X
- 2016
- TV-PG
- PBS
- 2016
- TV-PG
- PBS
Summary The latest documentary from Ken Burns is about the life and impact of African-American baseball player Jackie Robinson.
- 2016
- TV-PG
- PBS
- 2016
- TV-PG
- PBS
Jackie Robinson
Season 1 Premiere: Apr 11, 2016
83
5.4
Where to Watch
Summary The latest documentary from Ken Burns is about the life and impact of African-American baseball player Jackie Robinson.
Where to Watch
All Seasons
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 10 Critic Reviews
83
90% Positive
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
10% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 10 Critic Reviews
83
90% Positive
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
10% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
From the first frame, it's clear that Jackie Robinson is a genuine labor of love. The warmly crafted two-part, four-hour PBS documentary from filmmaker Ken Burns positively glows with its admiration for the man and his accomplishments. ... Another mighty home run for PBS.
With Keith David again serving as narrator, and Jamie Foxx providing Robinson’s voice reading correspondence and from his autobiography, Jackie Robinson exudes class--unhurried, stately, yet never dull. And while Burns’ formula hasn’t really changed over the past quarter-century, it can and should be savored even more compared with the tactics broadly employed in so much similar fare these days.
Like all of Burns' work, Jackie is beautifully done and blessedly free of the shoddy re-creations that slip into so many documentaries these days.
As in his 1994 "nine-inning" film "Baseball," the subject suits the director's deliberate, even poky pace, and the air of what might be called critical nostalgia that colors all his films. Jackie Robinson brings the old world to vivid life, but its messages are for today and any day.
Though there are moments where the film feels a bit too diffuse, what makes Robinson's life so remarkable is how many aspects of American life he touched.
The film has all the hallmarks of a Ken Burns production, including period music (arranged by Wynton Marsalis), a utilitarian narration (by Keith David this time) and a lot of vintage still photos and film footage, some of which aren’t specific to the story of Jackie Robinson but set the scene, perhaps so much so that at times the film feels padded.
Jackie Robinson could have used more fire in its storytelling, but like its subject, there's nobility in its restraint. [4-17 Apr 2016, p.21]
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 17 User Ratings
5.4
53% Positive
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
6% Mixed
1 Rating
1 Rating
41% Negative
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 17 User Ratings
5.4
53% Positive
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
6% Mixed
1 Rating
1 Rating
41% Negative
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.
Production Company:
- Florentine Films
- Major League Baseball
- Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)
- WETA
Initial Release Date: Apr 11, 2016
Number of seasons: 1 Season
Rating: TV-PG
Genres:
Awards
Primetime Emmy Awards
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
Critics' Choice Documentary Awards
• 2 Nominations
Writers Guild of America, USA
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
