
Making Henry David Thoreau
Clip: Season 1 | 1m 50sVideo has Closed Captions
Filmmakers Erik Ewers and Christopher Loren Ewers discuss the making of 'Henry David Thoreau'.
Filmmakers Erik Ewers and Christopher Loren Ewers discuss the making of 'Henry David Thoreau'.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Episodes presented in 4K UHD on supported devices. Major funding for HENRY DAVID THOREAU was provided by The Better Angels Society and its members: The Keith Campbell Foundation for the...

Making Henry David Thoreau
Clip: Season 1 | 1m 50sVideo has Closed Captions
Filmmakers Erik Ewers and Christopher Loren Ewers discuss the making of 'Henry David Thoreau'.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
How to Watch Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau is available to stream on pbs.org and the free PBS App, available on iPhone, Apple TV, Android TV, Android smartphones, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Tablet, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, and Vizio.

Share Meditative Moments from the Film
Explore the PBS Giphy collection for Henry David Thoreau.Jeff Goldblum: Ready?
[Clears throat] Erik Ewers: OK.
We're rolling.
Jeff Goldblum, as Thoreau: 1841.
I want to go soon, and live away by the pond... Chris Ewers: Erik and I wanted to make a film that allows the viewers to experience life in the 19th century as Henry David Thoreau experienced it.
Erik Ewers: It takes a village to make a film, but it also--as we learned-- takes a village to make a village.
Our producer Cauley Powell and a team of prop experts went to different historic places, like Sturbridge Village, and the replica cabin at Walden Pond, to recreate history itself.
Chris Ewers: There was very little photographic archival material from Thoreau's time, so we did the best that we could and tried to bring his time alive.
George Clooney narrating: Douglass' impassioned and inspiring speeches would make him one of the country's most renowned abolitionists.
Erik Ewers: As a director and an editor, one of the most important things for me is to make sure that our viewers always feel like they're in a place.
And we create that place.
That's true relatability.
Chris Ewers: As the cinematographer, it was important to me to be able to look at Walden Pond and the woods in Concord and the surrounding areas through Henry's lens.
Over the course of five years-- through all seasons-- we got to experience these places much in the same way that Thoreau did.
Erik Ewers: Not the way we typically do today.
We just kind of walk through.
We had to really explore and dive deep to find the gems, the true beauty of that place.
And like Thoreau, we discovered we can take that with us anywhere.
[Birds and insects calling, oars splashing]
Video has Closed Captions
Preview: S1 | 30s | The life and work of Henry David Thoreau still inspire and resonate with people today. (30s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S1 | 1m 50s | Filmmakers Erik Ewers and Christopher Loren Ewers discuss the making of 'Henry David Thoreau'. (1m 50s)
Thoreau Begins to Work with the Underground Railroad
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: Ep3 | 5m 3s | Thoreau participates in the Underground Railroad and gives a speech on what it means to be free. (5m 3s)
Joe Polis Teaches Thoreau the Penobscot View of Nature
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: Ep3 | 9m 45s | On an excursion, a Penobscot leader teaches Thoreau about the Penobscot culture and language. (9m 45s)
Henry David Thoreau Asks Us to Live in the Present
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: Ep3 | 8m 19s | Henry David Thoreau dies at 44, but his message lives on and encourages us to read. (8m 19s)
Thoreau Tells the Stories of the Black Community in Concord
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: Ep2 | 5m 50s | While slavery is illegal in Massachusetts, Black communities are forced to the margins of society. (5m 50s)
Thoreau Challenges Justice with His Essay "Civil Disobedience"
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: Ep2 | 7m 14s | Thoreau's refusal to support what he saw as injustice culminates in his essay "Civil Disobedience." (7m 14s)
Ralph Waldo Emerson's Mentorship of Henry David Thoreau
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: Ep1 | 9m 9s | Thoreau moves in with Ralph Waldo Emerson's family, but personal tragedy strikes both families. (9m 9s)
Journey to Mount Katahdin and Untamable Nature
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: Ep2 | 9m 22s | Leaving Walden Pond, Thoreau joins his cousin on an excursion to Mount Katahdin in Maine. (9m 22s)
An Introduction to the Words and Life of Henry David Thoreau
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: Ep1 | 8m 20s | Henry David Thoreau spent his life experimenting and contemplating on how to live a good life. (8m 20s)
Henry David Thoreau Moves to Walden Pond
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: Ep2 | 11m 14s | On July 4th, 1845, Henry David Thoreau moves into a 10x15-foot house on Walden Pond. (11m 14s)
Henry David Thoreau and Transcendentalism
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: Ep1 | 5m 9s | Thoreau is introduced to Ralph Waldo Emerson and the radical ideas of transcendentalism. (5m 9s)
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipSupport for PBS provided by:
Episodes presented in 4K UHD on supported devices. Major funding for HENRY DAVID THOREAU was provided by The Better Angels Society and its members: The Keith Campbell Foundation for the...
































