I am not an American, I am the American. I am the human race compacted and crammed into a single suit of clothes, but quite able to represent it’s entire mass multitudes in all its moods and inspirations. I am only human, although I regret it.
-Mark Twain
Mark Twain once said, I am not an American I am the American, and after watching the Ken Burns PBS documentary on the author, I think that any viewer would be hard pressed to disagree with such an assertion. Mark Twain, otherwise known as Samuel Langhorne Clemens, born in 1835 under the arrival of Haley’s Comet was certainly and perhaps foremost an American before he was anything else. Through this chronicle evenly distributed between the author’s works and his life Ken Burns’ documentary does a great job at proving this fact.
What one realizes by the end of the 2 disc series is that unlike other authors such as Hemingway or O’Neill who’s works were defined by their personalities and who’s persona’s were defined by their works Twain’s writings neither define him nor are they defined by him; his life and his stories simply are. By the end of the film there is a sublime sense that it is impossible to define Mark Twain: Mark Twain simply is. He is neither subtle nor striking, he is remarkable in an unremarkable way and he is outstanding without being outstanding. In so many ways it is Twain who is the definition. It is Twain who we use to define ourselves as humans and as Americans.
The documentary is broken into four parts: Samuel Clemens' beginnings and young adult years; the emergence of Mark Twain and the writing years; the dark years and the crazy final years. The documentary reveals how Mark Twain got his name, from Sam Clemens’ days spent on the river working as a steam boat engineer, calling out the depths of the river: “Quarter Twain, Half Twain, Mark Twain”. Mark Twain, indicating a two fathom depth, safe water. It records the life of a man who lived through the death of a brother, infant son, two adult daughters and a wife. It chronicles a great decade in world literature when Hardy’s The Native, Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov, Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island and Henry James’ Portrait of a Lady were all published, the same decade that Mark Twain began to write The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. It tells the story of how the son of a Mississippi slave owner and a man who was “not shocked by anything in human nature except for slavery and racism” can so incredibly affect history. The documentary shows us a unique side to Twain who was able to master truth in such a way that it turned on itself ironically and humorously. Humor does not come from a place of happiness; it comes from a place of sorrow. There is no laughter in Heaven.
-Mark Twain
The documentary is long, but there are no parts or details that feel unnecessary. The film vacillates between a narration of Twain’s life, commentary from playwrights, scholars and actors and a voice over quoting Twain and occasionally his wife or daughters. These three components work well together to present a balanced biography. Twain comes to life through the voice over and is better understood through the commentary which gives insight into the significance of the author’s works.
Twain was the first author to write as if America was the center of the Universe. Until that point authors had always written as if Europe was the center of the Universe.
- William Styron
This is a great documentary that can be enjoyed by anyone no matter if they’ve read Twain’s works or not. Although if you haven’t I highly recommend that you do.
I came in with Haley’s Comet in 1835; it is coming again, and I expect to go out with it. The almighty has said, no doubt, now here are these two unaccountable freaks, they came in together they must go out together.
-Mark Twain, Samuel Langhorne Clemens
