Goethe in Weimar

Deutsche Welle

This program pays lyrical homage to the enigmatic relationship between the poet/dramatist Goethe and the Baroness Charlotte von Stein and explores its influence on his work. Excerpts from a selection of the more than 2,000 letters exchanged by Goethe, Charlotte, and their friends bear testimony to the intensity and intimacy of the relationship-one which most experts believe was platonic, despite the often passionate tone of the letters. Dramatized vignettes, sketches, and actual footage provide a historical glimpse into the German courts of the period, and into the life of this revered German figure and the woman he considered "mother, sister, and one true love." A Deutsche Welle production. (28 minutes)

Gutierrez: Juan Moreira (in Spanish)

PEDRO PUJO

Another example of the gauchesca myth. Here the gaucho hero seeks to redress the injustices inflicted by the bands of criminals who purported to be unifying 19th-century Argentina. In the effort, Moreira is brutalized and ultimately destroyed. Dramatization in Spanish. (103 minutes)

Paradise Lost

Eagle Rock Entertainment

Patterned on Greek and Roman classics, yet achieving a voice of its own by defying the strict dictates of classical subject matter, Milton’s epic poem is a masterpiece of monumental proportions. His diverse and often awesome use of language creates an effect as surreal and powerful as Dante’s Inferno. This program features probing analysis by Professors Thomas Winnifrith, University of Warwick, and Robert Wilcher, University of Birmingham. Topics include Milton’s creation of hell as one of the great imaginative accomplishments of literature. Also examined are the poem’s anti-Catholic tone; the use of the Narcissus myth; the weak, headmaster-like characterization of God; Eve as the strong, archetypal woman; Satan as hero; and criticism of Milton as a misogynist. A brief biography of Milton highlights philosophical debates of the period. (30 minutes)

A Tale of Two Cities

Eagle Rock Entertainment

"It was the best of times. It was the worst of times...." Dickens' tragic tale of love, friendship, and sacrifice begins against the backdrop of the French Revolution. Using affecting dramatizations of key passages, Dickens experts Professor Margaret Reynolds and Professor John Rignall analyze the many nuances and themes of this work. Topics discussed include dualism in characterization and plot; the impact of the ideas of the French Revolution; the rights of women in 18th-century England and France; and society's ambiguous attitude toward violence. Dickens' dual personality is revealed in the characters of Sidney Carton and Charles Darnay. Although Dickens takes aim at both aristocratic tyranny and revolutionary excess, it is the latter that is precisely conveyed by the character Madame Defarge. The work's lasting importance is analyzed within the context of its emphasis on the irreplaceable value of each human life. (30 minutes)

The Lure of Poetry

Geovision

This program features the poems of Louis Jenkins, Hal Sirowitz, Philip Levine, Joy Harjo, Robert Creeley, Brenda Hillman, Robert Hass, and others. In addition, several poets discuss poetry as work and what it's like to share a life of poetry with fellow writers; young winners of a statewide poetry contest read several of their poems; and advice for fledgling poets is offered. Filmed at the Biennial Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival. (60 minutes)

Witness: The Ecological Poetry of W. S. Merwin

University of South Carolina

In the grand tradition of Thoreau, Emerson, and Whitman, William S. Merwin is considered one of America’s most prominent environmental poets. In interviews conducted at his home in Hawaii, the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet discusses his relationship with nature as the inspiration for his work, and the responsibility he bears as eloquent spokesman for the natural world. We see Merwin living simply in a cabin by the sea, dividing his time between writing and tending his gardens. His work in the area of conservation, particularly in preserving Hawaii’s rain forest, is reflected in readings by Merwin from major works, including "A Mask for Janus," "The Lice," "The Carrier of Ladders," "The Rain in the Trees," "The Vixen," and "Lament for the Makers." This is a probing and insightful portrait of a great American literary figure. (58 minutes)

Arthur Miller: An Interview

BBC Worldwide Learning

In this exclusive interview, Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Arthur Miller speaks about his life and career. Beginning in New York, Miller traces his early years through the Great Depression, offering insights into how this lean time influenced his work. A portion of the program is devoted to a discussion of the 1950s McCarthy hearings and their impact on the development of Miller’s masterwork, The Crucible. Film excerpts from Death of a Salesman, After the Fall, and A View from the Bridge are interwoven with Miller’s observations on the political and poetic nature of his plays and on the art of writing. A BBC Production. (76 minutes)

Selection in Action: Natural Selection

Granada Media

This program provides arguments in favor of continental drift and the one-time existence of a supercontinent, shows how isolation can give rise to different species and how species develop in response to their environments, and explains clines and suggests the reason for their existence. After viewing the program, students should understand the significance of the continental drift theory, the purpose of studying inherited variation in isolated populations, and the conclusions about an isolated environment in a species' ancestry that can be drawn from the presence or absence of variation. (20 minutes)

Jorvik

Granada Media

A fascinating chapter in the history of the English language is illustrated by the 10th-century Norse village excavated in present-day York. A careful, scholarly reconstruction of the site demonstrates life in England around the time of the Domesday Book—roughly equidistant between Beowulf and The Canterbury Tales. The program explains the Norse element in the English language. (22 minutes)

Charlotte Perkins Gilman: The Yellow Wallpaper

BBC Worldwide Learning

Touted as one of the first major feminist writers, Charlotte Perkins Gilman spent her life fighting to liberate women from the yoke of domesticity. This is a stunning BBC dramatization of Gilman’s autobiographical account of a woman driven to madness by the repressive mores of Victorian culture. Stephen Dillon as the husband, John, and Julia Watson as the despondent heroine give stellar performances in this production directed by the BBC’s John Clive. (76 minutes)

Joseph Conrad: Heart of Darkness

James Bride

Joseph Conrad’s compelling novella, marked by an ominous tone and a sense of unspeakable menace, is a literary introduction to the savage 20th century. In this program, noted Conrad scholars Bruce Harkness, Frederick Karl, Jerome Meckier, and Dwight Purdy examine the author’s life within the context of his times: the pervasive influence of his Polish background, the impact of the sense of isolation he experienced as a merchant marine, and the nightmarish conditions in King Leopold’s Belgian Congo. Historic photos and maps help set the tale in the context of time and place. In addition, experts analyze Marlow, Kurtz, the Accountant, the Manager, and Kurtz’s fiancée; discuss the importance of literary techniques such as juxtapositioning; interpret the meaning of Kurtz’s last words and Marlow’s lie to the fiancée regarding them; and consider the story’s bleak implication that it is only the knowledge of one’s own perversity that separates humankind from the darkness. (30 minutes)

The Metaphysical Poets

Eagle Rock Entertainment

In a reaction against Elizabethan-period poetry, 17th-century English poets such as John Donne, George Herbert, Richard Crashaw, and Andrew Marvell began writing in a new style. Although derisively dubbed "metaphysical" because of its unseemly-that is, intellectual-nature, metaphysical poetry soon became appreciated for its remarkable blend of emotion and erudition, as evidenced by complex conceits, unconventional imagery, and the avoidance of smooth and regular meter. This program spotlights the works of the genre's founder, John Donne, as Dr. Daniella Havenstein of Oxford University and Judith Aldridge of the University of Central England interpret and analyze some of his best-known poems, along with the works of other metaphysical poets. (30 minutes)

Qui Sait?

