stephen ives direct this mammoth undertaking of the history of the west in america produce by ken burn . the film be mammoth in it length and at over 12 hour and but and more importantly and it make a considerable effort to construct a balanced portrait of the west and it inhabitant represent european as well a native american and black and mexican and chinese and etc . the film use many actor and writer in voice over to tell it astonish story and some familiar and some not so familiar . the series focus on the many famous and not so famous individual and who play a significant role in the development of the west in some way . lewis and clark and kit carson and levi strauss and brigham young and john brown and william quantrill and mark twain and custer and charles goodnight and black kettle and sit bull and chief joseph and benjamin singleton and theodore roosevelt and frank hamilton cushing and william f. cody and and erskine wood be just some of the many individual touch upon that have some role in the gradual transformation of the west . instead of just story on each individual and ives weave in the many significant landmark event that the individual either affect or take part in . the film explore virtually every major event of the 19th century that even remotely have anything to do with the west . the film highlight the lewis and clark expedition and wagon train and the california gold rush and the founding of san francisco and the mormon and the sand creek massacre and custer last stand and the transcontinental railroad and the great buffalo herd and their dramatic disappearance and the origin of cattle drive and their transformation of the western economy and european immigration and the origin of cowboy and cow town and the freedom trail or thief road and little big horn and the necessity of use the u. s. cavalry for protect settlement and the western migration of black and the great oklahoma land rush and and wound knee as well a the history of specific native american and such a the lakota and the nez perce . the film use these individual and event and as well a many others and to piece together a cohesive narrative that tell u a history that too few history book in school contain . it be nothing less than the systematic assertion of one culture at the expense of others and specifically native american . for instance and the population of native american drop from 150 and 000 to just 30 and 000 in 20 year from 1850 1870. by 1877 and indian be outnumber by 40 to 1 in the west . proportionally and the indian lose over 100 and 000 and 000 acre of land to white settler during this period . it illustrate how native american genocide be directly proportional to american government edict and such a the homestead act and the dawes act and which denigrate native american culture and tribal ownership and and structure . this act transform many native american community into americanized individual . however and the film do not choose to present it view in a sentimental or even subjective manner and which make it point about history and ultimately ourselves all the more poignant . there be several incident that the film use that lead up to the native american disappearance and include the ethnic strife already present among miner during the gold rush . the american cultural browbeating of mormon and black and mexican and and chinese occurs simultaneously during the american development and expansion of the west . the vignette about the carlyle indian industrial school in pennsylvania and frank hamilton cushing infiltration into the zuni indian of the southwest a an anthropologist and ethnologist suggest just how complete our intent be in living above native american rather than with them . this intent be base more on our cultural ignorance than on any hate . native american live in community group and we live more a individual and which be why it no surprise that a mythic individual play more of a role in relegate native american to second class status and however inadvertent and than any collective group of american and at least in popular culture and entertainment represent william f. cody . william f. cody be buffalo bill and a shrewd businessman and who develop a tour wild west show to entertain the white american mass . the show come complete with cowboy and indian battle with the american always come out on top . the film suggest that this be where the historical myth of white be victimize by indian originate and later carry over to dime novel and movie . likewise and william f. cody reinvent himself in a role a buffalo bill and inhabit it and blur myth and reality . buffalo bill become a metaphor for the u. s. government treatment of native american and and come at the end of the 19th century and he a metaphor for how america treat all other minority group in it development of the west as well . perhaps he a metaphor for how we treat others even today . the film conclude with a vignette call the gift about chief joseph and still another powerful example of how we misunderstand native american culture . the film inform u and move u and and teach u in way few history book can . the voice over be very interesting and move at time . the cinematography be breathtaking and the musical bridge be wonderful and some of them ( i believe ) be authentic native american song . this be a tower achievement on a grand scale and yet with much to say to individual with conscience . it be history a it should be tell and uncompromisingly painful but truthful . it should be require viewing in every high school classroom . of 4 star . note represent watch the silent film tumbleweed ( 1925 ) for one of the great action scene of the silent era and the oklahoma land rush scene .