Recently, a docuseries has been released on PBS about the life of Benjamin Franklin, which is narrated by Peter Coyote. The series seems to be getting mixed reactions from the viewers about its content and presentation.
Let’s find out what this docuseries has to offer about the life of the founding father.
There is no doubt about Ken Burns’s ability to create documentary series about the life of legends. His projects about the life of Muhammad Ali and others have managed to garner positive responses from the viewers for their authenticity.
However, in this docuseries, he had many limitations because he was making the documentary about the man who existed in a period when there was no photographic technology, so most of the content was made with help of historians’ paintings.
Benjamin Franklin Narrator Peter Coyote
Many viewers might be oblivious to the fact that the voice behind Benjamin Franklin in Ken’s documentary was Peter Coyote. His voice has been enjoyed in the past for his mellifluousness and its impact on the persona he represents.
However, in this series, he is getting mixed reactions. The comments are not questioning his ability to voice, but people are saying that it was kind o monotonous rather than interactive. One of the reviewers told that it was more like completing homework.
Nonetheless, the complete review is yet to come from viewers because many people have still not seen it. Peter is a renowned name in the industry. He has been part of hits like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Kika, and others.
Over the years of their career in Hollywood, he has lent his voice to projects like Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, The Roosevelts: An Intimate History. He also won Primetime Emmy Award for The Roosevelts.
Ken Burns Documentary Real or Contradictions?
There are many discussions about the content of Ken Burn’s documentary and it can be said that he shows as many real facts as possible with the information he garners from experts. However, there are certainly some lacking in every project.
It has been reported that Ken failed to present the humourous side of Benjamin Franklin. It has been reported that Franklin was only a humourous founding father. The addition of this element would have added to the authenticity.
The lack of personal details of Franklin detach people from a real man. Even though Franklin was a man of many talents, it has been reported that he failed as a father and husband, which is accurately represented by Ken.
There is no doubt that the show has managed to give insight to people about the life of the legend and it has managed to maintain authenticity as much as possible with the help of experts.