''Brooklyn Bridge'' is a

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...

on the history of the

Brooklyn Bridge The Brooklyn Bridge is a hybrid cable-stayed/ suspension bridge in New York City, spanning the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Opened on May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was the first fixed crossing of the East Rive ...

. It was produced by

Ken Burns Kenneth Lauren Burns (born July 29, 1953) is an American filmmaker known for his documentary films and television series, many of which chronicle American history and culture. His work is often produced in association with WETA-TV and/or th ...

Roger Sherman Roger Sherman (April 19, 1721 – July 23, 1793) was an American statesman, lawyer, and a Founding Father of the United States. He is the only person to sign four of the great state papers of the United States related to the founding: the Con ...

, Buddy Squires, and

Amy Stechler Amy Georgeanne Stechler (June 23, 1955 – August 26, 2022) was an American documentary filmmaker. She attended Hampshire College with the other founders of Florentine Films. Upon graduation she worked at Florentine Films alongside Ken Burns on ...

in 1981. The film included interviews with personalities such as ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' architectural critic Paul Goldberger and writer

Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are ''All My Sons'' (1947), '' Death of a Salesman'' (1 ...

plus film clips featuring

Bugs Bunny Bugs Bunny is an animated cartoon character created in the late 1930s by Leon Schlesinger Productions (later Warner Bros. Cartoons) and voiced originally by Mel Blanc. Bugs is best known for his starring roles in the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merr ...

(''

Bowery Bugs ''Bowery Bugs'' is a 1949 Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoon directed by Arthur Davis, and written by Lloyd Turner and Bill Scott. It was released on June 4, 1949, and features Bugs Bunny. The cartoon tells the story of Steve Brodie, who ...

'') and

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the " Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1940s, 1950s, and ...

. The film was nominated for an

Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosoph ...

. It was narrated by historian

David McCullough David Gaub McCullough (; July 7, 1933 – August 7, 2022) was an American popular historian. He was a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. In 2006, he was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States ...

, who wrote the 1972 book the film was based on. The film was rebroadcast nationally twice: on January 29, 1992, preceding the then-new documentary from Burns, '' Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio,'' and on October 21, 2002, as part of ''Ken Burns: America's Stories''.

Accolades

* Academy Award nomination, 1982 * Guggenheim Fellowship * Christopher Award, 1983 * Erik Barnouw Award: Historical Films * Festival Dei Popoli, special mention * American Film Festival, Blue Ribbon * CINE Gold Eagle * MOMA/New Directors, selection * Chicago International Film Festival * FILMEX, selection * Birmingham Film Festival, 1st in category

References

External links

''Brooklyn Bridge''
at KenBurns.com
Official site on PBS
*
Excerpt from PBS America on YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brooklyn Bridge (Film) 1981 films Films directed by Ken Burns American documentary television films Documentary films about New York City 1981 documentary films Brooklyn Bridge 1980s English-language films 1980s American films