Directed by Tom Hooper. Cast: Paul Giamatti, Laura Linney, Danny Huston, John Bedford Lloyd, Justin Theroux, Ritchie Coster, Guy Henry, Stephen Dillane, David Morse, Zeljko Ivanek, John Dossett, Jean-Hugues Anglade, Judith Magre, Steven Hinkle, Madeline Taylor, Neal Huff, Tom Wilkinson, Tom Hollander, Sarah Polley, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Rufus Sewell, Samuel Barnett, Andrew Scott. While our new nation was suffering attacks from both within and without, John Adams had a vision of a nation of liberty and justice for all. He guided his peers --General George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson --in setting the values and agenda for a glorious, free America. Adams and his wife Abigail refined these ambitious democratic ideals, and their partnership became one of the most moving love stories in American history. Special features: Discs 1-3: Facts are stubborn things: an exclusive onscreen historical guide; disc 3: Documentary: "David McCullough: painting with words" (a rare and personal glimpse at the life and works of author David McCullough); "The making of 'John Adams'" featurette. Originally broadcast on HBO as a seven-part mini-series in 2008. 501 min. DVD X1696
Directed by Tom Shadyac. Cast: Robin Williams, Monica Potter, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bob Gunton, Daniel London, Peter Coyote.
Patch Adams is a doctor who doesn't look, act or think like other doctors. For Patch, humor is the best medicine, and he's willing to do just about anything to make his patients laugh-- even if it means risking his own career. Based on a true story. Based on the book Gesundheit! : bringing good health to you, the medical system, and society through physician service, complementary therapies, humor, and joy by Patch Adams. Special features: Commentary by director Tom Shadyac ; "The Medicinal value of Laughter," (12 min.) an original documentary featuring interviews with the real Patch Adams, producer Mike Farrell and cast members Robin Williams and Monica Potter ; outtakes ; theatrical trailer ; production notes ; cast & filmmaker's bios ; film highlights. 116 min. DVD 8226
[Adams, Robert] The Last Confederate: The Story of Robert Adams (ala Strike the Tent) (2005)
Directed by A. Blaine Miller and Julian Adams. Cast: Julian Adams, Gwendolyn Edwards, Amy Redford, Eric Holloway, Joshua Lindsey, Tippi Hedren, Bob Dorian, Mickey Rooney.
Robert Adams is a strong-willed southern captain, in the midst of the American Civil War, whose leadership and heart of fire rally his men to fight for their land. Filled with passion, blood, and tragedy, this is a true story of one man's love for his country and for Eveline McCord, his beloved from the North. 96 min. DVD 8127
[Alexander, Grover Cleveland]The Winning Team (1952)
Directed by Lewis Seiler. Cast: Doris Day, Ronald Reagan, Frank Lovejoy.
Grover Cleveland Alexander is the Hall of Fame pitcher whose baseball victories paralleled triumphs in his personal life. Suffering from alcoholism, double vision and fainting spells, Alexander sees his career bottom out. But, helped by his wife, he makes a successful return that reaches its peak in the 1926 Yankees/Cardinals World Series. 93 min. DVD X198
Directed by Oliver Stone. Cast: Colin Farrell, Angelina Jolie, Val Kilmer, Anthony Hopkins. The story of Alexander the Great, who in 4th century BC conquered ninety percent of the known world of the time by defeating Greece, Persia, Afghanistan, and India in just eight years. 167 min. DVD 4171
[Alexandra, Empress, consort of Nicholas II, Emperor of Russia]
Nicholas and Alexandra (1971)
Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner. Cast: Michael Jayston, Janet Suzman, Harry Andrews, Tom Baker, Michael Bryant, Maurice Denham, Jack Hawkins, Ian Holm, Curt Jürgens, John McEnery, Eric Porter, Michael Redgrave, Alan Webb, Irene Worth, Laurence Olivier. The final years of the Russian Tsar and Empress are chronicled in this epic which begins in 1904. Tsar Nicholas II is celebrating the birth of his only son, the heir to the Russian throne. But all is not well in Russia, for it is at war with the Japanese and there is a growing threat of internal revolution. Empress Alexandra, searching for answers to troubles of her own, seeks the advice from the charismatic monk, Rasputin, who, many believe, has power over her. The Bolshevik unrest grows and The Duma, a parliament for the people, demands the Tsar's abdication. The Royal Family is imprisoned and then executed as a new government takes form under Lenin. 189 min. DVD 3519
