William Shakespeare

Eagle Rock Entertainment

This program tells the story of Shakespeare and his works. Featuring delightful dramatized extracts from some of Shakespeare's best-known plays, the program also includes memorable depictions of life in Elizabethan times. The program also features expert commentary and critical analysis by Stanley Wells, Director of the Shakespeare Institute, and Robert Smallwood, Deputy Director of the Shakespeare Centre in Stratford-upon-Avon. The well-regarded Shakespearean actor Brian Blessed also makes a special appearance in this program. (46 minutes)

Percussion Instruments

West Six Media

This program presents the wide range of instruments found in the percussion section of an orchestra-timpani, side drum, bass drum, cymbal, tam-tam, tubular bells, and xylophone-in performance. Works by composers from Mozart to Stravinsky illustrate the special effects achieved by using the various instruments. (28 minutes)

Bass Instruments

West Six Media

This program discusses the instruments in the bass section of an orchestra-particularly the double bass. We see how the double bass, originally developed as an accompanying instrument, was used more prominently by such musical notables as double bass virtuoso and conductor Serge Kussevitzky-mentor of the late Leonard Bernstein. Music by Haydn and others illustrates the use of other bass instruments, including the tuba, bass cornet, serpent, ophicleide, bass saxophone, and bass horn. (28 minutes)

Rhythm

Deutsche Grammophon GmbH

This program examines 20th-century music from the perspective of its most fundamental force-rhythm. It shows how western orchestral music has freed itself from the domination of melody and explored the richness of musical pulse. Starting with the driving power of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, Rattle uses works by Gustav Mahler, Sibelius, and modern composer Steve Reich to show that the labels "traditionalist" and "innovator" are irrelevant to the expression of rhythmic invention. (53 minutes)

The American Way

Deutsche Grammophon GmbH

This program focuses on young, innovative American composers who learned from the music of the past, and from the music of other cultures. Jazz, military bands, Quaker hymns, country dances, German Expressionism, and minimalism all contribute to a dazzling display of energy and virtuosity in the music presented. Works by Gershwin, Copland, Bernstein, Ives, Cage, and others are included. (53 minutes)

Music Today

Deutsche Grammophon GmbH

In this program, Rattle presents an eclectic selection of works by living composers to illustrate the rich variety of new musical trends he believes pave the way to the future. The music of Berio and Henze illustrates how the past has become just one ingredient in today's world of instant access to sounds, pictures, and ideas from every continent and every era. Strange and compelling works by Gubaidulina and Kurtag echo with Eastern European and central Asian sensibilities silenced under communism. Pieces by Turnage, Knussen, and Birtwistle work and rework concepts of the primeval, of virtuosity and of humanism. (51 minutes)

Newspaper Industry

Planet Pictures

In 1923 more than 500 American cities had two or more competing daily newspapers, but in the 90s that number dwindled to a mere 36. This program spotlights the cross-town rivalry between The Denver Post and the Rocky Mountain News, offering insight into some of the benefits and drawbacks of competition for the same readership. In addition, it provides an engaging overview of America's oldest mass media industry. Some of the topics examined include the continual pressure for newspapers to adapt, the evolution of content, family versus conglomerate ownership, editorial and operations decision-making, the daily production life cycle, and the role of advertisers. The program is an excellent tool for understanding where the newspaper industry has been and where it is going. (28 minutes)

Print History

Planet Pictures

A single issue of The New York Times is said to contain more information than could be learned in a lifetime by a person living in the 15th century. This program traces the development of books, newspapers, and magazines in the Western world, from the invention of the printing press, metal type, paper, and oil-based ink to the present day. Experts from the Smithsonian Institution, Harvard University Press, MIT, and The New York Times discuss the effect of print technology on the spread of Martin Luther's doctrines and the Reformation; printing in colonial America; advances stimulated by the Industrial Revolution, the Civil War, and the Trans-Continental Railroad; Mergenthaler's Linotype machine; Yellow Journalism; and the impact of Time magazine. Permanence and portability, in combination with affordability and ease of replication, have made the printed word a vital form of mass communication that is unlikely to be replaced even in the age of the Internet. (28 minutes)

Recording History

Planet Pictures

When Thomas Edison devised a way to capture and replay sounds, he thought it useful for recording business letter dictation-but America had a different vision. This program examines the remarkable history of recorded music, from the Jazz Age, to the Big Band Era and World War II, to rock 'n' roll and rap. Executives from the BMI archives and Capitol-EMI Music, along with representatives of the Smithsonian Institution, discuss the social and cultural aspects of affordable, mass-produced music, plus the roles of recording originals like Enrico Caruso, Bing Crosby, Glenn Miller, Elvis, the Beatles, Berry Gordy, and Bob Dylan. In the U.S., recorded music has brought races together and split generations apart, while around the globe it has altered cultural identities, changing the way in which nations see others and themselves. (28 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)

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)

The Advent of Fashion

UNIVERSAL PICTURES PROD LTD

Music written for public performance in concert halls and theaters required composers to keep abreast of popular styles. Music of Handel, Couperin, Scarlatti, and Rameau is performed by the English Bach Festival, Huddersfield Choral Society, American Boychoir, Academy of Ancient Music, and Wexford Opera Festival. Contents include excerpts from: Handel’s Zadok the Priest, Music for the Royal Fireworks, Concerto for Organ in D Minor, Orlando, Messiah; Rameau’s Nais; Couperin’s Deuxième Ordre; Telemann’s Sonata in E Minor; Scarlatti’s Sonata in B-Flat Major; John Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera. (58 minutes)

A Leap of Faith

PARALLEL PRODUCTIONS

Politics and terrorism have failed to secure peace for Northern Ireland. Now four heroic families in Belfast band together to create a school that integrates their own Catholic and Protestant children. Using archival sections which dramatically but objectively explain the conflict, this program integrates a history of Ireland's "troubles" with a story of hope. Despite 62 explosions and 40 deaths during the first four months, the school is able to celebrate its first anniversary, proving that peace is not only possible, but inevitable. Narrated by Academy Award-winning actor Liam Neeson. (87 minutes)

