Hemingway

“Hemingway” is an engaging and beautifully constructed character study and proof that whatever Burns chooses to cover as a filmmaker will more than likely become the definitive documentary on that specific topic. In Hemingway’s case, it’s a story that is a lot more sensitive than one could’ve imagined.

This is a must-watch experience for devotees who have devoured such classics as “A Farewell to Arms,” “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and “The Sun Also Rises,” and it’s essential viewing for those only passingly familiar with Hemingway as a pop culture figure who might be motivated to sample his works after watching the series.

The expansive, thoughtful “Hemingway” shows us the man in full, contrasting the person and the persona, the triumphs and vulnerabilities, to help us see an old story with new eyes.

The myth is stripped away, the pedestal has the legs sawn off and Burns presents to us Hemingway the man, warts and all. Another great American monument, seen through Burns’s crystal clear eyes.

PBS' Hemingway delivers the Ernest Hemingway people know, the Ernest Hemingway people think they know and the Ernest Hemingway captured in his private correspondence, in the recollections of others less invested in his hagiography, and in close literary analysis of his best and worst work. That's a lot of Hemingway. So is Hemingway too long? Yes. Does Hemingway have enough rewards to justify its length? Also yes.

“Hemingway” won’t do much to entice new fans of the author — certainly not enough for them to commit to six hours about his life. But if you’re a literary fan and have connected with any of the author’s works, you’ll find something that resonates.

What was absent was a new perspective. This study of “Papa” didn’t preach. In fact, it did little beyond relay the nuts and bolts of his early life. How disappointing that such a revolutionary writer was dealt with in such an old-fashioned documentary.