Media Log--History, Theory, and Criticism of the Arts

History, Theory, and Criticism of the Arts

Alfred Stieglitz—The Eloquent Eye

Documentary

Alfred Stieglitz played a major role in introducing America to modern art, while championing the elevation of photography as an art form. Arthur Dove, Marsden Hartley, and Georgia O'Keeffe were just some of the American artists whom Stieglitz mentored through his three influential galleries in New York City. It was there that he also shocked the public by introducing avant-garde Europeans such as Henri Matisse, Paul Cézanne, Auguste Rodin, and Pablo Picasso. At the same time he was exhibiting the most advanced artists of the period, Stieglitz's own impressive body of photographic work firmly established him as one of the leading twentieth-century artists. The program features a rare, exclusive interview with Georgia O'Keeffe, Stieglitz's wife, and archival film of some of the other artistic giants he inspired, including Edward Steichen and John Marin.

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATION: American Masters and Thirteen/WNET New York, NY
YEAR PRODUCED: 2001
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Susan Lacy
PRODUCERS: Perry Miller Adato, Muriel Soenens
DIRECTOR/WRITER: Perry Miller Adato
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Jerry Pantzer
EDITORS: Kris Liem, Rebekah Baker, Kate Taverna
NARRATOR: Tovah Feldshuh

PRINT MATERIALS: Press kit, available through MPRM Public Relations and Thirteen/WNET New York

FORMAT: Video (90:00)

DISTRIBUTOR: Winstar

American Cinema

Documentary Series

This ten-part series explores the development of the American feature film from 1927 (the beginning of the sound era) to the present, as an art form, industry, barometer of culture, and one of the world's most powerful systems of representation and communication. (* denotes NEH scripting and/or production support)

Program 1 *
The Hollywood Style
This program introduces the broad themes and stylistic conventions of classical Hollywood film, a combination of strong protagonists and story structure, with powerful emotional and technical effects.

INTERVIEWS: David Bordwell, Dede Allen, Allen Daviau, Howard Hawks, Lawrence Kasdan, Jack Lemmon, Joseph Mankiewicz, Roman Polanski, Sydney Pollack, Martin Scorsese, Richard Sylbert, Bertrand Tavernier, Robert Towne

PRODUCER: Molly Ornati
DIRECTOR: Lawrence Pitkethly
EDITOR: Corey Shaff
NARRATOR: Joe Morton

Program 2
The Star
Early on, Hollywood saw that recognizable talent could minimize the financial risks of film production. In this program, Joan Crawford and Julia Roberts provide case studies of the cultural phenomenon of stardom.

INTERVIEWS: Jeanine Basinger, Ted Allen, Richard Dyer, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Sidney Guilaroff, Jack Lemmon, Ray Liotta, Karl Malden, Rick Nicita, Julia Roberts, Henry Rogers, Stephen Schiff, Jane Russell, Eva Marie Saint, William Tuttle, Sylvia Wallace, John Waters, Arthur Wilde

PRODUCER: Danielle Gardner
DIRECTOR: Lawrence Pitkelthly
EDITOR: Corey Shaff
NARRATOR: Kathleen Turner

Program 3
Romantic Comedy
From Frank Capra's It Happened One Night to such contemporary works as Pretty Woman, romantic comedies often mask keen social and psychological observations with breezy dialogue and ridiculous slapstick. This program explores the surface humor of such films, as well as their roots in questions of gender and sexuality.

INTERVIEWS: Thomas Schatz, Ed Sikov, Edward Bernds, Peter Bogdanovich, James Brooks, Nora Ephron, Molly Haskell, Amy Heckerling, Garry Marshall, Susan Seidelman, Robert Zemeckis

PRODUCER/DIRECTOR: Molly Ornati
EDITOR: Gini Reticker
NARRATOR: Kathy Selverstone

Program 4
The Studio System
Using Paramount Pictures as a case study, this program probes the economics of mainstream filmmaking and surveys Hollywood's past era of movie moguls and contract players and directors.

INTERVIEWS: Peter Bart, Richard Brandt, Henry Bumstead, Edward Dmytryk, Michael Eisner, Harrison Ford, Douglas Gomery, Charlton Heston, DeForest Kelley, Howard W. Koch, Charles Lang, Harold Michelson, Mace Neufeld, Phillip Noyce, Robert Parrish, Catherine Turney, Meta Wilde,

PRODUCER/DIRECTOR: Chris Rodley
EDITOR: Anne Sopel
NARRATOR: Peter Coyote

Program 5 *
The Western
This program traces the history, aesthetic evolution, and sociological importance of one of American film's most popular genres, from John Ford's Stagecoach through the work of Arthur Penn, Sam Peckinpah, and Clint Eastwood.

INTERVIEWS: Thomas Schatz, Alfonzo Ortiz, Lindsay Anderson, Budd Boetticher, Niven Busch, Clint Eastwood, Elmore Leonard, Thomas McGuane, Arthur Penn, Henry Sheehan, John Sturges, Rudy Wurlitzer

PRODUCERS: Sasha Alpert, Lesley Karsten
DIRECTOR: Sasha Alpert
EDITOR: Rick SmigieIski, Peter Hammer, Jon Wing Lum
NARRATOR: Eli Wallach

Program 6 *
The Combat Film
This program describes the evolution of the World War II combat film (including those produced under directives from the federal government); the rise of the Vietnam film; the influence off actual newsreel documentaries on a fiction film genre; and the ways in which the combat film has filled social and political needs.

INTERVIEWS: Paul Fussell, Thomas Doherty, Lindsay Anderson, Leon Beck (U.S. Army), Forrest D. Dodd (U.S.M.C.), Douglas B. Evans (U.S.M.C.), Robert Fleishauer, Chris Freitus (U.S.M.C.), General Leonard Fribourg (U.S.M.C.), Samuel Fuller, Norm Hatch, Lt. General Anthony Lukeman (U.S.M.C), Gene Michaud, Tim O'Brien, Wayne Smith, Oliver Stone, Mark Sufrin, Bradley Vickers (U.S.M.C.), Richard Zanuck, Audris Shane Zidermanis (U.S.M.C.)

PRODUCER: Danielle Gardner
DIRECTOR: Lawrence Pitkethly
EDITORS: Chris Jenner, Christopher Tellefson
NARRATOR: Matthew Modine

Program 7 *
Film in the Television Age
This program explores the relationship between film and television, from the studios' initial fear of television and the rise of the Hollywood spectacle film to today's more integrated entertainment industry.

INTERVIEWS: Raymond Carney, Todd Gitlin, Robert Altman, Charles Champlin, Peter Falk, John Frankenheimer, Sidney Lumet, Delbert Mann, Arthur Penn, Jonas Rosenfield, Gena Rowlands, Gene Siskel, Haskell Wexler

PRODUCER: Elizabeth Foster
DIRECTOR: Alain Klarer
EDITOR: Rick Smigielski
NARRATOR: Cliff Robertson

Program 8 *
Film Noir
This program examines the genre of film noir—its roots in German Expressionism; its links to the Cold War, from nuclear threats to blacklisting; and the use of special lighting and camera angles to emphasize themes of corruption and urban decay.

INTERVIEWS: Ron Goulart, Paul Arthur, John Bailey, Albert Bezzerides, Kathryn Bigelow, Andre De Toth, Edward Dmytryk, Otto Friedrich, Martin Goldsmith, Jean-Pierre Gorin, Lawrence Kasdan, Joseph Lewis, Errol Morris, Janey Place, Abraham Polonsky, Paul Schrader, Martin Scorsese, Marie Windsor

PRODUCER: Sasha Alpert
DIRECTOR: Jeffrey Schon
EDITORS: Alan Berliner, Joelle Schon
NARRATOR: Richard Widmark

Program 9
The Film School Generation
In the 1960s and 1970s, a group of young mavericks—Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and others—tried to revolutionize the way American films were made and appreciated. This program explores the financial and cultural forces that made their success possible; the influence of classical Hollywood genres and new technology on their work; and their continuing evolution as idiosyncratic filmmakers with commercial clout.

INTERVIEWS: Peter Biskind, Peter Bart, David Brown, Gray Frederickson, Teri Garr, Paul Hirsch, Gary Kurtz, George Lucas, John Milius, Walter Murch, Lynda Myles, Fred Roos, Albert Ruddy, Paul Schrader, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Jonathan Taplin

PRODUCER: John Wyver
DIRECTOR: Steve Jenkins
EDITOR: Patrick McDonnell
NARRATOR: Mark Heenahan

Program 10
The Edge of Hollywood
Contemporary American independent cinema provides a forum for dissenting, unconventional filmmakers, many of whom are from minority communities. This program looks at the work of Spike Lee, Joel and Ethan Coen, Jim Jarmusch, Quentin Tarrantino, and others and how limited budgets can often encourage innovation and experimentation.

