The Amish: A People Of Preservation

Filmed in Lancaster County, PA, site of the oldest Amish community in America, this CINE Golden Eagle award winning documentary--which originally aired on PBS--is an excellent examination of Amish culture. Mennonite historian-producer John Ruth takes viewers on an inside tour of the Amish lifestyle. Set apart from contemporary American culture, the Amish number some 75,000 spread across 20 states. Strictly religious, the people do not use electricity, shun American schools, and "dislike convenience." Interviews with members who have left the fold are intercut with vignettes of everyday life such as shoeing horses, young males playing a form of dodge ball, and the activity which became a centerpiece in the 1985 thriller Witness: raising a barn. While some might say that the Amish have taken the notion of tradition to the nth degree, others admire the adherence to a simple lifestyle. Within the Amish community, however, there is an ongoing struggle over the question of what is permissible and what is not. But while they've fudged a few issues in the interests of preserving the community, the people still remain resolutely outside of the American mainstream. Yet, contrary to popular myths, the Amish freely and pleasantly interact with the world, and members are allowed to leave the community (though they can only return once). In the Amish, the 19th-century lives on in 20th-century America, and while The Amish: A People of Preservation never goes so far as to romanticize its subject, it does raise serious questions about our own frantic lives of individuality, compared to the comforts of community. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (Available from: Vision Video, 2030 Wentz Church Road, Box 540, Worcester, PA 19490; (800) 523-0226.)