The Birth of Anabaptism by Abraham Friesen was produced by MB Communications & Visual Marketing LTD of Winnipeg Canada. This film consists of one speaker (understood to be Abraham Friesen) who teaches about the history of Anabaptism and how it all began. The run time is a short 28 minutes, comprised of video footage of the speaker while complimented with illustrations, paintings, and other imagery throughout. Friesen starts off with questions of why it is important to understand the movement of Anabaptism, and begins to provide some possible answers.

The cause of the reformation is unpacked while highlighting other significant moments of the 13th-16th Century. This topic is explored thoroughly with explanations of the separation of the church, when and why standards were lowered to allow more people in, and how this was viewed by the community. Other points of interest include the ideas of Apostolic Christianity, rethinking structures of the Church, Martin Luther’s influences, and changing conditions within the Christian society. Anabaptist beliefs and ideas are described, including information on the first Anabaptist believers. Historical figures such as Ulrich Zwingli and Balthasar Hubmaier are talked about as well.

The film is simple in its presentation but effective in a way that it gives a distinct timeline of events, and clear ideas in order to understand such a topic.
-Teanna Rozek
2018-08-22

Bibliography

“Anabaptism”. Gameo – Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1996-2018 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. August, 2018. Web.

“The Birth of Anabaptism”. Abraham Friesen. MB Communications & Visual Marketing LTD Winnipeg, Canada. Historical Commission of the Mennonite Brethren Churches of North America. 1989.

Back to Reviews

Pioneers in Mexico was directed, edited and produced by Otto Klassen. This documentary explains the history of the Mennonites who emigrated from Canada to Mexico in the years 1922-26. The film narrows in on the work that men and women did to establish a successful community in a vastly different land than they were previously accustomed to. Klassen utilizes video and old photos from the Mennonite Historical Society of Mexico along with other sources such as Heinz Berger and George K. Epp to give viewers a clear idea of the facts presented. With narration by George Rempel Jr., this film is great for those interested in history related to agriculture, and provides information on various types of farming from the past. The film runs at 54 minutes and the content is appropriate for all ages. (Please note there is one scene containing hog butchering, however this is not elaborate).

The film discusses the items and livestock brought over from Canada, processes and struggles of adapting to a new climate, and explanations of each type of field work (i.e. growing corn or processing dairy). Time is also given to describe their faith and worship services. One of the main issues that caused great difficulty in their settling was the tough soil which their earliest machinery could not handle. This led to new mechanization and evolution of farm equipment to better suit Mexico’s conditions.

As the film continues, there is information on building styles of the villages, and comparing past to present with the schools, churches, homes, and machinery. Reasons for emigration are discussed, as is Mexico’s weather conditions and how this affected the Mennonite farmers in their day-to-day tasks. The narrator describes all kinds of work that these Mennonites underwent including planting, irrigating and fertilizing, growing, harvesting, and marketing. This also looks further into feed mills and processes, raising cattle, varying seasons and affects, the highs and lows of the economy of such areas, and the transportation of goods/products. Other details include information on the factories, foundries, entrepreneurialism, employment and ownership.

-Teanna Rozek – August 2018

Bibliography

“Pioneers in Mexico”. An Otto Klassen Film Production 1997.