Prohibition is a three-part, five-and-a-half-hour documentary film series directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick that tells the story of the rise, rule, and fall of the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the entire era it encompassed. 

The culmination of nearly a century of activism, Prohibition was intended to improve, even to ennoble, the lives of all Americans, to protect individuals, families, and society at large from the devastating effects of alcohol abuse. But the enshrining of a faith-driven moral code in the Constitution paradoxically caused millions of Americans to rethink their definition of morality. Thugs became celebrities, responsible authority was rendered impotent. Social mores in place for a century were obliterated. Especially among the young, and most especially among young women, liquor consumption rocketed, propelling the rest of the culture with it: skirts shortened. Music heated up. America’s Sweetheart morphed into The Vamp. Prohibition turned law-abiding citizens into criminals, made a mockery of the justice system, caused illicit drinking to seem glamorous and fun, encouraged neighborhood gangs to become national crime syndicates, permitted government officials to bend and sometimes even break the law, and fostered cynicism and hypocrisy that corroded the social contract all across the country. With Prohibition in place, but ineffectively enforced, one observer noted, America had hardly freed itself from the scourge of alcohol abuse – instead, the “drys” had their law, while the “wets” had their liquor.

The story of Prohibition’s rise and fall is a compelling saga that goes far beyond the oft-told tales of gangsters, rum runners, flappers, and speakeasies, to reveal a complicated and divided nation in the throes of momentous transformation. The film raises vital questions that are as relevant today as they were 100 years ago – about means and ends, individual rights and responsibilities, the proper role of government, and finally, who is – and who is not – a real American.

A Film by
KEN BURNS and LYNN NOVICK

Written by
GEOFFREY C. WARD

Produced by
SARAH BOTSTEIN, LYNN NOVICK and KEN BURNS

Edited by
TRICIA REIDY, ERIK EWERS and RYAN GIFFORD

Cinematography
BUDDY SQUIRES with ALLEN MOORE and STEPHEN McCARTHY

Co-Producer
MIKE WELT

Associate Producer
McKAY McFADDEN

Senior Creative Consultant
DANIEL OKRENT

Narrated by
PETER COYOTE

Voices
ADAM ARKIN
PHILLIP BOSCO
PATRICIA CLARKSON
KEVIN CONWAY
BLYTHE DANNER
PAUL GIAMATTI
TOM HANKS
JEREMY IRONS
SAMUEL L. JACKSON
JOHN LITHGOW
JOSH LUCAS
AMY MADIGAN
CAROLYN McCORMICK
OLIVER PLATT
CAMPBELL SCOTT
FRANCES STERNHAGEN
JOANNE TUCKER
SAM WATERSTON

Assistant Editor
RICHARD RUBIN

Technical Director
DAVE MAST

Senior Advisor
GEOFFREY C. WARD

Program Advisors
PAUL BARNES
DAYTON DUNCAN
JULIE DUNFEY
MICHAEL LERNER
WILLIAM E. LEUCHTENBURG
MARTIN MARTY
DAVID McMAHON
CATHERINE GILBERT MURDOCK
JOHN RUSSICK

Executive Producer
KEN BURNS

Apprentice Editor
TED RAVIV

Funding provided by
Bank of America
Public Broadcasting Service
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
National Endowment for the Humanities
The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations
The Montrone Family through The Penates Foundation
Park Foundation, Inc.

Premieres October 2-4, 2011