Pro Membership
Ken Burns: The Address
Inhouse product
Reviews & Ratings
-
LWD01915
09-08-2025I had never heard of this film until it I was flipping through the TV channels in March or April of 2014 and it was on my local NPR station. Ken Burns is one of the best documentary filmmakers-THE best in my opinion. I've seen many of his films but had not heard of this one which is kind of astonishing since we have a 14-year-old son who has many of the issues that the boys at this school face.The tradition of the school portrayed is having the boys learn and recite the Gettysburg Address. Lincoln's most well-known speech but only 2 minutes in length but 2 minutes to a child with a myriad of issues? Might as well say "2 hours."Even if you do not have a child or know one who has a learning disability and/or mood disorder with the accompanying emotional difficulties with self-esteem and other things, you will be touched greatly by the film.After I watched The Address for the first time, I looked for and read some reviews and the NY Times wrote a few things that really emphasized just how amazing this film is. The film may primarily be about a group of incredible boys but there's a whole lot more. The teachers, counselors, aides-every single adult at that school was phenomenal. As the Times said, "For these kinds of students, sometimes a well-trained teacher or other professional has insights that escape even the child’s parents."In addition to the "insights" of the staff was larger message that the Times included in their review-“American culture is identified as very individualistic, and yet there’s a tremendous social pressure to conform and to be like everybody else, and to marginalize and pathologize people who function differently in all different kinds of ways,” says Tom Ehrenberg, a therapist. “I will get parents who will say to me, ‘I just want my kid to be normal,’ and sometimes I have to say to them: ‘It’s not his job to be normal. It’s his job to be who he is.’ ”In the 8 week period in which the boys need to learn The Address, you get to see some amazing things transpire. Not everyone is ready at the end of the 8 weeks but they worked harder than anyone, even themselves, can imagine. And they don't feel totally defeated if they are not selected to perform. They know one thing. Their chance will come in another year.I bought 2 copies of the DVD in the event that the people I wanted to see it the most, did not have access to it through their TV provider. And when the credits roll at the end, they show a website that challenges anyone, child or adult, with issues or without to try themselves to memorize it and many have. And their names are on a separate website if they ("everyman") did and mine will be up there very soon. This film is a must-see. Unbelievably compassionate and uplifting.
-
Mr. Bill
09-08-2025I start with full disclosure: I am a fan of Ken Burns and his work. I was therefore amazed to see this pop up when I was actually working to order "The Roosevelts". As noted by other reviewers, I've no idea how I'd never heard of it before!If you are an educator, you must experience this film! If you are a believer in the human spirit you must see this film! It is very different from what you'd expect of Ken Burns in one way: it is not about the artful presentation of zooms or pans of vintage photos accompanied by masterful script and narration: it is live video, and the participants tell the story.It is exactly like many of Ken Burn's works in the most important ways. This is a film of the highest quality. It enlightens you, you experience the struggles of others, you are lifted up and at the end of it all you gently exhale while breathing on word:"Wow".
-
Dottie Rush
09-08-2025Returned this DVD in mint condition. Package unopened. Yet only refunded 50% of purchase price because of a restocking fee. Not happy!
At Greenwood School in Vermont, it's students, boys, ages 11 to 17, are asked each year to memorize the Gettysburg Address. These boys all suffer from learning differences that have made their progress extremely challenging. Interweaving the history of this famous American speech with the journey of the boys, THE ADDRESS reveals the timeless resonance of Lincoln's words, while culminating in the triumph of the human spirit.
