New PBS documentary frames Thoreau as a timely voice; filmmakers and scholars present clips in Concord screening
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Summary
Filmmakers Eric and Christopher Ewers, Don Henley and a panel of scholars presented 40 minutes of clips from the three‑part Henry David Thoreau documentary at a Concord screening; the full series will air on PBS (including WGBH) the following Monday and Tuesday at 9:00 p.m., and PBS LearningMedia materials will accompany the broadcast.
A special screening in Concord showcased 40 minutes of clips from the three‑part PBS documentary Henry David Thoreau, followed by a panel discussion with filmmakers and scholars that emphasized the film's contemporary relevance and announced educational materials tied to the broadcast.
The documentary, produced in collaboration with Ewers Brothers Productions and WGBH, lists Don Henley among its executive producers and credits Ken Burns as a co‑executive producer who could not attend the screening. The film features notable voices and performers: Jeff Goldblum voiced Thoreau, Ted Danson voiced Emerson, Meryl Streep voiced the female contemporaries, Tate Donovan voiced Ellery Channing, and George Clooney served as the film's narrator, according to remarks at the event.
Eric Ewers, a co‑director, said the filmmakers aimed to make Thoreau accessible to younger viewers and to show how the writer's questions about technology, consumption and civic life resonate today. "We made this film intentionally for younger people as well as older people," Ewers said, adding that the film guides viewers through Thoreau's life so audiences can "start to think like Thoreau." (Eric Ewers, co‑director.)
The presenter announced broadcast details twice during the evening: excerpts were shown at the screening and the full documentary will air on PBS and WGBH next Monday and Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. The filmmakers also said the project includes an educational outreach component: selected excerpts will be available through PBS LearningMedia with curricular materials for classrooms nationwide.
Panelists discussed Thoreau's multiple roles as naturalist, surveyor, abolitionist and writer, and tied the film to broader questions about stewardship, civic responsibility and the role of the humanities in public life. Douglas Brinkley and Kristin Case reflected on Thoreau's influence on later conservation efforts and on how seasonality and observation shaped his environmental thinking.
The screening closed with a public appeal from Don Henley about a local conservation parcel and with final panel reflections urging civic engagement and a search for truth. The film's broadcast on PBS and its accompanying educational materials are the next public steps announced at the event.
