Ric Burns

Directing

Ric Burns

Place of birth

Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Known for

Directing

Credits

41 titles

Ric Burns is an American documentary filmmaker and writer. He has written, directed and produced historical documentaries since the 1990s, beginning with his collaboration on the celebrated PBS series The Civil War, which he produced with his older brother Ken Burns and wrote with Geoffrey Ward.

Known for

The Concert for New York City poster
5.1

The Concert for New York City (2001) captures the star-studded benefit held at Madison Square Garden on October 20, 2001, honoring the city’s resilience and the heroism of first responders after 9/11. Attended by thousands of firefighters, police officers, and rescue workers, the concert features performances by Paul McCartney, The Who, Elton John, Billy Joel, and other music legends in a powerful tribute to unity, courage, and recovery.

The Concert for New York City

2001

The Chinese Exclusion Act poster
8.0

A sweeping chronicle of the entire exclusion era - the latter part of the 1800s, when anti-Chinese agitation led to federal laws targeting Chinese abroad and those already in the country. Go far beyond the legislation with the survival and growth of Chinese American communities in the face of prejudice and outright violence, the “paper” sons and daughters who emigrated despite the seemingly impassable barriers, and the legal challenges that produced some of the most momentous decisions in Supreme Court history.

The Chinese Exclusion Act

2017

Coney Island poster
8.0

Before there was Disneyland, there was Coney Island. By the turn of the century, this tiny piece of New York real estate was internationally famous. On summer Sundays, three great pleasure domes--Steeplechase, Luna Park and Dreamland--competed for the patronage of a half-million people. By day it was the world's most amazing amusement park, by night, an electric "Eden".

Coney Island

1991

Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film poster
8.2

Ric Burns unearths rarely seen footage and offers keen observations on the life and artistic influence of Andy Warhol. [Made for and aired on PBS's American Masters series.]

Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film

2006

The Donner Party poster
7.0

Doomed attempt to get to California in 1846. More than just a riveting tale of death, endurance and survival. The Donner Party's nightmarish journey penetrated to the very heart of the American Dream at a crucial phase of the nation's "manifest destiny." Touching some of the most powerful social, economic and political currents of the time, this extraordinary narrative remains one of the most compelling and enduring episodes to come out of the West.

The Donner Party

1992

Into the Deep: America, Whaling & The World poster
9.0

Examine the American whaling industry from its 17th-century origins in drift and shore whaling off the coast of New England and Cape Cod, through the golden age of deep ocean whaling, the tragedy of the Essex, and the career of Moby Dick's Herman Melville, and on to its demise in the decades following the American Civil War.

Into the Deep: America, Whaling & The World

2010

Film credits

Behind the camera

The Concert for New York City poster
5.1

The Concert for New York City (2001) captures the star-studded benefit held at Madison Square Garden on October 20, 2001, honoring the city’s resilience and the heroism of first responders after 9/11. Attended by thousands of firefighters, police officers, and rescue workers, the concert features performances by Paul McCartney, The Who, Elton John, Billy Joel, and other music legends in a powerful tribute to unity, courage, and recovery.

The Concert for New York City

2001

The Concert for New York City poster
5.1

The Concert for New York City (2001) captures the star-studded benefit held at Madison Square Garden on October 20, 2001, honoring the city’s resilience and the heroism of first responders after 9/11. Attended by thousands of firefighters, police officers, and rescue workers, the concert features performances by Paul McCartney, The Who, Elton John, Billy Joel, and other music legends in a powerful tribute to unity, courage, and recovery.

The Concert for New York City

2001

The Concert for New York City poster
5.1

The Concert for New York City (2001) captures the star-studded benefit held at Madison Square Garden on October 20, 2001, honoring the city’s resilience and the heroism of first responders after 9/11. Attended by thousands of firefighters, police officers, and rescue workers, the concert features performances by Paul McCartney, The Who, Elton John, Billy Joel, and other music legends in a powerful tribute to unity, courage, and recovery.

The Concert for New York City

2001

The Chinese Exclusion Act poster
8.0

A sweeping chronicle of the entire exclusion era - the latter part of the 1800s, when anti-Chinese agitation led to federal laws targeting Chinese abroad and those already in the country. Go far beyond the legislation with the survival and growth of Chinese American communities in the face of prejudice and outright violence, the “paper” sons and daughters who emigrated despite the seemingly impassable barriers, and the legal challenges that produced some of the most momentous decisions in Supreme Court history.