The Romantics

UNIVERSAL PICTURES PROD LTD

The Romantic movement—a reaction against the orderliness of 18th-century classicism and 19th-century industrialization—strove above all for self-expression. The Romantics composed for themselves and the new bourgeois audiences that now frequented concert halls and were acquiring pianos for their living rooms. Chopin’s A-Flat Polonaise is performed in Chopin’s house outside Warsaw, Mendelssohn’s Elijah and Brahms’ Requiem in the halls where they had their premiere performances. Contents include excerpts from: Chopin’s Polonaise in A-Flat, Prelude; Mendelssohn’s “Italian” Symphony (Finale), Octet, “He watching over Israel” from Elijah; Schumann’s “In the heavenly month of May,” Symphony No. 3 (‘Rhenish’); Brahms’ Lullaby, Symphony No. 2, Ein Deutsches Requiem, Clarinet Quintet; Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7. (58 minutes)

The Mighty Fistful

UNIVERSAL PICTURES PROD LTD

Until the 19th century, fashionable Russian audiences preferred Western music. Then came Glinka, Balakirev, Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Borodin, Scriabin, and Tchaikovsky. This program covers the distance from folk tradition to the founding of the Russian style of music by Glinka. Performers include James Galway, Osipov’s Balalaika Orchestra, and the Kirov, Bolshoi, and Royal Ballets. Contents include excerpts from: Glinka’s Russlan and Ludmilla Overture; Tcheshnikov’s Let Us Give Prayer; Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov, Coronation Scene; Borodin’s Quartet No. 2 in D Major; Rimsky-Korsakov’s Flight of the Bumblebee, A Bride for the Czar; Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, Swan Lake, Symphony No. 6 (‘Pathétique’); Scriabin’s Prometheus; Stravinsky’s The Firebird. (58 minutes)

Hegel and Marx

BBC Worldwide Learning

In this program, world-renowned author and professor Bryan Magee and contemporary philosopher Peter Singer discuss rational Hegelian philosophy, and the historicism and organicism at its root. Hegel’s theories of absolute idealism and of a dialectic emphasize history in their development of a model of reality. His concept of this reality as ultimately spiritual, and of philosophy as organic and constantly changing, is examined. The theories of Karl Marx are discussed as essentially Hegelian, but with a practical, economic spin. A BBC Production. Part of the series Great Philosophers. (45 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)

One Word of Truth

Anglo-Nordic Productions Trust

Alexander Solzhenitsyn's 1970 Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech is the text for this program, which exhorts viewers to shoulder their responsibilities as citizens-to fight untruth, injustice, and repression wherever they arise and before they become too powerful to overcome.Never delivered because he was not permitted to leave the Soviet Union in time, the speech is read by Solzhenitsyn in Russian (in the English version by actor Tom Courtenay). Using Solzhenitsyn's prison camp experience as a point of departure, the film moves rapidly outward to involve all of us-those who have suffered violence, and those who have allowed others to suffer."The world is overrun by the brazen conviction that force can do everything, while justice can do nothing," says the author. With governments and citizens subscribing to a double standard of justice-one for themselves and one for "the others," one for the rich and one for the poor, one for the powerful and one for the powerless-it becomes necessary for each of us to stand up and be counted. A Russian aphorism becomes the emblem of this message: "One word of truth outweighs the whole world." (29 minutes)

Double Helix

BBC Worldwide Learning

This fast-paced dramatization starring well-known actor Jeff Goldblum is about the race to solve one of the greatest mysteries of 20th-century science—the structure of DNA. It is the story of the diligent research, creative analysis, and perseverance of James Watson and Francis Crick that led to the discovery. With the help of their colleague, Maurice Wilkins, they also earned the 1962 Nobel Prize. Students of biology and genetics will benefit from the process of problem solving used to identify the structure of DNA, as well as the clear, concise summary of research evidence. A BBCW Production. (108 minutes)

Rembrandt van Rijn

ARTE France

Even in his first paintings, Rembrandt positioned himself in the scene. In the following years, at least 100 times he used his face as the only subject in engravings, drawings, and paintings. Such single-mindedness, unique in the history of art, was very widely interpreted. This program explores his self-portraits and attempts to determine the secret meanings hidden in the various versions of Rembrandt's face. (30 minutes)

Personality Disorders

University of Sheffield Learning Media Unit

Personality disorders come in various forms and degrees of severity, including persistent, ingrained behavior patterns; extreme deviant behavior; and problems in social functioning. Histrionic disorder, anankastic disorder, anxiety disorder, and dependent disorder are the common categories. This program, filmed in the U.K., looks at the most common disorders: paranoid, histrionic, and dissocial. It describes their symptoms and criteria for diagnosis. Patients exhibit the symptoms in interviews conducted by psychiatrists. (26 minutes)

Brenda Fassie

LONDON FILMS

The music in this program is a detonating blend of soul, disco, and Mbaqanga-a blend of pop and traditional rhythms-from music legend Brenda Fassie, niece of Nelson Mandela. Fassie talks about her childhood days as a singer with the Tiny Tots-a street-corner group with whom she often did imitations of American folk singer Roberta Flack. Later music, which she describes as "bubble-gum," made her a star. But it was her song written and dedicated to Mandela entitled "Black President" that thrust her onto the international music scene. Banned in South Africa, the song became an international anthem for the anti-apartheid movement. (25 minutes)

Ladysmith Black Mambazo

LONDON FILMS

In the ancient hills and valleys of Natal, the haunting strains of Isicathamiya stir the blood and soul of the Zulu nation. In this program, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the ten-man choral a cappella group featured on Paul Simon's Graceland album, lends its full-throated harmonies to music that cuts to the core of the universal spirit. The rhythms of Isicathamiya-a stealthy, prowling Zulu dance-can be sensed throughout the many musical performances. The group's leader, Joseph Shabalala, explains how the group has honed the sound to mesmerizing perfection, and reveals the essence of the music in the tapping of a plough, the lowing of domestic animals, and the movement of the wind over the Natal terrain. (25 minutes)

