whitewolf80

(2012-04-28 00:50:50)

Fascinating but not Ken Burns at his best

PROHIBITION was a fascinating look at the era of the 1920's coveringall bases in typical Burns style. Unfortunately, it gets bogged downwith the politics of the era and a little too much detail aboutbootlegging, with story after story of how bootleggers made a fortuneon the illegal liquor market. Not to mention endless newsreel footageof federal agents breaking bottles of booze and/or chopping up woodenkegs with axes. By the time I saw the tenth shot of somebody breakingbooze bottles I actually groaned out loud, "I get it!" Don't get me wrong. As I said, there were many fascinating new factspresented that most would not know about. But it should have maybe onlybeen about 4 hours long. And if any teachers out there want to use thisas an educational tool, you'll need to edit out some of it because itwould really tax the attention span of your average teenager. Also,there are some graphic photos of gangland murders and a comment by onehistorian that the 20's were basically the time when men discovered acertain part of the female anatomy. Judge for yourself if it is orisn't appropriate for your school.Ken Burns does very good with this material. Unfortunately, he doesn'tmake it as compelling as his other documentaries. I can't really put afinger on it. I just didn't feel the same compassion and empathy forthose involved in this as say I did for those in his documentaries onthe Civil War, Lewis & Clark or even Jazz and Baseball. It just seemedto lack passion this time around.

classicalsteve

(2012-04-27 11:23:29)

Greatest Legal Miscalculation of 20th Century America Documented in Outstanding Burns/Novick Film

My favorite comment in this documentary is offered by Pete Hamill,American journalist, novelist and essayist, who said basically if youwant people to brush their teeth, pass a law banning toothpaste. Andthen people will do everything they can to acquire toothpasteillegally, and they'll brush their teeth just to spite the law. Theunforeseen consequence of Prohibition is that once you take away aperson's right to do something that people have always done, peoplewill feel the desire to want it much more intensely, in the same way ifyou deny a child all sweets, the kid will be sneaking chocolate insidehis jacket sleeves. Hamill later says he doesn't drink, but he wouldprobably take a swig in front of a government building if the law everforbade him from doing it. Encouraging moderation is not the same asbanning something completely.The other comment worth noting concerns repeal crusader Pauline Sabinwho had been entrenched in republican politics prior to 1928.Republican congressmen would vote to adhere to the strictest ofprohibition laws as laid out by the Volstead Act and then go to one ofSabin's parties demanding a drink. She concluded that the United Stateshad become "a Nation of Hypocrites", which is the title of the thirdinstallment of Burn's documentary. Sabin becomes an unlikely hero whowould sway the country against Prohibition and the eventual repeal ofthe 18th Amendment of the Constitution, the only amendment sodignified. Ironically, Daniel Okrent points out that today alcohol issomewhat harder to come by than during Prohibition because of liquorlaws, underage drinking laws, etc. When alcohol was strictly forbidden,there was nothing in place to regulate it, except for raids onspeakeasies and private distilleries.Based in part on Daniel Okrent's "Last Call: The Rise and Fall ofProhibition", Ken Burns and Lynn Novick's "Prohibition" is a thoroughlyentertaining, simultaneously humorous and "sobering" look at one of thestrangest episodes in American legal history. The documentary is inthree parts, the first chronicling the birth of the temperance movementwhich began in the 1820's almost a century before the ratification ofthe 18th Amendment. No question that alcohol was a problem for somepeople, mostly among the rural poor, but the temperance movementdecided alcohol itself was the problem and vowed its eradication by thelate 19th century. The first part ends with the ratification of the18th Amendment to the US Constitution prohibiting not only the sale butimportation of alcohol. Part two concerns the passage of the VolsteadAct designed to enforce the amendment, and the immediate consequencesof trying to stop people from drinking, and the antithetical results,such as lawlessness and bribery. The third and most sobering of theepisodes chronicles many of the unintended consequences, such as theviolence erupting in Chicago and the night club craze. The documentaryends with the movement for the repeal of the 18th Amendment.The unforeseen catastrophes of the 18th Amendment which were designedto heighten American morality and assuage drunkenness turned Americainto one of the most alcoholic-driven nations among the industrializedworld. Americans drank more booze, partied more, got more drunk, andflaunted the law more often during Prohibition than at any other timein the nation's history since after the Civil War, even as compared tothe present time. Possibly only the 1960's are somewhat comparable tothe mayhem of the 1920's.The irony of ironies that the decade begun by the Temperance Movement'svictory with the passage of the 18th Amendment to the US Constitutionin 1919 would be nicknamed the Roarding Twenties and the Jazz Age. Thiswas not a decade known for drinking milk. This was a decadecharacterized by cocktail glasses in the hands of flappers dancing ontables to the evocative music of Duke Ellington and Count Basie. Menwould be raising giant mugs of frothy beer in undergroundestablishments called speakeasies. Only Prohibition allowed the likesof Al Capone and Lucky Luciano to become wealthy gangsters, almostmovie stars by today's standards. The leaders of the TemperanceMovement, particularly the Woman's Christian Temperance Union and theAnti-Saloon League, were appalled when their daughters ran off tospeakeasies and night clubs to partake of the forbidden fruit.Strangely, Prohibition helped usher in the Night Club culture ofAmerica which has continued unabated ever since. All the great nightclubs famous for their booze, music, and dancing such as the CottonClub and the Stork Club, were incepted when alcohol was supposed to beillegal.For some reason, I didn't think Prohibition permeated into so manyaspects of American life during its enforcement from 1920 through 1932.People could open small businesses in their basements and make afortune through bootlegging, and then be hauled away under the VolsteadAct. The rise of the Chicago Gang syndicate became a prototype forsimilar syndicates across the country, all vying for their bootleggingterritory. At one point, citizens were legally compelled to snitch onneighbors suspected of bootlegging. The story as presented byBurns/Novick is as compelling as any action thriller being producedtoday. A great movie of American history, with all the elements thatmake a great story. Essentially it's a legal thriller with sex,violence, and lots of booze. Lots of it.

