The Donner Party (PBS DVD Review)

In the annals of American history, they is very few events that was more tragic and horrifying than that of the infamous Donner Party. 

2026 is the 180th anniversary of the tragedy. So PBS is re-releasing the Ric Burns documentary of American Experience: The Donner Party on DVD. 

Synopsis: Trapped in the Sierra Nevadas during the bitter winter of 1846, nearly 90 members of the Donner and Reed families longed for California's "Promised Land." But an untried shortcut became a death warrant for half of them victims of madness, death, and cannibalism. The program re-creates the Donner Party's journey from family journals, newspaper accounts, and interviews with historians and descendants.

Ric Burns produced an in-depth documentary that does a deep dive in the sad and horrible circumstances that led to one of the most horrific events in early American history. I don't want to say I enjoyed this film, but I was impressed with how much I learned about this tragedy. The film runs under 90 minutes, but is so well produced, you wouldn't even know it is that long. It is a fast-paced documentary.

PBS has transferred this documentary to DVD and is presented in 1.78:1 aspect ratio. The audio track is an English audio track. There is no option for subtitles, however. The DVD transfer is good. There are no signs of digital artifacts or audio anomalies. 

Now, this DVD is void of any bonus features. That is a huge disappointment to me. One of the best part of physical media is the bonus features that you find on the discs. It would have been nice to see some additional interviews with historians about The Donner Party tragedy. That would have made this disc even better.

If you love American History and documentaries, the DVD of The Donner Party would make a great addition to your home video library. Head over to MovieZyng and Amazon and order your copy today.



Out of 4 film reels (4 being the best) the DVD of The Donner Party receives.....