Ntemi Piliso: African Jazz Pioneer

LONDON FILMS

In this program, African jazz musician Edmund "Ntemi" Piliso traces the roots of African jazz from the days of apartheid in 1940s Alexandra Township. With musical performances throughout highlighting the various eras, Piliso moves through the days of pennywhistle jive groups hustling change on streetcorners, to the sounds of marabi-a bittersweet fusion of American jazz and the restless rhythm of an uprooted tribal culture. The latter sound, lost for a time amid the African pop music craze of the 1960s through the 1980s, is now being revived by Piliso and his musical group, the African Jazz Pioneers. In this program, we listen as they kick off that revival campaign in small township halls and jazz clubs. (25 minutes)

Remembering Fred Friendly: Changing the Face of TV News

Nightline

The father of television journalism and an exemplar of integrity, Fred Friendly was a war correspondent in World War II, the producer of Edward R. Murrow’s popular documentary show "See It Now," and the maverick president of CBS News. In this program, ABC News anchor Ted Koppel examines the contributions of a man who helped radio news make its quantum leap to the TV screen in the early 1950s and who challenged decision-makers of all types to think—and think hard—about issues as diverse as corporate exploitation and McCarthyism. No study of television news can be considered complete without a look at this pivotal figure. (21 minutes)

Sign, Symbol, and Script: Origins of Written Communications and the Birth of the Alphabet

Murphy Entertainment Group

Written language is arguably humankind's most important invention. This delightfully accessible documentary uses maps, tables, artifacts, and copious examples to trace the progression of communication through its six stages: gestures, picture writing, pictograms, ideograms, phonograms, and acrophonic characters. Through detailed narration, the program explores topics such as the function of tokens, wall paintings, and wampum; the flowering of Egyptian hieroglyphs, Mesopotamian cuneiform, and Chinese ideograms; the influence of Ugaritic cuneiform and Sinaitic script; and the metamorphosis of the Phoenician alphabet into the Latin characters used today. (40 minutes)

La Espana de Felipe II: Un Imperio Sin Emperador-in Spanish with English Subtitles

Ente Público Radiotelevisión

Philip II ruled over Spain at its peak of world influence...and at the start of its long slide from prominence. This program depicts the life and times of this absolutist monarch through dramatizations, artwork, and maps. High-profile topics, including the Inquisition, the Armada, and the Battle of Lepanto, are presented while addressing controversies such as the imprisonment and death of the king's heir, Don Carlos. Cultural elements such as the Ommegang Pageant, the works of El Greco, and architectural landmarks are also highlighted.

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)

Olivier's Henry V

CTE Carlton

Is there a Shakespeare lover who does not know this superb film? Two entire generations were introduced to Shakespeare by this expansive production, which is as fresh and dramatic and deeply touching today as when first it ushered in the contemporary style of Shakespearean production and taught us to see the vast and rich panoply beyond the lines of Shakespeare’s Henry V. (2 hours 16 minutes) King Henry V.....................................Laurence Olivier Ancient Pistol...................................Robert Newton Katharine...........................................Renee Asherson Constable of France..................................Leo Genn The Dauphin.................................................Max Adrian

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)

Johann Sebastian Bach: The St. Matthew Passion

East German Television

Filmed at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, where Bach himself was the organist; the placement of choirs makes Bach's choral intentions clear in a way no recording or concert performance can. With Regina Werner, Rosemarie Lang, Peter Schreier, Siegfried Lorenz, Theo Adam, and the Choir of St. Thomas Church, Leipzig. (180 minutes)

The Obi: Epitome of Japanese Elegance and Refinement

Joongang Broadcasting Corporation

More than 80 years of unstinting devotion to his craft have made 98-year-old Yatsujiro Yamaguchi one of the best textile artists in Japan-and perhaps the world. Filmed at the Nishijin Textile Center and other locations, this program showcases the obi, the key component of traditional female garb and the epitome of Japanese elegance and refinement, as woven by Mr. Yatsujiro. Noh costumes are also spotlighted as the video addresses topics such as the fine-fabric weaving process, textile patterns and design, and the cultural significance of the kimono. Footage of the esteemed weaver in his workshop is featured. (15 minutes)

What's Health Got to Do with It? Young Women Speak Out

SMITH COLLEGE

This engaging documentary follows a diverse group of 16 teenage girls as they explore the meanings of physical, mental, and emotional health in their lives. Filmed over a four-week course at Smith College, the young women share their candid views on topics such as body image, depression, eating disorders, relationships, sexual orientation, sexuality, and violence. An honest and ultimately moving portrayal of the unrelenting pressures in the lives of adolescent females today that will resonate with parents, educators, and students. (53 minutes)

The Vocabulary of Film and TV

ClickView Pty Limited

Motion pictures have a language all their own, and media students need to become fluent in it. This video is the ideal primer, using an entertaining story line to teach basic film vocabulary. Set in an actual movie studio, the program explores the stylistic conventions of action, horror, and other genres, and demonstrates principles of camera placement, mise-en-scène, lighting, sound, shot size, and editing. The spine-tingling (but not too scary) horror plot keeps viewers focused on film language and how it is manipulated to tell a story with a logical flow that builds to an emotional conclusion. Viewable/printable educational resources are available online. (27 minutes)

Backstage

Beckman Limited

The “magic” of theater is the result of rigorous planning, hard work, and the finely honed skills of artisans and designers. This program takes viewers inside the technical process of mounting a stage play. Focusing on a theater company’s major production departments—set, prop, costume, makeup, lighting, and sound—the video shows how the knowledge and labor of theater technicians comes to life. Information about model fabrication, painting techniques, flats and bracing, scene changes, hand props, furniture, statues and masks, period suits and dresses, light rigging, and mic placement makes this the ultimate hands-on authority for theater courses and workshops. (124 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: 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)