Directed by Michael Mann. Cast: Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, Jon Voight, Mario Van Peebles, Ron Silver, Jeffrey Wright, Mykelti Williamson, Jada Pinkett Smith, Nona M. Gaye, Michael Michele, Joe Morton. Dramatic biography of boxing great Muhammad Ali, which focuses on the ten-year period of 1964-1974. In that time, the brash, motor-mouthed athlete quickly dominates his sport, meets and marries his first wife, converts to Islam (changing his name from Cassius Clay), and defies the United States government by refusing to submit to military conscription for duty in Vietnam. His world heavyweight championship title thus stripped from him entirely for political reasons, the champ sets about to win back his crown, culminating in a legendary unification bout against George Foreman in Zaire, dubbed the "Rumble in the Jungle." 157 min. DVD 1231
Directed by Kevin Macdonald. Cast: Forest Whitaker, James McAvoy, Kerry Washington, Gillian Anderson, Simon McBurney, David Oyelowo, Abby Mukiibi, Adam Kotz, Barbara Rafferty, David Ashton. Chronicles Idi Amin's rise and fall. Amin's despotic reign of terror is viewed through the eyes of Nicholas Garrigan, a Scottish doctor who arrives in Uganda in the early 1970s to serve as Amin's personal physician. His perspective as an outsider causes him to be initially impressed by Amin's calculated rise to power and he grows increasingly monstrous. A pointed examination of how independent Uganda (a British colony until 1962) became a breeding ground for Amin's genocidal tyranny. Amin is both seductive and horribly destructive. Garrigan grows increasingly prone to exploitation. 123 min. DVD 7376
[Anastasiia Nikolaevna, Grand Duchess, daughter of Nicholas II, Emperor of Russia,] Anastasia (1956)
Directed by Anatole Litvak. Cast: Ingrid Bergman, Yul Brynner, Helen Hayes, Akim Tamiroff, Martita Hunt, Felix Aylmer, Sacha Pitoeff, Ivan Desny, Natalie Schafer, Gregoire Gromoff, Karel Stepanek, Ina de la Haye, Katherine Kath. An expatriate White Russian general sets in motion a grand hoax after he meets a destitute woman on the banks of the Seine River in Paris. He is amazed at her resemblance to Anastasia, the youngest daughter of Czar Nicholas of Russia, rumored to have somehow survived the Bolsheviks' execution of the Romanoff family in 1918. He trains her to impersonate the missing princess but soon begins to feel she may be the real Anastasia. Ultimately, the truth can only be decided by one person--Anastasia's grandmother, the Dowager Empress. 104 min. DVD 3518
Directed by Ron Howard. Cast: Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris, Kathleen Quinlan. Based on true events, this film tells the story of the three astronauts Jim Lovell, Fred Haise and Jack Seigert who were stranded 205,000 miles from Earth in a crippled spacecraft, fighting a desperate battle to survive. Meanwhile, at Mission Control, astronaut Ken Mattingly, flight director Gene Kranz and a heroic ground crew raced against time, and the odds, to bring them home safely. 140 min. DVD 950
[Arbus, Diane]Fur, An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006)
Directed by Steven Shainberg. Cast: Nicole Kidman, Robert Downey, Jr., Ty Burrell, Harris Yulin, Jane Alexander, Emmy Clarke, Geneiveve McCarthy, Boris McGiver, Marceline Hugot, Mary Duffy. An imaginary portrait of famed photographer Diane Arbus. Turning her back on her wealthy, established family, Diane Arbus falls in with Lionel Sweeney. Sweeney is an enigmatic mentor who introduces Arbus to the marginalized people who help her become one of the most revered photographers of the twentieth century. Diane's strange, new world unlocks her deepest secrets, awakens her remarkable artistic genius, and launches her path to becoming the artist she is meant to be. Based on the book "Diane Arbus" by Patricia Bosworth [MAIN: TR140.A73 B671 1984; ENVI: TR140.A73 B67 1985]. 120 min. DVD 7848
Directed by Julian Schnabel. Cast: Javier Bardem, Olivier Martinez, Andrea Di Stefano, Johnny Depp, Sean Penn, Michael Wincott. A dramatization of the life of the poet and novelist Reinaldo Arenas, from childhood in Cuba to his death in New York City. His writings and homosexuality got him in trouble with Castro's Cuba and he spent two years in prison before leaving for the United States. 134 min. DVD 1071
Julian Schnabel (Indepependent View) - interview about the making of this film. Video/C MM100
[Artaud, Antonin]My Life and Times with Antonin Artaud (En compagnie d'Antonin Artaud) (France, 1993)
Directed by Gérard Mordillat. Cast: Sami Frey, Marc Barbe, Julie Jezequel, Valerie Jeannet, Clotilde de Bayser, Charlotte Valandrey.