The Chinese Exclusion Act

2017

The Chinese Exclusion Act poster
8.0

A sweeping chronicle of the entire exclusion era - the latter part of the 1800s, when anti-Chinese agitation led to federal laws targeting Chinese abroad and those already in the country. Go far beyond the legislation with the survival and growth of Chinese American communities in the face of prejudice and outright violence, the “paper” sons and daughters who emigrated despite the seemingly impassable barriers, and the legal challenges that produced some of the most momentous decisions in Supreme Court history.

The Chinese Exclusion Act

2017

Coney Island poster
8.0

Before there was Disneyland, there was Coney Island. By the turn of the century, this tiny piece of New York real estate was internationally famous. On summer Sundays, three great pleasure domes--Steeplechase, Luna Park and Dreamland--competed for the patronage of a half-million people. By day it was the world's most amazing amusement park, by night, an electric "Eden".

Coney Island

1991

Coney Island poster
8.0

Before there was Disneyland, there was Coney Island. By the turn of the century, this tiny piece of New York real estate was internationally famous. On summer Sundays, three great pleasure domes--Steeplechase, Luna Park and Dreamland--competed for the patronage of a half-million people. By day it was the world's most amazing amusement park, by night, an electric "Eden".

Coney Island

1991

Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film poster
8.2

Ric Burns unearths rarely seen footage and offers keen observations on the life and artistic influence of Andy Warhol. [Made for and aired on PBS's American Masters series.]

Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film

2006

Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film poster
8.2

Ric Burns unearths rarely seen footage and offers keen observations on the life and artistic influence of Andy Warhol. [Made for and aired on PBS's American Masters series.]

Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film

2006

The Donner Party poster
7.0

Doomed attempt to get to California in 1846. More than just a riveting tale of death, endurance and survival. The Donner Party's nightmarish journey penetrated to the very heart of the American Dream at a crucial phase of the nation's "manifest destiny." Touching some of the most powerful social, economic and political currents of the time, this extraordinary narrative remains one of the most compelling and enduring episodes to come out of the West.

The Donner Party

1992

The Donner Party poster
7.0

Doomed attempt to get to California in 1846. More than just a riveting tale of death, endurance and survival. The Donner Party's nightmarish journey penetrated to the very heart of the American Dream at a crucial phase of the nation's "manifest destiny." Touching some of the most powerful social, economic and political currents of the time, this extraordinary narrative remains one of the most compelling and enduring episodes to come out of the West.

The Donner Party

1992

The Donner Party poster
7.0

Doomed attempt to get to California in 1846. More than just a riveting tale of death, endurance and survival. The Donner Party's nightmarish journey penetrated to the very heart of the American Dream at a crucial phase of the nation's "manifest destiny." Touching some of the most powerful social, economic and political currents of the time, this extraordinary narrative remains one of the most compelling and enduring episodes to come out of the West.

The Donner Party

1992

Into the Deep: America, Whaling & The World poster
9.0

Examine the American whaling industry from its 17th-century origins in drift and shore whaling off the coast of New England and Cape Cod, through the golden age of deep ocean whaling, the tragedy of the Essex, and the career of Moby Dick's Herman Melville, and on to its demise in the decades following the American Civil War.

Into the Deep: America, Whaling & The World

2010

Into the Deep: America, Whaling & The World poster
9.0

Examine the American whaling industry from its 17th-century origins in drift and shore whaling off the coast of New England and Cape Cod, through the golden age of deep ocean whaling, the tragedy of the Essex, and the career of Moby Dick's Herman Melville, and on to its demise in the decades following the American Civil War.

Into the Deep: America, Whaling & The World

2010

Oliver Sacks: His Own Life poster
7.6

Oliver Sacks: His Own Life explores the life and work of the legendary neurologist and storyteller, as he shares intimate details of his battles with drug addiction, homophobia, and a medical establishment that accepted his work only decades after the fact. Sacks was a fearless explorer of unknown mental worlds who helped redefine our understanding of the brain and mind, the diversity of human experience, and our shared humanity.

Oliver Sacks: His Own Life

2021

Ansel Adams poster
8.5

The timeless photographs of Ansel Adams have made him one of the most recognized and admired names in art. This intimate look at the man and his work details his position as a staunch environmentalist and how his art reflected his strong worldview. David Ogden Stiers narrates this profile produced for the PBS series "American Experience," which was directed by Emmy-winning documentarian Ric Burns.

