Los Angeles Times

Ken Burns, Lynn Novick spent a decade trying to untangle the Vietnam War

Maybe it's a stretch to suggest that PBS' "The Vietnam War" is the magnum opus of Ken Burns' illustrious career. This is, after all, the man who made his name with epic and oftentimes definitive documentaries on everything from baseball to jazz to the Civil War.

But his latest labor of love with longtime collaborator Lynn Novick manages the impossible: Clocking in at 18 hours starting Sept. 17, it untangles one of the most complicated narratives in American history.

Burns and Novick recently sat down with The Times to discuss their process and the last decade making sense of

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times10 min read
Ben Gibbard On That Glow-up Of A Haircut And His Love-hate Relationship With LA
LOS ANGELES — Twenty-one years ago, Ben Gibbard's life changed twice in the span of eight months. In February 2003, the frontman of Seattle's Death Cab for Cutie released "Give Up," the first (and only) album by his electro-pop side project the Posta
Los Angeles Times5 min readDiscrimination & Race Relations
Doctors Saw Younger Men Seeking Vasectomies After Roe V. Wade Was Overturned
Kori Thompson had long wrestled with the idea of having a child. The 24-year-old worried about the world a kid would face as climate change overtook the globe, fearing the environmental devastation and economic strain that could follow. He had been t
Los Angeles Times3 min readAmerican Government
Sen. Bernie Sanders Endorses 2 California Ballot Measures, Including Rent Control Expansion
LOS ANGELES — Sen. Bernie Sanders, who remains popular in California after winning the state's 2020 Democratic presidential primary, on Wednesday announced he is throwing his support behind two ballot measures related to rent control and restrictions

Related Books & Audiobooks