Reseau Canope

One of Maupassant's more "fantastic" tales, this story poses the question of what is fear and what are its consequences. A chilling story. In French. (19 minutes)

El Cantar de Mio Cid

Ente Público Radiotelevisión

El Cid is unique among the world's great epics because it was composed so close to the actual historical events (a mere 40 years after the death of Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, el Cid himself) that we can distinguish between man and legend. Meticulous attention to historical detail, spectacular cinematic production values, and the swashbuckling plot itself make this medieval epic superbly entertaining as well as educational. An RTVE Production. (Spanish with English subtitles, 60 minutes)

Miguel de Unamuno: El Rector

Ente Público Radiotelevisión

A distinguished senior member of the Generation of '98 and Rector of Salamanca University, Miguel de Unamuno considered himself an "ideoclast": someone who breaks in ideas like boots, making them his own by wearing and using them. This program combines documentary material and dramatizations to present the story of a multitalented Spanish philosopher, essayist, novelist, poet, and playwright against the backdrop of his turbulent times. An RTVE Production. (Spanish, 54 minutes)

Antonio Machado: A Lomos de la Quimera

Ente Público Radiotelevisión

The most important Spanish poet of his generation and the most popular as well, Antonio Machado shared the misgivings voiced by other members of the Generation of '98 regarding the decadence and complacency of Spain. Composed of documentary material and dramatizations, this program profiles the life and achievements of a Spanish literary master, author of such enduring works as Campos de Castilla and Juan de Mairena. An RTVE production. (Spanish, 60 minutes)

John Updike: A&P

Thomson Learning

When Queenie and her friends, dressed only in bathing suits, enter Lengel’s A&P to buy kipper snacks, the life of Sammy the cashier is changed forever. This program presents a dramatization of John Updike’s frequently anthologized story of irony and innocence. Updike himself comments on the story in an interview with Donald M. Murray, columnist for The Boston Globe and Pulitzer Prize–winning writer. (31 minutes)

From Apprenticeship to the Academy

Elena Pinto Simom

In this program, Brooks McNamara, expert on 19th-century theater at New York University, and theater historian and author Mary Henderson plot out three crucial transitions in American culture between 1875 and 1914: for budding actors, a shift from apprenticeship to academy-oriented training at centers such as The American Academy of Dramatic Arts; for playwrights, a progression from surface realism to the earliest form of American naturalism; and for America, a change in sensibilities that paved the way for the global, technocentric society of the 20th century. The program also outlines the contributions of impresario David Belasco and the phenomenon of Sarah Bernhardt in the U.S. (30 minutes)

Found Voices: The Slave Narratives

ABC News

How did it feel to be bought and sold like cattle, only to be liberated with nowhere to go and no one to turn to for help? In this profoundly moving program, Ted Koppel of ABC News presents the African-American slave experience in the voices of those who knew it firsthand. Thanks to tapes—now digitally remastered—from a project undertaken during the 1930s and 40s by John Henry Falke and others, 101-year-old Fountain Hughes, who was born in 1848, and other ex-slaves give their recollections of life before Emancipation and during Reconstruction. (22 minutes)

Coleman Barks

Doctoroff Media Group

Coleman Barks, Professor Emeritus of English at the University of Georgia, has become the primary conduit for translating into English the ecstatic poetry of the 13th-century Sufi poet Jelaluddin Rumi, the bard of Islam. In this program, Bill Moyers and Dr. Barks discuss topics including the intricate challenge of transforming antiquated Persian idiom into modern English while retaining its essence. Readings by Dr. Barks spotlight five of Rumi's marvelous poems and his own "Love for Clouds," "A Wish," "New Year's Day Now," "Final Exam," and "Club." Filmed at the Biennial Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival. (27 minutes)

John Steinbeck and the American Experience

West Six Media

This program is a comprehensive portrait of John Steinbeck and the America he depicted, providing students with an appreciation of one of the 20th century's definitive literary voices. Incorporating historic events ranging in magnitude from the devastating Dust Bowl to poignant local histories, Steinbeck portrayed a nation ravaged by poverty and injustice, in which his characters, often drawn from real life, grapple with conditions and events beyond their control. (45 minutes)

The Great Hamlets, Program 1

ABC News

In the first program, each actor comments on the major scenes of the play, and, through excerpts from productions that range from the silent film era to the modern stage, we see various interpretations of those scenes. Trevor Nunn then interviews each actor about the source of his interpretation. The program includes both traditional and avant-garde productions. (56 minutes)

Apogee of the Golden Age—in Spanish with English Subtitles

Films for the Humanities & Sciences

During the 17th century, Spain witnessed a flowering of letters that was nourished by religious zeal, epic adventures, and a new sense of realism. In this program, leading scholars provide insights into the writings and personalities of Miguel de Cervantes, Lope de Vega, and other giants of Spanish literature. Dramatic readings include excerpts from Cervantes’ Don Quijote and Los Trabajos de Persiles y Sigismunda, Vega’s Fuenteovejuna, Tirso de Molina’s El Burlador de Sevilla, Calderón de la Barca’s La Vida Es Sueño, and Francisco de Quevedo’s “Poderoso Caballero Es Don Dinero.” A Films for the Humanities & Sciences Production. (Spanish with burned-in English subtitles, 50 minutes)

The Generation of ’27—in Spanish with English Subtitles

Films for the Humanities & Sciences

At the heart of the Generation of ’27 lies experimentation with a host of popular artistic as well as political “isms” including neo-Gongorism, Ultraism, Creationism, Surrealism, socialism, and communism. In this program, renowned experts profile key members of this post–World War I group. Dramatic readings include excerpts from Luis Cernuda’s Donde Habite el Olvido, Rafael Alberti’s “Cita Triste de Charlot,” Ramón Gómez de la Serna’s Flor de Greguerías, Pedro Salinas’s La Voz a Ti Debida, and Federico García Lorca’s Romancero Gitano, Bodas de Sangre, Poeta en Nueva York, and “Romance Sonámbulo.” A Films for the Humanities & Sciences Production. (Spanish with burned-in English subtitles, 50 minutes)

The Literature of Spain: 1975 to the Present—in Spanish with English Subtitles

Films for the Humanities & Sciences

With the death of Franco came a loosening of political restrictions and a restoration of many civil liberties. In this program, respected authorities look at the first 25 years of literature in post-Franco Spain and the literary inclinations of the next up-and-coming generation of poets, authors, and playwrights. Dramatic readings include excerpts from Manuel Vázquez Montalbán’s “Sin Memoria,” Francisco Umbral’s Mortal y Rosa, Juan Goytisolo’s Señas de Identidad, Rosa Regás’ Fábula Moralista, and Antonio Gala’s Poemas de Amor. A Films for the Humanities & Sciences Production. (Spanish with burned-in English subtitles, 50 minutes)

Dante: Visions of the Inferno

Institut National de L’Audiovisual

Drawing upon the insights of numerous international scholars—and illustrating crucial passages with stunning animation sequences—this program guides viewers through the Inferno of Dante’s Divine Comedy. With detailed analysis of the poet’s descent into hell and navigation through its various levels, the program interprets Dante’s motives for embarking on such a journey, explains his relationship and interaction with both Virgil and Beatrice, and describes the complex mixture of morality and humanism within the work—embodied in Dante’s attitude toward those who inhabit the realms of the dead. (Portions in Italian and French with English subtitles, 74 minutes)

Bill Moyers on Faith & Reason: David Grossman

Doctoroff Media Group

In works such as Someone to Run With and Death as a Way of Life, David Grossman has movingly depicted the realities of living in the Holy Land. Bill Moyers converses with Grossman about his most recent work, The Lion's Honey-a retelling of the Biblical story of Samson with parallels to today's Middle East conflicts and the mind-set of those who inflict violence in the name of faith. (32 minutes)

Juan Ramon Jimenez: A Movement Toward Purity-in Spanish

Ente Público Radiotelevisión

Awarded the 1956 Nobel Prize in Literature, Juan Ramon Jimenez was a master of impressionistic language and imagery. This program explores the Spanish poet's life and career with the help of scholarly interviews, archival photographs, and excerpts from Jimenez' writings. Conveying his youthful interest in Romanticism and Symbolism, his subsequent emphasis on color and tonality, and his lifelong engagement with the spiritual dimensions of death and nothingness, the program describes the poet's bouts with depression, his ties to other Spanish writers such as Ruben Dario and Francisco Villaespesa, and the travels undertaken by Jimenez and his wife, Zenobia Camprubi.