INTERVIEWS: Gregg Araki, Lawrence Bender, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Julie Dash, Carl Franklin, Nick Gomez, Bob Gosse, Jim Hoberman, Richard Jameson, Jim Jarmusch, Tom Kalin, Harvey Keitel, Todd McCarthy, Larry Meistrich, John Pierson, Sam Raimi, Joel Silver, Steven Soderbergh, Jim Stark, Quentin Tarantino, John Turturro, Christine Vachon

PRODUCER: Shana Swanson
DIRECTOR: Saskia Baron
EDITORS: Stephanie Paleweski
NARRATOR: Frances McDormand

Note: Three additional half-hour supplementary programs are included in the telecourse version of the series. They are:

Program 11
Film Language
examines just how a movie scene is orchestrated, as a Columbia University professor directs a three-minute scene, providing an intimate view of the elements that go into directorial decision making, from script analysis to set design and editing.

Program 12
Writing and Thinking About Film
features independent filmmaker John Sayles and a number of scholars in an analysis of Fritz Lang's 1946 film Scarlet Street—a "hands-on" demonstration of practical film criticism.

Program 13
Classical Hollywood Style Today
probes Hollywood's influence on both American life and world culture through interviews with contemporary filmmakers, scholars, critics, and studio-era veterans.

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATIONS: New York Center for Visual History, New York, NY, in association with KCET, Los Angeles, CA, and BBC, UK
YEAR PRODUCED: 1994
SERIES EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Lawrence Pitkethly
SENIOR PRODUCER/PRODUCTION EXECUTIVE: Greg Martinelli
SENIOR PRODUCER/FINANCIAL DIRECTOR: Rita Mate
SENIOR PRODUCER: Molly Ornati
SERIES COORDINATING PRODUCER: Brian Street
SERIES ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: Shana Swanson
SERIES PRODUCTION COORDINATOR: Lorna Thomas
SENIOR ADVISORY CONSULTANT: Jeanine Basinger (Wesleyan University)
HOST: John Lithgow

AWARDS: Worldfest (Houston), Gold Award for Romantic Comedy and Age of Hollywood

PRINT MATERIALS: Companion book, American Cinema: One Hundred Years of Filmmaking by Jeanine Basinger (Rizzoli, 1994); companion textbook, American Cinema/American Culture by John Belton (McGraw-Hill, 1994); American Cinema: Study Guide, by Ed Sikov (McGraw-Hill, 1994); American Cinema: Faculty Guide, by Ed Sikov (McGraw-Hill, 1994); call 1-800-722-4726 to order all print materials

FORMAT: Video, 10 (60:00) programs plus 3 (30:00) telecourse-related programs

DISTRIBUTORS:

PBS Adult Learning Service

The Annenberg/CPB Project (telecourse)

McGraw-Hill College Division (Print Materials)

American Popular Song Series on Fresh Air

Documentary Radio

This series explores American popular song as a reflection of cultural issues and historical themes in America from turn-of-the-century African American vaudeville and revues to the golden age of the Hollywood movie musical in the 1930s and 1940s. The series features conversations with scholars and performers as well as in-studio performances and archival recordings.

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATION: WHYY, Inc., Philadelphia, PA
YEAR PRODUCED: 2000
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Terry Gross, Danny Miller
PRODUCER: Ann Marie Baldonado
DIRECTOR: Roberta Shorrock
WRITER: Terry Gross
EDITOR: Ann Marie Baldonado
NARRATOR: Terry Gross
RECORDING ENGINEER: Jim Czak/Nola Recording Studios
TECHNICAL SUPERVISOR: Joyce Lieberman

FORMAT: Video 5 x one-hour programs
DISTRIBUTOR: WHYY, Inc.

American Roots Music

Documentary

This series traces the development of uniquely American music forms throughout the twentieth century including blues, gospel, country, bluegrass, Cajun, zydeco, tejano and Native American by interweaving rare archival footage and photographs of the legends of American music with newly filmed performances and interviews of living legends and leading scholars.

Episode 1
When First Unto This Country
traces the emergence of roots music in America from its European and African origins through its maturation into American musical genres such as spirituals, blues, country, and gospel.

Episode 2
This Land is Your Land

explores a period in which different strands of roots music become commercialized and visible through movies, television, radio, and records. Concurrently, "folk music" is redefined to include newly written music for songs that often deal with social causes.

Episode 3
The Times They Are A-Changin'

traces the continuing emergence of American roots music through a national awareness catalyzed by the folk and blues revivals. Gospel music's golden years are also explored in this episode, from the Golden Gate Quartet to Rosetta Tharpe, Mahalia Jackson, and the crossover success of the Staple Singers. In addition, urban migration from the Mississippi Delta to Chicago fosters the electrification of the blues, producing such giants as Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf.

Episode 4
All My Children of the Sun

focuses on the reassessment of diverse ethnic music previously excluded from American "folk" music and their inclusion in a redefined "American roots music." This episode describes the flourishing of Cajun culture in southwest Louisiana, the popularization of tejano music in south Texas, and the evolution of Native American music forms.

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATION: Ginger Group Productions, Inc., New York, NY
YEAR PRODUCED: 2001
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Jim Brown
PRODUCERS: Jim Brown, Sam Pollard, Jeff Rosen
DIRECTOR: Jim Brown
WRITER: Charles Wolfe
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Bob Boccaccio SOC, Peter Pilafian, Bob Fiore
EDITORS: Sam Pollard, Paul Petrissans, Anand Kamalakar, Garrett Levin
NARRATOR: Kris Kristofferson

PRINT MATERIALS: for press releases, photos, etc. contact Sarah Cullen at Ginger Group Productions: 212-505-0138 or thegingergroup@aol.com.

AWARDS/FESTIVALS: Association for Independent Music Award; "Best Historical Recording" for the American Roots Music 4-CD box set; U.S. International Film and Video Festival; First Place "Gold Camera Award" in the Music Documentary Category for Episode Two; This Land is Your Land

FORMAT: Video 4 programs 56:46 each
DISTRIBUTOR: Palm Pictures

American Routes Humanities Features: Songs and Stories from Down Home to Uptown

Documentary Radio

A weekly two-hour public radio program, American Routes presents and interprets a wide range of American vernacular music as an expression of our varied cultures and their histories. It also presents music as a reflection of and stimulus to a sense of participation in American culture at the national level. Careful sequencing and commentary on the music, along with documentary humanities features of diverse styles and voices, provide a critical perspective for examining the cultural, social and historical relationships on which the music is based.

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATION: UNO/American Routes, New Orleans, LA
YEAR PRODUCED: 2004 (onging)
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Nick Spitzer
PRODUCERS: Kaori Maeyama; Jason Rhein, Lauren Callihan, Natalie Jones
DIRECTOR: Mary Beth Kirchner
EDITOR: Scott McCraw
HOST/NARRATOR: Nick Spitzer

PRINT MATERIAL: press packs/ program info/promotional postcards promoting individual shows - Available through Lauren Callihan at American Routes

AWARDS/FESTIVALS: 2004 Deems-Taylor ASCAP award

FORMAT: Two hour
DISTRIBUTORS: Public Radio International

American Routes: Routes to Genius

Documentary Radio

American Routes presents and interprets a wide range of America's vernacular music as an expression of its varied cultures and their histories. It presents music as a reflection of and stimulus to a sense of participation in American culture at the national level. Careful sequencing and commentary on the music, along with documentary humanities features of diverse styles and voices, provide a critical perspective for examining the cultural, social, and historical relationships on which the music is based. In each program, host Dr. Nick Spitzer takes listeners on an aural journey presenting an eclectic selection of twentieth-century American vernacular music in relationship both to its historical and social origins (its "roots") and to other musical forms with which the music and musicians interact as they migrate (its "routes"). The producers work interpretively to demonstrate how music—and the people who make it—express both cultural continuities and discontinuities, reflecting the many regional, class, era, and gender variations that make up American identity.

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATION: American Routes, New Orleans, LA
YEAR PRODUCED: 2006
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Mary Beth Kirchner, Nick Spitzer
PRODUCERS: Matt Sakakeeny, Margaret Howze, Molly Petersen
WRITER/EDITOR: Scott McCraw
HOST: Nick Spitzer

PRINT MATERIALS: Press kits and press clippings

AWARDS/FESTIVALS: ASCAP Deems Taylor award

FORMAT: Audio 2 hour/weekly
DISTRIBUTOR:
DISTRIBUTORS: Public Radio International

The Artist Was a Woman

Documentary

The Artist Was a Woman examines the lives and works of women artists who lived between 1550 and 1950 and surveys the contributions women have made to artistic movements.

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATION: Women Artists, Westport, CN
YEAR PRODUCED: 1980
PRODUCERS: Suzanne Bauman, Mary Bell
DIRECTOR: Suzanne Bauman
NARRATOR: Jane Alexander

FORMAT: Video (58:00)

DISTRIBUTOR: Filmakers Library

Artists at Work: A Film on the New Deal Art Projects

Documentary

Artists At Work is a portrait of the WPA's Federal Art Project and other New Deal programs that supported artists during the 1930s.

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATIONS: New Deal Films, Inc., and The Film Fund, New York, NY
YEAR PRODUCED: 1981
PRODUCER/DIRECTOR: Mary Lance
WRITER: Peter Lance
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Ted Churchill, Charles Gustafson, Judy Irola, James Szalapski, Jerry Pantzer, Kip Durrin
ANIMATION PHOTOGRAPHY: Lawrence Quartararo, Anthony Quartararo
SUPERVISING EDITOR: Lawrence Solomon
EDITOR: Charles Marcus
NARRATOR: Morgan Freeman

AWARDS: American Film and Video Festival, Blue Ribbon; CINE Golden Eagle; Chicago International Film Festival, Silver Plaque; San Francisco Film Festival, Honorable Mention

FORMAT: 16mm, Video (35:00)

DISTRIBUTOR: New Deal Films, Inc.

