8.2 /10 1 Votes8.2
Written by Geoffrey C. Ward Running time 5 1/2 hours | 8.2/10 IMDb Country of origin United States Initial release 2 October 2011 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Producer(s) Sarah Botstein / Lynn Novick / Ken Burns Production company(s) Florentine FilmsWETAProhibition Film Project Cast | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ken burns prohibition pbs trailer
Prohibition is a 2011 documentary film for television directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick with narration by Peter Coyote. The series originally aired between October 2, 2011 and October 4, 2011. It draws heavily from the 2010 book Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition by Daniel Okrent.
Contents
Synopsis
Prohibition describes how the consumption and effect of alcoholic beverages in the United States were connected to many different cultural forces including immigration, women's suffrage, and the income tax. Eventually the Temperance movement led to the passing of Prohibition, the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Widespread defiance of the law, uneven and unpopular enforcement, and violent crime associated with the illegal trade in alcohol caused increasing dissatisfaction with the amendment, eventually leading to its repeal thirteen years later.
Episodes
- "A Nation of Drunkards" (1 hr 34 min) describes how immigration, alcoholism, women's suffrage and the temperance movements led up to the passing of the 18th Amendment, Prohibition.
- "A Nation of Scofflaws" (1 hr 50 min) addresses how the enforcement of Prohibition was inconsistent and caused unintended consequences, including making criminals of a large portion of the population.
- "A Nation of Hypocrites" (1 hr 45 min) follows the gradual swing towards repeal of Prohibition as the Great Depression focuses attention on other priorities.