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Audience Rated by buyers NR (Not Rated)
Type of bind: DVD
EAN num: 0841887007979
Format: Color, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
Label: PBS (Direct)
Manufacturer: PBS (Direct)
Quantity: 1
Publishing house: PBS (Direct)
Region Code: 1
Release Date: November 21, 2006
Running Time: 120 minutes
Sale Popularity Level: 68222
Studio: PBS (Direct)
Theatrical Release Date: 2006
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Description:
At the end of 1853, San Francisco was a city on the fast track. A few years earlier, the seaside town had been a sleepy village of just 800 people. But the sight of gold in the waters of the American River set the stage for an event that would forever change a city, a fledgling state, and the nation. Incorporating rare and exquisite daguerreotypes and original recreations, this film offers a vivid portrait of a seminal event in America's history.
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Rated by buyers 
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I was excited at very first since most American Experience documentaries are very informative. This one fell short of my expectations as there was really nothing new regarding the Gold Rush. The producers did a good job keeping a fairly even keel historically and conjecture to a minimum. Included are many excellent historians and some that are controversial at best, but they were kept within the realm of historical facts. Few other than J. S. Holliday for example, had anything to say of a deep understanding of the rush, and others were simply regurgitating what Holliday had been saying for thirty years (they must have been fans). This documentary is best suited to children, say, in the 12-16 year range. A couple of errors were made as well unless I'm mistaken. The 230 ounces of gold taken to Washington, D. C. by Lieutenant Loeser was carried in a tea caddy, not an "oyster tin" as stated. I could not find the "oyster tin" fact anywhere, and it is the very first time I have heard it. Also, Alfred Doten never owned a store in California as promoted in the documentary; but he did "tend" a store for a Mr. Perry when he was away buying goods. I also think they were a little harsh on Doten, especially on the PBS site in regard to their "bio" of him. His diaries were never intended to be published, and I think simple respect should be exercised when judging someone through 21st century eyes. He certainly liked women, and the reason he was with "women of color" is because that's chiefly all who were there at first, but that's never brought out in the documentary except as an innuendo to make him seem deviant. In actuality he was no different than any other nationality that populated California regarding women; he just wrote about his actions and is an easy target as a result. There was also a failure to mention that many Chinese were basically conscripted in California to work for higher-ranking Chinese "bosses." Many of the Chinese were not at liberty to do as they wished--one could not make that connection from the video. Finally, yes it may be true that many miners did not want to return home because of failure, or simply wanted to stay because of a more open society, but when spring begins in California in February--when "back east" gray encompasses the sky, crusty snow is on the ground, and nothing will be purple for another two months, I'd stay in California too!
Rated by buyers 
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After viewing this documentary about the west, one has to wonder: are all white americans evil? No! But one has to be honest enough to acknowledge the fact that prejudice toward any human being who was not white existed and flourished by the DOMINANT WHITE CLASS. This is a sad but true statement, after buying and viewing this DVD...and... Ken Burns DVD: the West, and The Way West DVD by Ric Burns. All three DVDs have the common thread of inhumane treatment to non white people by the Anglo American. This is fact!
If you do not want to find the truth, don't buy it...or for that matter,any of the other DVDs I've mentioned. However, such facts leads us to understanding ourselves to then ask what do we need to do to improve.
I highly reccommend this DVD to see what the WEST was like living during those times for it makes us understand that life has never been easy but easier through education by being HONEST to view this DVD.
Rated by buyers 
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Like the American Experience series overall, this was a strong work about the gold rush. At two hours, I felt it ran a bit long. Then again, maybe as a one-hour special, it would have been too short.
Too often, documentaries do not have diverse interviewees. This work bucked that trend. It included men and women. One interviewee was South American author Isabel Allende. I knew her as a writer, but did not know she had such an interest in history.
The work is very gender-inclusive. It does state that 90% of gold rushers were male, However, it tried to speak of the women who also went on the adventure. It spoke of how skills that women had on the East Coast were devalued there but appreciated in California. Further, men appreciated women's singing, conversation, and simple proximity.
The American Experience continues its bold attention to the country's ugly racist past. The work starts by saying men of various nationalities and races went to California. Still, it then speaks of how the native-born quickly found ways to keep others out. The work not only speaks of racism, but specifically spells out how this hurt Native Americans, Latinos, and the Chinese, specifically. The narrator stated that California declared itself an American state before the United States Congress did so. I heard the Californian Constitution was written both in English and Spanish, but that isn't mentioned, or corroborated, here.
I do feel the work was cowardly in its sexual orientation politic. Many say that San Francisco's prominence as a gay Mecca may have been caused by the Gold Rush. Men far outnumbered women, and yet this documentary never stated whether these men got personal with each other. The work mentions that men danced with each other as couples, but a bigoted viewer could interpret that to mean they quickly separated once the music stopped. The documentary emphasizes that "Men did in California what they wouldn't do back home." But the work never mentions that same-sex sexual activities may have been an example of that. There are numerous gay studies scholars on the West Coast who could have elaborated on those issues in this work. For shame!
Again, a bit too long, but I do recommend that others see it.
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