With His Daughter and Son-in-Law, Ken Burns 71F Takes on Leonardo da Vinci, the Myth and the Man
Unlike most of his films, Hampshire alum Ken Burns 71F’s latest release is not about a historical American issue or individual. Instead, he and his collaborators zoom in on the noted Italian painter.
Leonardo da Vinci, a four-hour, two-part PBS series, first aired in mid-November. Co-directed and written with his daughter Sarah Burns and son-in-law David McMahon, with whom he partnered for The Central Park Five, Jackie Robinson, and Muhammad Ali, the new documentary aims to understand, celebrate, and demythologize Leonardo, showing him as both visionary and human.
“Everyone knows about the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper and maybe that he was some kind of scientist — that’s pretty much what we knew,” said Sarah Burns in IndieWire. “But it was clear there was so much more to the story as soon as we started reading about him and that this could have really fascinating, great challenges in terms of how you tell the story.”
The Burnses and McMahon delved into the project to illuminate Leonardo’s successful outputs alongside his failures, homing in on his curiosity and creativity. In addition to the groundbreaking artistic efforts, his intellectual work in science and engineering are a focus of his genius in the film. Experts laud him as one of history’s greatest thinkers and questioners, making discoveries and connections far ahead of his time.
Leonardo da Vinci creates perhaps the most comprehensive portrait to date of the acclaimed Renaissance painter, informed by numerous scholars — art historians, biographers, and contemporary artists and filmmakers — as well as archival resource materials paired with modern imagery. Using split screens, video, and animation in lieu of photos or newsreels, the trio attempted to visually convey the artist’s lateral thinking.
The documentary also reveals the multitude of projects Leonardo never completed and asks why not: ultimately proving that the 15th-century polymath was a legend but also — just like the rest of us — human.
Ken Burns has been making documentaries for more than 40 years. Since the Academy Award–nominated Brooklyn Bridge, in 1981, he has directed and produced some of the most acclaimed historical documentaries ever made. His work includes The Civil War, Baseball, Jazz, Prohibition, The Roosevelts, The Vietnam War, Country Music, and Benjamin Franklin. He has won 16 Emmys, received the Academy of TV Arts & Science Lifetime Achievement Award, and holds some 30 honorary degrees.
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