Pick of the Day: The Day Carl Sandburg Died (DVD)

The Day Carl Sandburg Died. DVD. 84 min. Prod. by Bonesteel Films. Dist. by PBS Dist. 2012. ISBN 978-1-60883-701-4. $24.99.
Gr 8 Up–Carl Sandburg, one of the most celebrated American poets of the 20th century, lived an incredibly colorful life which was reflected in his work. Born into an indigent family of Swedish immigrants in western Illinois, Sandburg initially held a series of manual labor jobs. Later he became a union activist, a social orator, and even a self-proclaimed anarchist. His sensitivity to the struggles of ordinary individuals was reflected in his prose and poetry, with many of them set in the Midwest and, particularly, in Chicago. His diverse writing talents were honed as a newspaper journalist and earned him two Pulitzer prizes—one for poetry and one for his autobiography of Abraham Lincoln. Sandburg’s saga is portrayed in this absorbing production utilizing a variety of formats: dramatic recreations, kinescopes of television interviews with the author, reminiscences by members of his family, vintage film clips and stills, commentary by academics, and readings of his work by Sandburg and others. Viewers will gain an understanding of Sandburg’s intense sensory perceptions and his remarkable abilities to put those onto paper. The nicely paced presentation includes a chapter selection option as well as English language subtitles. This well-crafted production will be a popular resource in classrooms as well as a research resource in media centers.–Dwain Thomas, formerly Lake Park High School, Roselle, IL