Billy Strayhorn: Lush Life

Documentary

From the 1940s to the 1960s, Billy Strayhorn was one of the forces behind the sound of the renowned Duke Ellington Orchestra. Billy Strayhorn: Lush Life tells the story of this pioneering African American composer, arranger and pianist. Strayhorn helped produce a body of work that has no rival in originality and range—from unforgettable tunes and jazz melodies to orchestral suites and soundtracks. He was the sole composer of many classic compositions, including the Ellington theme song, "Take The 'A' Train," and the widely recorded "Lush Life." Yet at the time of his death in 1967 at age 51 from esophageal cancer, most people were unfamiliar with his musical accomplishments and genius. Today, historians and scholars agree that Billy Strayhorn remains one of the most under-recognized American composers in history. Born in 1915, Strayhorn chose to live openly as a gay black man. It was perhaps this decision—and his lifelong devotion to Ellington—which contributed to his near anonymity as a major American composer. Ironically, Strayhorn is the composer of many of the world's most defining and recognizable jazz standards. Billy Strayhorn: Lush Life not only emphasizes the vast contributions Strayhorn made to Ellington's oeuvre, but also features his own newly discovered compositions, with world premieres of his music featuring singers Elvis Costello and Dianne Reeves, pianists Hank Jones and Bill Charlap, saxophonist Joe Lovano and guitarist Russell Malone. With interviews, performances and archival footage, Billy Strayhorn: Lush Life showcases Strayhorn's gifts and illuminates the issues that deprived him of deserved recognition.

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATION: Robert Levi films, Inc., New York, NY
YEAR PRODUCED: 2007
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Robert Levi
PRODUCERS: Josh Blum, George Seminara
DIRECTOR: Robert Levi
WRITERS: Robert Levi, Robert Seidman
CINEMATOGRAPHY: David Sperling, Fred Murphy
EDITORS: Ray Hubley, Robert Levi
HOST: Terrence Howard
NARRATOR: Keith David

PRINT MATERIALS: Robert Levi Films, Inc., New York, NY

AWARDS/FESTIVAL: Premiere Screening on PBS's Independent Lens

FORMAT: Video/DVD (83:00)

DISTRIBUTOR: Robert S. Levi Films, Inc.

Broadway: The American Musical

Documentary Series

This series tells two stories: the 100-year history of musical theater and the story of its relationship to twentieth-century American life. Throughout the course of the six episodes, the full arc of Broadway's epic story is represented, from the immigrant experience at the turn of the century, when a melting pot of voices gave rise to a popular new form of entertainment, to the big budget world of the new millennium where global successes and revivals of classic favorites compete side by side. The programs spotlight legendary moments of Broadway history in rare clips and interviews: comedienne Fanny Brice's heart-grabbing performance of "My Man"; color footage of an early Ziegfeld Follies; George Gershwin's sojourn to Folly Island, where he began to compose his legendary score for Porgy and Bess; the thrill of Oklahoma!'s opening night; My Fair Lady's enduring success as an Eisenhower-era Cinderella story; the counterculture clash of the Hair cast running amok on "The Ed Sullivan Show"; Julie Taymor's visionary re-imagining of The Lion King; and a behind-the-scenes look at Wicked's opening night.

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATION: Thirteen/WNET New York, NY
YEAR PRODUCED: 2004
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: David Horn, Jac Venza
PRODUCERS: Jeff Dupre, Michael Kantor, Sally Rosenthal
DIRECTOR: Michael Kantor
WRITERS: Marc Fields, Michael Kantor, Laurence Maslon, JoAnn Young
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Buddy Squires, Mead Hunt, Ulli Bonnekamp, Jeff Dupre, Tom Hurwitz, Steve Kazmierski, Amy Rice, Manny Gutierrez, Mills Clark, Bernard McWilliams
EDITORS: Kris Liem, Adam Zucker, Nancy Novack
NARRATOR: Julie Andrews
CAST: Nancy Anderson, John Cullum, Chris Ferry, Jonathan Freeman, Leland Gantt, Michael C. Hall, John Herrera, Joe Holt, Gene Jones, Jane Krakowski, Ron McClarty, John McMartin, Audra McDonald, Jonathan Marc Sherman, Stephen Spinella, Mary Testa, Andrew, Weems, Jeffrey Wright, Chip Zien, Timothy Breese, Richard Costas, Paul Daley, Teri DiGianfelice, Rich DiMinno, Byron Easley, Chris Ferry, Nina Goldman, Jack Haken, Amy Hall, Michelle Kittrell, Bernard McWilliams, Lou Martarano, Kenna Morris, Michelle Pampena, Ipsita Paul, Lacy Darryl Phillips, Stacie Precia, Ed Puntin, Karina Ringeisen, Kara Sandberg, Jennifer Savelli, Kristen Sullivan, Michael Weinstein

PRINT MATERIALS: press materials & print education guide available through Thirteen/WNET New York; 469 page companion book available through Bulfinch Press. Note: 5-disc companion CD available via Columbia Broadway Masterworks and single-disc highlights disc available via Decca Broadway. Three-disc DVD set, featuring 5 hours of additional material, available via PBS Home Video. Companion web site available at www.pbs.org/wnet/broadway/

FORMAT: Video 6x60 mins
DISTRIBUTOR: Educational Broadcasting Corporation

Cities for People

Documentary

Cities for People considers the space and the quality of life left in a city after the buildings are built. It was filmed in San Antonio, Savannah, San Francisco, Atlanta, Boston, and New York, as well as in historic and modern locations in Italy.

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATION: KPBS-TV, San Diego, CA
YEAR PRODUCED: 1972
PRODUCERS/DIRECTORS/WRITERS: Amanda Pope, John Louis Field
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Paul Marshall
MUSIC: John Lewis
NARRATOR: Cloris Leachman

AWARDS: San Francisco International Film Festival, Golden Gate Award; Broadcast Media Award; Ohio State Award

FORMAT: 16mm, Video (49:00)

DISTRIBUTOR: University of California, Extension Media Center

Diego Rivera: I Paint What I See

Documentary

This film examines the life and work of Mexican artist Diego Rivera (1886–1957).

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATIONS: New Deal Films Inc., Brooklyn, and the New York Foundation for the Arts, New York, NY
YEAR PRODUCED: 1989
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Patricia McFate
PRODUCERS: Mary Lance, Eric Breitbart
DIRECTOR: Mary Lance
WRITER: Eric Breitbart
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Eric Breitbart, Nancy Schreiber, Emiko Omori, Miguel Ehrenberg
EDITOR: Sara Fishko
NARRATOR: John Hutton
VOICES: Julio Medina, Rosana de Soto, Joe Barett, Philip Bosco, Steve Culp, Margaret Hall, Ron Parady, Larry Robinson, Ted Sorel, Donald Symington

AWARDS/FESTIVALS: CINE Golden Eagle; Biennial of Films on Art, Paris, Special Jury Prize, Best Biographical Film; National Educational Film and Video Festival, Bronze Apple; Chicago International Film Festival, Gold Plaque; Cork (Ireland) Film Festival, Certificate of Merit; Festival dei Popoli, Florence, Italy; American Film and Video Festival; International Festival of Films on Art, Montreal; The Documentary Festival of New York; Leipzig (Germany) International Film Festival; Melbourne (Australia) Film Festival

FORMAT: Video (58:00); DVD (includes a 19-minute sequence of silent archival footage of Rivera paining the "Detroit Industry" murals, 1932–33.)

DISTRIBUTOR: New Deal Films, Inc.

Duke Ellington: Reminiscing in Tempo

Documentary

This film considers Duke Ellington's musical development and quest for national prominence in the context of America's changing racial attitudes and perceptions.

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATION: New York Foundation for the Arts, New York, NY
YEAR PRODUCED: 1991 (premiere on The American Experience)
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER/DIRECTOR: Robert S. Levi
PRODUCERS: David Schmerler, Andrew Reichsman
CONSULTING PRODUCERS: Jaqueline Schearer, Edward Gray
WRITERS: Robert S. Levi, Geoffrey C. Ward
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Larry Banks, Neil Reichline, Brian Clery
EDITORS: Ken Levis, Ken Eluto
HOST/NARRATOR: Paul Winfield

AWARDS/FESTIVALS: National Emmy Award, Outstanding Individual Achievement in Research; Writers Guild of America, Nominee, Best Teleplay in a Nonfiction Format; CINE Golden Eagle; American Film and Video Festival, Blue Ribbon, Biography; National Educational Film and Video Festival, Silver Apple; Banff Film and Television Festival, Finalist; American Film Institute Festival (L.A.), Finalist; London, Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, and Florence Film Festivals

AUDIO MATERIAL: Companion album, Duke Ellington: Reminiscing in Tempo (Columbia Legacy-Sony Music, available in record stores)

FORMAT: 16mm, Video (90:00)

DISTRIBUTOR: contact Robert S. Levi Films, Inc.