Presents the last two years of the life of French poet, madman, genius, and theatrical impressario, Antonin Artaud. Based on the diaries of Jacques Prevel, a poet who befriended Artaud in 1946 when he was released from an insane asylum. Special features: Documentary by Gerard Mordillat and Jerome Prieur (1933, 21 min.) "Jacques Prevel, de colere et de haine," an intimate portrait of the poet Jacques Prevel, a very close disciple of Artaud, based on the accounts of those close to him ; booklet including interviews with the directors and profiles of the participants ; optional subtitles ; scene selection. 93 min. DVD 5094
Directed by Santosh Sivan. Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Danny Denzongpa, Ruhul Dev, Hrishitaa Bhatt, Gerson da'Cunha, Umesh Mehra, Subhashini, Suraj Balaje, Ajit Kumar. Traces the life of Emperor Asoka (304 BC – 232 BC), the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya who assended the throne of Magadha in the 3rd century B.C. To extend the borders of his kingdom, he wages one of the bloodiest wars in history with the neighboring kingdom of Kalinga, leaving it ravaged and devastated. Confronted by the aftermath of his conquest, Asoka is overcome with remorse and renounces the path of war to dedicate his life to spreading the teachings of Buddhism. 150 min. DVD 1367
Directed by Julian Jarrold. Cast: Anne Hathaway, James McAvoy, Julie Walters, James Cromwell, Maggie Smith.
The young Jane Austen wishes to be a writer. Although she is offered many marriage proposals she accepts none until the mischevious Thomas Lefroy shows up and turns her world around. At first she finds him ignorant and self centered but as she gets to know him, they eventually fall in love. Thomas' relatives disagree with the match and threaten to disinherit him if he marries her. Jane's mother also disagrees with the match. Thomas tries to convince Jane to runaway with him but instead, Jane stays with her family and ends her affair with Lefroy. She begins to write some of her greatest works. Lefroy becomes the inspiration for Mr. Darcy in the novel, Pride and Prejudice. 120 min. DVD 9536
[Bacon, Francis] Love is the Devil: A Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon (1998)
Directed by John Maybury. Cast: Derek Jacobi, Daniel Craig, Tilda Swinton, Anne Lambton, Adrian Scarborough. A searing biographical dramatization of the life ofpainter Francis Bacon, critically acclaimed as the outstanding British painter of the latter half of the 20th century. This is "one of the nastiest and most truthful portraits of the artist-as-monster ever filmed." 88 min. DVD 2432
Directed by Frank Pierson, 2000. Cast: James Woods, Craig T. Nelson, Diana Scarwid, Leon Pownall, Judah Katz. Commentary: William F. Buckley, Barney Frank, Salman Rushdie, Fran Lebowitz, Susan Sarandon. Based on true events, tells the story of Cincinnati museum director Dennis Barrie, who went on trial in 1990 to protect the right of freedom of expression. Interspersed within the film's narrative, are interviews with cultural figures who address the censorship issue. A number of the actual Robert Mapplethorpe photographs that were at the heart of the controversy were used in the production. 104 min. DVD 2292
Directed by Marc Forster. Cast: Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, Julie Christie, Radha Mitchell, Dustin Hoffman, Freddie Highmore, Joe Prospero, Nick Roud, Luke Spill, Ian Hart, Kelly Macdonald. Well-known playwright James M. Barrie finds his career at a crossroads when his latest play flops and doubters begin to question his future. Then by chance he meets a widow and her four adventurous boys. Together they form a friendship that ignites the imagination needed to produce Barrie's greatest work. Traverses both fantasy and everyday reality, melding the difficulties of adult life with the spellbinding allure and childlike innocence of the boy who never grows up. 101 min. DVD 3665
[Barris, Chuck] Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)
Television made him famous, but his biggest hits happened off screen. The story of a legendary showman's double life--television producer by day, CIA assassin by night. At the height of his TV career, Chuck Barris was recruited by the CIA and trained to become a covert operative, or so he said. Director, George Clooney. 113 min. DVD 2781
Doherty, Thomas. "Sex, Half-Truths and Videotape: Auto Focus and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind." Cineaste 28 (2): 10-13. 2003 Spring. UC users only
Fuller, Graham, and Ali Jaafar. "Confessions of a dangerous mind.(George Clooney discusses about his new releases)(Interview)." Sight and Sound 16.3 (March 2006): 14(7).