Ansel Adams

2002

New York Underground poster
NR

In the mid 1800s, New York City was one of the most crowded places on earth. The congested streets and pokey transportation system were a source of constant complaint. On March 24, 1900, ground was broken for the Big Apple's subway; the Interborough Rapid Transit Line opened four years later, running more than 26 miles of underground track at the speed of 35 miles per hour. Soon thousands in the city were "doing the subway."

New York Underground

1997

Driving While Black: Race, Space and Mobility in America poster
8.0

Discover how the advent of the automobile brought new mobility and freedom for African Americans but also exposed them to discrimination and deadly violence, and how that history resonates today.

Driving While Black: Race, Space and Mobility in America

2020

Eugene O’Neill: A Documentary Film poster
NR

Eugene O'Neill tells the haunting story of the life and work of America's greatest and only Nobel Prize-winning playwright -- set within the context of the harrowing family dramas and personal upheavals that shaped him, and that he in turn struggled all his life to give form to in his art.

Eugene O’Neill: A Documentary Film

2006

Eugene O’Neill: A Documentary Film poster
NR

Eugene O'Neill tells the haunting story of the life and work of America's greatest and only Nobel Prize-winning playwright -- set within the context of the harrowing family dramas and personal upheavals that shaped him, and that he in turn struggled all his life to give form to in his art.

Eugene O’Neill: A Documentary Film

2006

No artwork available
NR

The final installment of the 17+ hour documentary on the history of New York by Ric Burns and James Sanders. The focus of this segment is the World Trade Center and the events of 9/11.

New York: The Center of the World

2003

No artwork available
NR

The final installment of the 17+ hour documentary on the history of New York by Ric Burns and James Sanders. The focus of this segment is the World Trade Center and the events of 9/11.

New York: The Center of the World

2003

No artwork available
7.5

The incredible story of the island of Nantucket, from its Native American origins as a Wampanoag outpost, through the English settlement and early Quaker culture, to its international significance as the whaling capital of the world, and eventual transformation to summer resort and art colony.

Nantucket

2011

The Mayflower Pilgrims: Behind The Myth poster
NR

The voyage of the Mayflower in 1620 has come to define the founding moment of America, celebrated each year at Thanksgiving. A lavish new drama documentary by Ric Burns, based on governor William Bradford's extraordinary eye-witness account, the Mayflower Pilgrims reveals the grim truth behind their voyage across the Atlantic. The Pilgrims story has come to define the founding moment of America and all it stands for. Celebrated each year at Thanksgiving, it is remembered as a pious crusade aimed at founding a Puritan paradise. However their journey from a harsh, often violent part of England to a colony assured of survival less than ten years later is also one of wealth, cruelty, and entrepreneurial genius.

The Mayflower Pilgrims: Behind The Myth

2016

The Mayflower Pilgrims: Behind The Myth poster
NR

The voyage of the Mayflower in 1620 has come to define the founding moment of America, celebrated each year at Thanksgiving. A lavish new drama documentary by Ric Burns, based on governor William Bradford's extraordinary eye-witness account, the Mayflower Pilgrims reveals the grim truth behind their voyage across the Atlantic. The Pilgrims story has come to define the founding moment of America and all it stands for. Celebrated each year at Thanksgiving, it is remembered as a pious crusade aimed at founding a Puritan paradise. However their journey from a harsh, often violent part of England to a colony assured of survival less than ten years later is also one of wealth, cruelty, and entrepreneurial genius.

The Mayflower Pilgrims: Behind The Myth

2016

The Pilgrims poster
7.7

Arguably one of the most fateful and resonant events of the last half millennium, the Pilgrims journey west across the Atlantic in the early 17th century is a seminal, if often misunderstood episode of American and world history. The Pilgrims explores the forces, circumstances, personalities and events that converged to exile the English group in Holland and eventually propel their crossing to the New World; a story universally familiar in broad outline, but almost entirely unfamiliar to a general audience in its rich and compelling historical actuality. Includes the real history of the "first thanksgiving".

The Pilgrims

2015

Death and the Civil War poster
NR

Based on the best-selling book by Drew Gilpin Faust, this film will explore how the American Civil War created a "republic of suffering" and will chart the far-reaching social, political, and social changes brought about by the pervasive presence and fear of death during the Civil War.

Death and the Civil War

2012

No artwork available
9.0

Ric Burns (brother of the famed documentarian Ken Burns) presents an exhaustive history of New York City from the settling of the area by the Dutch to the attack by terrorists nearly 400 years later. Told in a sentimental tone, Burns weaves a lyrical tale of the great metropolis that encompasses not only the city's streets, but also that of the history of America. Though around fourteen hours in length, this epic documentary presents a thoughtful, entertaining look at our relatively young country. The first installment of the series begins with the founding of New Amsterdam, a Dutch trading post. The city starts to take shape as New Amsterdam becomes British New York. By the Revolutionary War, the city becomes the site for several key battles.

