“The Old Order Amish” is a color documentary film that offers an intimate portrait of the daily lives of the Amish community in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It dates to 1959 and was produced by Vincent R. Tortora – a filmmaker and author known for his work highlighting closed off communities in America from the Amish to Hasidic Jews. The film features music by composer Jack Behrens and art by Valerie Seward and Amish painter Kiehl Newswanger.
Perhaps German Martin Luther Bible, other religious texts (0:41). Amish farmer operating horse-drawn plow (0:49). Sprawling fields, farm houses, tree-covered hills of Lancaster County in Southeastern, Pennsylvania (1:04). Exterior of Amish home peeks out among trees (1:50). Close-up water-wheel operated water pump (2:06). Clothes dry on clothesline (2:19). Amish woman lays traditional quilts featuring Pennsylvania Dutch design over banister, another woman enters indoor “Dutch Oven” carrying peel (2:34). Group of women peeling string beans (3:03). Father rides with son on horse-drawn cart, young boy operates horse-drawn rake, plow (3:07). Women pump water into bucket (3:42). Aerial views of young boy as he operates horse-drawn rake, plow (3:48). Women set dinner table (4:25). Post-supper family chores: men head back into field, women sweep, tend to indoor plants (4:35). Woman polishes chest of china, woman works on quilt while sitting beside display chest (5:06). Camera pans bedroom, brightly colored clothes of young girls hang from pegs on wall (5:31). Young woman ushers dairy cow across road (5:45). Family record embroidered plaque on wall (6:18). 19th century Amish family cemetery (6:26). John Schmucker grave stone (6:44). Map of Upper Leacock Township; settlement patterns of early Amish settlers (6:49). Christian Herr/Hans Herr House (6:59). Other homes, Amish construction (7:20). Horse drawn buggy passes Ressler Mill (grist mill) (7:48). Amish covered bridges (8:07). Lapp Family Farm: benches stacked for service at family home, clothes for church dry on clothesline (8:22). Buggies with waving children along rural and town streets next to parked automobiles (8:47). Prayer space set up, empty buggies parked on road outside, sound of hymns from the “Ausband,” preacher speaks, testimonies shared by congregant members – illustrations of Amish church scenes (9:10). Post-service: men, boys, children go off to fellowship (10:45). Young man courts girl by taking her on buggy ride (12:00). Women quilting together (12:18). “The singing” where young people of community socialize (13:08). Education: young children in all black walk along road to one-room school house, boys and girls of one grade sit at desks while other age groups paint, do other activities, teacher from outside community makes way around room (14:22). Kids eat lunch, recess, boys play makeshift game of baseball with stick; girls play tag (16:06). Parked buggies, horses in pen, Amish men gathered at “Public Sale” of farm equipment (18:34). Young boys play Amish Corner Ball game (19:40). Amish interaction with outside world: montage families, farmers going into town; children try on shoes at the general store (20:05). Women, men tend to stalls at local farmers markets selling cured meats, cakes, flowers from their farms (21:11). Amish women in black cloaks line up to board bus into town (22:16). Harvest time: bags of harvested grain hoisted up into Ressler Mill (22:26). Tobacco field: workers harvest tobacco plants; young boys, women collect tobacco stalks onto wooden stake/ lat while man collects completed stakes on carriage (23:00). Woman in empty corn field (24:50). Group of men, neighbors come together to tear down barn that burned down in the winter (25:22). Empty parked buggies beyond charred remains of farm equipment, 200 men come to help raise new barn (25:49). Men work on support beams, women come around with refreshments (26:10). Near finished barn structure (29:58). Future of Amish culture, modernization and maintaining the homestead – buggy rides on highway, passes billboard for mass produced chicken (30:21). Damaged wheel, wagon of buggy in fatal accident, funeral procession (30:40).
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