Annette von Droste-Hulshoff

Deutsche Welle

Although her most important writings came late in life, Annette von Droste-Hulshoff's poetry and prose-often compared to Goethe's-have assured her a place among Germany's great 19th-century writers. This program visits Castle Hulshoff, her Westphalian birthplace; the Ruchhaus; and Meersburg Castle on Lake Constance, where she experienced her period of greatest productivity. Aspects of her life, such as her need for solitude amid nature, and the qualities of isolation, melancholy, reverie, and longing inherent in her writing are discussed. A Deutsche Welle production. (30 minutes)

Kate Chopin: The Joy That Kills

Rathborne Productions

This is the widely heralded adaptation of the short story by Kate Chopin, the late-19th-century writer whose work is only now receiving the major recognition it deserves. The setting is Kate Chopin’s own world—the world of the upper-class Creole society that dominated New Orleans in the 1870s, a world with a strict code of behavior, one of whose strongest tenets required a wife to subordinate her will and her very being to her husband. Produced and directed by Tina Rathborne. (56 minutes)

Classical Mythology: Its Origins and Impact

James Bride

In this illuminating program, renowned classicists including Sir Hugh Lloyd Jones, of Oxford University; Mary Lefkowitz, of Wellesley College; and Gregory Nagy, of Harvard University, explore the origins of classical mythology and its relationship with other aspects of Greek culture, tracing subsequent influences on Western civilization. Topics discussed include cultural transmission among the Mediterranean peoples of the 8th century BC, the derivation of texts attributed to Homer and Hesiod, interpretations of the myths of Phaeton and Callisto, the connections between Greek myth and tragedy, the Roman use of myths, and applications of modern critical theory to mythology. (29 minutes)

In Search of Thoreau

Andrew Kaplan

Few voices in American literature have been as bold and influential as that of Henry David Thoreau. This program traces the author’s life from his early days in Concord and Harvard, to his friendship with Emerson and his years at Walden, to his role in the antislavery movement. In addition, Thoreau scholars Brad Dean and Wes Mott discuss his writings, including Walden and "Civil Disobedience." Interweaving dramatic readings and reenactments of Thoreau’s life with beautiful nature photography of Walden Pond, this lyrical account allows Thoreau’s unique character and writings to come to life. (45 minutes)

Thomas Wolfe: Look Homeward, Angel

N.C. STATE UNIVERSITY

An examination of Wolfe’s Asheville roots—the sights and formative sounds to which he looked back in his first great novel, Look Homeward, Angel, but to which he could not go home again. Narrated by Richard Walser of North Carolina State University. (46 minutes)

Unamuno: Abel Sanchez

Ente Público Radiotelevisión

The story of Cain and Abel set in Unamuno's Spain and seen through the eyes of the philosopher for whom good and evil are neither absolutes nor opposites. An RTVE production. Dramatization in Spanish. (3 hours, b&w)

Tirso de Molina: El Burlador de Sevilla

Ente Público Radiotelevisión

A superb production of Tirso's most famous work, the play that introduced the theme of Don Juan into European literature. An RTVE Production. (Spanish, 2 hours)

Bertolt Brecht

East German Television

A documentary portrait of this bold theatrical innovator and his work. The program shows his roots and the theatrical and social background of his formative years, and analyzes the development of his vision of the theatre-episode in place of Aristotelian plot, the use of nonliterary devices, new techniques in character portrayal, and new aims for the very concept of theatre. (55 minutes)

Resorts: Paradise Reclaimed

Mobile Corporation

American pioneers had to overcome the dangerous wilderness; Americans at rest want to return to nature-not the wilderness, but a tamed and peaceful nature.Having cut down nature to build cities, we bring back the country through parks: New York's Central Park gives us a dreamlike, idealized New York with forests, lakes, hills, meadows, foot and bridle paths, and architecture to complement the picturesque settings; vacationers sought rusticity with comfort, and nature brought indoors became the fad. The ultra-rich built a private resort town around a country club (The Newport Casino, R.I.- both classical and colloquial, the first example of the Shingle Style); they found shelter in marble palaces (they called them cottages)-the Vanderbilts contributed to this genre; Addison Mizner concocted Palm Beach for it.Postwar Florida resorts bear the stong imprint of Hollywood-in the great hotels of Miami Beach and in the fantasy of Disney World, which gives us the elemental, mythically American Main Street. (58 minutes)

Zora Neale Hurston: A Heart with Room for Every Joy

Films for the Humanities & Sciences

“I have the strength to walk my own path, no matter how hard, in my search for reality, and not cling to the splendid wagon of desperate illusions.” A writer of novels, short stories, folktales, plays, and essays, Zora Neale Hurston combined a hunger for research and a desire to penetrate the deepest of popular beliefs with a truly exquisite narrative talent. This illuminating biography of Hurston—a compelling story of a free spirit who achieved national prominence yet died in obscurity—examines the rich legacy of her writings, which include Mules and Men, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Tell My Horse, and Dust Tracks on a Road. Interviews with Lucy Anne Hurston, Zora’s niece and author of the biography Speak, So You Can Speak Again, and with Henry Louis Gates Jr., W. E. B. DuBois Professor of the Humanities at Harvard University, are featured. The program amply demonstrates that Hurston truly had, as it said in her high school yearbook, “A heart with room for every joy.” A Films for the Humanities & Sciences Production. (42 minutes)

The Picaresque Novel

Films for the Humanities & Sciences

Originating in Spain, the picaresque novel abandoned idealized literary approaches and exposed the harshness of reality and human nature. This program presents the history of the narrative art form, tracing its development through Mateo Aleman, Cervantes, and Defoe, all the way to Kerouac and subsequent writers. Beginning with the anonymous publication of The Life of Lazarillo de Tormes, the video analyzes examples of fictional outsiders struggling to survive in a corrupt and hypocritical society. Guzman de Alfarache, Moll Flanders, Huckleberry Finn, and several other works are discussed, all with a recognition of their artistic antecedent: the unflinching exploits of the Spanish picaro. (English, 23 minutes)

Javier Egea and Luis Garcia Montero-in Spanish

Films for the Humanities & Sciences

After the death of Franco and during the transition to a parliamentary monarchy, Spain's cultural life blossomed once again. In this environment, the poetry movement known as "the other sentimentality"-named after the first book of Javier Egea and Luis Garcia Montero-was born, a movement known for its transformation of the personal experience into a collective one so that any reader might identify with the feelings evoked. This program discusses that literary movement, chronicles the disenchantment about life and society that soon set in and contributed to Egea's suicide, and celebrates the continued achievements of Luis Garcia Montero's life. A Films for the Humanities & Sciences Production. (Spanish, 31 minutes)