D.W. Griffith: Father of Film

Documentary Series

This three-part series chronicles the life and work of the pioneer director of such groundbreaking films as Intolerance, Hearts of the World, Broken Blossoms, Way Down East, and the still-controversial The Birth of a Nation.

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATIONS: American Masters/Thirteen/WNET, New York, NY and Thames Television, London, England
YEAR PRODUCED: 1993 (first broadcast on American Masters)
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Susan Lacy, Ian Martin
PRODUCERS/DIRECTORS/WRITERS: Kevin Brownlow, David Gill
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Denny Furey, John Hanlon, Ken Lowe, John Slagle
EDITOR: Mike Peatfield
NARRATOR: Sam Wanamaker (U.S. version); Lindsay Anderson (U.K. version)
INTERVIEWS: John Hope Franklin, Russell Merritt, Eileen Bowser, Lillian Gish, Blanche Sweet, Evelyn Baldwin Griffith Kunze, Karl Brown, Anita Loos, Francis Oglesby, William Walker

AWARDS: National Emmy Nominee, Outstanding Informational Special

FORMAT: Video, 3 (60:00) programs

DISTRIBUTOR: D.L.T. Entertainment, Ltd.

Free to Dance: The Black Tradition in American Modern Dance

Documentary

Free to Dance chronicles the pivotal role African American dancers and choreographers have played in the development of modern dance as an American art form. Their movement language has pervaded the culture, helping to define not just modern dance but American vernacular and popular styles as well. This is the largely untold story of the exchanges, borrowings, and sharings in dance and movement among black and white Americans. Set against the cultural, social, and economic backdrop of American life from 1900, it is also a remarkable tale of against-the-odds struggle by African American dancers and choreographers for recognition and acceptance as highly talented and passionate performers.

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATION: American Dance Festival, Inc., Durham, NC
YEAR PRODUCED: 2000
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Charles L. Reinhart, Stephanie Reinhart
PRODUCER: Madison D. Lacy
DIRECTORS: Madison D. Lacy, Horace Ove, Gary Halvorsen
WRITERS: Madison D. Lacy, Adam Zucker
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Don Linzer, Bobby Shepherd, Buddy Squires
EDITORS: Adam Zucker, Rachel Reichman, Keir Pearson
NARRATOR: Blair Underwood

PRINT MATERIALS: WNET Dance in America Spring 2001 Booklet, ADF Booklets; The Black Tradition in Modern Dance; African American Genius in Modern Dance

AWARDS/FESTIVALS: Emmy, Artistic and Cultural Programming; Pan African Film Festival; Festival of Films on Art/Montreal; Margaret Mead Film Festival

FORMAT: Video 3 programs 60:00 each

DISTRIBUTOR: Thirteen/WNET. For educational distribution: National Black Programming Consortium

High Lonesome: The Story of Bluegrass Music

Documentary

This film traces the history and cultural origins of bluegrass music from the 19th century to the present, with special emphasis on the contributions and musical legacy of Bill Monro.

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATIONS: Northside Films, Brooklyn, NY in collaboration with Hampshire College, MA
YEAR PRODUCED: 1991
PRODUCERS: Rachel Liebling, Andrew Serwer
DIRECTOR/WRITER: Rachel Liebling
SENIOR CONSULTANT: Jerome Liebling
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Buddy Squires, Allen Moore
EDITOR: Toby Shimin
HOST/NARRATOR: Mac Wiseman
MUSICIANS INCLUDE: Bill Monroe, Mac Wiseman, Ralph Stanley, Jimmy Martin, The Osborne Brothers, The Seldom Scene, Alison Krauss, the Nashville Bluegrass Band, Jim and Jesse McReynolds, and others.

AWARDS: Atlanta Film Festival, Best Feature Documentary; American Film Festival, Red Ribbon; CINE Golden Eagle; Houston International Film Festival, Silver Award for Feature Documentary

FORMAT: Video (95:00)

DISTRIBUTOR: Northside Films

Honky Tonks, Hymns, and the Blues

Documentary Series Radio

Honky Tonks, Hymns, and the Blues, a series of eleven short radio modules and a companion website focuses on the evolution of rural music by examining the songs that Americans hummed, loved, and danced to in the first half of the twentieth century. This public radio series uses the experiences of key individuals to tell the stories behind the music, focusing on the years between World War I and the Korean War which witnessed a great national migration from rural to urban areas. During this time, working class people of all backgrounds and nationalities brought rural music to a large urban audience for the first time. These diverse ethnic music traditions came together in a style that was all-American.

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATION: Institute of Texas Cultures, San Antonio, TX
YEAR PRODUCED: 2003
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Kathie Farnell, Margaret Pick, Steve Rathe
PRODUCERS: David C. Barnett, Jacquie Gales Webb, Jesse Boggs, Tom Cole, Leda Hartman, Paul Brown, Lex Gillespie, Larry Massett, Barrett Golding, Heath Curdts
DIRECTOR: Paul Brown
EDITOR/NARRATOR: Tom Cole

PRINT MATERIAL/WEBSITE: http://www.honkytonks.org/

DISTRIBUTOR: Currently unavailable

I'll Make Me A World: A Century of African American Arts

Documentary

I’ll Make Me A World celebrates the extraordinary achievements of twentieth-century African American artists who forever changed us as a nation and a culture. The series tells stories of struggle and creativity, featuring the sounds of jazz, blues, soul, and rap that the world identifies as America’s music; poetry and fiction that challenge our ideas of race and our ideals of democracy; images that capture our conflicts and our common ties; and dance, theater, and films that have thrilled and inspired a century of audience.

Program I
Lift Every Voice (1900-–24)
looks at the trials and triumphs of the first generation of African Americans born into freedom. Bert Williams and George Walker, who forged careers as vaudeville stars, struggle to transcend the stereotypes of the minstrel tradition as they reclaim genuine elements of black culture and win a mainstream audience. In New Orleans, talented musicians create the exuberant sound that the entire world comes to recognize as original American music: jazz. And a powerful new medium—film—allows Oscar Micheaux to make motion pictures that reflect the complexities of black life during an era of entrenched racial segregation and conflict.

Program II
Without Fear or Shame (1920–37)
takes viewers from the First World War through the Jazz Age and into the years of the Great Depression. These are year of massive migration from South to North, unprecedented white fascination with “Negro” entertainment and arts, and the day of a “New Negro” in politics and culture, infused by the energies of such leaders as W.E.B. Du Bois, A. Philip Randolph, and Marcus Garvey. Focusing on the creative movement known as the Harlem Renaissance, the program highlights Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and the women blues singers who bring their Southern style North. The hour also examines how conflicts arise over what art should express, when community leaders seek to use art in the struggle for racial justice. Some African Americans argue that art should present blacks in the best possible light, but many young artists want their work to reflect the complex reality of life in the black community. And to their mutual dismay, many white patrons see black art only as an expression of primitivism.

Program III
Bright Like A Sun (1935–54)
continues the series’ story through the years of the Great Depression and World War II. The challenging experiences move African American artists to adopt and expand their creative visions, producing work with new energy and autonomy. Paul Robeson, the legendary singer and star of stage and screen, uses his artistry and fame to fight for social justice in the U.S. and abroad. Sculptor Augusta Savage builds a vibrant art school in Harlem where young African American talent can be nurtured, although she risks her own career to do so. And on the music scene, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and other young musicians begin to play bebop, the innovative jazz style that becomes the hallmark of American “cool,” and a recognized musical genre.

Program IV
The Dream Keepers (1940–65)
looks at African American artists in the turbulent years after World War II, as growing demand for equal rights are met with intense resistance. Yet, while racial barriers are being steadily broken, a stunning series of African American “firsts” in the arts and other areas of society marks America at mid century. This episode explores the impact of these developments upon the nation. Lorraine Hansberry’s remarkable Broadway debut, A Raisin In The Sun—extremely popular with both black and white audiences—is one sign of the era’s pro-integration impulse. Some fields, however, remain closed to African Americans, as evidenced by the lives and bittersweet careers of ballet dancers Delores Browne and Raven Wilkinson. James Baldwin, the artist who epitomizes the conflicts of the era, choose exile in Paris as he struggles to launch his literary career, but events in the United States eventually compel his return to lend his presence and voice to the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement.

Program V
Not A Rhyme Time (1963–86)
begins in the 1960s, a time of integration and creative “crossover” when black artists make inroads in Hollywood, on Broadway and in popular music, most notably via the Motown sound. As Motown dominates the radio airwaves, a cultural revolution begins, with artists challenging the aesthetics, power, and ultimately the very existence of a so-called “mainstream.” Painter Romare Bearden embraces the energy of collage as a means to capture the pulse of African American communities, and poet Gwendolyn Brooks begins exploring new forms and ideas in her work as the Black Arts Movement makes itself known. By the 1980s, writer Alice Walker wins a Pulitzer Prize, is featured on the cover of Time magazine, and finds herself at the center of a maelstrom of controversy concerning the images of black women and family life she presents in the novel The Color Purple.

Program VI
The Freedom You Will Take (1985–the present)
looks at the contemporary cultural landscape, which has been transformed by the power of African American film, performance, dance, rap music, and the spoken word art forms. Spike Lee becomes a hero to black artists in many genres and ushers in a new chapter of American independent cinema. Choreographer Bill T. Jones stages Last Supper at Uncle Tom’s Cabin/The Promised Land, a controversial work challenging stereotypical views of race, sexuality, and fear. And in a new American style dubbed “hip-hop,” young musicians, poets, and other creative talents express the hopes and challenges that will carry America into the next millennium.

