The biggest stumbling block for Blu-ray fanatics in watching this latest dissertation by Ken Burns is going to be the fact it was shot on 16mm and doesn't look like all the ultra-HD, digitally-shot Planet Earth. The two things that piqued my interest most about The National Parks: Americas Best Idea were my lifelong fascination with the parks and the fact that Burns isn't changing his game for anyone.
The going logic is that if you like his style and the subject, you know it won't be a waste of time, and that remains the case. The recently-released Blu-ray set includes the Peter Coyote-narrated, 12.5-hour piece split into six parts (as it aired) along with a stack of extras.
The Scripture of Nature (1851-1890) [116:00] covers the discovery of Yosemite and the US government establishing Yellowstone as the first National Park, but with no means or body to keep it preserved. The Last Refuge (1890-1915) [131:00] takes us into the beginnings of the Conservation movement and the Theodore Roosevelt presidency. Another notable is that Roosevelt is the one who set aside all 800,000 acres of Grand Canyon during this time period. The Empire of Grandeur (1915-1919) [114:00] covers only a few years, but a great deal of progress with the establishment of the National Parks Service and various new parks, including Bryce Canyon and Arches, favorites of mine.
Going Home (1920-1933) [117:00] carries us through the turbulent 20's and the "democratization" of the parks by way of automobile. Great Nature (1933-1945) [116:00] appropriately covers the entire FDR presidency. He was responsible for one of the biggest expansions of the Parks system. The struggles facing conservation efforts, particularly during such an expansion, play a big role here. The Morning of Creation (1946-1980) [116:00], the final episode, covers the post-war period explosion in attendance at the various parks thanks to widespread automobile ownership in addition to one of the major dustups of the Carter presidency, in which the President set aside 56 million Alaskan acres for seven National Parks. That decision remains a hit button issue to this day, with industry and conservationists still duking it out.
The extras are spread across the discs. Disc One has The Making of The National Parks as guided by Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan. Disc Two features Capturing the Parks, which is more of an on-location behind-the-scenes thing. Disc Three includes the Musical Journeys Through The National Parks featurette, which reminds me of the old Disney shorts that set famous music to beautiful locations. Disc Four is home to all the Outtakes, as narrated by Burns. Disc Five is home to a mini-documentary about the people who've dedicated their lives to the ideals of the parks called The National Parks: This Is America. Disc Six rounds things out with Contemporary Stories From America's National Parks. It's made up of five short films focusing on varied topics including the San Antonio Missions park, Mount Rushmore, Yosemite's Buffalo Soldiers, Inner City Kids working in the parks, and the establishment of a WWII Japanese internment camp as a national historic site. I found the supplements on the last two discs to be the most worthwhile. all the extras are also available on the DVD.
I don't know why anyone would get the DVD to only save two dollars off the $71.99 Amazon is selling the Blu-ray for. It might be the kind of thing you want to own, or would rather get through your Netflix queue.