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)

Bill Moyers on Faith & Reason: Richard Rodriguez

Doctoroff Media Group

Richard Rodriguez-the author of Hunger of Memory and Days of Obligation: An Argument with My Mexican Father-has expressed provocative views on diversity and its relationship to identity. Bill Moyers talks with Rodriguez about spirituality, mortality, and growing up among mixed influences-including a Catholic family and community often at odds with Protestant-dominated mainstream America. (31 minutes)

Cooking 101

Cambridge Educational

Most young people know how to open the refrigerator—but how many have the confidence to cook up a square meal? In this video, Mike Colameco, producer and host of PBS’s Colameco’s Food Show, offers empowering, easy-to-follow lessons for students who are intimidated by the kitchen. Mike guides viewers through the creation of two nutritious, tasty meals: pork loin with potatoes and spinach, and good old-fashioned spaghetti and meatballs. Along with step-by-step demonstrations of basic cooking techniques, Mike also breaks down each meal by cost—emphasizing that home cooking is low-stress, easy on the budget, and the best way for students to control what they eat. A viewable/printable instructor’s guide is available online. A Meridian Production. (24 minutes)

Realism: The Artistic Form of the Truth

Films for the Humanities & Sciences

It is a creative impulse as old as humanity itself: to depict life faithfully, accurately, in words or in images. This program shows how that impulse led to Realism—a widespread artistic movement, born in the latter half of the 19th century, which rejected pretense, distortion, and sentimentality. Incorporating interviews with art historians and literary scholars, the program explores the sociopolitical origins of the phenomenon in the 1848 Revolution in France and the concurrent wave of industrialization that swept Europe and America. Luminous images by Édouard Manet, Gustave Courbet, Jean-François Millet, and Honoré Daumier—along with the unflinching writings of Honoré de Balzac, Gustave Flaubert, Émile Zola, Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Anton Chekhov, August Strindberg, and Henrik Ibsen—are analyzed and compared with the work of Thomas Eakins, George Bellows, Mark Twain, Jack London, Stephen Crane, and others. The contributions of early photographers and filmmakers, as well as the first stirrings of feminism, are also examined. (54 minutes)

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin: The Wings of Spirit

10 Francs

He was a philosopher, paleontologist, Jesuit priest-and far more than the sum of these disparate labels. Illuminating the life and work of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, this program examines his origins, his difficulties with Catholic orthodoxy, and his legacy as a major contributor to the "living Earth" theory. Interviewing scientists and religious leaders influenced by Teilhard, the program describes his anthropological achievements and explains concepts he invented-such as the noosphere and the Omega point-that helped to establish the Gaia hypothesis and similar worldviews. The result is an engaging portrait of a visionary whose ideas remain relevant in today's debate over intelligent design. (60 minutes)

Challenges of the Writing Life

TV Ontario

Being a writer isn't all book signings and fat royalty checks. By looking squarely at the potential downside of the writing life-rejection letters, second-novel syndrome, and really bad reviews-this program offers insider tips on coping while encouraging viewers to press on to success. Professional writers such as Martin Amis, Pat Conroy, Joyce Carol Oates, and Maxine Hong Kingston are joined by an editor, an agent, and a publisher to share knowledge they've accumulated in the school of hard knocks. In addition, depression, an illness frequently linked in the popular imagination to the writer's art, is explored by Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison. Some language may be offensive. (30 minutes)

Writing Online

TV Ontario

From blogs, to e-books, to online reviews, this program introduces viewers to what it's like to be a writer in a technological age. Brief stories of blogs such as Washingtonienne and Belle de Jour that became books (and one book, Jim Munroe's An Opening Act of Unspeakable Evil, that masqueraded as a blog) and a quick interview with a successful e-book publisher are balanced by two short panel discussions: the pros and cons of e-books, with York University's Caitlin Fisher and columnist and unapologetic Luddite Linwood Barclay, and the value of online book reviews by readers, with author Marnie Woodrow and book reviewer James Granger. (29 minutes)

ShakespeaRe-Told: Much Ado About Nothing

BBC Worldwide Learning

Amorous sparks fly alongside barbed repartee in this hip adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic romantic comedy. A modern television news studio provides the setting, transforming Beatrice and Benedick—played by Sarah Parish and Damian Lewis—into bickering coanchors. Meanwhile, Don, a jealous studio tech, tries to sabotage the budding love affair between Claude the sports guy and Hero the weather girl. Screenplay writer David Nicholls cleverly weaves Sonnet 116 (“Let me not to the marriage of true minds / Admit impediments.”) into the dialogue. Produced by BBC Northern Ireland and Horsebridge Productions. A part of the series ShakespeaRe-Told. (90 minutes)

The Lost Film of Dian Fossey

National Geographic

From 1968 to 1972, photographer and filmmaker Bob Campbell documented the activities of Dian Fossey as she developed a cross-species bond with Rwandan mountain gorillas. Campbell shot 70,000 feet of film, but only a fraction of his material was edited into the lecture presentation that preceded Fossey’s Gorillas in the Mist. This program compiles highlights from the previously unreleased footage, offering an unforgettable glimpse into the gorilla community and Fossey’s relationship with it. Her methods may not entirely jibe with those of modern conservationists, but there is no denying the profound impact of her work on current research and eco-activism. A National Geographic Production. (53 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)

Voices of Dissent: Freedom of Speech and Human Rights in China

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Although China’s government has pledged to revise its policies toward political dissidents, that promise remains largely unfulfilled. This program reveals egregious cases of political oppression occurring in recent years, countering the picture China painted of itself as it promoted the Beijing Olympics. Pushing back against bureaucracy and official stonewalling, the program examines the work of activist Hu Jia, his arrest and jail sentence, and the constant police harassment faced by his wife and lawyers. Numerous other cases are profiled while government apologists also appear—including China’s Olympics media director and the head of Beijing’s Deng Xiaoping Thought Research Center. (45 minutes)