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATION: Blackside, Inc., Boston, MA
YEAR PRODUCED: 1996
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Henry Hampton, Sam Pollard
PRODUCERS: Sam Pollard, Betty Ciccarelli, Tracy Strain, Denise Greene
WRITER: Sheila Curran Bernard
EDITORS: Betty Ciccarelli, Eric Hanley, David Carnochan
NARRATOR: Vanessa L. Williams
INTERVIEWS: Quincy Jones, Alice Walker, Maxine Hong Kingston, Jacob Lawrence, Spike Lee, Faith Ringgold, Wynton Marsalis, Gwendolyn Brooks, Uta Hagen, Ben Vereen, Bill T. Jones, Gunther Schuller

AWARDS: The Organization of American Historians 2000 Erik Barnouw Award

FORMAT: Video 6 (60:00) episodes

DISTRIBUTOR: PBS Video

Isamu Noguchi: Stones and Paper

Documentary

Isamu Noguchi (1904–88) was one of America’s greatest sculptors. He counted himself among “that increasing number of not-exactly-belonging people.” His father was Japanese, his mother Scottish-American, and he spent part of his childhood in each one’s country. He understudied with Constantin Brancusi in Paris and launched his career with a series of portrait busts of prominent New Yorkers. He created sets for Martha Graham’s dance troupe and designed furniture, fountains, and public spaces. Working in Japan, he updated the paper lantern into a line of modern lamps. He ended up working with Japanese granite, a medium too stubborn ever to abandon its character as part of a mountain.

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATION: Pictures and Words
YEAR PRODUCED: 1997
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: William Smock
PRODUCER: Steve Burns
DIRECTOR/CINEMATOGRAPHY: Hiro Narita
WRITER: Sharon Wood
EDITOR: William Smock
NARRATOR: Linda Hunt

AWARDS/FESTIVALS: Best Portrait, Montreal International Festival of Films on Art, 1998; CINE Golden Eagle; Hawaii International Film Festival; San Francisco, New York; Vancouver; and Toronto Asian Film Festivals

PRINT MATERIALS: Press kit from Pictures and Words

FORMAT: Video (60:00)

DISTRIBUTOR: Films for the Humanities and Sciences

Isenheim

Drama

This film examines the Isenheim altarpiece, completed about 1515, and the period in which it was produced.

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATION: Imago Mundi, Inc., Fraser, MI
YEAR PRODUCED: 1985
PRODUCER/DIRECTOR/WRITER: Giovanna Costantini
EDITOR: Gabriella Christiani
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Massimo DiVenanzo

FORMAT: Video (28:00)

DISTRIBUTOR: contact Joanna Costantini

Jack Levine: Feast of Pure Reason

Documentary

This film looks at the complexities of this social realist painter and his work.

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATIONS: David Sutherland Productions and The Artists Foundation, Boston, MA
YEAR PRODUCED: 1986
PRODUCER/DIRECTOR: David Sutherland
WRITERS: David Sutherland, Nancy Sutherland, Tess Cederholm
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Joe Seamans
EDITOR: Mavis Lyons Smull
HOST/NARRATOR: Jack Levine

AWARDS/FESTIVALS: Chicago International Film Festival, Gold Plaque, Documentary Feature; CINE Golden Eagle; American Film and Video Festival, Blue Ribbon; National Educational Film and Video Festival, Silver Apple; Columbus (OH) International Film and Video Festival, Chris Bronze Plaque; Atlanta Film Festival, Honorable Mention; Leipzig (Germany) International Documentary Film Festival, Finalist; Booklist, Nonprint Editor's Choice (American Library Association);Village Voice, Nat Hentoff's pick as Outstanding Television Show of 1989; INPUT Conference; Whitney Museum Film Festival, Curator's Choice; Global Village Film Festival; Sinking Creek Film Festival, Cash Award

FORMAT: 16mm, Video (59:00)

DISTRIBUTOR: Currently unavailable

Jazz

Documentary

This is a 10-part documentary film series that chronicles the history of this most American of art forms. It is simultaneously a celebration of the music and a social and cultural history of 20th-century America. The film traces the music's evolution from its beginnings in New Orleans through the Jazz Age, two World Wars, the Great Depression, the conformist 1950s, the turbulent 1960s and beyond. Jazz traces the music across generations of innovators who refashioned it to the tempo of their times, celebrating the achievements and telling the extraordinary stories of Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman, Charlie Parker, Chick Webb, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis and many others. The story of Jazz is told by musicians, critics, writers, fans, promoters and historians. The film includes more than 75 interviews, 2,000 film clips thousands of archival photographs and nearly 500 pieces of music.

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATION: Florentine Films and WETA, Washington, DC, in association with the BBC
YEAR PRODUCED: 2000
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Ken Burns, Lynn Novick
PRODUCERS: Peter Miller, Victoria Gohl
DIRECTOR: Ken Burns
WRITER: Geoffrey C. Ward
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Buddy Squires, Ken Burns
EDITOR: Paul Barnes, Sandra Marie Christie, Lewis Erskine, Erik Ewers, Sarah E. Hill, Craig Mellish, Tricia Reidy, Shannon Robards, Aaron Vega
NARRATOR: Keith David
VOICES: Adam Arkin, Vernel Bagneris, Philip Bosco, Tom Bower, Matthew Broderick, Hodding Carter III, Kevin Conway, Harry Conick, Jr., Bruce Davidson, Ann Duquesnay, Charles Durning, Keith Lee Grant, Eric George, Derek Jacobi, Samuel L. Jackson, Cherry Jones, Anthony LaPaglia, Eriq LaSalle, Delroy Lindo, Amy Madigan, Wendy Makkena, Joe Morton, James Naughton, Kevin Ramsey, Studs Terkel, Courtney B. Vance

INTERVIEWS: Lester Bowie, Dave Brubeck, Doc Cheatham, Jimmy Cobb, James Lincoln Collier, Johnny Collins, Stanley Crouch, Michael Cuscuna, Helen Oakley Dance, Francis Davis, Ossie Davis, Gerald Early, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Mercedes Ellington, Gary Giddins, Matt Glaser, Lorraine Gordon, Lionel Hampton, Herbie Hancock, Charlie Haden, Jon Hendricks, Nat Hentoff, Milt Hinton, Phoebe Jacobs, Margo Jefferson, Jerry Jerome, Vicki Joseph, Joe Lovano, Gene Lees, Stan Levey, Abbey Lincoln, Frankie Manning, James Maher, Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, Jackie McLean, Jay McShann, Norma Miller, Dan Morgenstern, Albert Murray, Buck O'Neil, Chan Parker, Bruce Boyd Raeburn, Joshua Redman, Jimmy Rowles, Msgr. John Sanders, Phil Schaap, Artie Shaw, Arvell Shaw, Joya Sherrill, Dick Sudhalter, Bertrand Tavernier, Studs Terkel, Clark Terry, Quincy Troupe, Benny Waters, George Wein, Cassandra Wilson

PRINTED MATERIALS: Press kit, viewer's guide, study guide available through Dan Klores Communications

AWARDS/FESTIVALS: Telluride Film Festival, 2000; Festival International de Programmes Audovisuels, Paris, January 2001; Nominated, Banff Rockie Award, 2001; 2001 Television Critics Association Award, Outstanding Achievement, News & Information; 2001 Emmy Nominations: Outstanding Non-Fiction Series; Outstanding Picture Editing for Non-Fiction Programming; Outstanding Cinematography for Non-Fiction Programming; Outstanding Sound Editing for Non-Fiction Programming; Outstanding Sound Mixing for Non-Fiction Programming; Winner of ASCAP Deems Taylor Award, 2001; Five CD Soundtrack has gone Platinum, 2001

FORMAT: Video Episodes 8 - 120 & 2 - 90 mins
DISTRIBUTOR: DISTRIBUTOR: PBS Video

Leonard Bernstein: An American Life

Documentary Series Radio

A meticulously researched account of the life, times, and work of the musician, conductor, teacher and author, the series looks at Bernstein's accomplishments in total—as a unique product of twentieth-century America. Based on an oral history collection of nearly one hundred exclusive interviews, the show also makes extensive use of interviews with Bernstein and unpublished letters, drawn from the collection at The Library of Congress. The series looks at Bernstein not as a classical musician who forayed into popular forms on the side but as a true American musician who embraced nearly all forms of American music. Letters read by actors trace the course of Bernstein's extraordinary life—from his days as a student at the Boston Latin School, through Harvard and the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, to his uncanny debut with the New York Philharmonic at age twenty-five, his early successes on Broadway with On the Town and Wonderful Town, his work with playwright Lillian Hellman on the topical musical Candide, the creation of his three symphonies, his collaborations on West Side Story, his directorship of the New York Philharmonic, the extraordinary detail involved in his conducting both modern music and the classics, and his teaching on television with the Omnibus programs and the legendary Young People's Concerts.

