Product Description

Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 09/30/2005 Director: Ken Burns

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #58547 in DVD
• Brand: Paramount
• Released on: 2004-09-28
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 58 minutes

Customer Reviews

Skimpy overview of the Shakers
The Shakers were an American religious sect that nurtured an explosion of creativity in theology, social experimentation, architecture, music, design, and invention. Never larger than a few thousand men and women, this group accomplished an amazing amount and their legacy is out of all proportion to their numbers. Ken Burns does a very superficial job here. Next to nothing is said about their radical theology: Mother Ann was seen as the second coming of Christ in female form. Ken Burns, who did such a good job with the Civil War, never mentions that the Shakers' numbers grew radically after the upheavals of the Civil War left many people seeking extreme religious lifestyles. While there are examples of Shaker music, no one discusses the unique style of their hymns. The vast Shaker thological literature that survives seems to have little interest to him. It is as if Burns spent a weekend doing research and figured that he had learned enough. He didn't.

A Great Overview
Although this is not an extensive project, it is a wonderful introduction to the world of the Shakers and gives the curious a place to start. If you would like to get inspiration for additional research on this fascinating subject, this is an ideal DVD and beautifully produced. Don't hesitate seeing it!