Blogging in the Classroom

Carmelina Films

Blogs may be driving print journalists out of business, but they're doing wonders for the teaching profession. This program helps educators learn more about blogging and the best ways to integrate it into the classroom. Showing how blogs help communicate ideas and connect readers worldwide, the video focuses on the benefits of blogging for both teachers and students. Specific topics include blogging strategies for increasing student motivation, reading comprehension, writing skills, collaboration, and healthy social interaction. Viewers will also learn about blogging for course announcements, reading assignments, professional development networking, student journalism, and other purposes. (24 minutes)

Broadway Goes Hollywood: Musical Comedy in American Cinema

Wichita Films

Beginning with the release of The Jazz Singer in 1927, this program provides a detailed look inside that most distinctly American of film traditions, the musical comedy. Interviews with dancer Cyd Charisse, famous for her starring roles in MGM musicals, and Hermes Pan, renowned choreographer and collaborator with Fred Astaire, help to illuminate the advent and evolution of the genre. Excerpts and behind-the-scenes accounts from Singin' in the Rain, 42nd Street, Second Chorus, Flying Down to Rio, The Wizard of Oz, and many other films are included. Specific topics include the impact of the Hays Code, the influence of African-American dance styles, and the decline of the musical during the 1960s.

Chiropractic

Information Television Network (ITN)

Is chiropractic care more than just "back cracking"? In this program, Dr. Kevin Soden explores the practice of chiropractic medicine, and its theory that the body can heal itself. Founded by D. D. Palmer, chiropractic care uses spinal manipulation to help people rid themselves of pain and illness. With the assistance of experts in the field, Dr. Soden investigates the myths and misconceptions of the practice, what patients should expect from a visit to a chiropractor, and the extensive schooling required to become a doctor of chiropractic care. In doing so, he demonstrates how chiropractic care differs from other therapy practices, including its rival, physical therapy. (24 minutes)

Greece (Engineering an Empire)

History Education

This program traces 1,500 years of history to shed light on the incredible engineering accomplishments of the ancient Greeks—and the leaders who enabled them to happen. Distributed by A&E Television Networks. A part of the series Engineering an Empire. (44 minutes)

The Aztecs (Engineering an Empire)

History Education

This program tells the astonishing story of the Aztecs, who, over the course of four centuries, grew from a beleaguered band of a thousand to dominate nearly all of Mexico. Distributed by A&E Television Networks. A part of the series Engineering an Empire. (44 minutes)

The Persians (Engineering an Empire)

History Education

This program is a chronicle of the Persian Empire, a major force that heavily influenced competing cultures and achieved scholastic and engineering breakthroughs that were the envy of the ancient world. Distributed by A&E Television Networks. A part of the series Engineering an Empire. (45 minutes)

New York (How the Earth Was Made)

History Education

In this program, viewers will learn how New Jersey and North Africa were once neighbors, how the rocks New York is built upon are the remains of prehistoric mountains once as tall as the Himalayas, and how Long Island is covered in rubble that accumulated as Ice Age ice sheets retreated 10,000 years ago. Distributed by A&E Television Networks. A part of the series How the Earth Was Made. (45 minutes)

Birth of the Earth (How the Earth Was Made)

History Education

This program investigates the most fundamental geological mystery of all: the first billion years of Earth’s existence. Experts illustrate how the planet first formed from the dust of the solar system, molten rock solidified to become land, oceans filled with water, and life first arrived on the planet. Distributed by A&E Television Networks. A part of the series How the Earth Was Made. (45 minutes)

Guadalcanal (Battleline)

A&E

U.S. Marines are ordered to take the key Pacific island of Guadalcanal in 1942 and destroy the Japanese airfield, effectively severing the enemy’s reach towards Australia. This classic program incorporates authentic WWII archival film footage and accounts from soldiers on both sides of the battleline on Guadalcanal. Part of the series Battleline. Distributed by A&E Television Networks. (23 minutes)

Liberation of the Philippines (Battleline)

A&E

For more than two years, the Japanese have occupied the Philippines, while American forces, led by General Douglas MacArthur, plan their return to liberate the islands in 1945. This classic program incorporates authentic WWII archival film footage and accounts from soldiers on both sides of the battleline in the Philippines. Part of the series Battleline. Distributed by A&E Television Networks. (23 minutes)

The Congress

Ken Burns

Part of the Ken Burns America Collection, this incisive documentary profiles our government's legislative branch. Narrated by David McCullough, the program uses historic footage and interviews with veteran political observers-including David Broder, Alistair Cooke, and Cokie Roberts-to detail the first 200 years of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Incorporating readings from diary entries, letters, and famous speeches, the film chronicles the careers of notable lawmakers and charts the evolution and development of the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. Distributed by PBS Distribution. (90 minutes)

Scottsboro: An American Tragedy

American Experience

In March of 1931, two white women stepped off a train in Paint Rock, Alabama, and accused nine black teenage passengers of gang rape. So began the Scottsboro case, one of the 20th century's most fiery legal battles. This episode of American Experience chronicles the case, which generated what many view as the most divisive regional conflict since the Civil War, led to momentous Supreme Court decisions, and helped give birth to the civil rights movement. Distributed by PBS Distribution. (90 minutes)

A Midsummer Night's Dream: Young Actors in Training

Stagescreen Productions

Shakespeare's comedic tale of mischief and enchantment is, in a sense, the prototype of today's giddy big-screen romances. At any rate, that is one comparison to emerge from a handful of young actors invited to the Globe Theatre to rehearse and perform Midsummer's Act III, Scene 2. This program documents their work and the discussion that follows, giving viewers a front-row seat at their physical, emotional, and intellectual processes. There are few better ways to study Shakespeare's magical tale, especially this portion of it, in which Helena and Hermia squabble over a boy. Part of the series Training for Shakespeare: Young Actors' Workshops at the Globe Theatre. (15 minutes)

