, let me say that I've thoroughly enjoyed National Parks: America's Best Idea. Prior to this week's broadcast, I wasn't really sure what to expect. I assumed the film would be a contemporary overview and an expose of stunning photography from the national parks. However, the film focused much more on the historical development of the national parks and park system itself. As a history buff, I'm glad Mr. Burns decided to go in this direction.

Throughout the week I certainly learned a lot. For example, I didn't realize the immense role that Horace Albright played in the formation of the modern National Park Service, as well as the acquisition of new parks during his tenure.

I also thought Mr. Burns did a fairly decent job with his overview of the Great Smoky Mountains.

Thomas Moran: Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

Having said all that, I do have a couple of nitpicking criticisms.

1) I thought Burns spent a disproportionate amount of time on Yosemite. I agree that Yosemite is stunningly beautiful and probably deserves more time than the average park, but it came at the cost of glossing over other major parks, namely Olympic, Glacier and Rocky Mountain National Parks. Burns favoritism for Yosemite reminded me of the way he overwhelmingly favored the New York Yankees in his otherwise excellent Baseball film. As a Cincinnati Reds fan it was just a little too much!

2) One other criticism, albeit small, is that I wish that PBS didn't have to run two-hour broadcasts of the film on six consecutive days. Towards the end of the week it started to feel like I was taking part in a marathon. I wish they would stagger programs like this across two or three weeks. Maybe do four three-hour segments over the course of two weeks, with a five minute intermission at the half-way point on each night.

Despite these, I do think that the film will result in a fairly major spike in national parks visitation next year. I'm certainly even more inspired now to visit many of the parks that have been on my list for some time.

What do you guys think? Did you like the film? Did you learn anything compelling? Do you think the Smokies were treated fairly?

If you're wishing to add to the film experience, below is the companion book (42% off) and the DVD (30% off) from Amazon:













Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, and more.

Read More