The National Parks: America's Best Idea [Blu-ray] | ![The National Parks: America's Best Idea [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51gJRhGkLkL._SL500_.jpg) | Director: Ken Burns;Dayton Duncan;Producer/Writer
Actors: Adam Arkin, Philip Bosco, Kevin Conway, Peter Coyote
Studio: PBS (DIRECT)
List Price: $129.99
Buy Used: $65.24
as of 7/31/2010 06:47 CDT details
You Save: $64.75 (50%)
New (14) Used (5) from $58.49
Seller: pieceofmindmedia
Rating:  39 reviews
Sales Rank: 13,510
Format: NTSC
Language: English (Unknown)
Media: Blu-ray
Region: 1
Discs: 6
Running Time: 720 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.3 x 5.5 x 1.1
UPC: 841887010986
EAN: 0841887010986
ASIN: B002GWDK6Q
Release Date: October 6, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Product Description
The National Parks (six episodes, twelve hours) tells the human history of five of the nation’s most important and most heavily visited National Parks (Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Acadia, and Great Smoky Mountains) and the unforgettable Americans who made them possible. Set against some of the most beautiful landscapes on earth, each park’s story is filled with incidents and characters as gripping and fascinating as American history has to offer. Woven into the series will also be a broader, evolving story of the very idea of National Parks, as uniquely an American concept as jazz, baseball, and the Declaration of Independence as well as the expanding, constantly changing National Parks system (encompassing stories from other parks) and the growing role they all have come to play in our nation's sense of itself, its past, and its future.
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 39
 National Parks certainly aren't America's "best idea." July 17, 2010
Michael Gordon (Los Angeles, Ca)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Contrary to the views of the makers of this documentary, I do not believe that national parks are "America's best idea." Instead, I believe that liberty, the US Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and capitalism, are America's "best idea." Nevertheless, I did enjoy watching most of this documentary, even though I disagreed with a lot of it. The makers of this documentary have a very statist orientation. They believe that humans are destroyers of the planet and that it is the government to protect particular locations such as national parks. I happen to believe that this is not the case. Even if the government did not protect places such as the Grand Canyon, private organizations, particularly conservation groups, could have raised the money to set the land aside and run it on a private basis. The government has done a terrible job in managing our national parks. Even the documentary has stated this. The documentary shows plenty of photos that suggest that the national parks are overwhelmed. Of course they are: the government is providing access at a cost that is far below what the private market would charge. And since the government will always be incompetent in managing things, it is definitely understandable how a lot of the parks are in badly need of repair.
I did not like the grainy video that was used in the series, either. For such an expensive project, one would have hoped that they could have shot this in 35mm instead of 16. Well, but that also makes sense: it was made by PBS (the government?) Need we say more?
 Must See Documentary June 5, 2010
The Dave 3000 (Arlington, TX United States)
This is perhaps the finest documentary series I have ever seen. The historical significance of the story of our National Parks is not only awe inspiring and moving, it is essential in the understanding of who we are as individuals and as Americans. The treasures of our parks and their stories are revealed here in brilliant archival film footage, beautifully performed vocal acting, and stunning HD images of majestic scenery from the various parks in the US. This is not a vacation guide or a highlight reel of the best things to do in each park. This is the story of how the parks were formed, how the system grew over time, and the battles and challenges faced along the way to keep them going and the constant threats, even today, to subject them to capitalistic opportunities by corporations eager to make a quick profit in the short term at the expense of the future. This is one of, if not the best, documentaries ever produced by Ken Burns, and is a must see by everyone who can appreciate the symbiotic and sacred relationship between mankind and nature. After seeing this documentary you will know why the creation of the national parks truly was one of America's greatest ideas; and why we must forever protect our parks from the blade of industry and the greed of quick profits. We preserve our parks to preserve ourselves and it's story needs to be told again and again.
Landscape Photography March 16, 2010
Keith V. Weigel
This collection is a valuable possession. It is a historical comment on well photographed landscape scenes that are available to be visited by the public. The 6 discs give an extensive amount of viewing time.
 Thanks for the 1960s home movie Ken Burns February 12, 2010
R. Roy
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
The documentary is typical Ken Burns... interesting, but a little meandering at times.
The real shame of this version is the grainy video that is painfully apparent on a large HD display. Burns' panned still images are crystal clear showing every blemish and fold of the old photographs but his shots of the majestic scenery in the parks are marred by his poor choice of camera and film. I will say the soundtrack is fairly well done even if Peter Coyote (narrator) is a little dry.
Do not bother with the blu ray version, you will not get anything more than the standard DVD version with this series.
 National Parks - Blu-ray February 11, 2010
H. White
The series on PBS was excellent, but when you watch it in blu-ray, it is really stunning. The best part is that there are no annoying floating ads flashing across the screen. This is definitely a good buy.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 39
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