Othello: Young Actors in Training

Stagescreen Productions

It might be seen as racist, antifeminist, perhaps even militaristic, depending on one’s ideology. For Shakespeare, there were likely no such scruples. He borrowed the plot from a 16th-century Italian poet, along with, possibly, a geographical history of Africa and a translation of the Roman historian Pliny. But out of those scholastic ingredients he fashioned one of the most entrancing, agonizing studies of jealousy in the whole of English literature. This program accompanies young drama students as they rehearse, perform, and discuss Act IV, Scene 3—a foreboding segment near the end of the play. Part of the series Training for Shakespeare: Young Actors’ Workshops at the Globe Theatre. (15 minutes)

Pericles: Young Actors in Training

Stagescreen Productions

“I am great with woe, and shall deliver weeping,” says the Prince of Tyre, hero of Shakespeare’s wide-ranging, episodic drama. Act V, Scene 1, in which Pericles realizes that he stands face-to-face with his daughter, Marina, is the poignant heart of this roll-up-your-sleeves acting lesson. Students from leading London drama schools rehearse and perform the scene with the help of professional mentors, then examine its essence in a vigorous group conversation. Acknowledging issues of authorship and character development, the video holds up Pericles’ basic humanity and determination as the principal strengths of the play. Part of the series Training for Shakespeare: Young Actors’ Workshops at the Globe Theatre. (15 minutes)

Richard II: Young Actors in Training

Stagescreen Productions

Chronologically speaking, Richard II is the play that kick-starts Shakespeare's cycle of royal histories. It is also notable for its powerful, introspective speeches, which resonate almost like arias, melancholy and autumnal. This program highlights the dissection, rehearsal, and performance of just such a passage-Act IV, Scene 1, in which the protagonist unwillingly but inevitably hands the crown to the newly ascended Henry IV. British students enact the scene under the auspices of theatrical professionals, then take part in a roundtable on a range of issues. Among these are intriguing notions about Richard's feminine side. Part of the series Training for Shakespeare: Young Actors' Workshops at the Globe Theatre. (15 minutes)

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)

Episode 1: Truth Against the World (Frank Lloyd Wright: A Film by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick)

Ken Burns

The first installment in Ken Burns’s compelling documentary on modernist architect Frank Lloyd Wright, this program depicts the early to middle years of Wright’s life and career. With the help of rarely seen archival materials and voice-over portrayals by well-known actors, viewers learn how Wright’s ideas developed and how they became the center of the modernist movement in architecture. Distributed by PBS Distribution. A part of the series Frank Lloyd Wright: A Film by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick. (81 minutes)

Charles Dickens: A Tale of Ambition and Genius

Biography Channel

This episode of Biography presents a detailed look at the life of Charles Dickens, beginning with Dickens's harsh childhood and ending in his rise to worldwide acclaim. Distributed by A&E Television Networks. (45 minutes)

JFK: A Personal Story

Biography Channel

This episode of Biography examines the life of the charismatic John F. Kennedy, from his birth to his final fatal day and the legacy he left to posterity. Distributed by A&E Television Networks. (90 minutes)

John Wilkes Booth: Assassin in the Spotlight

A&E

Southern actor John Wilkes Booth’s deadly passion for the Confederate cause escalated in April 1865 with a plot to kill Abraham Lincoln and overthrow the U.S. government. This program traces the history of that conspiracy and the follows the life of this talented but twisted man whose actions would earn him celebrity for all time—but not for his work on the stage. Distributed by A&E Television Networks. (45 minutes)

Ayatollah Khomeini (Declassified)

History Education

Before the world heard of Osama bin Laden, there was Ayatollah Khomeini. This program tracks the trajectory of Khomeini’s influence on the Islamic revolution he was instrumental in launching. Distributed by A&E Television Networks. (45 minutes)

Part 3: The Faith of Fifty Million People (Baseball: A Film by Ken Burns)

Ken Burns

Comparing sports with religion only goes so far, but in early-20th-century America, the reverence accorded baseball and its players resembled the trust and respect a priest might elicit from his parishioners. This program examines the life of the game between 1910 and 1920-the decade in which a godlike figure named Babe Ruth first appeared and the Black Sox scandal threatened, in the words of F. Scott Fitzgerald, to destroy the faith of fifty million people. Also included: profiles of Grover Cleveland Alexander and other players, as well as archival footage of Fenway Park construction. Distributed by PBS Distribution. Part of the series Baseball: A Film by Ken Burns. (2 hours 5 minutes)

Part 8: A Whole New Ballgame (Baseball: A Film by Ken Burns)

Ken Burns

It was the decade that saw the rise of the American counterculture, and baseball was not immune to radical change itself. This program looks at events that transformed the sport during the 1960s, including the emergence of televised baseball, an increase in expansion teams, and the building of multipurpose stadiums that many saw as robbing the game of its intimacy. Among other developments, viewers witness the debut of the California Angels, New York Mets, and Texas Colt .45's; the pursuit of Babe Ruth's single-season home run record by Maris and Mantle; the arrival of Pete Rose; and various labor-management battles. Distributed by PBS Distribution. Part of the series Baseball: A Film by Ken Burns. (1 hour 55 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)

Alice Walker: Possessing the Secret of Joy

Deutsche Grammophon GmbH

Pulitzer Prize-winner Alice Walker has been a standard bearer for the civil rights and women's movements since the early 1960s. In this classic interview, the womanist writer discusses her novel Possessing the Secret of Joy, in which protagonist Tashi attempts to preserve her tribal heritage by undergoing traditional female genital mutilation-still a common practice in Africa today. Archival footage, dramatized scenes from the book, and additional interviews with Gloria Steinem; Barbara Christian, Professor of African-American Studies at Berkeley University; and others shed light on Alice Walker's career and issues of womanhood worldwide, while Ms. Walker examines the influence of people and events on her life. (53 minutes)

