Horatio's Drive: America's First Road Trip (2003)

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Memorable, crazy movie

Good concept, poorly executed.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

I recently retired from teaching history and still love watching historical shows. However, some time back, I noticed that watching shows about wars, dead presidents and the like weren't as satisfying as they used to be for me. And, as a result, I started changing the way I taught my students. So, instead of focusing on this, I began to expose kids more and more to social history--the history of the people. This meant learning about how people lived and what it was like for people of all classes--their hobbies, diets, sports,...whatever contributed to life and which were only rarely discussed in any detail in history books. As a result, I noticed I was having a lot more fun and so were the students. Now I am NOT saying the other stuff isn't important--but all of this goes towards learning history.In light of this, I love odd little documentaries like "Horatio's Drive". It tells an obscure story about a weird man who, on a lark, made a bet he could drive from San Francisco to New York. While this sounds like no big deal, this was 1903--and cars were notoriously prone to breakdown. And, to make things worse, few roads existed and those that did were mostly dirt. And, getting supplies was a nightmare. So much we take for granted today simply didn't exist and you generally don't think of the infrastructure needed for modern life. Well, Horatio and his driving partner certainly learned about this...the hard way.This is a single-episode documentary from Ken Burns. Like most of his films, it uses a lot of photos and used various camera techniques (such as zooming and and out) and music to make the photos come to life. And, it uses nice narration (from Keith David of all people) and various actors impersonating the people from the story. Some of the actors contributing their voices were Tom Hanks, Adam Arkin, George Plympton and Eli Wallace. And, like all of his films I have seen, it's a top-notch production and a nice case of storytelling. However, I would have to say that the film did have one shortcoming. After a while, the film seemed too long--just like Horatio's drive. Because of this, the film loses a bit of its dramatic punch--though it does appear to strive hard for accuracy--which is admirable.My favorite part of the show? Bud and his goggles! See the film and you'll know what I mean!

Wonderful job, Ken Burns! As one who was eight when Horatio Nelson Jackson passed away, all I can do is thank him for his pioneering trip.Even back in 1967, when I cruised across the US in my Mustang, a journey spanning North America was a challenge, sixty four years after HNJ did it with Crocker and Bud and mud holes that passed as roads. Now that I see what conditions were like just after the turn of the century (nineteenth to twentieth), I have an increased appreciation for those who gave it a try.A wonderful film that really gives one the sense of being there.All my love to his darling Swipes!

I was especially interested in this film when I heard Burns was doing it, first from the standpoint of a Vermonter, second from the standpoint of having heard from my grandfather how his father had taken him out to watch as Nelson passed through Poughkeepsie on the last leg of the trip, following what is now Route 9 from Albany to New York. An excellent film, providing an outstanding depiction of what things were like before the automobile became the center of our lives.

Watch this movie and realize... we take the car for granted, but it wasn't always this way. Some cars had the steering wheel on the left some on the right, more cars were propelled by steam or electricity than by gas. Most had no tops nor windshields.There were no gas stations, no road signs and, well, actually not much in the way of roads. This film includes rare footage as well as original letters and photos from the period and is a fascinating look at an amazing period of time.I caught it on late night television one night and just had to see it again.