| Catch-22 |
Catch-22, a classic
among antiwar satires, added a dark new term to the English language and
became an anti-establishment icon of the Vietnam War generation. This
program, filmed in 1995, brings together Joseph Heller, Art Buchwald, Bill
Mauldin, Catch-22 director Mike Nichols, Alan "Yossarian"
Arkin, members of Heller’s own wartime bomber squadron, and others to
unravel the novel’s characters and the attitudes and institutions they
represent. With more than 10 million copies sold worldwide, Yossarian
unquestionably lives. Some content may be objectionable. A Discovery
University Production. (51 minutes, color) Copyright date: 1995
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VHS32879
DVD32879 |
129.95
129.95 |
Call 800-776-8093 to order |
| Huckleberry Finn |
One of the cornerstones of
Americana, Huckleberry Finn has come under fire because of the
language in which the runaway slave Jim is addressed. This program
provides an excellent introduction to the book, examining the background
against which it was written and drawing parallels between events in the
book and the history of the period. Mark Twain was mildly sympathetic to
the Southern cause in the Civil War, but he was—as Huckleberry Finn
makes very clear—deeply opposed to slavery. It is, in fact, Twain’s
championing of the individual concepts of honor and morality that makes
this book so satisfying and so lasting a work. A Discovery University
Production. (50 minutes, color) Copyright date: 1994
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VHS5219
DVD5219 |
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| Moby Dick |
A multidimensional tale that pits
good against evil, reason against madness, and acceptance against
intolerance, Herman Melville’s immortal Moby Dick is an immersive
study of obsession during the boom time of whaling. This classic program
combines dramatizations and film clips with commentary by Melville
biographers Hershel Parker and Laurie Robertson-Lorant; Melville scholars
Elizabeth Schultz, John Bryant, Mary Bercaw Edwards, and M. Thomas Inge;
Ray Bradbury, who penned the John Huston adaptation; and muralist Richard
Ellis to "strike through the mask" of a saga as imposing as the
white whale itself. Details of Melville’s life are also included. A
Discovery University Production. (54 minutes, color) Copyright date:
1996
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VHS32884
DVD32884 |
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| Native Son |
The first thirty-nine years of
the 20th century were a time of lynching and genuine oppression for 12
million African Americans. One man, Richard Wright, took the measure of
his time, addressed the great reservoir of hatred, and placed a wake-up
call to America in his novel, Native Son. In this program,
African-American writers John Edgar Wideman and Bebe Moore Campbell
discuss Wright as a fearless chronicler of the racism of his time, and as
a literary genius who forced both blacks and whites to face the damage
racism and inequality have caused to the black psyche and to American
society. A Discovery University Production. (53 minutes, color) Copyright
date: 1996
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| One Flew Over the Cookoo's Nest |
In this program, Ken Kesey, Kesey
scholar John Clark Pratt, psychiatrist and critic Frank Pittman, Rolling
Stone’s Jann Wenner, 1960s icon Wavy Gravy, and others set One
Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest—an indictment of Eisenhower Era
conformity—within the context of its times. Together they talk about the
novel, the Academy Award-winning movie, and Kesey’s role as leader of
the Merry Pranksters and star of the West Coast psychedelic scene.
Producer Saul Zaentz, director Milos Forman, and Louise Fletcher (Nurse
Ratched) describe the making of the movie. The influence of Cuckoo’s
Nest on mental hospital reform is also considered. A Discovery
University Production. (51 minutes, color) Copyright date: 1998
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VHS11506
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| Poe's Tales of Terror |
In this riveting program, the
tragedy-laden life and literary genius of Edgar Allan Poe are explored by
Poe biographers Jeffrey Meyers and Kenneth Silverman; Joan Dayan, author
of Fables of Mind: An Inquiry into Poe’s Fiction; J. Gerald
Kennedy, of Louisiana State University; writers Ray Bradbury and Poppy Z.
