What is it? The Civil War Commemorative Edition, more than 11 hours on nine discs from PBS
How much? $99.99 (DVD), $129.99 (Blu-ray)
When? Now
The Ken Burns documentary? Yes. It has been 25 years since Burns' mammoth film aired on PBS to record-breaking audiences, helping stimulate a greater interest in the war and history in general. To honor the anniversary, they've given the documentary a makeover.
The content is still the same.
Burns and his team tackle the complex story of North vs. South with the help of historians such as Shelby Foote, telling the story not through dry recitations of facts, but with an emphasis on the personal stories of the people involved without ever losing sight of the big picture.
The Civil War occurred not long after the birth of photography, and there was a wealth of photos from which to choose. Burns makes extensive use of these images, with photos of posed soldiers, battlefields dotted with corpses and piles of amputated limbs, helping to make the 150-year-old story that much more accessible.
The film also uses readings from letters and journals and follows certain figures, both famous generals and ordinary soldiers, through the war and mixes in gorgeous film of some of the battlefields and other important locations today.
The result is something that's educational and at times emotional, a complicated story that's still very much relevant.
As Foote says, "The Revolution set us free but the Civil War defined what kind of country we were going to be."
What's new? The changes are in the technical aspects of a film that was shot more than a quarter century ago. The images have been given a high-definition face-lift to a 4K resolution so it will look a lot better when played on modern TVs.
And it does look and sound fantastic.
Are there extras? Most of the special features are carried over from previous releases: interviews with musicians Jay Ungar and Molly Mason from 2002 and with Ken Burns from 2011, as well as commentary tracks on key scenes with Burns. The most extensive are the complete, raw interviews with Foote from 1986 and 1987, lasting over three hours, and a shorter retrospective interview from 2002.
The only new pieces are a 14-minute featurette about the restoration process and a half-hour look back at the filming and the impact the documentary had and continues to have.
I already own this on DVD. Should I upgrade? That depends. How important is the picture to you? Are you dying to have a cleaner, sharper image or a Blu-ray copy? Because, really, that's the only difference other than the two new features, which aren't necessarily worth the price on their own.
New this week: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, Season 3.
Next week: A.D. The Bible Continues, Complete; Batman, Season 3; Californication, Complete Series; Doctor Who, Season 9, Part 1; Empire, Season 1, Gold Record Edition; Game of Thrones, Complete Seasons 1-2 Collectors Sets; Getting On, Season 2; I Love Lucy, Complete Series; That '70s Show, Complete Series.
Style on 10/25/2015