verbusen

(2012-04-16 15:43:11)

Interesting Topic, But It Gets the Biased PBS Treatment

You know, it's OBVIOUS, that this was done by PBS. Within the first 5minutes the term spousal RAPE is used! Hey I came here to learn aboutprohibition, sheesh! All the people contributing in the first episodeare all liberals. I mean can we get some freaking balance in this stuffwith PBS? They hurt themselves by being so liberal. Cases in point.They talk about all the political sides who supported temperance butthey never use the word "liberal" and never use the word "communist" Imean you know what part I am talking about when they say "progressive"and "radical".Also, the old drunk looking dude makes the sly comment that now Jesuswould be put in jail for turning water into wine. Hey smart guy, Jesusdid not SELL the wine. Why did they have to go there? Looking at thecredits while typing this John Lithgow, Tom Hanks, Sam Waterston, thisprogram is loaded with liberals, are there any non liberal contributorsin this? Look up Noah Feldman's wiki page, he is in most of thisepisode as a commentator expert, that guy is a poster child leadingelitist liberal.For full disclosure, I am a drinker, non evangelical, and I happen tolive in a Muslim country thats dry and break it's laws in much hazardto myself because I want a drink. I'm only putting this review out hereto raise the case that PBS is not the unbiased network it has alwayssaid it is. It would serve it's own purposes better if it was trulyopen minded. Stop with the NPR "all things considered" treatment,talking down to us, you wont convince us that you are correct anymore.Interesting material, definitely done to entertain a liberal viewershipwhich I guess is all PBS has left, it's a shame that all things wereNOT considered. 6 of 10, I learned that the bible thumpers got us anincome tax in an alliance with "progressives".I have about zero trust that this series will cover all bases or justfocus on the lower class's drinks like beer. Lets see where they gowith wine and hard liquor which the rich enjoy now. They mentionKennedy's (JFK) grandfather but lets see them mention his father JoeSr, frankly I cannot see how they could NOT mention him, but it IS PBSso anything is possible when liberals write their own history.

Chris X. Moloney

(2012-04-16 02:45:14)

Amazing Story. How could Probition Ever Existed? This film makes clear the roots of the insanity of prohibition.

I've always wondered how the US ever passed laws prohibiting alcohol.Such an amazingly common thing today, it would be like banning caffeineor soda. This six hour story is told well from all sides and itprovides clarity as to the insane and radical motives behind theVolstead Act and how it backfired in every way. While the video andphotos are all rather dated being from the 1910s and 1920s, theinterviews of experts, historians and people with real-life storiesreally come together well. The narration is also great and uses some ofthe best names in the film business.This is a long series, about 6 hours. Ken Burns' direction is poignantand well-paced. It gives you time to think about the meaning and thehistorical impact of each chapter of this story which touches on manydecades.I feel I know understand an important part of American history thatnever made sense to me. Concepts like "Bootleggers and Baptists" beingaligned and the role of the gangsters in society become crystal clearafter viewing this film. I had no idea how vicious and immoral theattacks on Al Smith were by the Herbert Hoover camp. Politics andpolice seem violently corrupt in this era. You learn a lot about life,laws, religion and politics in a difficult and bitter era (the GreatDepression). Most importantly, you are reminded of the fact that US wasbuilt on Freedoms--and Prohibition is such an amazing violation ofthis. It's a historical guidepost to preserving our freedoms goingforward.The story of the Roaring 20s, flappers, the speakeasy, the rum-runners,and ironically, how the post-prohibition era was favorable to women andequality and stories I'd never imagined.FDR had three priorities when he took office: 1) regulate the banks, 2)cut federal spending, 3) legalize beer. He won by a landslide. On afunny note, Utah voted to repeal the Volstead Act rather quickly.Amazing given that that state has spend the last 80 years trying torestrict it! This three DVD series is worthy of a weekend of your time.Thanks PBS for this fine historical film and Ken Burns for anotheramazing tale.