"Some of the criticisms Burns attracts are of the 'What about Mingus?' variety. But others take aim at his central claim: that his cinematic subjects embody the American spirit, and that our democracy is unique in the world. For example, jazz is presented in his documentary as a mirror for our democracy, with the suggestion that American culture is all about improvisation.
"'This sort of unreflected populist Hallmark-ese seems a strange mixture of New Deal and New Age,' Tim Page wrote in the Washington Post around the time of 'Jazz,' 'and I don't believe it for a moment.'"
Scott Timberg in the Los Angeles Times considers Ken Burns as PBS begins to broadcast the new documentary series The National Parks: America's Best Idea.
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