Ken Burns in Lowell
Congratulations to Middlesex Community College for tonight’s 12th MCC Celebrity Forum at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium. Ken Burns was simply outstanding. He entered from the rear of the hall, accompanied by a vintage recording of “This Land is Your Land” and quickly mounted the stage that was decorated by foliage, a canoe and a tent in recognition of his latest film, “Our National Parks: America’s Greatest Idea.” Functionally, Burns spoke from a solid wooden podium at center stage with his image projected on a large video screen to his rear.
Burns began by describing the central themes that run through all his films. Foremost is the exploration of the question “who are we?” closely followed by examinations of race and space, particularly how the sheer size of our country shaped us as a people. He spoke glowingly of our National Parks, calling them “the Declaration of Independence applied to the landscape.” Several times he returned to a point made in the 14 minute introduction to National Parks that was shown before he took the stage: That we fail to appreciate the fact that we all, as American citizens, own the most magnificent and beautiful natural spaces in our country. This was a radical notion. In the rest of the world, such spots were the sole domain of kings and nobles. Without the National Park system, Burns suggested, Yellowstone would be a gated community reserved for the wealthiest in our country. read more »
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