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATION: Culture Works, Philadelphia, PA
YEAR PRODUCED: 2004
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Steve Rowland
PRODUCERS: Steve Rowland, Larry Abrams
DIRECTOR: Steve Rowland
WRITER: Larry Abrams
EDITORS: Steve Rowland, Tony Dec
NARRATOR: Susan Sarandon
VOICES: Alec Baldwin, Schuyler Chapin, Maria Tucci, and Jamie Bernstein

AWARDS/FESTIVALS: Peabody Award; Gold Cup and Best of Show; World Medal; NY Festivals

FORMAT: Radio 11 hours
DISTRIBUTOR: WFMT Radio Network

Louie Bluie

Documentary

This film explores African-American contributions to country music through a detailed study of the life and musical career of fiddle player Howard Armstrong.

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATION: Superior Pictures and Film Arts Foundation, San Francisco, CA
YEAR PRODUCED: 1985
COPRODUCERS: Terry Zwigoff, Frank Simeone
DIRECTOR: Terry Zwigoff
EDITOR: Victoria Lewis
CINEMATOGRAPHY: David Myer, John Knoop, Chris Li

FESTIVALS: FILMEX (Los Angeles); San Francisco Film Festival

FORMAT: 16mm, Video (58:00)
Film contains adult material

DISTRIBUTOR: Currently unavailable

Mary Pickford

Documentary

In the early days of silent film, Mary Pickford soared to global fame, becoming the world's first international superstar. An actress of extraordinary talent, she was also a sophisticated businesswoman who helped shape a culture of celebrity that defines America today. Her glamorous marriage to Hollywood heartthrob, Douglas Fairbanks, thrilled fans around the world. With Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin, and director D.W. Griffith, she founded United Artists and pushed the artistry of silent film to new heights. But when talking pictures appeared, Pickford's golden touch faltered, and she became the first to pay the price of extravagant fame. Using home movies, archive footage, and, of course, her own films, Mary Pickford is a complex, poignant portrait of the most powerful and adored woman in the history of movies, "America's Sweetheart."

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATION: Ambrica Productions, New York, NY
YEAR PRODUCED: 2004
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Mark Samels, Judith Vecchione
PRODUCERS: Kathryn Dietz, Sue Williams
DIRECTOR/WRITER: Sue Williams
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Bestor Cram
EDITORS: Howard Sharp
NARRATOR: Laura Linney
CAST: Victoria Flexner, Sarah Hutt, Jesse Sweet

AWARDS/FESTIVALS: Chicago International Film Festival, winner Gold Plaque, Best of History/Biography; Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, official selection; The Female Eye Film Festival, Toronto, Canada; Hugo Award, Gold Plaque for best Documentary/History at the Chicago International Film Festival; CINE Golden Eagle

FORMAT: Video 82:00 mins
DISTRIBUTOR: PBS Video and SND Films (International)

Music in the Twelfth Century

Documentary

Music in the Twelfth Century traces the development of music in both the sacred and secular life of twelfth-century Europe, with members of the Folger Consort performing in authentic costume in France.

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATION: Millennium Ensemble, Inc., Washington, DC
YEAR PRODUCED: 1986
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Allan Miller, Anthony Ames, Christopher Kendall
PRODUCER: Jeff Folmsbee
DIRECTOR: Mark Mannucci
WRITER: Isaiah Sheffer
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Daniel Vogel
EDITOR: Armond Lebowitz
HOST/NARRATOR: Fritz Weaver
MUSIC: The Folger Consort

FORMAT: Video (55:00)

DISTRIBUTOR: Currently unavailable

Old Traditions, New Sounds

Documentary Radio Series

This series profiles different ethnic folk artists who, in addition to being masters of their native traditional music, have also incorporated newer, popular American sounds into their repertoire and performance style. Folk revivalist/songwriter Judy Collins hosts the series.

Program 1
Sid Beckerman
of Brooklyn, New York, is a traditional Yiddish (klezmer) clarinetist who also plays American dance standards.

Program 2
Carmine Ferraro
is a Southern Italian traditional singer, now of Westerly, Rhode Island, who also performs pop songs with an Italian-American band.

Program 3
Souren Baronian
is an Armenian clarinetist of New York City who incorporates jazz elements into traditional styles of Middle Eastern music.

Program 4
Martin Mulhaire
now of Queens, New York, is an Irish button accordionist turned electric guitarist who is a member of an Irish-American show band.

Program 5
Syl Groeschl
is a German-American musician from Northeastern Wisconsin who specializes in both traditional polka band music and contemporary standard pieces.

Program 6
Jose Gutierrez
of Los Angeles, California, is a traditional jarochoharpist from Veracruz, Mexico, whose repertoire includes a variety of popular Mexican music.

Program 7
Thuli Dumakude
is a traditional South African (Zulu) singer who also performs contemporary songs.

Program 8
Sang Won Park
is a Korean kayagum player who also experiments with avant-garde compositions.

Program 9
Simon Shaheen
is a Palestinian violinist and oud player who merges his native Arab musical tradition with Western classical influences.

Program 10
Man Chhoeuy
is a Cambodian traditional musician now living in Long Beach, California, who also plays keyboards in a Cambodian pop band. (Dith Pran of The Killing Fields hosts this program)

Program 11
Foday Musa Suso
is a Mandingo kora player and griot (oral historian) from West Africa who merges his native traditional music with American rock, jazz, and punk. A Chicago resident, Suso frequently performs with Philip Glass and Herbie Hancock.

Program 12
Garry Robichaud
is a master old-style French-Canadian fiddler who also performs in a country western band.

Program 13
Lora Chiorah-Dye,
who lives in Seattle, Washington, plays traditional Mbira music from Zimbabwe and leads a nine-piece contemporary marimba band.

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATION: World Music Institute, New York, NY
YEARS PRODUCED: 1988–91
PRODUCER: Rebecca Miller
TECHNICAL PRODUCER: Stephen Erickson
EDITORS: Becca Pulliam, Lou Giansante
HOST: Judy Collins

FORMAT: Audiocassette 13 (30:00) programs. The series is also available with an additional half-hour per program of uninterrupted performance by the artist

DISTRIBUTOR: Murray Street Enterprise

Orozco: Man of Fire

Documentary

In the depths of the Great Depression, Mexican muralist José Clemente Orozco and fellow painters Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros captured the imagination of a struggling nation, inspiring President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to put American artists to work on public walls during the 1930s. A leader of the Mexican Mural Renaissance, Orozco's dramatic life, iconoclastic personality, and dynamic painting had a profound impact on American art. His bold frescoes at Pomona College, New School University, Dartmouth College, and New York's Museum of Modern Art still convey their powerful message to contemporary viewers. An exceptional figure who survived the loss of his left hand and the destruction of more than half of his early work by U.S. border agents, Orozco's travels back and forth across the U.S.-Mexico border evoke the larger Mexican migrant-immigrant experience and have provocative parallels to present times.

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATION: Paradigm Productions Inc., Berkeley CA
YEAR PRODUCED: 2006
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Sylvia Komatsu, Rob Tranchin, Sally Jo Fifer
PRODUCERS/DIRECTORS/WRITERS: Laurie Coyle and Rick Tejada-Flores
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Vicente Franco
EDITOR: Ken Schneider
NARRATOR: Anjelica Huston
CAST: Damian Alcazar, Will Barnet, Elizabeth Catlett, Carlos Fuentes, Laura Gonzalez Matute, Gobin Stair, John Wilson

PRINT MATERIALS: Discussion Guide from www.paradigmproductions.org

FORMAT: Audio: (60:00)
DISTRIBUTORS: Paradigm Productions

The Painter's World: Changing Constants of Art from the Renaissance to the Present

Documentary Series

The six programs in The Painter's World trace the development of themes, conventions, conditions, and institutions that have affected the practice and appreciation of Western painting from the Renaissance to the present.

Program 1
The Artist and The Nude
traces the representation of the human body and changing ideals of beauty.

PRODUCER/DIRECTOR/WRITER: Judith Wechsler
YEAR PRODUCED: 1985
SCRIPT CONSULTANTS: Adam Gopnik, Jehane Kuhn
EDITOR: Alexandra Anthony
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Mark Koninckx, Nicola Pecorini
ANIMATION CAMERA: Edy Joyce
NARRATOR: Diane D'Aquilla
AWARD: CINE Golden Eagle

FORMAT: 16mm, Video (28:00)

Program 2
The Arrested Moment
explores how movement and the passage of time remain one of the greatest tests of a painter's skill. It features artist and photographer David Hockney.

PRODUCER/DIRECTOR/WRITER/NARRATOR: Judith Wechsler
YEAR PRODUCED: 1988
SCRIPT CONSULTANT: Peter Cook
EDITOR: Alexandra Anthony
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Steve Ascher, Jonathan David, Robb Moss
ANIMATION CAMERA: Ed Joyce, Ken Morse, Ed Searles

AWARD: Cine Golden Eagle

FORMAT: 16mm, Video (28:00)

Program 3
Portraits
shows how modern portraiture has been affected by both changing conventions and the invention of photography.

PRODUCER/DIRECTOR/NARRATOR: Judith Wechsler
YEAR PRODUCED: 1988
WRITERS: Linda Nochlin, Judith Wechsler
SCRIPT CONSULTANT: Peter Cook
EDITOR: Alexandra Anthony
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Alistair Cameron, Robb Moss, Michel Negroponte
ANIMATION CAMERA: Ed Joyce, Ken Morse, Ed Searles

AWARD: American Film and Video Festival, Red Ribbon; CINE Golden Eagle

FORMAT: 16mm, Video (28:00)

Program 4
The Training of Painters
explores the relationship between prevailing techniques and styles in art and corresponding art school doctrine and curricula.