Javier Egea and Luis Garcia Montero-in Spanish with English Subtitles

Films for the Humanities & Sciences

After the death of Franco and during the transition to a parliamentary monarchy, Spain's cultural life blossomed once again. In this environment, the poetry movement known as "the other sentimentality"-named after the first book of Javier Egea and Luis Garcia Montero-was born, a movement known for its transformation of the personal experience into a collective one so that any reader might identify with the feelings evoked. This program discusses that literary movement, chronicles the disenchantment about life and society that soon set in and contributed to Egea's suicide, and celebrates the continued achievements of Luis Garcia Montero's life. A Films for the Humanities & Sciences Production. (Spanish with English subtitles, 31 minutes)

The Song of Roland

REGENTS OF UNIV OF COLORADO

Compiled in the 11th century, The Song of Roland is perhaps the world's most famous portrait of early European chivalry, piousness, and militarism. This beautifully produced program offers an abridged English version of the battlefield epic, combining richly textured medieval and Renaissance art images with scholarly summaries and interpretations of the work's major sections. Acknowledging the poem's historical inaccuracies, the video nevertheless underscores its importance for later European listeners: specifically, as a rallying cry mobilizing Christian forces to embark on the Crusades. An Old French recital of the song's first six lines begins the program. (73 minutes)

Bill Moyers on Faith & Reason: Anne Provoost

Doctoroff Media Group

Anne Provoost's interpretive novel In the Shadow of the Ark tells the story of a young woman excluded from Noah's vessel. The Rose and the Swine is Provoost's reshaping of an equally archetypal story, Beauty and the Beast. Provoost talks with Bill Moyers about finding new truths in ancient narratives, and the ways that myth and storytelling offer life-changing insight into basic human experiences. (27 minutes)

Manuel Altolaguirre: The Generation of '27-in Spanish

Ente Público Radiotelevisión

Poet, editor, publisher, printer-Manuel Altolaguirre achieved success in all of these roles, living a life fully committed to Spanish literature. This program documents his career, travels, and romances, focusing on his membership in the Generation of '27, his actions during the Spanish Civil War, and his later years in Latin America. Featuring accounts of Altolaguirre's magazine and book publishing activities, the program sheds light on his friendship with Federico Garcia Lorca and the leadership role that Altolaguirre assumed in the anti-fascist movement after Lorca's murder. His sojourn in Cuba, his cinematic work in Mexico, and his divorce and second marriage are also depicted.

Freakonomics with Levitt and Dubner

ABC News

How do people get what they want? The most primal aim of economics is to find answers to that blunt but telling question-something at which Steven D. Levitt has proved particularly adept. In this ABC News program, Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, coauthors of the best-selling book Freakonomics, reason out points of convergence between beauty pageant contestants and crack dealers, abortion and prison, children's car seats and DVD players, consumers and tamarin monkeys, and black straight-A students and Hollywood celebrities. Whether a person is likely to give more to a charity if the person collecting for it is attractive is also considered. (40 minutes)

Manuel Altolaguirre: The Generation of '27-in Spanish with English Subtitles

Ente Público Radiotelevisión

Poet, editor, publisher, printer—Manuel Altolaguirre achieved success in all of these roles, living a life fully committed to Spanish literature. This program documents his career, travels, and romances, focusing on his membership in the Generation of ’27, his actions during the Spanish Civil War, and his later years in Latin America. Featuring accounts of Altolaguirre’s magazine and book publishing activities, the program sheds light on his friendship with Federico García Lorca and the leadership role that Altolaguirre assumed in the anti-fascist movement after Lorca’s murder. His sojourn in Cuba, his cinematic work in Mexico, and his divorce and second marriage are also depicted.

Jose Ortega y Gasset: Philosophy and Politics-in Spanish with English Subtitles

Ente Público Radiotelevisión

Believing that a philosopher's chief aim should be to challenge prejudices and useless traditions, Jose Ortega y Gasset promulgated a worldview based on "reason with life as its foundation." This program depicts the life and accomplishments of the famous Spanish intellectual, from his early studies in turn-of-the-century Malaga to his spectacular funeral in Madrid in 1955. Featuring interviews with Ortega scholars and some of his contemporaries-including celebrated writer Francisco Ayala as well as Ortega pupil Julian Marias-the film covers Ortega's years in Germany and Argentina, his admiration for Victoria Ocampo, and his ambivalence towards the Franco regime.

Politicians and Revolutionaries

Films for the Humanities & Sciences

The Era of Revolution severed political ties between Latin America and the Old World—but cultural independence was another matter. This program explains how the region’s literature began to come into its own, relying on models and themes imported from Spain while establishing a dialogue with other literary traditions and aesthetic movements. Through the work of José Joaquín Fernández de Lizardi, Esteban Echeverría, Bartolomé Hidalgo, Mariano Melga, José Martí, Cirilo Villaverde, and other writers, viewers will become familiar with the “literature of independence” particular to Latin America—one that threads together the old and the new, the alien and the indigenous, to form its own unique creations. An FFH&S/Tranquilo Coproduction. (50 minutes)

From Romanticism to Realism

Films for the Humanities & Sciences

The 19th century brought tumultuous political change to Central and South America. This program shows how the cultural crucible of the region fused and realigned aesthetic movements considered sacrosanct in Europe—specifically, Romanticism, realism, and naturalism. In an eclectic matching game that became typical of Latin American literature, realist and historical novels existed cheek-and-jowl with Romantic poetry, Romantic novels competed with the anecdotes of Ricardo Palma, and newspaper serials vied for attention with costumbrismo—a genre that depicted everyday manners and customs. Jicoténcal, Jorge Isaacs’ Maria, and Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda’s Guatimozín, Last Emperor of Mexico are among the works discussed. An FFH&S/Tranquilo Coproduction. (51 minutes)

Regionalism and Indigenism

Films for the Humanities & Sciences

The literature of Latin America has always defied homogeneity—and the first decades of the 20th century were no exception. This program studies artistic responses to Modernismo that accompanied a deepening appreciation of local cultural currents forming across the region—currents that, however disparate, were flowing into a shared identity. The forces that paved the way for a new avant-garde, replacing traditional means of discourse with a fractured and anxiety-ridden worldview, are analyzed. The concept of novelas de la tierra or “novels of the land” is addressed, as are the writings of Alcides Arguedas, Horacio Quiroga, José Eustasio Rivera, Rómulo Gallegos, Martín Luis Guzmán, Gregorio López Fuentes, Rafael Muñoz, Nelly Campobello, and numerous others. An FFH&S/Tranquilo Coproduction. (46 minutes)

Narrating Modernity: Writers of the Mid-20th Century

Films for the Humanities & Sciences

The mid-20th century was an era of large-scale and often tragically violent political shifts which completely changed the face of Latin American life—and art. As this program demonstrates, the rise of military dictatorships and authoritarian regimes forced a reassessment of issues that had been problematic since Latin American countries gained their independence. These dilemmas brought intense pressure on social institutions and energized the works of Jorge Luis Borges, Octavio Paz, Pablo Neruda, Roberto Arlt, César Vallejo, Alejo Carpentier, Silvina Ocampo, and Juan Carlos Onetti. The significance of the Rio de la Plata region and Ángel Rama’s concept of narrative transculturation also inform the discussion. An FFH&S/Tranquilo Coproduction. (50 minutes)

