Ken Burn's new series- Prohibition.

[Revvy]

Audience drinks up ‘Prohibition’ at world premiere

By Jackie Donohoe, The Dartmouth Staff

Published on Tuesday, July 19, 2011


Documentarian Ken Burns presented the world premiere of the first episode of his and Lynn Novick’s three-part film “Prohibition” last Saturday at the Hopkins Center for the Arts. Burns and Novick’s “Prohibition,” which explores the era of speakeasies, bootleggers and constitutional chaos, will air on PBS on October 2, 3 and 4.

“Prohibition” follows the ascent, reign and decline of the 18th Amendment, which made the distribution of alcohol illegal in the United States. The five-and-a-half-hour long documentary features music by Wynton Marsalis and the voice talents of Tom Hanks, Jeremy Irons, Paul Giamatti, Oliver Platt and Samuel L. Jackson, among others, according to the PBS press release.

Bill Pence, director of Hopkins Center Film and co-founder of the Telluride Film Festival, introduced Burns prior to the screening as “arguably the most influential film director of our times — and that includes feature directors such as George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.”

“Burns turned millions of people onto history with his films and also showed us a new way of looking at our collective past and ourselves,” Pence said. “He has invigorated our sense of appreciation for and understanding of our country’s history, and at the same time he has revolutionized the craft of documentary filmmaking.” The Hop has previewed many of Burns’s films, including “The Civil War,” “Frank Lloyd Wright,” “Horatio’s Drive” and “Baseball,” according to Pence.

In this documentary, Burns also addresses colleges’ roles during Prohibition. He relies not only on historians, but also on first hand accounts from people who remember the period.

“Those who were at Harvard or Wesleyan remember making gin in the bathtub,” Burns said.

A humble Burns watched Saturday’s screening “anxiously in the back corner,” testing the reaction of the audience, he later told the crowd.

After the screening, Burns answered audience members’ questions after crediting the absent Novick — who worked as an assistant on “The Civil War” *— as half of the power force behind “Prohibition.”

“Everything you like about the film is hers, and everything you don’t like you can blame on me,” Burns said.

“Prohibition’s” first episode covers more than 100 years, starting with the growing Victorian-era concerns about alcohol abuse that eventually led to the ratification of the 18th Amendment in 1919, according to Burns.

The episode, titled “A Nation of Drunkards,” shows how the saloons and taverns flourished in the United States with the growing availability of hard liquor, and how men subsequently began to neglect family and professional duties. It also chronicles how these events lead to the formation of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union and Anti-Saloon League.

By focusing on women such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Frances Willard and Carry Nation in the first episode, Burns contrasts the initial role of women pushing for temperance against the female alcoholics in speakeasies, whom Burns portrays in the next two episodes.

“We then focus our attention in the subsequent episodes on the sexual revolution,” Burns said. “Shortening their skirts, bobbing their hair, drinking, participating in promiscuous sex — all these things come along with the Roaring Twenties, and boy did it roar.”

The following two episodes, which focus on the following 13 years and how Prohibition turned law-abiding citizens into criminals, encouraged the origins of local gangs and glamourized illicit drinking, according to Burns.

Although the first episode shows multiple points of view, from the German-American beer sellers to the housewives, there is clearly an agenda in how Burns and Novick chose to condense and represent the 100 years leading up to the 18th Amendment.

The film raises serious questions about the role of government and individual rights. However, Burns and Novick successfully balance historical accuracy with entertainment.

“What [people] like is a good story,” Burns said.

 

[thataintchicken]

It looks interesting.
Will have to see it and form an opinion afterwards. Then create a drinking game.

 

[viking73]

It looks interesting.
Will have to see it and form an opinion afterwards. Then create a drinking game.

Easy:

Speakeasy = drink
Prohibition = drink
Organized crime (or mob)= drink
Alcohol = drink
Temperance = double shot

Add some more!

 

[Pappers_]

This is a perfect opportunity to have a beer-tasting party!

 

[thataintchicken]

Easy:

Speakeasy = drink
Prohibition = drink
Organized crime (or mob)= drink
Alcohol = drink
Temperance = double shot

Add some more!

that's a good start--- I'm thinking more along the lines of the "baseball' drinking game.

One drink
Still frames of black-and-white photographs that were clearly taken after 1993
Far-off shot of children playing baseball very poorly
Daniel Okrent sitting in poor posture while being interviewed
The slight but nagging impression that Ken Burns believes that there is still a baseball team in Brooklyn

Two drinks
Sad child on screen when the word "strike" is uttered
Sports columnist remarking that we are all Steve Bartman in a way (I absolutely guarantee this will happen)
Doris Kearns Goodwin remarking that when the Red Sox won the World Series, she was happy
Pundit unconvincingly argues that baseball is the greatest sport, cites completely irrelevant facts (the grass is green and the field looks really nice, etc.)

Finish drink
Sunsets!
Surprise interview of George W. Bush
Surprise interview of Danny McBride
Documentary ends with someone playing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" really, really slowly on a piano (also guaranteeing this)
You suddenly really, really wish that Ken Burns would do a documentary about pro wrestling

 

[Pappers_]

Thanks for sharing this, Revvy. I found a really interesting 30 minute preview of the film on the PBS site, with interviews with the directors and others. I posted it on my blog at http://www.singingboysbrewing.com/The-Blog.html?entry=prohibition

We really are going to have a beer and cider tasting one of the nights the film airs - should be fun!

