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"I am convinced that the only way we ever really learn
anything is by doing it." - David
McCullough
In
this intimate, informal portrait of an
artist as a historian, Pulitzer Prize-winning author David McCullough
welcomes viewers into his public and
private world, exhibiting the infectious
curiosity, humor and humanity that
have defined his work and life. Director Mark Herzog travels
with the celebrated writer as he delivers a speech to rapt legislators;
climbs the same Philadelphia church's steeple tower as did John Adams
two centuries earlier; returns to the Massachusetts Historical Society
to again study an original Adams letter written to his wife Abigail a day
before July 4, 1776; visits his old Brooklyn neighborhood and makes
his annual trek across the Brooklyn Bridge; sings songs, paints
pictures, and reflects on his undiminished enthusiasm for writing while
sitting in his tiny "world headquarters" (shed-like though not a shed,
he insists) on the grounds of his home. Accompanied in most of these
journeys by wife Rosalee (whom he met the summer before college),
McCullough provides an insightful, anecdotal look into his life and
career, while displaying a refreshing approachability and genuine
interest in people he meets along the way.
McCullough's keen interest in people and their stories is on full
display in this documentary, which underscores the author's hands-
on method of writing. As much as any contemporary writer,
McCullough is known for throwing himself into the research of his
subjects: traveling roads they walked, reading books they read,
poring over letters they wrote, getting to know them as if they
were members of his own family. McCullough's diligence pays off in
detailed and engaging narratives that humanize his subjects while
inspiring readers to emulate their excellence. In receiving an
honorary degree from Yale, McCullough was awarded this citation:
"As an historian, he paints with words, giving us pictures of the
American people that live, breath, and above all, confront the
fundamental issues of courage, achievement, and moral
character."
A native of Pittsburgh, PA, David McCullough attended Yale (he
often ate lunch with playwright/novelist Thornton Wilder) before
moving to New York, where he worked at Time-Life before taking
to heart John F. Kennedy's inaugural call to action ("...ask what you
can do for your country") and relocating to Washington. He got a
job at the U.S. Information Agency, and found his calling after a
chance Library of Congress encounter with a rare collection of
photographs depicting the catastrophic Johnstown Flood of 1889,
which became the subject of his first book (published in 1968).
McCullough's subsequent literary efforts include 1972's The Great
Bridge (Brooklyn, of course), 1977's The Path Between the Seas:
The Creation of the Panama Canal 1870-1914 (National Book
Award Winner), 1981's Mornings on Horseback (Nat. Book Award
Winner), 1991's Brave Companions: Portraits in History, 1992's
Truman (Pulitzer Prize Winner, adapted into a 1995 HBO Film),
2001's John Adams (Pulitzer Prize winner), and 2005's 1776.
McCullough has enjoyed a high television profile, hosting two PBS
series: Smithsonian World (1984-7) and The American Experience
(1988-2000). He has also narrated many acclaimed
documentaries, including Ken Burns' The Civil War, Brooklyn Bridge
and The Statue of Liberty; David Grubin's FDR and Abraham and
Mary Lincoln: A House Divided; Charles Guggenheim's D-Day; Ric
Burns's The Donner Party; and Carl Charlson's NOVA: A Man, A
Plan, A Canal, Panama. He also narrated portions of the 2003 film
Seabiscuit.
CREDITS: Directed by Mark Herzog; Producers: Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman; Executive Producers: Mark Herzog and Mark Cowen; Co-Producers: Kirk Saduski and Christopher G. Cowen; Editor: John Campbell; Cinematographers: Jack Kney, Byron Shah and Shana Hagan; Original Music by Blake Neely.
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