American Experience

1988

Seasons & Episodes

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8.6| 0h30m| TV-PG| en
Synopsis

TV's most-watched history series brings to life the compelling stories from our past that inform our understanding of the world today.

Cast

Director

Producted By

GBH

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Trailers & Clips

Reviews

SeeQuant Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction
Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
Sienna-Rose Mclaughlin The movie really just wants to entertain people.
Cassandra Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.
Grumpy This program used to be called "The American Experience." Then it was suddenly and deliberately truncated to "American Experience" as part of a mysterious "update." An act which should live--in infamy.Why did the producers of this program remove the "the" from the beginning of the title? I believe that this is something that should not, as Bush the Elder once said, "stand." Who dictated that the "the" should be removed? What sense does it make to take a perfectly reasonable title--"The American Experience" which describes what all Americans have in common, and what makes us Americans--and remove one word, thereby changing the meaning to, well, nothing. "American Experience" is a nonsense phrase. It's stupid.If this was done "just because" I'd like to question the wisdom of spending money to change all the logos and promotional material, and re-do all the voice-overs and promotions. Scarce resources were spent on a stupid and pointless change for no reason? I don't believe it. This was done for a reason, and I'd like to know why it was done. If the motives were political, then it's a disgrace.
bilmar-1 This is a wonderful film of a time past when in the future nothing has changed...so if you love history, watch it. Angie Debo was a tireless researcher who did not understand why it is alright to take land that does not belong to you, become rich, and watch others die or become dependents to the state because you stole from them. Has it become too time-honored a tradition in America?The filmmaker, Martha Sandlin, does an excellent job of condensing very complicated material and bringing to life a woman who lived a full and energetic life.BUT IMDb, please!!!! You have the wrong picture for Indians, Outlaws and Angie Debo. PLEASE CORRECT IT!
MartinHafer As a retired history teacher, it's probably not all that surprising that I love this series--especially as I taught American history. However, my love of it is not just for the subject matter but because the show is exceptionally well made throughout--and brings to life many otherwise dull or forgotten events through history. Because of very high production values, the show is nearly always the best example on a given topic that you can find. In addition, although some bash PBS for leaning too far to the left, often I have noticed that the shows are very balanced and have a certain fondness for their subject--no matter the political persuasion. For example, the show seems just as enthusiastic in extolling the virtues of an FDR as well as a George H.W. Bush. All in all, consistently the best historical series on television--brilliant and enjoyable episode after episode.
dlto 622 American Experience is a superior program on PBS (no commercials, thank goodness) about events in American history that have been largely forgotten in recent history. Consider watching: The series on the Presidents shows the humanity of the man in the White House and how he shaped America to vision, sometimes successfully, and many times unsuccessfully.Steven Foster,a pre-Civil War songwriter who was the first mega-star. He was the first to popularize African-American style music into mainstream society, and tried to become a respectable composer. By the time at the outbreak of the Civil War he was a has-been, and tragically died in 1864.The Orphan Train was about the history of the New York Children's Aid Society (founded by President Theodore Roosevelt's father) and their mission to get children off the streets of New York and place them in homes in the Midwest and Southwest. The interview with people who had been transported was fascinating and heart wrenching.The Dust Bowl was about the devastation in the 1930's that involved the plains of the Midwest. After watching, you begin to appreciate novels/movies about this period such as Grapes of Wrath and Three Faces West; and those who lived in the affected areas and what hardships and tragedies they endured.Jonestown Flood, another tragic event in American history which in growing up I had heard about, but did not know the extent of events and how horrible it really was.