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER/DIRECTOR/WRITER/NARRATOR: Judith Wechsler
YEAR PRODUCED: 1987
PRODUCERS: Mike Dibb, Penny Forster
EDITOR: Jane Wood
CINEMOTAGRAPHY: Alistair Cameron
ANIMATION CAMERA: Ken Morse

AWARD: American Film and Video Festival, Finalist

FORMAT: 16mm, Video (28:00)

Program 5
Abstraction
traces the development of abstract art through the works of its major innovators: Paul Cezanne, Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Piet Mondrian, Vassily Kandinsky, and Jackson Pollock. It features painter Frank Stella.

PRODUCER/DIRECTOR/NARRATOR: Judith Wechsler
YEAR PRODUCED: 1989
WRITERS: Henri Zerner, Judith Wechsler
SCRIPT CONSULTANT: Peter Cook
EDITOR: Polly Moseley
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Robb Moss, Michel Negroponte
ANIMATION CAMERA: Ken Morse

FORMAT: 16mm, Video (28:00)

Program 6
Painting and the Public: Patronage, Museums, and the Art Market
explores the history of art collecting and the evolution of art museums as popular public places.

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER/DIRECTOR/WRITER/NARRATOR: Judith Wechsler
YEAR PRODUCED: 1988
PRODUCER: Linda Zuck
SCHOLARLY CONSULTANTS: Francis Haskell, Daniel Robbins
SCRIPT CONSULTANT: Peter Cook
EDITOR: Polly Moseley
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Mark Koninckx, Michel Negroponte
ANIMATION CAMERA: Ken Morse

FORMAT: 16mm, Video (28:00)

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATIONS: WGBH Educational Foundation, Boston, MA; Channel Four/London; and Judith Wechsler, Inc., Brookline, MA
YEARS PRODUCED: 1985-1989
SERIES PRODUCER/DIRECTOR: Judith Wechsler

FORMAT: 16mm, Video 6 (28:00) programs

DISTRIBUTOR: Coronet/MTI Film and Video, Inc.

The Persistence of Surrealism

Documentary

This film examines the origins, nature, and persistence of the surrealist movement in painting and other fields, from its nineteenth-century roots through the impact of World War I and the ideas of Darwin, Einstein, and Freud.

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATION: Malone-Gill Projects, Inc., New York, NY
YEAR PRODUCED: 1981
PRODUCER/DIRECTOR: Peter Newington
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Michael Gill
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: Tim Hill
WRITERS: Jack J. Roth, Peter Newington, George Melly
NARRATOR: George Melly

AWARD: CINE Golden Eagle

FORMAT: 16mm (90:00)

DISTRIBUTOR: contact Jack J. Roth

Porgy and Bess: An American Voice

Documentary

Tells the story of this remarkable and controversial American opera through the people who were involved in its many productions, from its 1935 premiere to its most recent revivals. The full sweep of American race relations during the period spanned by the opera's historical odyssey is brought to bear upon the creation of Porgy and Bess and the opera's successive productions.

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATION: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
YEAR PRODUCED: 1997
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Charles Hobson
PRODUCER: James A. Standifer
DIRECTOR: Nigel Noble
WRITERS: Gloria Naylor, Ed Apfel
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Dyanna Taylor
EDITOR: Ann Collins
HOST/NARRATOR: Ruby Dee
CAST: Robert Brunner, Jonathan Brody, Karen Parks, Christopher Jones, Terry Platt, Fouchena Sheppard, Sheri McLain

PRINT MATERIAL: Viewer/Educators' Guide from Burrelle's Information Services

FORMAT: Video (90:00)

DISTRIBUTOR: (None at this time.)
Please contact:

Vanguard Films

University of Michigan, Film and Video Library

Routes of Rhythm with Harry Belafonte

Documentary

Routes of Rhythm with Harry Belafonte traces the five-hundred-year odyssey of Afro-Cuban music from its origins in Spain and Africa (Program 1) through its blending with Caribbean forms (Program 2) to the sounds of modern artists in the United States and around the world (Program 3).

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATION: Cultural Research and Communication, Inc., Santa Monica, CA
YEAR PRODUCED: 1990
PRODUCERS/DIRECTORS: Howard Dratch and Eugene Rosow
WRITERS: Linda Post, Howard Dratch, Eugene Rosow
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Les Blank and others
EDITOR: Eugene Rosow
HOST: Harry Belafonte
PERFORMANCES BY: Xavier Cugat, Desi Arnaz, Carmen Miranda, Dizzy Gillespie, Perez Prado, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Fred Astaire, Rita Hayworth, Gloria Estefan, Ruben Blades, Conjunto Libre, King Sunny Ade, Los Van Van, Irakere, Issac Oveido, and Son de la Loma, among others

AUDIO MATERIAL: Routes of Rhythm Volume l: A Carnival of Cuban Music and Routes of Rhythm Volume 2: Cuban Dance Party (Rounder Records, available in record stores)

FORMAT: Video 3 (58:00) programs

DISTRIBUTOR: The Cinema Guild, Inc.

Say Amen, Somebody

Documentary

This film depicts gospel music as a vital force in black culture through the lives and work of some of its pioneers.

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATION: Folk Traditions, Inc., New York, NY
YEAR PRODUCED: 1982
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER/DIRECTOR: George Nierenberg
PRODUCER: Karen Nierenberg
EDITOR: Paul Barnes
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Ed Lachman, Don Lenzer

AWARDS/FESTIVALS: American Film and Video Festival, Blue Ribbon; Ten Best of the Year lists: People Magazine, Chicago Sun Times, Los Angeles Herald Examiner, Rolling Stone, At the Movies, Entertainment Tonight; New York Film Festival; Telluride Film Festival; Toronto Festival of Festivals; London Film Festival

FORMAT: 16mm, Video (103:00)

DISTRIBUTOR: Public Media Inc.

The Stations of Bach

Documentary

Through his music and commentary by contemporary Bach scholars, this film presents the life and work of German composer and musician Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750).

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATIONS: Timely Productions and Music for Television, Inc., New York, NY
YEAR PRODUCED: 1990
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Mordecai Bauman
PRODUCERS: Marc Bauman, Irma Commanday Bauman
DIRECTOR: Kirk Browning
WRITER: Arthur Waldhorn
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Don Lenzer
SOUND: Peter Miller
EDITOR: Nicole Houwer
HOST/NARRATOR: James Buswell

FORMAT: Video (90:00)

DISTRIBUTORS:

Filmakers Library

South Carolina Educational Television Marketing

Thomas Hart Benton

Documentary

This is a cinematic portrait of Thomas Hart Benton (1889–1975), the Midwestern regionalist painter who became one of America's most popular and controversial artists.

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATIONS: Florentine Films, Walpole, NH and WGBH Educational Foundation, Boston, MA
YEAR PRODUCED: 1988
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER/DIRECTOR: Ken Burns
PRODUCERS: Ken Burns, Julie Dunfey
WRITER: Geoffrey C. Ward
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Ken Burns, Buddy Squires
EDITOR: Donna Marino
NARRATOR: Jason Robards

AWARDS/FESTIVALS: CINE Golden Eagle; American Film and Video Festival, Blue Ribbon; National Educational Film and Video Festival, Gold Apple; Baltimore Film Competition, First Prize

FORMAT: Video (86:00)

DISTRIBUTOR: Direct Cinema Limited

Umm Kulthum, A Voice Like Egypt

Documentary

Umm Kulthum had the musicality of Ella Fitzgerald, the public presence of Eleanor Roosevelt, and the audience of Elvis Presley. Four million people were on the streets of Cairo for her funeral in 1975. She had become a powerful symbol, first of the aspirations of her country, Egypt, and then of the entire Arab world. Born a peasant at the turn of the century, the great singer became the confidant of presidents and kings. The film puts Umm Kulthum’s life in the context of the epic story of twentieth-century Egypt as it shook off colonialism and confronted modernity. From the Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz to a 12-year-old girl in an outdoor restaurant, people speak about the role Umm Kulthum’s music has played in their lives.

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATION: Filmmakers Collaborative, Waltham, MA
YEAR PRODUCED: 1996
PRODUCERS: Michal Goldman, Barbara Holecek
DIRECTOR/WRITER/EDITOR: Michal Goldman
NARRATOR: Omar Sharif

AWARDS/FESTIVALS: New York Film Festival (1996); Golden Plaque, Documentary History/Biography, Chicago International Film Festival, 1997; FirstFrame Editing Award, New England Film and Video Festival, 1997

PRINT MATERIALS: A press kit is available through Filmmakers Collaborative. The distributor also has a press kit.

FORMAT: Video (60:00)

DISTRIBUTOR: Arab Film Distribution

Voulkos and Company

Documentary

Voulkos and Company examines the process by which a large, cast bronze sculpture is brought to completion in the studio environment of contemporary sculptor Peter Voulkos (b. 1924).