Olsen, Mark. "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.(Reviews)(Movie Review)." Sight and Sound 13.3 (March 2003): 36(2).
[Barrow, Clyde and Parker, Bonnie] Bonnie & Clyde (1967)
Directed by Arthur Penn. Featuring Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, Gene Hackman, Estelle Parsons, Michael J. Pollard. A likeable young couple embark on a series of increasingly violent crimes during the darkest days of the Depression. 112 min. DVD 70; vhs 999:2
Directed by Julian Schnabel. Cast: Jeffrey Wright, David Bowie, Dennis Hopper, Gary Oldman, Michael Wincott, Benico Del Toro, Claire Forlani, Courtney Love, Parker Posey. Based on the life of Jean-Michel Basquiat, a young American unknown graffiti artist who lived on the streets of New York City in a cardboard box. Jean-Michel was "discovered" by Andy Warhol's art world and became a star. But his success came at a high price, and Basquiat paid with friendship, love, drugs and, eventually, his life. c1997. 106 min. DVD 5506; vhs 999:2138
Adams, Brooks. "Basquiat." Art in America 84.n9 (Sept 1996): 39(2).
Bruzzi, Stella. "Basquiat." Sight and Sound 7.n4 (April 1997): 35(2).
UC users only
Rimanelli, David. "The moon and six million." Artforum International 35.n1 (Sept 1996): 19(2).
[Basquiat, Jean-Michel] Downtown 81 (2000)
Directed by Edo Bertoglio. Performer: Jean-Michel Basquiat, Deborah Harry, Kid Creole, Tuxedomoon, James White, Saul Williams, Walter Steding, Anna Schroeder, John Lurie, DNA, The Plastics. A portrait of the explosive early-80's Manhattan art and music scene with the main focus on the provocative 19-year-old artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, already known for his excursions into street graffiti art and pioneering electro-beat. The film focuses on a day in the life of Basquiat, who needs to raise money to reclaim the apartment from which he has been evicted. He wanders the downtown streets carrying a painting he hopes to sell, encountering friends, who are on the cutting edge of new wave music, new painting, hip hop and graffiti. 72 min. DVD 1367
Julian Schnabel (Indepependent View) - interview about the making of this film. Video/C MM100
[Bauby, Jean-Dominique]The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Le scaphandre et le papillon)(France, 2007)
Directed by Julian Schnabel. Cast: Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Seigner, Marie-Josee Croze, Anne Consigny, Patrick Chesnais, Niels Arestrup, Olatz Lopez Garmendia, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Marina Hands, Max von Sydow, Isaach De Bankole.
A drama based on the true story of the French editor of Elle magazine, Jean-Dominique Bauby, who in 1995 at the age of 43, suffered a stroke that paralyzed his entire body, except his left eye. Using that eye to blink out his memoir, Bauby eloquently described the aspects of his interior world, from the psychological torment of being trapped inside his body to his imagined stories from lands he'd only visited in his mind. Based on the novel "Le scaphandre et le papillon" by Jean-Dominique Bauby. 112 min. DVD 9852
Denby, David. "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly." New Yorker, 12/24/2007, Vol. 83 Issue 41, p34-34UC users only
Kern, Laura. "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly." Film Comment, Nov/Dec2007, Vol. 43 Issue 6, p69-70, 2pUC users only
Macaulay, Scott. "The Inside Man
Filmmaker - The Magazine of Independent." 16:1 (Fall 2007) p. 70-73
UC users only
[Becket, Thomas, Saint] Becket (1964)
Directed by Peter Glenville. Cast: Richard Burton, Peter O'Toole, John Gielgud.