Brazilian Literature: The 20th Century

Films for the Humanities & Sciences

In the first decades of the 20th century, Brazilian avant-garde literature came into its own. This program examines the awakening of Modernismo and subsequent movements in Brazilian letters, from São Paulo’s Week of Modern Art in 1922 to the politically focused milieu of the 1970s. Outlining historical events that helped shape the country’s multifaceted culture, the program explores the writings of Graciliano Ramos, José Lins do Rêgo, Augusto Meyer, Carlos Drummond de Andrade, Jorge Amado, Érico Veríssimo, Clarice Lispector, and Nélida Piñon, and others. It also looks at the Brazilian literature of today as it struggles to create new styles and forms that can do justice to its turbulent history. An FFH&S/Tranquilo Coproduction. (53 minutes)

Politicians and Revolutionaries—Spanish with Optional English Subtitles

Films for the Humanities & Sciences

The Era of Revolution severed political ties between Latin America and the Old World—but cultural independence was another matter. This program explains how the region’s literature began to come into its own, relying on models and themes imported from Spain while establishing a dialogue with other literary traditions and aesthetic movements. Through the work of José Joaquín Fernández de Lizardi, Esteban Echeverría, Bartolomé Hidalgo, Mariano Melga, José Martí, Cirilo Villaverde, and other writers, viewers will become familiar with the “literature of independence” particular to Latin America—one that threads together the old and the new, the alien and the indigenous, to form its own unique creations. An FFH&S/Tranquilo Coproduction. (Spanish with optional English subtitles, 50 minutes)

From Romanticism to Realism—Spanish with Optional English Subtitles

Films for the Humanities & Sciences

The 19th century brought tumultuous political change to Central and South America. This program shows how the cultural crucible of the region fused and realigned aesthetic movements considered sacrosanct in Europe—specifically, Romanticism, realism, and naturalism. In an eclectic matching game that became typical of Latin American literature, realist and historical novels existed cheek-and-jowl with Romantic poetry, Romantic novels competed with the anecdotes of Ricardo Palma, and newspaper serials vied for attention with costumbrismo—a genre that depicted everyday manners and customs. Jicoténcal, Jorge Isaacs’ Maria, and Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda’s Guatimozín, Last Emperor of Mexico are among the works discussed. An FFH&S/Tranquilo Coproduction. (Spanish with optional English subtitles, 52 minutes)

Narrating Modernity: Writers of the Mid-20th Century—Spanish with Optional English Subtitles

Films for the Humanities & Sciences

The mid-20th century was an era of large-scale and often tragically violent political shifts which completely changed the face of Latin American life—and art. As this program demonstrates, the rise of military dictatorships and authoritarian regimes forced a reassessment of issues that had been problematic since Latin American countries gained their independence. These dilemmas brought intense pressure on social institutions and energized the works of Jorge Luis Borges, Octavio Paz, Pablo Neruda, Roberto Arlt, César Vallejo, Alejo Carpentier, Silvina Ocampo, and Juan Carlos Onetti. The significance of the Rio de la Plata region and Ángel Rama’s concept of narrative transculturation also inform the discussion. An FFH&S/Tranquilo Coproduction. (Spanish with optional English subtitles, 50 minutes)

Brazilian Literature: The First 500 Years—Spanish with Optional English Subtitles

Films for the Humanities & Sciences

Unified by the Portuguese language, the literature of Brazil represents the cultural synthesis of three distinct influences: indigenous peoples, European émigrés, and Africans brought to the New World as slaves. This program reflects on those influences as it examines the first five centuries of recorded Brazilian writing. With an overview of ancient folklore and verse, the program highlights connections between Brazilian and Baroque traditions; it also studies the importance of Neoclassicism and Romanticism, Realism and Naturalism, and Parnassianism and Symbolism. Works by Cláudio Manuel da Costa, Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, Alberto de Oliveira, Raimundo Correia, Olavo Bilac, Euclides da Cunha, and others are featured. An FFH&S/Tranquilo Coproduction. (Spanish with optional English subtitles, 49 minutes)

Mark Twain Drinks Tea with Two Women ca. 1909

The WPA Film Library

Mark Twain, whose real name was Samuel Clemens, was one of the most important authors in American literature. He wrote such classics as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884) and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889). Copyright The WPA Film Library.

Welcome to the Mainland

Doctoroff Media Group

From the jazz-laced street speech of African-American poet Sekou Sundiata's Harlem nights to Palestinian-American Naomi Shihab Nye's delight in the wonder of everyday objects, this program celebrates the cultures of today-and the way those cultures have become part of the American mosaic. Filmed at the Biennial Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival. (58 minutes)

The Heart of Things

Doctoroff Media Group

Adrienne Rich, Victor Hernandez Cruz, and Michael S. Harper have changed the way poetry is heard, read, and absorbed. This program showcases these three poets who exult in language's ability to illuminate culture and history. Filmed at the Biennial Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival. (58 minutes)

Jimmy Carter, from The WPA Film Library Speeches Collection

The WPA Film Library

This collection of significant speeches given by Jimmy Carter focuses primarily on his term as president and the challenges faced by his administration.

Human Resources Management: The Mind of a Leader 2

Benjamin Holk Henriksen

The Art of War’s eleventh chapter addresses the interplay between responsive leadership and team spirit—Sun Tzu states that this leads to victory in a variety of situations. This program explores the benefits of creating solidarity among all levels of an organization. With entertainer Pat Boone, who describes the teamwork behind his shows, and Jim Buckmaster, Dame Anita Roddick, Tony Visconti, Michael Dukakis, Franz Beckenbauer, Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, and Katie Ford. Part of the series The Mind of a Leader 2. (20 minutes)

Heinrich Heine: Musical Voices

HG DISTRIBUTION INC.

A man of extreme artistic, political, and spiritual contrasts, Heinrich Heine was a German Jew who converted to Christianity, despised the hypocrisies of all religions, lived as an expatriate in Paris, and befriended Karl Marx while fearing the communist impact on European culture. In this program, Heine is brought to life by a skilled actor who offers up to the viewer many of the poet's complex ideas, attitudes, and experiences. Meanwhile, beautiful renditions of Schumann songs based on Heine's poetry are presented, including the andante from Clara's Piano Trio in G minor as well as Robert's "Romanzen," "Du Bist Wie Eine Blume," and "Die Lotosblume." Part of the series Musical Voices: Famous Poets and the Songs They Inspired. (24 minutes)

Restitution

BayView Entertainment LLC.

In a picturesque city on the shores of Lake Michigan, a series of murders has an unlikely but common thread-Bryan Spikes, an insurance fraud investigator who is inexplicably killed and then framed for the crimes. One year later, Alex Forrester (Mark Bierlein, Street Boss) arrives in town claiming to be a writer researching the case. But as he begins uncovering the shocking truth behind the murders, his informants turn up dead, and he soon learns he may be next. Can he trust Bryan's ex-girlfriend (Mena Suvari, American Beauty), or his new neighbor (Tom Arnold, True Lies), an overly friendly ex-sharpshooter? Alex is determined to discover the secret that everyone is hiding. Written by Mark Bierlein, directed by Lance K. R. Kawas, and produced by Mark Bierlein, Mark G. Mathis, and Lance K. R. Kawas. Rated R. (101 minutes)

Moyers & Company: Poet Christian Wiman on Love, Faith, and Cancer

Doctoroff Media Group

In this edition of Moyers & Company, Bill Moyers talks with acclaimed poet and Poetry Magazine editor Christian Wiman about how finding true love and being diagnosed with a rare and incurable blood cancer reignited his religious passion as well as his creative expression. “When we think of our memories, they’re moments of intensity,“ Wiman tells Moyers. “Whether they were sorrowful or happy, moments of great loneliness or moments of great communion—we live for these moments in our life. And I do think poetry is a way of recognizing the moments in your life. But also a way of preserving them.” Broadcast date: February 24, 2012. (30 minutes)

Romeo and Juliet: Live from Shakespeare's Globe

Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd.