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATION: University Extension Film Production, University of California, Berkeley
YEAR PRODUCED: 1971
PROJECT DIRECTOR: Clyde B. Smith

FORMAT: 16mm (60:00)

DISTRIBUTOR: University of California, Extension Media Center

W. Eugene Smith: Photography Made Difficult

Documentary and Drama

This film examines the life and work of American photojournalist W. Eugene Smith (1918–78).

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATION: WQED, Pittsburgh, PA, and Wes Foree Productions, New York, NY
YEAR PRODUCED: 1989 (premiere American Masters)
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Susan Lacy, Greg Andorfer
PRODUCERS: Kirk Morris, Marthe Smith
DIRECTOR: Gene Lasko
WRITER: Jan Hartman
CINEMATOGRAPHY: William Megalos
EDITOR: Susan Steinberg
CAST: Peter Riegert
INTERVIEWS: Aileen Smith, John Berger, Ben Maddow, William Johnson, Jim Hughes, Red Valens, Ed Thompson

AWARD: Director's Guild nomination, Best Television Documentary

FORMAT: Video (90:00)

DISTRIBUTOR: Currently unavailable

Wade in the Water

Documentary Radio Series

This radio series traces the development of African American sacred music, its role in the daily life of African American communities, and its influence on world culture. The twenty-six programs focus on major musical traditions such as spirituals, lined hymns, quartets, and gospel songs.

Program 1
Songs and Singing as Church
introduces concepts, performance styles, and musical genres; it also establishes how sacred traditions extend beyond the organized church to permeate African American life.

Program 2
Sing Till the Power. . .
features virtuoso performances that set the standard for specific vocal and performance styles.

Program 3
In Search of the Sacred
focuses on Bernice Johnson Reagon's personal musical exploration.

Program 4
Songs, Singing and Stories About the Slave Community
examines music of survival, resistance, and escape.

Program 5
The Power of Communal Song
documents the role of African American religious music in galvanizing individuals into social and political action.

Program 6
The Lined Hymn and Shaped-Note Tradition
examines how two traditions originating in Europe were adapted by African American converts to Christianity.

Program 7
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot: The Concert Spiritual Tradition
presents the Fisk Jubilee Singers and the role of the black university in developing the repertoire and performance aesthetic of the concert (arranged) spiritual.

Program 8
There is a Balm in Gilead: The Concert Spiritual Tradition
shows how composers Harry T. Burleigh, Nathaniel Dett, and William Dawson created a new repertoire for the concert stage by applying their Euro-classical music training to the traditional spiritual.

Program 9
The Struggle for a New American Classical Music Concert Tradition
examines the experiences of Roland Hayes, Paul Robeson, Marian Anderson, and others to establish careers as professional concert artists.

Program 10
The Legacy of the Golden Gate Quartet
chronicles this internationally renowned ensemble, innovators of the "jubilee" singing style.

Program 11
The Regional Quartet Tradition: Jefferson County, Alabama Spreads Its Wings
moves through sixty years of music history to document how a community-based quartet tradition spread throughout the country.

Program 12 :
From Local Community to Nation: The Post-World War II Quartet Tradition
traces the networks—radio, recordings, and tours—that helped unify the African American community and brought quartet music to a national audience.

Program 13
Sacred Songs as History
reveals how local, national, and international events—from the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement, from the sinking of the Titanic to World War II—have been documented in African American sacred music traditions.

Program 14
African American Migration: The Song Ministry of Charles Albert Tindley
places the story of the first gospel composer in the context of African American migration from rural to urban communities in the early decades of the 20th century.

Program 15
Something Within: Lucie Campbell, the First African American Woman Gospel Composer
introduces the prolific composer and teacher who served for forty years as music director of the National Baptist Convention.

Program 16
William Herbert Brewster: The Eloquent Poet of Gospel
features the work of this cultural innovator—playwright, producer, and composer of "Move on Up a Little Higher," the first million record seller in gospel music.

Program 17
Precious Lord: The Gospel Song Legacy of Thomas Andrew Dorsey
looks at the "father of gospel music" and his pioneering work on behalf of an energetic and rhythmic performance style.

Program 18
The Chicago School of Gospel: Roberta Martin and Kenneth Morris
showcases the contributions made by two composer-musicians who continued Thomas Dorsey's work.

Program 19
The Pentecostal Shout
shows how elements of this religious tradition helped create a new genre—gospel music.

Program 20
The Many Ways of the Crossover: Shared and Contested Boundaries
treats the connections between the sacred and the secular through the careers of such artists as Lou Rawls, Aretha Franklin, and others.

Program 21
Beyond Text: Instruments in the Service of the Lord
demonstrates the power of instrumental sacred music, ranging from the keyboard virtuosity of Billy Preston to the multi-trombone lead of the United House of Prayer's Brass Band.

Program 22
Jazz and the Wider World of the Sacred
examines the nature of jazz and its relationship to sacred music.

Program 23
California Gospel Movement
considers the effects of westward migration on gospel music.

Program 24
Pushing the Boundaries: Contemporary Gospel Choirs
presents the extraordinary growth in popularity of gospel singing, both in church and on the professional concert stage.

Program 25
Pushing the Boundaries: Contemporary Gospel Composers
introduces newer composers and their particular blend of traditional gospel music and European compositional techniques.

Program 26
A Community Weekend in the Sacred Life of Washington, D.C.
offers listeners a sampling of the range of African American sacred musical experiences available in one urban community.

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATIONS: National Public Radio, Washington, DC, in association with the Smithsonian Institution
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Sandra Rattley-Lewis
CONCEPTUAL PRODUCER/HOST: Bernice Johnson Reagon
SENIOR PRODUCER: Judi Moore Latta
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: Sonja Williams
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: Renee Pringle
ADDITIONAL ENGINEERING: Jason Stilutto, Tom Knox, Barry Sanders, Terry Knight, Paris Morgan, Flawn Williams, Charles Thompson, John Widoff, Loren Kelly, Margo Kelly
CONTRIBUTING PRODUCERS: Ev Grimes, Margaret Howze, Gwen Macsi, Njemile Rollins READINGS: Al Freeman, Jr., William Marshall, Avery Brooks

AWARDS: George Foster Peabody Award; Religion in Media (Los Angeles), Silver Angel Award; National Association of Black Journalists Award; Lincoln University of Missouri, Unity Award

PRINT MATERIALS: Educators' Guide, Station Outreach Handbook

FORMAT: Audiocassette, 26 (60:00) programs

DISTRIBUTOR: Currently unavailable

Wagner's Ring Cycle: Five Personal Views

Documentary Series

This series explores aspects of Richard Wagner (1813–83) and the four operas of The Ring. The NEH supported four lectures to accompany the first television presentation of the complete Ring Cycle, the Bayreuth Festival's centennial production staged by Patrice Chereau and conducted by Pierre Boulez.

Program 1
The Music of The Ring
A musical analysis of The Ring is provided by Edward Downes, musicologist and former host of the Metropolitan Opera Saturday afternoon radio quiz.

Program 2
The Centennial Ring from Weimar to Paris
Noted Wagner biographer Robert Gutman discusses how the idea of The Ring developed into a monumental epic on which Wagner worked for nearly a quarter of a century.

Program 3
The Impossibility of Innocence
Historian Peter Gay discusses the complex and controversial personality of the composer, including his notorious anti-Semitism and how this can color audience responses to Wagner's music.

Program 4
Theater of The Ring
The program features interviews with leading Wagnerian soprano Birgit Nilsson and Sir Peter Hall, director of England's National Theatre.

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATION: Educational Broadcasting Corporation/WNET, New York, NY
YEAR PRODUCED: 1983
DIRECTOR: Peter Weinberg
HOST: Robert Jacobson

FORMAT: Video
4 (60:00) programs

DISTRIBUTOR: Currently unavailable

Who Killed the Federal Theatre?

Documentary

This television special chronicles the birth, life, and death of a depression-era government subsidy of the arts that almost launched a permanent national theatre in America. The Federal Theatre project brought together the most creative talents in the nation including Orson Welles, John Houseman, Hallie Flanagan, Sinclair Lewis, Studs Terkel, Arthur Miller, and Katherine Dunham. Together they brought theatre to over 25 million Americans, many of whom had never seen a live production. Four years after its birth, the Federal Theatre Project died, deprived of government funding by a Congress that feared the left-of-center politics embedded in some plays, reflecting the turbulent politics of the 1930s.

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATION: Educational Film Center
YEAR PRODUCED: 2003
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Bonnie Nelson Schwartz, Ira H. Klugerman
DIRECTORS: Ira H. Klugerman, Martin Toub
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Martin Toub, Bryan Reichhardt, David Arnold, Art FitzSimmons
EDITOR: Dan Rose
NARRATOR: Judd Hirsch

PRINT MATERIALS: Companion Book: Voices of the Federal Theatre (University of Wisconsin Press); "The Living Newspaper" (Educational Film Center)

FORMAT: Video 90 mins
DISTRIBUTOR: Educational Film Center

Wild Women Don't Have the Blues

Documentary

Wild Women Don't Have the Blues examines the talent and artistic legacy of a generation of women blues performers, recounting the stories of Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Ida Cox, Alberta Hunter, and Marie Smith.

PRODUCTION ORGANIZATION: Calliope Film Resources, Arlin