As young men, Thomas a Becket and King Henry II of 12th century England wench and carouse together. In middle age, Henry appoints Becket Archbishop of Canterbury but a stormy clash develops when Becket, sobered by his office, challenges Henry's royal edicts. 151 min. DVD 8070; vhs 999:208
Directed by Louis Malle. Cast: Keith Carradine, Susan Sarandon, Brooke Shields, Frances Faye, Antonio Fargas, Matthew Anton, Diana Scarwid, Barbara Steele, Seret Scott, Cheryl Markowitz, Susan Manskey, Laura Zimmerman, Miz Mary, Gerrit Graham, Mae Mercer.
A dramatization of a historical figure, the noted New Orleans photographer, E. J. Bellocq. He becomes obsessed with filming the prostitutes in New Orleans' red-light district, circa 1917, and is bewitched by the naive coquettishness of a twelve-year-old child prostitute. 109 min. DVD 2153; vhs 999:3149
[Benchley, Robert] Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994)
Directed by Alan Rudolph. Cast: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Campbell Scott, Matthew Broderick, Peter Gallagher, Jennifer Beals, Andrew McCarthy, Wallace Shawn, Martha Plimpton, Sam Robards, Lili Taylor, James LeGros, Gwyneth Paltrow, Heather Graham, Stephen Baldwin, Tom McGowan, Rebecca Miller. Dorothy Parker, a brilliant writer with a razor-sharp tongue, shares a professional but intimate relationship with comic genius Robert Benchley. But when she meets Charlie MacArthur, she falls hopelessly in love, a condition even literary genius can't seem to cure. 124 min. 999:3393
[Berlusconi, Silvio]Il caimano (Le caiman; The Cayman(Italy / France, 2006)
Directed by Nanni Moretti.
Cast: Silvio Orlando, Margherita Buy, Jasmine Trinca, Nanni Moretti, Elio de Capitani, Dario Cantarelli, Antonio Catania, Cecilia Dazzi, Luisa de Santis, Giacomo Passarelli, Daniele Rampello.
This film-within-a-film is centered on the figure of Italy's prime minister and media tycoon Silvio Berlusconi, a subject so controversial that even the public television refuses to produce it. While film producer Bonomo's private life collapses piece by piece, as he's divorcing from his wife, and the bank is pressing him hard to pay back his long-standing debts, he finds out that struggling to get this movie filmed is the only thing that keeps him alive. 108 min. DVD 9702
Directed by Henry King. Cast: Jennifer Jones, William Eythe, Charles Bickford, Vincent Price, Lee J. Cobb, Gladys Cooper. Based on a true events in mid-19th century France (July 1858). Until a miracle changes their minds, church and state officials in Lourdes, France, persecute a simple, ingenuous peasant girl who claims to have seen a vision of "a beautiful lady." Based on the novel by Franz Werfel. Added features: Optional audio commentary by Jon Burlingame, Edward Z. Epstein, and Donald Spoto ; "Jennifer Jones, portrait of a lady" / producer/director, Lawrence Williams ; writer, Carolyn Townsend (c2001; segment of Biography television program) (45 min.) ; Movietone newsreel ; restoration comparison ; theatrical trailer. 156 min. DVD X1469
Directed by Alan Pakula. Featuring Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford, Jack Warden, Martin Balsam, Hal Holbrook, Jason Robards, Jane Alexander. A dramatic reconstruction of the true story of the discovery of the White House link with the Watergate affair by two young reporters from the Washington Post. 127 min. DVD 1045; vhs 999:451
[Bicke, Sam] The Assassination of Richard Nixon (2004)
Directed by Niels Mueller. Cast: Sean Penn, Don Cheadle, Naomi Watts, Jack Thompson, Brad Hanke, Michael Wincott, Mykelti Williamson, April Grace, Lily Knight, Jared Dorrance. Based on real-life events tells the tragic story of Sam Bicke, a disillusioned salesman who in 1972 concocted a plot to kill then-President Nixon by hi-jacking a plane to fly over the White House and drop a gas bomb. 95 min. DVD 5573
Directed by Richard Attenborough. Stars Denzel Washington and Kevin Kline. Based on books Biko and Asking for Trouble by Donald Woods. Director, Richard Attenborough. Story of South African Black activist Stephen Biko and liberal White newspaper editor Donald Woods who risks his own life to bring Biko's message to the world. 157 min. DVD 8406; vhs 999:226
Directed by Ernst Lubitsch. Cast: Henny Porten, Emil Jannings, Paul Hartmann, Aud Egede Nissen, Hedwig Pauly-Winterstein.
