The American Experience: The Donner Party

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

In 1846, a group of over eighty Westward-bound pioneers were headed to the coast of California from Illinois, which had itself only recently been brought up to "civilized" status. They made it to a pass high in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California when they were halted by a truly monstrous blizzard, followed by the snows of one of the worst winters in that century. Their attempts to go forward and backward were thwarted by the deep snow, and, in the small shelter they enjoyed, they slowly starved to death. Eventually, they resorted to cannibalism to survive, and after their story became more widely known, the pass they took shelter in became known as "the Donner Pass." To this day, it is frequently made impassable by heavy snows. Ironically, the forty or so who survived later discovered that, had they only forged ahead about a hundred yards, they would have won free of the deep snow which ensnared them. This documentary has gathered a surprising harvest of photos, notes and drawings in order to tell the pioneers' story. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard)
• Features:
  • [None specified]

AWARDS

• Telluride Film Festival

•     Film Presented - 1992

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Eli Wallach
       Timothy Hutton
       George Plimpton
       Frances Sternhagen
       J.D. Cannon
       Gene Jones
       Donal McCann
       Lois Smith
       David McCullough - Narrator
       Amy Madigan
       Paul Roebling

• Director:

  Ric Burns

• Producer:

  Ric Burns, Lisa Ades

• Screenwriter:

  Ric Burns

• Cinematographer:

  Buddy Squires, Allen Moore

• Editor:

  Bruce Shaw

• Executive Producer:

  Margaret Drain

• Senior Producer:

  Mark Samels