Thailand: King, Combat, and Ad Karabao

German United Distributors

Unlike its neighbors, Thailand has never been colonized or annexed-but keeping it that way has been a stern challenge. This program examines Thailand's political independence, which is based on democratic and generally peaceful rule by a culturally supported monarchy. However, growing dissatisfaction has caused grass-roots dissent, as demonstrated by the lyrics of pop music idol d Karabao, who protests against imported consumer goods, and the agitation of "Ubon Without a Border," a group lobbying for open access with Laos and Cambodia. The powerful yet incongruous influences of Thai boxing and Buddhism are also assessed. (48 minutes)

Recorded Sound: The Dream Becomes a Reality

NVC Arts International

For centuries people dreamed of being able to record and play back sound. In 1877 Thomas Edison invented the phonograph and the whole course of music was forever changed. From the jukeboxes of the 1880s to contemporary composers blending live and recorded music, this program examines the effects, both positive and negative, that resulted from the birth of the phonograph and the subsequent development of electronic and computerized music-making devices. (51 minutes)

Voices from Heaven: The Religious Music of Europe in the Middle Ages

Powersports Video Productions

Filmed in several of northern Italy’s most magnificent churches and beautiful villages, this documentary illuminates the medieval origins of Christian music through vocal and instrumental performances by the Gothic Voices of London, the Ensemble Venance Fortunat of Paris, the Orthodox Chorus of Moscow, and the Quartetto Vocale Giovanna Marini, Ensemble Micrologus, of Assisi, Italy. The Timna Brauer & Elias Meiri Ensemble of Vienna performs songs based on the ancient Kabbalah. Expert commentary on the cultural and religious context of these authentically rendered melodies, combined with outstanding footage of the art and architecture of the Middle Ages, rounds out the program. (57 minutes)

The Dalai Lama and the Rituals of Reincarnation

Jane Balfour Films

From supreme religious authority, to god-king, to Manchu pawn, to icon in exile, the role of the Dalai Lama has been in continual flux. In this program, Dr. Robert Thurman, Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University; the authors of The Last Dalai Lama and Tibetan Nation; His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso; and others investigate the intricate procedure of identifying a reincarnated Dalai Lama against the backdrop of Tibetan power politics and Chinese expansion, carrying the history of the Dalai Lama forward from the birth of Sonam Gyatso's successor to the life in exile of Tibet's 14th spiritual leader. (45 minutes)

Sculptors at Storm King: Shaping American Art

Deutsche Grammophon GmbH

The 400-acre Storm King Art Center is America’s premier outdoor museum of post-1945 sculpture—and home to the works of more than a hundred of the world’s top talents. Through interviews, archival footage, and film clips of sculptors in action, this program offers a glimpse into the creative process of some of the century’s most influential artists while presenting a magnificent visual survey of the encyclopedic Storm King collection. Featured sculptors include Kenneth Snelson, Mark di Suvero, Richard Serra, and deceased artists David Smith, Louise Nevelson, Alexander Calder, and Isamu Noguchi. (47 minutes)

Ennio Morricone: The Man Behind the Music

INDIGO FACTUAL LTD

One of the most celebrated composers in international cinema, Ennio Morricone has written scores for more than 400 classic and contemporary films. In this timeless program, Morricone describes how he got his start in show business, the challenges of composing for film, and his experiences working with big-name directors and musicians. Directors Brian De Palma and Bernardo Bertolucci, producer David Puttnam, and many others offer insights into Morricone's genius for composition-scoring, conducting, and mixing his own soundtracks-and his lifelong fascination with music and sound. Scenes from numerous films, including Oscar-nominee The Mission, provide vivid examples of his art in action. (54 minutes)

The Heritage of Flamenco

Ente Público Radiotelevisión

In Andalusia and all around the world, the sensual rhythms of flamenco ignite the blood with joy and sorrow. This program helps make accessible the mysterious, intimate, plaintive form of music known as flamenco, promoting a deeper appreciation of Spanish culture. Background information on Moorish Spain and a chronology of Gypsy history provide the context for generous footage of a juerga-an informal flamenco performance-that includes a full complement of dancers, singers, guitarists, and palmeros. An RTVE Production. (Spanish, 60 minutes)

Sabato: El Tunel

Ente Público Radiotelevisión

Sabato's first novel introduces the theme of the artist who becomes insane because of his inability to communicate. The protagonist, a painter who becomes the lover of a blind man's wife, is blinded by his own personal and artistic goals. The film traces the convoluted route by which love turns to hatred. An RTVE Production. (Spanish, 60 minutes)

Shakespeare on the Silver Screen

NBD Television Limited

Effortlessly making the leap from stage to cinema, the plays of William Shakespeare have enjoyed decades of popularity in theaters on both sides of the Atlantic. This program combines clips from significant movie productions with an eclectic group of interviews to demonstrate the Bard's uncanny ability to fire the modern imagination-especially through the medium of film. Excerpts from Julie Taymor's Titus and Kenneth Branagh's musical Love's Labour's Lost as well as classic footage from Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet, Laurence Olivier's Hamlet, Peter Brook's A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Othello with Laurence Fishburn are included. (50 minutes)

Everyday Decision-Making

Cambridge Educational

This program simplifies the complexities of decision-making by sorting out the various types of decisions: practical and principled, long-term and short-term, conscious and unconscious, and reversible and irreversible. The steps involved in making good decisions are also considered, as well as the importance of learning from mistakes. The bottom line? To err is human, but thoughtful decision-making will greatly reduce the number of mistakes. A Cambridge Educational Production. (27 minutes)

The Negro Ensemble Company

Richard Kilberg

The Negro Ensemble Company was founded in 1967 by actor/playwright Douglas Turner Ward, actor Robert Hooks, and theater manager Gerald Krone, with the stated goal of creating "a Theater of Excellence concentrating primarily on themes of black life." By producing consistently imaginative and challenging plays, the NEC has nurtured some of the finest theatrical talent in America and has created an enduring body of black theater literature. This program features scenes from some of its most outstanding plays, including The River Niger (with Roxy Roker and Douglas Turner Ward), Ceremonies in Dark Old Men (with Glynn Thurman and Roz Cash), and Soldier's Story (with Adolphe Caesar and Denzel Washington). (58 minutes)