Tragic drama of the second wife of England's Henry VIII, made in Berlin by Lubitsch before he moved to Hollywood to make comedies. 118 min. DVD 8868
[Boleyn, Anna (Anne)] Anne of the Thousand Days (UK, 1969)
Directed by Charles Jarrott. Cast: Richard Burton, Genevieve Bujold, Irene Papas, Anthony Quayle, John Colicos.Henry VIII of England (1491 - 1547) divorces his first wife, Katharine of Aragon (1485 - 1536), who has failed to produce a male heir. Instead, he favors the young and beautiful Anne Boleyn (1501/1507 - 1536). Henry weds Anne and soon she gives him a child. The girl, Elizabeth (1533-1603), is a bitter disappointment to Henry, who desperately wants a male heir. Jane Seymour is at court and Henry's wandering eye has found her. The Queen has her sent away, but, if Anne will bring Jane back to court, the King promises to sign the Act of Succession to insure that Elizabeth will be Queen. Anne's one-thousand-day reign as Queen of England ends with the loss of her head on the block. Based on the play by Maxwell Anderson. 146 min. DVD X832
[Bonaparte, Napoleon] Monsieur N (France / UK, 2002)
Directed by Antoine de Caunes. Cast: Philippe Torreton, Richard E. Grant, Jay Rodan, Elsa Zylberstein.
Story of the last years of the life of Napoleon Bonaparte, who was imprisoned by the British on St Helena. Napoleon retained a loyal entourage of officers who helped him plot his escape, and evaded the attentions of Sir Hudson Lowe, the island's overzealous Governor. 127 min. DVD 8099
Directed by Abel Gance. Cast: Albert Dieudonne, Antonin Artaud, Abel Gance. This restored 1927 Abel Gance movie masterpiece which presents important early use of split screen, moving camera and Polyvision, has been painstakingly resurrected. It is a historical epic on the life of Napoleon from boyhood to military triumph including treatment of the French Revolution. 235 min. 999:164
Directed by John Lee Hancock. Cast: Billy Bob Thornton, Dennis Quaid, Jason Patric, Patrick Wilson, Jordi Molla, Emilio Echevarria, Marc Blucas, Leon Rippy. Retells the story of the historic 1836 battle in the Texan War of Independence. Facing 4,000 Mexican troops, 186 Texan soldiers and volunteers - including William Travis, Davy Crockett, and Jim Bowie - retreat within the walls of the Alamo, a Franciscan mission that was converted into a military fort. Once inside, the men prepare themselves for what will be a bloody battle to the death. U.S. General Sam Houston leads the charge from the outside. The Texans held the fort for 13 days under siege by General Santa Anna. 136 min. DVD 3008
Andreychuk, Ed.
American frontiersmen on film and television : Boone, Crockett, Bowie, Houston, Bridger, and Carson Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland & Co., c2005. (MAIN: PN1995.9.P487 A53 2005)
Niemi, Robert. "The Alamo (2004)" In: History in the media : film and television Santa Barbara, Calif. : ABC-CLIO, c2006.
(MAIN: PN1995.9.H5 N54 2006)
Thompson, Frank T. "Reprinting the Legend: The Alamo on Film."
Film and History: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Film and Television Studies, vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 12-64, 2006
Directed by John Wayne. Cast: John Wayne, Richard Widmark, Laurence Harvey, Frankie Avalon, Patrick Wayne, Richard Boone, Linda Cristal, Joan O'Brien. Film depicts a pivotal event in American history--the battle of the Alamo when 185 "Texans" stood against a 7,000-man Mexican army. The battle ended in the smaller forces' defeat, but lasted long enough to insure the eventual independence of Texas. Special DVD features: John Wayne's "The Alamo" documentary (40 min.) ; theatrical trailers. 202 min. DVD X1033; vhs 999:921
Andreychuk, Ed.
American frontiersmen on film and television : Boone, Crockett, Bowie, Houston, Bridger, and Carson Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland & Co., c2005. (MAIN: PN1995.9.P487 A53 2005)
Niemi, Robert. "The Alamo (2004)" In: History in the media : film and television Santa Barbara, Calif. : ABC-CLIO, c2006.
