The Statue of Liberty (1985) User Reviews

Beautiful Images Of The Statue

[treeskier802 · 7/10 · 5 September 2008]

One of Burns' earliest documentaries, there are strikingly beautiful images of The Statue of Liberty. Burns does a great job showing the Statue in different light and angles. I particularly enjoy his images of the Statue at sunset and the one that shows a panoramic view of the New York harbor, including the Twin Towers.

Like all Burns films, a great array of interviews from well known Americans to immigrants is included. I particularly like Mario Cuomo's views of the Statue as well as James Baldwin's.

I watched instantly on Netflix to kill and hour and possibly learn something. It accomplished both. Rating 7 of 10 stars.

I liked the middle portion best!

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 10 October 2011]

I was not particularly impressed by opening montage (with, I think, the music of Paul Simon)--it seemed like filler and didn't work for me. The same, I think, could be said of the various folks who waxed lyrical of the concept of liberty. Until the film began talking in earnest about the history of the statue, I think the film was in neutral--momentum-wise. Fortunately, this brief beginning soon ended and the history (with David McCullough narrating) was discussed--and the show became very, very interesting. I was surprised to hear WHY the statue was originally to be built--to try to push France to promote liberty in its repressive society. By 1875, the government had changed and the project was seen as a way to encourage this freedom in France. It was also interesting to HOW the statue was made. And, the less than enthusiastic welcome by many Americans sure came as a surprise! Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, the fame Alsatian sculptor, designed this massive structure. And although it arrived in American just after the Centennial (1876), it wasn't assembled atop the platform on Bedlow's Island until a full decade later! Much of this was because the American government was not going to pay for this and fund-raising needed to be done to build the platform and assemble the HUGE statue.

The final portion is much like the first--there was a lot of talking about the statue, its importance on popular culture and its impact on immigrants seeing it for the first time. And lots and lots of famous and ordinary folks were interviewed for this.

I enjoyed this film but felt that the beginning and the end were padded just a bit--with lots and lots and lots of waxing lyrical about the statue. I also was surprised at all the folks Burns chose to interview that had negative things to say about the country--focusing on America's deficits (this is true of ALL nations). This probably won't sit well with some viewers. The history was great--the rest was....okay. But, worth seeing overall.

By the way, the film clip of Chaplin in this documentary is from "The Immigrant"--one of Chaplin's more famous shorts.

interesting early Ken Burns

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 6 August 2015]

This is one of documentarian Ken Burns' early accomplishments. It opens with a lot of talking heads expounding on the meaning of liberty. It's not a good opening. It's either pompous or boring or both. After those five minutes, it turns into something more recognizable by people who love his Civil War series. David McCullough is also narrating in this one. The story of the Statue of Liberty is interesting but nowhere near as compelling as the Civil War. This could be seen as a nice prologue to his much more compelling masterpiece. It holds some interesting information and he brings the old photos to life. However even at 60 minutes, this feels stretched out.

Another Strong Film From Burns

[Michael_Elliott · 6 November 2012]

The Statue of Liberty (1985)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

This 61-minute documentary from Ken Burns gives us the history of The Statue of Liberty from the time Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi thought it up through its production, the controversy as well as what liberty meant to people back then and today. This entry in Ken Burns' "America" series is certainly very entertaining to not only history buffs but I think fans of documentaries will also enjoy it. As usual, Burns does a very good job at giving us a very detailed look at the subject but he does so without letting the material grow boring or make it to where the viewer simply doesn't care about what's being discussed. As with most of the director's work, this here features narration to tell the actual story but it's also used to let us hear the words from the people who were involved with the building of the statue as well as others. Some of the most interesting moments cover the creation of the statue and its troubled arrival to America where many people weren't ready for it. Many didn't want a gift from the immoral French while others didn't think we should have to pay for a gift (for a place to put it). Also covered is the meaning of the word liberty and why so many different people would look at it differently as well as what America really stands for.

Early Burns Distills His Strengths and Weaknesses

[TheExpatriate700 · 5/10 · 8 July 2013]

The Statue of Liberty represents one of Ken Burns's first documentaries for PBS. Much shorter than his later work at only an hour, it provides insights into the strengths and weaknesses of his style. Even in this preliminary work, he demonstrates an aptitude for revealing little known facts, while also indulging a tendency toward sentimentality.

All the hallmarks of Burns's work are already here. We have the familiar narration of David McCullough and testimony from intellectuals such as James Baldwin and Carolyn Forche. As with other Burns productions, the narrative is sprinkled with interesting quotes from various historical figures.

The film does a good job of making its subject interesting, revealing many facts I had not previously known, such as the involvement of Eiffel in the Statue of Liberty. At the same time, by virtue of its shorter length, the film makes the weaknesses of Burns's style glaringly obvious. In particular, he sentimentalizes the Statue's meaning as a symbol for immigrants, featuring interviews with migrants that add little to the narrative. Furthermore, he ends the documentary with a montage showing the Statue's impact on popular culture, flashing a number of images without giving them any context. A bit more analysis would have been useful.

First Half is Great, Second Half is Terrible

[RaiderDuck · 5/10 · 26 December 2012]

This feature comes in two segments. The first part (10 out of 10) is a fascinating look at the conception and construction of the statue and the controversy(!) surrounding its installation in New York Harbor. I assumed the second half would be a look at its mid-1980s refurbishment, which was a remarkable engineering achievement in its own right. Alas, 'twas not to be. The second half we got (0 out of 10, if this score were available)) is an endless parade of talking heads bloviating about "liberty" and whining that the average American doesn't appreciate it, none of them saying anything different than what you'd expect. The oft- shown Mario Cuomo, in particular, sounds like the Presidential candidate he almost was, Barbara Jordan is as preachy and condescending as always, and who knows why Ken Burns thought the talented musician Ray Charles' thoroughly unremarkable political opinions deserved airing? I also "loved" (as in "was thoroughly annoyed by") Jerzy Kosinski saying nobody born in America is open-minded or smart enough to appreciate it. In short, this second half is reinforces every negative stereotype people have about Ken Burns: long-winded, preachy and sanctimonious.