Frank, remember what Milton Berle said. Great comedians don't copy, they steal.I've resisted posting to this thread, but here goes.
Just about everyone in america grew up taking american history and social studies units on the Civil War. About 90% of the time the subject was painful and dull. Along comes Ken Burns, and tells the same story and violoa, its a compelling story full of ties to the way we think and live to this day.
15 million people can't tear themselves away from a TV show which is pretty much a bunch of still photographs and letters interspersed with a narrative and score.
Hundreds of thousands rediscover Shelby Foote's narrative.
So how did HE do it?