MINISERIES PREMIERE: Ken Burns, writer Geoffrey C. Ward and the rest of Burns’ eager and talented collaborators present what emerges, ultimately, as the finest Ken Burns epic to date: a joint biography of Theodore, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. The voices of those formidable historical figures are provided, respectively, by Paul Giamatti, Edward Herrmann and Meryl Streep, with narration by Peter Coyote and on-camera observations by, among others, Ward himself. Tonight’s Part 1, while we hear all three Roosevelt voices, focuses on Teddy, who takes tonight’s entire program to ascend to the U.S. Presidency. Watch this entire series, which unspools on PBS in two-hour chunks over seven consecutive nights – and record it, because you’ll want to see it again and again. For my full review, see
Bianculli’s Blog. And to hear my review on NPR’s
Fresh Air with Terry Gross, which includes audio samples from several episodes, visit the
Fresh Air website. Check local listings.