Stage for a Nation

DAVID OSTERLUND THE OSTERLUND

The National Theatre has entertained Washington since the time of Andrew Jackson, bringing the best of Broadway to Washington (and sometimes sending a play or musical to Broadway), providing a stage for theatrical legends from Edwin Booth to Helen Hayes, casting an influence on the American theater simply because it was the National Theatre and on the nation because theater-even when it appears all froth or fancy-remains a powerful medium that alters in some way all those who watch it.This spectacular program celebrates both the history and the present of the National: its memorabilia survey the history of American taste; institutions of the theater, like Helen Hayes, Pearl Bailey, and Carol Channing, describe the added dimensions of playing to an audience of power brokers and presidents; and scenes from some of the nation's (and the National's) biggest hits-including South Pacific, Hello Dolly, West Side Story, and A Chorus Line-are performed by star-studded casts that constitute a virtual Who's Who of the American theater. (52 minutes)

Ramona: A Story of Passion and Protest

KCET TV

Helen Hunt Jackson's novel of 1884 crystallized opinion about the whites' maltreatment of Indians (much as Uncle Tom's Cabin had done for slavery). This program uses feature film clips to recap the plot and historical sources and sites to explain both the immense popularity of the book and its transformation into a mythic symbol of whites and Indians in the West. (28 minutes)

Raymond Chandler's Los Angeles

KCET TV

The genre of the hard-boiled detective story, which is Raymond Chandler's contribution to the history of American literature, was derived from his observations of life in Los Angeles during the 1930s. Using period newsreels and clips from feature films made from his stories, this program shows the excesses of a frontier town shedding conscience in pursuit of possessions-the crime and corruption that provided the backdrop and inspiration for Chandler's work. (28 minutes)

Corridos de la Revolucion Mexicana

Protele, Inc.

In this spirited program, one of Mexico's most beloved actors, Ignacio Lopez Tarso, tells in song of the struggles and triumphs of the Mexican Revolution. The songs tell the stories of battles fought and lives lost, and of the men who changed the course of Mexican history. In Spanish. (56 minutes)

Arnold Schoenberg: My Evolution

University of California at Los Angeles

With Schoenberg’s lecture at UCLA as the narrative track, the musical illustrations he cites, and with photographs, manuscripts, and period footage, this program offers a unique picture of music struggling into the 20th century, of atonality, and of Schoenberg himself. (51 minutes)

Henry IV, part 1

ITEL Worldwide

Part of the series The Wars of the Roses. (2 hours 52 minutes)

Henry IV, part 2

ITEL Worldwide

Part of the series The Wars of the Roses. (2 hours 31 minutes)

Toshiko Takaezu: Portrait of a Ceramic Artist

New Jersey Public Television

Renowned for her extraordinary pottery and highly respected as a teacher, Toshiko Takaezu is one of the most significant ceramic artists of the 20th century—and the 21st. This program, filmed both in New Jersey and the artist’s native Hawaii, presents the life story of the internationally acclaimed potter. Film clips of Ms. Takaezu at work—shaping clay in her studio, demonstrating pottery techniques at Princeton University, and overseeing raku firing—provide illuminating insights into her philosophical creative process, as do interviews with ceramic artists Claude Horan and Jennifer Owen; gallery owner Charles Cowles; Paul Smith, director emeritus of the American Craft Museum; poet Stephen Berg; and the artist herself. (29 minutes)

Amazing Grace: The Story of a Song That Makes a Difference

Doctoroff Media Group

Why is “Amazing Grace” the most-performed hymn in the English language? In this program, Bill Moyers seeks to understand the enduring power that has carried this song across continents and through time—and the compelling story of the slaver-turned-preacher who wrote it. This documentary includes an introduction by Moyers and segments that spotlight the history of the hymn and some of its notable singers as they reflect on what “Amazing Grace” means to them. Country singer Johnny Cash, opera singer Jessye Norman, folksingers Judy Collins and Jean Ritchie, gospel singer Marion Williams, shape-note singers from Georgia and Alabama, and the Boys Choir of Harlem are featured. (80 minutes)

When the Blues Won't Go Away: Women and Depression

Ivanhoe Communications

Depression is the most pervasive of all mental health problems for American women in all age groups, seriously affecting five to ten million of them every year. Publisher Frances Lear and four other women tell their stories of this debilitating illness and how they overcame it. This program offers a positive, hopeful approach to a devastating problem. (28 minutes)

Phonograph (Modern Marvels)

Modern Marvels

Thomas Edison was not the first to record sound, but his competition with Alexander Graham Bell and other inventors led to the phonograph that created thousands of new jobs and gave birth to the music recording industry. First radio and then electronic recording contributed to the eventual decline in the phonograph's popularity. Distributed by A&E Television Networks. (45 minutes)

Winston Churchill

Biography Channel

Of all the political leaders who dominated the 20th Century, Winston Spencer Churchill is unique. In 1900, Joseph Stalin was a junior clerk, Adolf Hitler, a spoiled 11-year old child, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a freshman at Harvard; but Winston Churchill was already a military expert, a celebrated author, and a member of the English Parliament. This episode of Profiles traces his long, varied, and heroic career that has touched some of the most monumental events of our time. Distributed by A&E Television Networks. (48 minutes)

Korea: The Forgotten War

History Education

Personal stories and sensational combat footage make this A&E Special the definitive account of the Korean War, a conflict that many feared would erupt into World War III. Distributed by A&E Television Networks. (90 minutes)

Lincoln

History Education

Burdened by a tragic family life, suicidal urges, and unsettled sexuality, Abraham Lincoln was able to employ his powerful wit and innate charm to transform his inner demons. Filmed as if through the president’s own eyes, this episode of Biography captures the dark soul behind one of history’s brightest lights. Interviews with leading Lincoln biographers such as Gore Vidal, Jan Morris, and Harold Holzer are also included. Distributed by A&E Television Networks. (136 minutes)