Ken Burns' America: The Shakers  (1985)

Theatrical Release Information:
Ken Burns' America: The Shakers

Under the official title of the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Coming, the Shakers created one of the most fascinating and idiosyncratic religious movements in American history. In this engrossing volume of the seven-part series America, renowned documentary filmmaker Ken Burns brings to life the unique confluence of history, politics, and dynamic personalities that made this phenomenon possible and that make it symbolic of all that America is and was. Out of the many experimental utopian communities that migrated to America in hopes of finding religious freedom, the Shakers may be the only one to have made a lasting impression upon both the scholarly and the popular imagination. Known to many only for their stunning and influential furniture design, the Shakers were a commune strictly devoted to ideals of work, communal property, celibacy, and prayer. Don't miss this in-depth look at America's religious past. ~ Sarah Welsh, All Movie Guide