DoHistorysite maptech helpabout sitesearch

  The Film A Midwife's Tale. Directed by Richard P. Rogers. Written and Produced by Laurie Kahn-Leavitt.
video box film still
the crew shoots "Martha" getting into her canoe. 2 min clip [11.4MB]

The Video

Video Clips (QuickTime)
Martha & the Young Doctor
[1 min 41 sec] 9.5MB

Rape of Rebecca Foster
[ 5 min] 27.6MB

Waking Up
[ 3 min 10 sec] 18.5MB

Martha's Death
[ 1 min 40 sec] 9.3MB

The Parade
[ 2 min 26 sec] 14.3MB

Buy the video
call PBS VIDEO at 1-800-344-3337, or
for home use order from Shop PBS
(public use* order from PBS Video)

Behind the Scenes

When filmmakers put history on the screen, they make thousands of choices that shape what we see and hear and believe. They do research. They decide which details to include -- and which to exclude. And they also make interpretive choices that aren't required when writing a book: choices about casting, set design, camera angle, lighting, image sequences, music and sound effects. Read

Process of Making a Historical Film, by writer/producer Laurie Kahn-Leavitt for a behind-the-scenes tour of how A Midwife's Tale was made.

See also: Other Film and History Web sites
See also: Film and History Bibliography

*The public viewing copy has an on-screen index which makes it easy to find specific scenes in the film, and it comes with a teacher's guide which explores the topics of money and currency, textiles and female work, midwifery, and courtship, marriage and sexuality.

 





home your interests who was Martha? Martha's diary book film doing history archive on your own