''The Address'' is a 2014
documentary film
A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...
for television written, co-produced and directed by
Ken Burns. The documentary was released on April 15, 2014.
Synopsis
''The Address'' follows a group of students from
The Greenwood School, a
boarding school in
Putney, Vermont
Putney is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,617 at the 2020 census.
The town's historic core makes up the Putney Village Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Histo ...
for boys in Grades 6-12 with special needs, such as
dyslexia and
ADHD as they prepare to recite the
Gettysburg Address
The Gettysburg Address is a speech that U.S. President Abraham Lincoln delivered during the American Civil War at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery, now known as Gettysburg National Cemetery, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on the ...
.
The documentary follows the students in their day-to-day lives at the boarding school, as they each prepare for the recital. The boys receive a special coin upon successfully reciting the speech. Burns used various students from the school to narrate historical background throughout the film.
Reviews
Brian Lowry of ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' said, "
surely must have felt like something of a respite to play small ball for a while with "The Address," profiling a school for teenage boys with learning disabilities in Vermont, and the children for whom memorizing and reciting the Gettysburg Address is a rite of passage. Despite its relative lack of heft, the project is reasonably effective in providing a window into these kids' worlds, however narrow the aperture might be."
References
External links
'The Address'Florentine Films
*
2014 television specials
American documentary television films
Documentary films about education
Documentary films about Vermont
Films directed by Ken Burns
PBS original programming
{{documentary-tv-film-stub