New York: The Country And The City (1609-1825)

1999

New York: A Documentary Film poster
NR

This short film, culled from the PBS documentary series of the same name, was produced to celebrate the importance and legacy of New York City in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

New York: A Documentary Film

2001

New York: A Documentary Film poster
NR

This short film, culled from the PBS documentary series of the same name, was produced to celebrate the importance and legacy of New York City in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

New York: A Documentary Film

2001

New York: A Documentary Film poster
NR

This short film, culled from the PBS documentary series of the same name, was produced to celebrate the importance and legacy of New York City in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

New York: A Documentary Film

2001

No artwork available
10.0

Reveals the immense new forces that were unleashed in New York.

New York: The City of Tomorrow

2001

New York: A Documentary Film poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

New York: A Documentary Film

1999

No artwork available
10.0

Episode Seven of the New York: A Documentary. In the aftermath of World War II, southern African-Americans moved north and Puerto Rican immigrants poured into the city, a trend which would continue for the next thirty years. Robert Moses waged a campaign of urban renewal, including adding highways to the city, hastening white flight to the suburbs. The destruction of the old Penn Station in 1963 and the protests against Moses's plans for the Lower Manhattan Expressway led to the creation of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, ensuring the survival of New York's most architecturally important buildings and neighborhoods. Social and financial crises in the 1960s and 1970s took a toll on the city, but New York's revival since the 1970s has been enduring.

New York: The City and the World

2001

No artwork available
10.0

Episode Seven of the New York: A Documentary. In the aftermath of World War II, southern African-Americans moved north and Puerto Rican immigrants poured into the city, a trend which would continue for the next thirty years. Robert Moses waged a campaign of urban renewal, including adding highways to the city, hastening white flight to the suburbs. The destruction of the old Penn Station in 1963 and the protests against Moses's plans for the Lower Manhattan Expressway led to the creation of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, ensuring the survival of New York's most architecturally important buildings and neighborhoods. Social and financial crises in the 1960s and 1970s took a toll on the city, but New York's revival since the 1970s has been enduring.

New York: The City and the World

2001

No artwork available
NR

Narrated by Academy Award Winner Kevin Costner, and directed by Emmy Award winner Ric Burns, PEOPLE OF STANDING STONE explores the little known, yet crucial history of the extraordinary contributions of one Native American people-the Oneidas-who during the darkest hours of the Revolutionary War became the only member of the Six Nation Iroquois Confederacy to side with rebelling colonists. This powerful and sweeping film, is a moving and unique cinematic experience that sheds light on an American story that has gone shamefully overlooked in the annals of American history.

The People of the Standing Stone: The Oneida Nation, The War for Independence, And The Making of America

2017

No artwork available
NR

Ric Burns (brother of the famed documentarian Ken Burns) presents an exhaustive history of New York City from the settling of the area by the Dutch to the attack by terrorists nearly 400 years later. Told in a sentimental tone, Burns weaves a lyrical tale of the great metropolis that encompasses not only the city's streets, but also that of the history of America. Though around fourteen hours in length, this epic documentary presents a thoughtful, entertaining look at our relatively young country. This second installment finds the city as the largest port in the country. Waves of Irish and German immigrants flood into the city between 1825 and 1865 only to find that New York is not so welcoming to immigrants. Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux shape the city with their design for Central Park but social unrest still ran high for the working classes, coming to a climax with the draft riots of 1863.

New York: Order and Disorder (1825–1865)

1999

Made for Each Other: A History of the Bond Between Humans and Dogs poster
NR

Where did dogs come from and how did evolving alongside humans shape both them and us? MADE FOR EACH OTHER considers the history of the remarkable bond between humans and dogs and the many ways that dogs make our lives better.

Made for Each Other: A History of the Bond Between Humans and Dogs

2019

No artwork available
7.2

Chronicle of publisher Gene Pope Jr.'s celebrity gossip and scandal fused vision, which became The National Enquirer, America's most notorious tabloid.

Enquiring Minds: The Untold Story of the Man Behind the National Enquirer

2014

No artwork available
7.2

Chronicle of publisher Gene Pope Jr.'s celebrity gossip and scandal fused vision, which became The National Enquirer, America's most notorious tabloid.

Enquiring Minds: The Untold Story of the Man Behind the National Enquirer

2014