Feb. 6, 2012 issue
PBS film on Amish made with respect (preview included)
By Sheldon C. Good Mennonite Weekly ReviewA landmark documentary on Amish faith and life will debut on PBS at the end of February. The two-hour film is a production of American Experience, television’s most-watched history series.
A screenshot from The Amish shows children playing in the snow in Lancaster County, Pa. — Photo by American Experience
The Amish will air at 8 p.m. EST Feb. 28. A 10-minute preview is available at the end of this article.
Filmed over the course of a year, the documentary tells stories from Amish communities across the U.S. Because Amish traditionally do not show their faces on camera, production was challenging for the film crew.
“In our 23 years, with almost 300 films completed, this was the most difficult that we’ve ever made,” Mark Samels, executive producer of American Experience said in the film’s press release.
Anabaptist scholars who study the Amish — Donald B. Kraybill, Steven M. Nolt, David L. Weaver-Zercher — and author Karen M. Johnson-Weiner are interviewed in the film. The credits list Kraybill as a consultant and Nolt as an academic adviser.
Kraybill, the senior fellow of Elizabethtown (Pa.) College’s Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies, said other documentaries on the Amish have been shorter and more regionally focused.
The Young Center website lists five documentaries on the Amish.
“This is a landmark documentary because of its breadth, quality and integrity and because it will be shown widely on PBS,” he said. “This will give it stature and significance for years to come.”
Over the last decade, dozens of producers have come to Kraybill wanting to do films on the Amish. With one exception, a 2007 production by Mennonite filmmaker Burton Buller, he has said no — until now.
“I agreed to do it because I felt the filmmakers were sincerely interested in a documentary that would have integrity, a sense of history and would respect Amish moral and cultural boundaries,” he said.
Comments
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hello, this looks like a fascinating show! will it be shown online? I don't have TV.
blessings, CarylAnne
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The tears have already started to fall as my heart once again goes out to those families that lost their daughters that day. I can not wait to see the rest of this, from what I can see, respectfully done documentary.
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CarylAnne, many American Experience films are made available online after they air on TV. I suggest checking this website over the next few weeks/months -- this is where the Amish film would appear online: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/
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I am an anthropologist intensely interested in culture. During two work stints in Illinois, one in an archaeological context, and the other in a biological/wildlife context, I was in contact with the Amish community in a limited way.
A non-sensationalized film that explores this culture is welcome. However, a long term ethnography must certainly be available for this sizable and unique community before 2011?
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Brings back memories of that sad sad day when the Amish shooting hit the news. I grew up Amish and I remember my peaceful one-roomed schoolhouse and couldn't fathom what those poor children and teachers endured that day.
For those of you who are interested in learning more about the Amish, feel free to contact me. I left so I could go to college, which the Amish aren't allowed to do. I'm now starting a scholarship fund for other Amish people who wish to seek a higher education. If you have any questions or would like to get involved, it's called Amish Descendant Scholarship Fund.
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Love it: Quote by Donald B. Kraybill: This is a landmark documentary because of its breadth, quality, and integrity.
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This looks like a wonderful show. However i missed it. It is April 2nd. Is there anyway I can see it later
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