 

[Airborneguy]

Ugh! This isn't in the queue yet, so please don't let me forget to set my DVR when the time comes

 

[Revvy]

Methinks we should brew some prohibition and pre-prohibition beers to drink during the airing. Or maybe some Yuenglings.

I have some links to some recipes from that era (including the infamous blue ribbon malt extract recipes in my beer history sites thread.

Pappers, thanks for digging up that other video, I can't wait to watch it.

 

[Revvy]

So it premieres tonight, gang.

 

[TXCrash]

Hrmm. I'll be watching each night but given my current condition (post motorcycle accident, lots o good drugs) I probably wont make it to the end of each.

Think the PBS site or somewhere else will stream the 3 part series?

 

[Revvy]

Think the PBS site or somewhere else will stream the 3 part series?

Given the internet, I'm sure someone will have a link of it up by tomorrow morning.

If I find any, I'll post them.

 

[android]

boy, the WCTU was a rough lookin' bunch.

 

[Revvy]

"This is your stomach, this is your stomach on alcohol...."

 

[Revvy]

boy, the WCTU was a rough lookin' bunch.

What, you don't think these chicks are hot?

 

[Revvy]

So now we know where the term "skid row" comes from.

The term originally referred literally to a path along which working men skidded logs.

And I just read somewhere that the term bootlegging originally came from concealing hip flasks of alcohol in the legs of boots.

 

[Revvy]

So I guess "Freedom fries" weren't the first food "retconned" for political reasons, eh? "Liberty Cabbage?" lol

 

[Revvy]

I've found one of those sites "of dubious pedigree" where someone has put up a stream of the first episode.

Here.

 

[Homercidal]

Damn, missed it! Time to start scouring for reruns.

They have a good guide on their website that lists the air times. I almost didn't find it, because I almost got caught up in reading about the show! Must stay focused!

I should have time to read it while working on this computer infection though.

 

[Revvy]

Damn, missed it! Time to start scouring for reruns.

Click on the link I posted above.

 

[Homercidal]

Click on the link I posted above.

I'll save it for watching on the DVR on my HD LCD.

Anything to interrupt my wife's Mad Men habit

 

[TxBrew]

I caught a little of it last night, pretty good from what I've seen.

 

[_JP_]

I've found one of those sites "of dubious pedigree" where someone has put up a stream of the first episode.

Here.

Less dubious link (streaming straight from PBS):

http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/prohibition/watch-video/#id=15393956

Last night's episode will be broadcast again tonight in HD, followed by the (new) 2nd installment. We'll be watching all 4 hours worth, since I missed it last night as well.

 

[Revvy]

Less dubious link (streaming straight from PBS):

http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/prohibition/watch-video/#id=15393956

Last night's episode will be broadcast tonight in HD, followed by the 2nd installment. We'll be watching all 4 hours worth, since I missed it last night as well.

Awesome. I looked all over the site this morning, and couldn't figure out if there was one up so soon.

After it ended last night there was a cool half hour "making of" segment, that covered the casting of some of the voices, the choice of the music and where some of the information research came from. Good piece as well.

 

[android]

After it ended last night there was a cool half hour "making of" segment, that covered the casting of some of the voices, the choice of the music and where some of the information research came from. Good piece as well.

that was cool. after that, locally, we had a bit on the history of the 'Templeton Rye' whiskey distillery and how they were involved with Al Capone during prohibition. a very informative night overall! can't wait for part 2 tonight.

 

[Revvy]

that was cool. after that, locally, we had a bit on the history of the 'Templeton Rye' whiskey distillery and how they were involved with Al Capone during prohibition. a very informative night overall! can't wait for part 2 tonight.

That's cool. After that mini doc, they just rolled part one over on my pbs station. It would have been great for the detroit PBS to have done something on the purple gang and bootlegging during prohibition. It's a big part of our history.

In fact one of our just retired building engineers at Wayne state is an expert on the Purple Gang, and Prohibition in Detroit.

He wrote this book on the subject a number of years ago.

He's even been the local station, it would have been great for them to have done a special to piggyback on it.

 

[android]

never heard of the purple gang before, i'll have to dig into that a little...

 

[Revvy]

never heard of the purple gang before, i'll have to dig into that a little...

Did you ever catch the line in Elvis Presley's "Jail House Rock" that went "The whole rhythm section was the Purple Gang ... ?"

This is a good writeup on the purple gang.

 

[Revvy]

Looks like episode two is up on PBS for all like me who missed it do to Baseball or Monday Night Football. Episode Two A Nation of Scofflaws

 

[Revvy]

I never got told the whole story, but evidently one of my uncles, who was the black sheep of the family was a bottlegger in West Virginia, during this period. The story is that in Oak Hill where my Dad's family lived (and worked in the mine) my uncle used to store cases of beer in the creek right behind the police station.

 

[android]

I never got told the whole story, but evidently one of my uncles, who was the black sheep of the family was a bottlegger in West Virginia, during this period. The story is that in Oak Hill where my Dad's family lived (and worked in the mine) my uncle used to store cases of beer in the creek right behind the police station.

cool...

it was neat last night to see the whole 'homebrewing' movement get started.