Brite; filmmaker Wes Craven; and Jeff Jerome, curator of The Baltimore Poe
House and Museum. Their insightful commentary, combined with reenactments
of scenes from Poe’s life and dramatized synopses of "The Pit and
the Pendulum," "The Fall of the House of Usher," "The
Raven," "Ligeia," and "The Tell-Tale Heart,"
makes this documentary an essential part of any survey of 19th-century
American literature or genre fiction. A Discovery University Production.
(50 minutes, color) Copyright date: 2001
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VHS29970
DVD29970 |
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| The Autobiography of Malcolm X |
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
is an American classic not only for its compelling story, but also for its
uncompromising expression of the pain, anger, and violence of black life
in a white America. Featuring powerful dramatizations, this program
scrutinizes both The Autobiography and the life of one of the most
charismatic leaders of the 20th century. Michael Eric Dyson, author of Making
Malcolm; Malcolm’s daughter Attallah Shabazz and nephew Rodnell
Collins, author of Seventh Child; Marita Golden, of Virginia
Commonwealth University; and others provide insights into the making of
Malcolm. "He was not born Malcolm X; he became Malcolm X," says
Professor Golden. A Discovery University Production. (52 minutes, color)
Copyright date: 1999
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VHS11339
DVD11339 |
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| The Grapes of Wrath |
The Grapes of Wrath touched a
nerve in America, causing many to forget that Ma Joad and her family were
fictional characters—creations of a 36-year-old novelist named John
Steinbeck. In this program, Dr. Susan Shillinglaw, of the Center for
Steinbeck Studies; authors Studs Terkel and Gerald Haslam; Steinbeck’s
son Thomas and third wife, Elaine; and others discuss the Joads’
odyssey, the Great Depression, and the Dust Bowl era. The music of Woody
Guthrie, the photography of Dorothea Lange, and clips from the 1940 John
Ford film round out this comprehensive examination of an American classic
and a pivotal period in American history. A Discovery University
Production. (51 minutes, color) Copyright date: 2000
Click here to view a clip from The Grapes of Wrath,
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| The Great Gatsby |
What lies at the heart of America’s perennial
fascination with Jay Gatsby and his world? In this program, Jackson
Bryer, of the University of Maryland; Henry Allen, culture critic for The
Washington Post; writers Alfred Kazin and Tobias Wolff; Sam
Waterston, costar in the 1974 production of The Great Gatsby; and
others discuss F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gatsby, and the Jazz Age.
Topics include characterization and symbolism in the novel as well as
social stratification, consumerism, and the cult of celebrity in
American society. Stills and film clips from movie and TV adaptations
combine with archival footage and photos to provide a sense of time and
place. A Discovery University Production. (53 minutes, color)
Copyright date: 1997
Click here to
view a clip from The Great Gatsby, low
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VHS11314
DVD11314 |
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| The Jungle |
Disguised as a butcher, Upton
Sinclair risked his life in a modern hell to write the awful truth about
Chicago meatpacking plants and the dangers they posed to workers and
consumers alike. This program weaves dramatic reenactments of scenes from
Sinclair’s muckraking exposé, The Jungle, with reportage on the
alarming contemporary relevance of the book that raised an outcry from the
American public a century ago. Critics and experts analyze the book as
both a work of literature and a catalyst of food industry reform. FDA and
USDA officials comment on The Jungle’s continuing importance in
the light of recent lysteriosis fatalities. The occupational hazards of
the poultry industry are similarly discussed. A Discovery University
Production. (51 minutes, color) Copyright date: 2000
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VHS11899
DVD11899 |
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| The Naked and the Dead |
Called the quintessential novel
of World War II, The Naked and the Dead portrays army life as a
remorseless struggle for power in which there are no heroes—only
casualties and survivors. In this program, Norman Mailer candidly
discusses his life and his most famous book. Analyses by Mailer biographer
Robert Lucid; director Oliver Stone; Harry Summers, of the Army War
College; and others provide insights into the novel, life in the U.S.
during the Great Depression and World War II, and the Korean and Vietnam
Wars. Newsreel footage and dramatizations capture the essence of jungle
warfare in the Pacific theater. A Discovery University Production. (53
minutes, color) Copyright date: 1998
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VHS11507
DVD11507 |
129.95
129.95 |
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| The Red Badge of Courage |
Although he’d never even seen a
battle, Stephen Crane wrote a war novel so convincing that it made him an
international celebrity. This program studies The Red Badge of Courage
and the short life of its author while providing insights into the Civil
War, the psychology of combat, and the evolution of war journalism.
Experts include Princeton University’s James McPherson, Crane biographer
James Colvert, military historian Bruce Gudmundsson, former war
correspondent Morley Safer, and veterans of World War II and Vietnam.
Excerpts and dramatizations of scenes from the book bring the story to
life A Discovery University Production. (53 minutes, color) Copyright
date: 1999
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VHS11337
DVD11337 |
89.95
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| The Right Stuff |
Just as the Space Race created
new challenges for test pilots, Tom Wolfe’s 1979 account of NASA’s
efforts to put a man in orbit changed the nature of journalism, taking it
to heights formerly reserved for novelists. In this program, Tom Wolfe
goes behind the writing of his best-selling book, discussing the Cold War
context, the men of Project Mercury, and how his career prepared him to
write their story. In addition, Chuck Yeager; Gordon Cooper; Walter
Cronkite; Nikita Khrushchev’s son, Sergei; and Wolfe’s biographer,
William McKeen, provide commentary. A Discovery University Production. (51
minutes, color) Copyright date: 2001
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VHS29918
DVD29918 |
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| The Scarlet Letter: A Romance |
A masterpiece of American
literature and a classic moral study, The Scarlet Letter is a work
whose intensity remains undiminished by time or changing values. In this
timeless program, Nina Baym, of the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign; Lawrence Buell, of Harvard University; Carol Karlsen, of
the University of Michigan; and Charles Hambrick-Stowe, of the Lancaster
Theological Seminary, explore the secret places of the heart in Nathaniel
Hawthorne’s tale of private truths and public appearances. Background on
Hawthorne and colonial New England is also included, as are dramatizations
of pivotal scenes from the story. A Discovery University Production. (48
minutes, color) Copyright date: 1995
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VHS32888
DVD32888 |
89.95
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| Walden |
Seamlessly blending expert
analysis with on-screen quotations and dramatized scenes of Henry David
Thoreau’s life, this program thoroughly examines Walden—its
historical significance, spiritual interpretations, and ongoing relevance
to contemporary concerns. Commentary on the author, industrialization and
materialism, the abolitionist movement, the Transcendentalists, and
"Civil Disobedience" is provided by Thoreau scholars Robert
Richardson, Thomas Blanding, and Richard Lebeaux; Elizabeth Witherell,
editor-in-chief of The Writings of Henry D. Thoreau series; Ray
Gerke, of the Concord Free Public Library; and others. A Discovery
University Production. (53 minutes, color) Copyright date: 1997
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VHS11338
DVD11338 |
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| Dracula |
Dracula has sunk his teeth
into popular culture like no other monster, inciting terror and
stimulating desire for more than a century. Filled with film clips and
dramatizations, this program analyzes the attraction of Bram Stoker’s
epistolary Gothic novel while examining the Victorian and Christian themes
that underlie it. Stoker biographer Barbara Belford; James Hart,
screenwriter/co-producer of Bram Stoker’s Dracula; Nina Auerbach,
of the University of Pennsylvania; and others shine the light of inquiry
on Victorian anxieties, the mythology of vampires, Vlad the Impaler, and
the writer who brought Dracula to life. A Discovery University Production.
(51 minutes, color) Copyright date: 1999
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VHS11450
DVD11450 |
99.95
99.95 |
Call 800-776-8093 to order |
| George Orwell's 1984 |
Using powerful dramatizations of
scenes from 1984, this program explores George Orwell’s vision of
a totalitarian future where only mindless conformity is rewarded. Orwell
biographer Bernard Crick; social psychologist Philip Zimbardo; Marvin
Rosenblum, executive producer of 1984; human rights advocate Robert
Kirschner; futurists Ray Kurzweil and Kevin Warwick; and others scrutinize
the novel while considering issues of contemporary concern, such as the
power of the media and the intrusion of computer surveillance into daily
life. Some content may be objectionable. A Discovery University
Production. (51 minutes, color) Copyright date: 2000
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VHS11313
DVD11313 |
89.95
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| Great Expectations |
Part fairy tale, part mystery,
and part horror story, Great Expectations deconstructs Victorian
society to analyze what really makes a gentleman. Enhanced with
dramatizations and film clips, this classic program makes a close study of
Charles Dickens’ acclaimed 13th novel, the author’s life, and the era
in which he lived. Interviews with Dickens scholar Michael Slater; George
Newlin, author of Understanding Great Expectations; David Parker,
curator of the Dickens House Museum; Linda Hooper, of the University of
California’s Dickens Project; John Irving, who was inspired to be a
writer by Great Expectations; and Dickens interpreter Douglas
Broyles are featured. A Discovery University Production. (53 minutes,
color) Copyright date: 1997
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VHS32881
DVD32881 |
89.95
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| Gulliver's Travels |
Jonathan Swift, a man of many
contradictions, is considered the greatest satirist in the English
language. This program intertwines a critical examination of Gulliver’s
Travels and "A Modest Proposal" with incisive commentary on
the author’s life, the art of satire, and the nature and limits of
humanity. Experts include Joe McMinn, of Ulster University; Dr. Carole
Fabricant, author of Swift’s Landscape; the keeper of the Marsh
Library, in Dublin; and contemporary satirists, including musician Mark
Russell. Clips from the BBC’s Voyage to Lilliput and NBC’s Gulliver’s
Travels bring Swift’s masterpiece to life. A Discovery University
Production. (53 minutes, color) Copyright date: 1996
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VHS11312
DVD11312 |
89.95
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| Heart of Darkness |
Published in 1902, Heart of
Darkness revealed a pattern of exploitation, corruption, and casual
brutality that was to occur again and again over the rest of the 20th
century. In this program, parallels are drawn between Joseph Conrad’s
harrowing novella and the Vietnam War epic Apocalypse Now. Adam
Hochschild, author of King Leopold’s Ghost; Norman Sherry, of
Trinity University; Laurence Davies, of Dartmouth College; Homi Bhabha, of
The University of Chicago; and Apocalypse Now’s Martin Sheen and
John Milius shed light on Conrad’s life and a century of geopolitics as
they parse out the story’s narrative. Film clips from Apocalypse Now
and Turner Network Television’s Heart of Darkness underscore the
book’s themes. Some content may be objectionable. A Discovery University
Production. (51 minutes, color) Copyright date: 1997
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VHS32882
DVD3282 |
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| Le Morte Darthur |
The legends of Arthur and his
Round Table permeate English literature. Allusions to his knights, their
adventures and misadventures, and their ideals pepper the canon from
"Gawain and the Green Knight" well past Tennyson. The very word
"legend" presumes some basis in historical reality, and this
program examines the evidence for such a reality. With film clips and art,
it raises Arthur from the mists of Avalon to bring to life that magical
time and place when courtesy of manner, purity of heart, and fealty to
one’s lord were qualities to be honored, and when good—after some
dramatic by-plays—triumphed over evil. Narrated by Donald Sutherland,
with commentary by Geoffrey Ashe, Derek Brewer, Norris Lacy, and Peter
Field. A Discovery University Production. (50 minutes, color) Copyright
date: 1993
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VHS5214
DVD5214 |
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| Lord of the Flies |
The Holocaust made an indelible
impression on William Golding, leading him to see the world in a new and
sinister way. This ageless program examines Sir William’s debut novel,
the life of its Nobel Prize-winning author, and the unsettling parallels
between the story’s literal jungle and today’s figurative urban
jungle. Interviews with Judith Carver, Golding’s daughter; Patrick
Reilly, of the University of Glasgow; Martin Sanchez-Jankowski, author of Islands
in the Street; director Edward James Olmos; and members of the
notorious Lords of Chaos are featured. Clips from the haunting 1963 film
and archival news footage are included. Some content may be objectionable.
A Discovery University Production. (53 minutes, color) Copyright date:
1998
Click here to view a clip from Lord of the Flies
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| Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley:
Frankenstein: The Making of the Monster |
The Shelleys and Byron whiled
away part of a rainy summer in Switzerland reading and writing ghost
stories; Frankenstein was Mary Shelley’s contribution. But Frankenstein
is more than a great ghost story. Its theme—that we do not know the
monsters our minds can create—is perhaps even more valid today. This
program contains clips from the Boris Karloff film, the prototype of movie
monsters, and authors Ann Rice and Ann Mellor add their insights into this
book. A Discovery University Production. (50 minutes, color) Copyright
date: 1994
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VHS5213
DVD52123 |
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| Pride and Prejudice |
Originally called First
Impressions, Pride and Prejudice is Jane Austen’s earliest
work, yet in some senses it is also one of her most mature. Set within the
context of Austen’s life and times, this program draws on the commentary
of writer/director Nora Ephron, authors Helen Fielding and Fay Weldon,
Wheelock College’s Marcia Folsom, Austen interpreter Judith French, and
others to provide insights into the novel’s numerous themes: pride and
prejudice, of course, and gender injustice, social stratification, the
concept of virtue, and the institution of marriage as well. Dramatizations
and numerous film clips are included. A Discovery University
Production. (52 minutes, color) Copyright date: 1999
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VHS32885
DVD32885 |
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| The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde |
Is there a beast within every
heart, yearning to escape? And would the opportunity to do evil
anonymously be all that it takes to unleash it? In this program, Robert
Louis Stevenson biographers Jenni Calder and Roger Swearingen; Jekyll
and Hyde scholars Stephen Arata, Gordon Hirsch, and Tom Hubbard; and
others explore those questions as they analyze Stevenson’s psychological
thriller, discussing the themes of good versus evil, hypocrisy, sociopathy,
and addiction. Dramatizations of scenes from the macabre tale and of key
moments from the author’s life are included. Some content may be
objectionable. A Discovery University Production. (51 minutes, color)
Copyright date: 2002
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DVD30756 |
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| Wuthering Heights |
Heathcliff’s passion for the
woman he could not have made him one of the most compelling characters in
English literature. This program looks at how Wuthering Heights
emerged from the burdens of domestic responsibility and near-madness in
its author, Emily Brontë. Dramatic reenactments of scenes from the book
are combined with those of life in the unusual Brontë household. Brontë
biographers Juliet Barker and Edward Chitham provide additional insights
into the novel. A Discovery University Production. (51 minutes, color)
Copyright date: 2001
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DVD30747 |
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| All Quiet on the Western Front |
Composed of scholarly commentary,
film clips, readings, reenactments, and archival materials, this program
thoroughly analyzes Erich Maria Remarque’s international best-seller All
Quiet on the Western Front. Remarque biographers Julie Gilbert and
Thomas Thornton; Cambridge University’s Jay Winter; All Quiet
scholar/translator Brian Murdoch; Philip Caputo, author of A Rumor of
War; and others provide insights into what has been called the
greatest antiwar novel ever written. Additional topics include the birth
of total war, the effects of modern warfare on the body and mind, and the
post-war rise of Nazism. A Discovery University Production. (53 minutes,
color) Copyright date: 1998
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VHS11311
DVD11311 |
89.95
89.95 |
Call 800-776-8093 to order |
| Crime and Punishment |
Swayed by early 19th-century
notions of "the great man," Raskolnikov believes that humanity
is a weakness heroes discard; he will test himself and his philosophy by
killing an old, miserly pawnbroker. Filmed in St. Petersburg and narrated
by Donald Sutherland, this program explores Crime and Punishment,
Fyodor Dostoevsky’s classic examination of evil’s intellectual appeal
and its moral repercussions. Dramatic reenactments and location
footage—even of the actual room Dostoevsky chose for his
protagonist—bring the book to life. Critics and scholars commenting on
the book include Harold Bloom of Yale University, Edward Wasiolek of the
University of Chicago, and Dostoevsky’s great-grandson Dmitry. A
Discovery University Production. (51 minutes, color) Copyright date:
1999
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DVD11917 |
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| Don Quixote |
In the history of the modern
novel, the role of Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote is seminal.
This timeless program seeks to understand the monumental satire’s
central underlying themes—individualism, idealism, and imagination, on
the one hand, and deception, manipulation, and disillusionment, on the
other—from the viewpoint of Cervantes’ upbringing and life
experiences. Dramatizations deftly capture the story’s transit from
comedy to tragedy. Interviews with Carlos Fuentes; Cervantes scholars
Diana de Armas Wilson and Henry Sullivan; and John Allen, of The Cervantes
Society of America, are featured. A Discovery University Production. (48
minutes, color) Copyright date: 1997
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DVD32880 |
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| Inferno |
Through his Inferno, Dante
fleshed out the spatial and moral geography of Hell for the first time
ever, bringing it to life in a way that both terrifies and edifies. This
program tracks Dante’s allegorical journey through the underworld while
providing background on the visionary poet, life in the Middle Ages, and Inferno’s
influence on the arts and pop culture. Interviews with Inferno
translator Robert Pinsky, Dante scholars Ronald Herzman and William Cook,
the Reverend Stephen Happel, of The Catholic University of America, and
others are featured, as are readings by three-time Poet Laureate Pinsky
and dramatizations of scenes from Inferno and Dante’s life. A
Discovery University Production. (51 minutes, color) Copyright date:
2001
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VHS30303
DVD30303 |
89.95
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| Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the
Sea |
In this program, Jules Verne
scholar Walter Miller, Jaws author Peter Benchley, Verne’s
great-grandson Jean-Jules Verne, and others analyze Twenty Thousand
Leagues Under the Sea, an all-time bestseller that amply validates
Verne’s reputation as the father of science fiction. Dramatized segments
from the story and clips from feature film renditions are intertwined with
details of Verne’s life to promote a deep appreciation of the author and
his remarkably prescient vision. A Discovery University Production. (51
minutes, color) Copyright date: 2001
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DVD30016 |
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| Metamorphosis |
For Gregor Samsa, the ill-fated
protagonist of Franz Kafka’s novel Metamorphosis, home is where
the horror is. Filmed in Kafka’s native Prague and narrated by actor
Jeff Goldblum, this program blends creative reenactments with expert
commentary to explore how Kafka’s prescient masterpiece about a man
turned into an insect shattered notions of the happy family and
anticipated the darkness descending on Europe. The autobiographical
aspects of the novel are richly documented, as are modern-day examples of
what is now called Kafkaesque. A Discovery University Production. (51
minutes, color) Copyright date: 2001
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DVD30743 |
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| The Prince |
Written to shock and reeducate
its reader, The Prince still manages to cause a stir today. This
program explores the moral ambiguities of power through Niccolò
Machiavelli’s treatise on political philosophy. Henry Kissinger; Yale
University’s Donald Kagan; Roger Masters, author of Machiavelli,
Leonardo, and the Science of Power; Riccardo Bruscagli, of the
University of Florence; former presidential hopeful Gary Hart; and others
consider the ramifications of political realism and point out the
influence of Machiavelli on American foreign and domestic policy.
Reenactments from Machiavelli’s life, period artwork, and location
footage vividly evoke the man and his times. A Discovery University
Production. (52 minutes, color) Copyright date: 1996
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VHS11482
DVD11482 |
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