“But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.” Performed at Shakespeare’s Globe, London’s faithful reconstruction of the open-air playhouse designed in 1599, Romeo and Juliet is arguably the best-loved of all love stories in Western literature. The play’s masterful combination of lyricism, suspense, and dramatic changes of mood is dramatized by an energetic cast that stars Adetomiwa Edun—called “a Romeo to die for” by The Independent (London)—and, in her stage debut as Juliet, Ellie Kendrick. Directed by Dominic Dromgoole. (171 minutes)

Love's Labour's Lost: Live from Shakespeare's Globe

Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd.

Philip Cumbus is the King of Navarre and Michelle Terry is the Princess of France in this performance of Love’s Labour’s Lost at Shakespeare’s Globe, London’s faithful reconstruction of the open-air playhouse designed in 1599. True to the play’s original Renaissance staging and costume, this production is a festive parade of every weapon in the youthful Shakespeare’s comic arsenal—excruciating cross-purposes, silly impersonations, drunkenness, bust-ups, and pratfalls—and a joyful banquet of language, groaning with puns, rhymes, bizarre syntax, grotesque coinages, and parody. Directed by Dominic Dromgoole.

Romeo and Juliet: Young Actors in Training

Stagescreen Productions

It is perhaps the most famous love story in history, so famous that it needs no introduction. Even so, its tragic aspects are worth discussing. Although it shares many of the qualities of tragedy in the classical sense, it concerns a love that is doomed not for any fault in the hero or heroine but because their love is too good for their world. This play follows young drama students who prepare, perform, and share their thoughts on Act II, Scene 2, from Romeo and Juliet-the legendary balcony scene. Is there a better way to explore the most romantic passage in English literature than through the youthful discovery of its power on the stage? Part of the series Training for Shakespeare: Young Actors' Workshops at the Globe Theatre. (15 minutes)

The Taming of the Shrew: Young Actors in Training

Stagescreen Productions

Staging any Shakespeare play requires specific choices about how to handle 400-year-old material. However, The Taming of the Shrew, like a handful of others in the Bard’s body of work, carries extra baggage. It is especially fascinating to watch high school and college-age performers work on the play—to see how they tackle issues of male dominance and female independence, if at all. This program records just such a process, highlighting the rehearsal and performance of Act IV, Scene 3, at London’s Globe Theatre. Afterwards, the players discuss the scene and their attitudes toward it. Part of the series Training for Shakespeare: Young Actors’ Workshops at the Globe Theatre. (15 minutes)

Mark Twain: A Film by Ken Burns - Part 1

Ken Burns

Covering both biographical and literary ground, this documentary by Ken Burns profiles author Samuel Clemens from birth to age 50. Viewers gain an understanding of Clemens’s disparate interests and priorities, the historical period in which he rose to prominence, and the impact of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn on the American sensibility. Novelist Russell Banks and playwright Arthur Miller provide commentary. Rare archival photos and materials are seen throughout the program. Distributed by PBS Distribution. Part of the series Mark Twain: A Film Directed by Ken Burns. (112 minutes)

Mark Twain: A Film by Ken Burns - Part 2

Ken Burns

Revealing the latter part of the life of Samuel Clemens, this documentary by Ken Burns examines the realities behind the author’s enormous popularity: his diminishing success in publishing, his volatile finances, and the tragic losses he experienced as a husband and father. Clemens’s darker writings are studied along with his increasingly radical politics, which included a vehemently anti-imperialist stance. Numerous archival photos and materials enliven the program. Distributed by PBS Distribution. Part of the series Mark Twain: A Film Directed by Ken Burns. (112 minutes)

The Nobel Literature Prize Documentary 2008: Restless Flights-The Literature of J. M. G. Le Clezio

Nobel Media AB

In its citation for the 2008 Nobel Prize in Literature, the Swedish Academy described Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio as an "author of new departures, poetic adventure and sensual ecstasy, explorer of a humanity beyond and below the reigning civilization." Commissioned by the Nobel Foundation, this program traces Le Clezio's life and oeuvre, exploring his influences and central concerns through extensive interviews, excerpts, and location footage from the places that have shaped his writing. An intimate and artful portrait, the program provides a rare glimpse into the mind of a writer acclaimed for literature that conveys the world's splendor, as well as its brutality. (29 minutes)

Alien Invaders

Northwest Film Center

This video explains the problem and its possible solutions through a compelling futuristic drama reminiscent of Hollywood science fiction. Viewers meet a time traveler from the eco-distressed distant future who returns to the present to find out what went wrong. Through her work with a young scientist, viewers learn how species invasions occur, about their impact and control, and how citizens at the local level can make a difference. A terrific aid for science teachers who want to bring this important and timely topic into the classroom. (30 minutes)

Masterpiece Classic: Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey

PBS

Catherine Morland has a too-ordinary life and a feverish imagination. When she gets invited to Bath, she is immersed in a world of elaborate balls and handsome men-and when Henry Tilney takes her to his family estate, she becomes mired in a world of fact and fantasy. Is there a dark mystery behind the locked doors of Northanger Abbey? And why is her budding romance suddenly cut short? Felicity Jones stars as Catherine and JJ Feild as Henry in Andrew Davies' adaptation of Northanger Abbey, Austen's gentle parody of gothic fiction. Distributed by PBS Distribution. (90 minutes)

1944 (Year by Year: 1929-1967)

History Education

This episode of Year by Year: 1944 examines the events of WW II and the Allied invasion of Normandy. Distributed by A&E Television Networks. (45 minutes)

1952 (Year by Year: 1929-1967)

History Education

Major trends of 1952 covered in this episode of Year by Year include the atom bomb and the space race. Distributed by A&E Television Networks. (45 minutes)

1953 (Year by Year: 1929-1967)

History Education

The marriage of John F. and Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy is examined in this episode of Year by Year. Also featured is Queen Elizabeth’s 1953 coronation. Distributed by A&E Television Networks. (45 minutes)

Forbidden Reading

Rebel Media Ventures Interational

“Danger in a book lies in the eye of the censor.” This program hosted by Alberto Manguel takes a broad look at forbidden reading through examples of people willing to risk grave civil and criminal penalties in order to be heard: Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasrin, who writes in hiding due to an Islamic sentence of death; Egyptian blogger Wael Abbas, whose video posts of police brutality have drawn intense governmental scrutiny; Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard, whose controversial depiction of the prophet Mohammad caused an international furor; and the Grove Press’s Barney Rosset, who fought to publish the works of Henry Miller and D. H. Lawrence in defiance of the Comstock Law. Flaubert’s Madame Bovary, called scandalous in its time, is also discussed, as is Nazi book burning. Contains mature themes and explicit language and imagery. Also contains brief scenes of violence. A part of the series Empire of the Word: A Reader’s Journey. (52 minutes)

