One of the greatest minds in history, Leonardo da Vinci, is the subject of one of the greatest documentarians, Ken Burns, in a brand new PBS original documentary. Aptly titled Leonardo Da Vinci, the four-hour documentary is going to play over two nights — Monday, November 18 and Tuesday, November 19, from 8-10 pm ET/PT on PBS, as well as be available on PBS.org and the PBS app.
Here is the official synopsis for the documentary:
“Leonardo Da Vinci, Ken Burns’s first non-American subject, explores the life and work of the 15th-century polymath Leonardo da Vinci. The film looks at how the artist influenced and inspired future generations, and it finds in his soaring imagination and profound intellect the foundation for a conversation we are still having today: what our relationship is with nature and what it means to be human. Set against the rich and dynamic backdrop of Renaissance Italy, at a time of skepticism and freethinking, regional war and religious upheaval, Leonardo Da Vinci brings the artist’s towering achievements to life through his prolific personal notebooks, primary and secondary accounts of his life, and on-camera interviews with modern scholars, artists, engineers, inventors and admirers.”
Ken Burns is a five-time Emmy-winning documentarian (and two-time Oscar nominee) who has been behind acclaimed TV docuseries like The Civil War, Baseball, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea and The Vietnam War. All of these were produced in partnership and are currently available to stream on PBS. That is part of the excitement for Leonardo Da Vinci, as it marks another major collaboration between Burns and PBS.
“No single person can speak to our collective effort to understand the world and ourselves,” said Burns. “But Leonardo had a unique genius for inquiry, aided by his extraordinary skills as an artist and scientist, that helps us better understand the natural world that we are part of and to appreciate more fully what it means to be alive and human.”
Some other notable contributors to the documentary are Sarah Burns and David McMahon, who are Burns’ co-writers and co-directors for the documentary. Caroline Shaw recorded original music, while Keith David (Rick and Morty) provides narration and Italian actor Adriano Giannini (Lonely Planet) voices Leonardo da Vinci in parts.
To watch Leonardo Da Vinci you can access your local PBS station through a traditional pay-TV provider or a live TV streaming service (i.e. Hulu with Live TV and YouTube TV) and specific channels on streaming services, like the PBS channel on Prime Video. PBS.org website and the PBS app are also options and are free for all.
Watch the trailer for Leonardo Da Vinci right here:
