Product Details

• Directors: Ken Burns, Lynn Novick
• Format: Blu-ray, Color, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English, Spanish
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Dubbed: Spanish
• Region: Region A/1 (Read more about DVD/Blu-ray formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: PBS (DIRECT)
• DVD Release Date: October 4, 2011
• Run Time: 360 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (58 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0052YDO3O
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #36,169 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Ken Burns: Prohibition [Blu-ray]" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

It's hard to comprehend now, but nearly a century ago, Americans were denied both the pleasures and evils of alcohol for a period of almost 14 years--a strange and tumultuous time chronicled in edifying detail in Ken Burns and Lynn Novick's Prohibition, a three-part (and three-disc) documentary first broadcast by PBS. Part One, "A Nation of Drunkards," contemplates the lead-up to Prohibition. And a long lead-up it was, as preachers, women alarmed by their husbands' debilitating drunkenness, and others were railing against the evils of drinking nearly 100 years before the 18th Amendment, which banned "the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors," went into effect in January 1920. Calls for temperance in the mid-19th century soon gave way to strident demands for total abstinence, influenced by groups like the Women's Christian Temperance Union and the Anti-Saloon League, along with self-righteous crusaders like Carrie Nation (who wielded a hatchet as she decimated drinking establishments in her home state of Kansas). Once the federal income tax was introduced, thus eliminating government dependence on liquor taxes--which at one point accounted for 70 percent of all US revenue!--the path to passage of the amendment was cleared. But in their zeal to impose their morals on the rest of the country, the "Drys," as they were called, failed to foresee that enforcement of the amendment and its harsh enabling legislation, the Volstead Act, would be nearly impossible. That issue is examined in Part Two, "A Nation of Scofflaws," which describes the deluge of bribery, corruption, defiance of the law by ordinary citizens (the "Wets"), and, perhaps most notably, the enormous amounts of money to be made from the distribution of illegal liquor (which in turn led to the rise of Al Capone and many, many other powerful gangsters) that came in the law's wake. In Part Three, "A Nation of Hypocrites," we witness the ultimate failure of Prohibition, culminating in the repeal of the 18th Amendment in 1933. In the end, we're told, the rigid religious fundamentalism of the Drys, who refused to consider even the slightest modification of the law, was the principal cause of its downfall--accompanied, of course, by the simple fact that people love to drink.

This is a fascinating subject, and Burns, Novick, and their collaborators present it with the precision and flair seen in other Burns documentaries, combining comments from historians and other experts, evocative music, a wealth of photos and film footage, and wonderfully rich personal stories (with period reminiscences read by actors like Sam Waterston, John Lithgow, Philip Bosco, Samuel L. Jackson, Patricia Clarkson, Tom Hanks, and Blythe Danner) in a rich tapestry of information and entertainment. Prohibition is not to be missed. --Sam Graham

Product Description

PROHIBITION, directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, tells the story of the rise, rule and fall of the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The film starts with the early history of alcohol in America and examines the 19th-century temperance and progressive movements through the repeal of the 18th Amendment in 1933. This six-hour three part documentary also includes over two hours of bonus content.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

62 of 69 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating!!!!! October 6, 2011

By R. Daniel

Format:Blu-ray

I am not an historian nor am I usually interested in documentaries. I accidentally turned the channel on the t.v. and was immediately captivated by the history of the prohibition era. I read the last review. I can't dispute the author's factual accounts, but from what I saw and learned the minute details that were missed or left out were irrelevant. I say that because even though the last reviewer tells of inaccuracies I think that the amount of information that was given left me with a passion to want to research more for myself. It's like having bad teachers and wanting to drop out of school then the next semester you have a dedicated teacher. That teacher can't teach you all you'll ever need to learn but gives you the thirst to want to learn more. So much to want to leave a review and purchase the Blu-ray. That's what I got from it.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars War On Drugs, the Prequel February 19, 2012

By Michael Tullberg

Format:DVD

Anyone who wants to understand just why the present-day War On Drugs has been such a good-intentioned but simultaneously cataclysmic failure should take a good, long look at this film. It becomes so abundantly clear that sadly so many in this country have not learned valuable lessons from the events from the past. The (correct) point that any attempt to try and legislate human morality is doomed to fail has rarely been made so clear than in Ken Burns' latest triumph. Bravo yet once again to the USA's most important film-maker.

29 of 34 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Prohibition in America comes alive through film clips and focused narration. Bravo for Ken Burns! October 19, 2011

By Linda Linguvic HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

Ken Burns, the undisputed master of the TV documentary, has done it again. This 3-part 5-1/2 hour PBS series kept my eyes glued to the screen while my own impressions of the world of prohibition, which were mostly gleaned from stories my parents told me, became real through the old film clips and the excellent narration and historical perspective.

Looking back, it seems as if the nation was crazy to actually pass a law that prohibited alcoholic beverages in all its forms. But times were different then. In the small town Americana of 1919 men were getting dead drunk and abusing their families. For the first time in history, women asserted themselves and organized the Women's Christian Temperance Union, marching in the streets and eventually influencing legislation. It was different in the cities however, where an immigrant population did not see liquor as a menace. Thus began the age of Prohibition and the biggest crime wave and social change that America has ever seen.

This documentary tells it all with excellent film clips, fine historical research and clear and focused narration. I loved every minute of it, learned a lot, and revisited old stories told to me as a child. This series is absolutely spectacular, I give it my highest rating and am delighted that it is now available for purchase.