The Future of Reading

Rebel Media Ventures Interational

In this program, host Alberto Manguel uses the history of the written text-from hand-copied codex, to machine-printed book, to digital document-as a vehicle to address large-scale efforts to preserve the world's literary heritage, a dual challenge involving a rapidly deteriorating corpus of old books and an overwhelming proliferation of blogs and other significant writings on the Internet. In addition, the implications of cell phone fiction and interactive online novels are discussed; the One Laptop per Child initiative, bringing online reading to the developing world, is praised; and concern over Google's proprietary book digitization project, which would make the company the de facto owner of the planet's largest cache of published writings, is expressed. A part of the series Empire of the Word: A Reader's Journey. (Portions in other languages with English subtitles, 52 minutes)

Led Zeppelin: Collector's Set, Part 1

MVD Entertainment Group

Meet the members of Led Zeppelin before the band was formed. This documentary charts the band’s origins and roots, concentrating on the members' pre-Zep solo careers and taking the story up to the release of their debut album in 1969. Interviews with Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham, tell the story of the band and how they came by their signature sound rooted in blues rock. Also learn how that sound has drawn them recognition as one of the progenitors of heavy metal, though their unique style drew from a wide variety of influences, including folk music. Part one of the series Led Zeppelin: Collector's Set. (92 minutes)

Introduction: The Effective Teacher

Harry K. Wong Publications

In this classic presentation, award-winning educator, author, and lecturer Harry K. Wong defines what it means to be an efficient and effective teacher. As Dr. Wong discusses, there are four stages of teaching: fantasy, survival, mastery, and impact. All teachers go through the first two stages of fantasy and survival. Some teachers get stuck in the survival stage for the remainder of their careers. Some teachers progress on to the levels of mastery and impact, making a difference in the lives of the students they teach. These teachers are identified as being efficient and effective teachers—they know what to do and they do it well. This program outlines research that identifies the three characteristics of an effective teacher; by choosing to build upon and refine these characteristics, anyone can become an effective teacher. Part of the series The Effective Teacher. (31 minutes)

The Hunt for Divine Meaning: A Discussion with Author Eric Weiner

NewsHour Productions

Former NPR reporter Eric Weiner's new book, "Man Seeks God: My Flirtations with the Divine," recounts his voyage around the world to discover more about his own beliefs. Filmed during a holiday season that, for many, centers on religion and spirituality, NewsHour correspondent Ray Suarez and Weiner discuss the quest for God and personal faith. Original broadcast date: December 26, 2011. (9 minutes)

Leonard Cohen: Leonard Cohen's Lonesome Heroes

MVD Entertainment Group

Although it can be difficult to detect the influences in the work of Leonard Cohen, he was informed by a far-reaching list of musicians, writers, poets, and philosophies. In "Leonard Cohen's Lonesome Heroes," the scope and detail of his artistic inspirations are put under the microscope. Cohen's first love was poetry, and in the works of fellow Canadian Irving Layton and the Spanish bard Federico Garcia Lorca, he found the words that moved him to create his own verse. The beat writers’ work has also lived with him throughout his career. While it may come as no surprise to find Bob Dylan and Judy Collins included in this film, Cohen’s love of country music is explored through such performers as Hank Williams and Hank Snow. Religion and spirituality have also contributed enormously to Leonard's life and music, particularly Judaism, and his more recent study of Buddhism. (118 minutes)

A Midsummer Night's Dream (in Original Pronunciation)

University of Kansas

To hear Shakespeare in its original pronunciation is truly to hear Shakespeare for the first time. Through this intimate arena production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a talented cast directed and dialect-coached by Professor Paul Meier captures a single performance in Early Modern English pronunciation from the play’s November 2010 run at The University of Kansas. This delightfully accessible production—conceived in collaboration with linguist David Crystal, the world’s preeminent expert on EME pronunciation—adds a richness seldom heard since Shakespeare’s time, restoring lost rhymes and wordplay. A viewable/printable production script and an e-book The Original Pronunciation of Shakespeare’s English—both with embedded recordings—are available online; see Related Resources below. (137 minutes)

Venom: Nature's Killer

NOVA

Venom scientists are in a race against time. Inside the bodies of many creatures, evolution has produced extreme toxic cocktails, all designed for one reason: to kill. It took millions of years to perfect these ultimate brews of proteins and peptides and we have only just begun to discover their potential. Now, the race is on to collect and study them before the animals that produce them disappear. But how does venom do its deadly work? NOVA reveals how venom causes the body to shut down, arteries to bleed uncontrollably, and limbs to go black and die. But nature’s most destructive and extreme poisons could contain the building blocks for a new generation of advanced drugs that could treat heart attack, stroke, diabetes, obesity, and cancer. Venom follows two scientists on their expeditions to track down and capture the planet’s most deadly creatures, risking life and limb just to tease out milligrams of venom and get it back to the lab. Find out how nature’s deadliest cocktails could be medicine’s brightest new hope. Distributed by PBS Distribution. (60 minutes)

Margaret Atwood: Once in August

National Film Board of Canada

Canadian author Margaret Atwood has achieved distinction internationally as both a poet and a novelist. She is the author of more than 50 volumes of poetry, children’s literature, fiction, and nonfiction and is perhaps best known for her novels The Edible Woman, The Handmaid’s Tale, The Robber Bride, and The Blind Assassin. Despite the fact that her work has been published in more than 40 languages, Atwood remains one of Canada’s most elusive literary figures. Filmed on Atwood’s island retreat, this classic program—an extended version of the documentary Atwood and Family—follows director Michael Rubbo as he seeks to discover what shapes this celebrated writer’s fiction and what motivates her characters. He finds instead that for Margaret Atwood, an enigmatic distance separates the life of her art from the art of her life. (57 minutes)

Theater in the Modern World

ClickView Pty Limited

Not long after the start of the 20th century, playwrights, influenced by the horrors of two world wars, began to experiment with theater in a way which depicted many long-held historical, social, and cultural beliefs and practices as being meaningless and chaotic. Incorporating interviews with influential directors Bijan Sheibani, Steven Berkoff, and others, this program traces the evolution of modern theater from its existentialist roots through absurdism to social realism and British “kitchen sink drama” via the works of Ionesco, Beckett, Pinter, and even the writers of the U.K. soap opera Coronation Street. A viewable/printable worksheet is available online. (21 minutes)

The Picture of Dorian Gray

RetroFilm Archive

In Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray , a handsome young aristocrat descends into evil and debauchery under the influence of an intelligent friend with a cynical outlook on life. The corruption of Dorian Gray’s soul is represented by a portrait of him that grows uglier at the years pass, even as Dorian himself retains his perfect beauty. This 1945 film adaptation, shot mostly in black and white but with occasional bursts of Technicolor, is remarkably faithful to Wilde’s novel. It won the Oscar for Best Cinematography. Starring George Sanders, Hurd Hatfield, Donna Reed, Angela Lansbury, and Peter Lawford. Directed by Albert Lewin. (111 minutes)

Into a New Century: 1789-1832

Deutsche Welle

This program chronicles the second half of Goethe's life, covering his ongoing literary achievements, his friendship and collaboration with Schiller, and his introspection. Excerpts from his letters and autobiography, Poetry and Truth, reveal his reactions to growing older and the larger events of his day, such as the French Revolution and Napoleon's rise. With dramatizations, readings, original editions, and scenes from stage productions, the program looks at his verse epic Hermann and Dorothea, his novel Elective Affinities, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, the "Marienbad elegy," and his life's project, Faust. A Deutsche Welle Production. (30 minutes)

Hermann Hesse: Champion of the Individual

Deutsche Welle

In an age of the masses, Hermann Hesse always espoused the cause of the individual. This program traces the career of the Nobel prize-winning author, combining beautiful location footage, readings, photographs, and Hesse's own paintings, letters, and first editions. Hesse's publisher, Siegfried Unseld, discusses the great success of his works and the reasons for their appeal. Works discussed include Peter Camenzind, Demian, Klingsor's Last Summer, Siddhartha, Steppenwolf, and Das Glasperlenspiel. A Deutsche Welle Production. (27 minutes)

NOW with Bill Moyers: Horton Foote on Contemporary Drama

Doctoroff Media Group

One of America's leading dramatists, Horton Foote has accumulated a wealth of professional honors over his 60-plus-year career-the National Medal of Arts, two Oscars, a Pulitzer Prize, and election to the Theatre Hall of Fame, to name only a few. In this program, Bill Moyers talks with Foote about his new play The Carpetbagger's Children and three concepts that had a distinct influence on it: family, memory, and home. In the process, they open a window on what it is like to be a writer for stage and screen as they discuss topics ranging from the art of storytelling to the dynamics of the creative process. Biographical background on how Foote got his start as an actor and a dramatist is also included. (43 minutes)

Passion and Discipline: Don Quixote's Lessons for Leadership

Leland Stanford University

What lessons can Cervantes’s romantic knight from La Mancha offer the bottom-line world of today? Based on Professor Emeritus James G. March’s acclaimed course at the Stanford University School of Business, this program creatively examines how Quixote’s kind of self-knowledge might serve modern leadership. Narrated by Professor March, the program parallels episodes from Quixote’s adventures with illustrative examples in the modern world—from former President Richard Nixon and Martin Luther King Jr. to Bill Gates and Hewlett-Packard. Engaging interviews with contemporary leaders drawn from business, government, and education are interwoven with archival footage of historic leaders who demonstrate imagination, perseverance in the face of adversity, and joy in work. (70 minutes)

Anthology of Contemporary Indian Writing

Jigsaw Company

This program spotlights a diverse group of Indian writers invited to participate in the Belles Etrangeres, a French literary festival. Featured authors include award-winning Bengali novelist and social activist Mahasweta Devi; Kannada novelist U. R. Ananthamurthy, former president of the Sahitya Akademi; Hindi stylist Krishna Baldev Vaid; Malayalam writer M. Mukundan; Marathi Dalit writer Narendra Jadhav; Hindi poet Udayan Vajpeyi; Gujarati memoirist and novelist Esther David; English-language novelists Shashi Tharoor, Anita Rau Badami, Upamanyu Chatterjee, and Shauna Singh Baldwin; and the author-illustrator duo Anushka Ravishankar and Pulak Biswas.

Alice Walker: A Stitch in Time

Bruce R. Schwartz

What were Alice Walker’s motivations in writing "Everyday Use"? In this program, the author discusses her short story with her official biographer, Evelyn C. White. Over the course of the interview, Walker talks about the autobiographical aspects of the story, the significance of quilting to African-American women, the perception of class differences, and the important life lessons she wished to explore. (23 minutes)

Dylan Thomas: Portrait of the Artist in a Passing Cloud

10 Francs

In hindsight, Dylan Thomas’ precocious use of romantic but morbid imagery—epitaphs, worms, an early death—proved a self-fulfilling prophecy. This program traces the poet’s life and works, artfully blending manuscripts, first editions, family photos, and location footage with interviews and readings of his poems and letters. Highlights include Thomas reading many of his poems, such as "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night"; interviews with actress Nancy Wickwire and childhood friend Daniel Jones; and clips from the film version of Under Milk Wood with Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and Peter O’Toole. (47 minutes)

Walt Whitman

Films for the Humanities & Sciences

A self-styled sketch runs, “Walt Whitman, an American, one of the roughs, a kosmos.” He could have added journalist, carpenter, nurse, and one of the greatest poets in English. This program presents a unique literary biography, tracing Whitman’s childhood, various careers, and the evolution of the masterpiece that proved his lifelong work, Leaves of Grass. A collage of photos, paintings, and manuscripts accompanies excerpts of letters from Whitman and Ralph Waldo Emerson, as well as readings from sections of Leaves of Grass, such as “Song of Myself,” “I Sing the Body Electric,” and “Native Moments.” (22 minutes)

Ezra Pound

Films for the Humanities & Sciences

Ezra Pound wielded tremendous influence on the 20th century's literature while he cut a controversial path through its politics. His challenge, "make it new," became Modernism's touchstone. This program follows his life's extraordinary course, from his collaborations with Yeats and Eliot through his years of detention at St. Elizabeths Hospital. A wealth of photographs and manuscripts is blended with readings from his letters, essays, and poems, including "Meditatio," "In a Station of the Metro," and selections from his epic work, The Cantos. (20 minutes)

T. S. Eliot

Films for the Humanities & Sciences

As a poet, T. S. Eliot did not just modernize, he revolutionized. As critic and publisher, he informed literary theory and promoted a generation of major young writers. This richly resourced program provides a concise biography of Eliot, tracing the key events of his life and highlighting his many contributions to English literature. The program features readings and excerpts from his major poems and critical work, including "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," "Sweeney among the Nightingales," "Gerontion," "The Hollow Men," "Ash Wednesday," The Wasteland, Four Quartets, and The Sacred Wood. (19 minutes)

Shakespeare, Thomas, Goodison, and Swift

Digital Rights Group Limited

This program provides a detailed analysis of "My Mistres eyes are nothing like the Sunne" by William Shakespeare, "On the Farm" by R. S. Thomas, "This is a Hymn" by Lorna Goodison, and "Lines on the Death of Dr Swift" by Jonathan Swift. Readings, along with critical and historical commentary, are given by contemporary poets Patience Agbabi, Michael Donaghy, W. N. Herbert, John Kinsella, Clare Pollard, and Owen Sheers. (25 minutes)

Ancestral Voices

Doctoroff Media Group

This program features poets who turn to the past and to their own cultural heritage to understand the present. They eloquently reflect their own personal journeys through poetry. Garrett Kaoru Hongo's work reflects his Japanese-American heritage. Hongo began to write poetry because he wanted "more than anything to belong to the history of Asians in America." Joy Harjo's poetry is influenced by her Native American heritage. Her poetry emphasizes the oral tradition and sacred imagery of her Native American ancestors. Mary TallMountain's work draws on her Native American and Anglo background. Her poetry recalls her childhood memories of life in an Alaskan village and the life she left behind when she was adopted by an Anglo family. (60 minutes)

Canada and the U.S.: Understanding Our Differences

Doctoroff Media Group

Northrop Frye Crossing the border from the U.S. into Canada is a pretty easy affair, says Northrop Frye, one of the world’s foremost literary critics; there are no walls, no barbed-wire fences, no lookout towers. But if our borders are open to each other, our minds can sometimes be less so. There’s a lot we North Americans don’t know about each other, and a lot we have to learn. In this program with Bill Moyers, Frye speaks about our common and uncommon mythologies. He discusses our cultural differences and Canada’s struggle to establish a separate identity beyond being America’s neighbor. (30 minutes)