(MAIN: PN1995.9.H5 N54 2006)
Thompson, Frank T. "Reprinting the Legend: The Alamo on Film."
Film and History: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Film and Television Studies, vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 12-64, 2006
Directed by Oliver Stone. Cast: James Woods, Jim Belushi, Michael Murphy, John Savage, Elpidia Carrillo, Cindy Gibb.
In 1980, Richard Boyle, a veteran war photographer heads for El Salvador to cover the civil war there. He forms an uneasy alliance with both guerrillas in the countryside who want him to get pictures out to the US press, and the right-wing military, who want him to bring them photographs of the rebels. After the murder of Archbishop Romero, the rape and murder of an American nurse and three nuns, and the death of a fellow journalist, Boyle attempts to escape El Salvador with his Salvadorean girlfriend and her family. Based on the life of photojournalist Richard Boyle. Special features: "Into the valley of death" documentary with interviews of Oliver Stone, James Woods, Jim Belushi and others; audio commentary by Oliver Stone; 25 min. of deleted scenes; photo gallery; original theatrical trailer. 123 min. DVD 763; vhs 999:3020
Directed by Ron Howard. Cast: Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger, Paul Giamatti, Craig Bierko, Paddy Considine, Bruce McGill, David Huband. During the Great Depression, an everyday common-man hero, James J. Braddock was to become one of the most surprising sports legends in history. With the Depression going strong in the early 1930s, the impoverished ex-boxer was seemingly as broken-down and out-of-luck as the rest of the America. Driven by love and determination, he returned to the ring. He did not have much of a shot, but James was fueled by something beyond mere competition. He kept winning and suddenly, the ordinary working man became an icon who carried the hopes and dreams of the disenfranchised on his shoulders. Eventually, he rose through the ranks and went on to fight the heavyweight champ, the unstoppable Max Baer. 145 min. DVD 5208
[Braun, Eva]Moloch (Molokh) (Russia / Germany / Japan / Italy / France, 1999)
Directed by Aleksandr Sokurov. Cast: Leonid Mosgowoi, Elena Rufanowa, Leonid Sokol, Yelena Spiridonova, Vladimir Bogdanov, Anatoli Shvedersky. In an ominous fortress perched high above the clouds, everything seems in order for a reposing 24 hours. It is the spring of 1942 in Germany and Eva Braun is the only voice that dares contradict the Fuhrer. Eva is caught up in the complexities of a man incapable of human intimacy, making her as volcanic as her beloved Hitler. 108 min. DVD 6683
Directed by Jan Schutte. Cast: Josef Bierbichler, Monica Bleibtreu, Klaus Pohl, Jeanette Hain, Elfriede Irall, Margit Rogal, Samuel Fintzi. In addition to his prodigious output as a playwright, poet and theatrical producer, Bertolt Brecht maintained no fewer than three mistresses at any one time throughtout his adult life. Takes place in a single day, toward the end of his life, in the late summer of 1956, as Brecht prepares to leave his lakeside home and return to Berlin for the fall theater season. Surrounded by the women who form his extended family, he is the center of a quiet storm. 87 min. DVD 4334
Directed by William Wyler. Follows the early career of stage comedienne, Fanny Brice, her rise to stardom with the Ziegfeld Follies, and her stormy romance with Nicky Arnstein. Starring arbra Streisand, Omar Sharif, Kay Medford, Anne Francis, Walte Pidgeon.165 min. DVD 8942; vhs 999:830
Directed by Steven Soderbergh. Cast: : Julia Roberts, Albert Finney, Aaron Eckhart, Marg Helgenberger, Cherry Jones, Veanne Cox, Conchata Ferrell, Tracey Walter. Based on true events, Erin Brockovich is a feisty young mother who convinces attorney Ed Masry to hire her and promptly stumbles upon a momumental law case against a giant corporation. Erin's determined to take on this powerful adversary even though no law firm has dared to do it before. The two begin an incredible and sometimes hilarious fight that will bring a small town to its feet and a huge company to its knees. 132 min. DVD 1075
Directed by Jim Sheridan. Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Ray McAnally, Brenda Fricker, Cyril Cusack, Fiona Shaw, Hugh O'Conor, Adrian Dunbar, Ruth McCabe, Alison Whelan. Based on Christy Brown's true life story, My Left Foot is the story of a cerebral palsy victim who triumphs over impossible odds to achieve greatness as an author and painter. 103 min. DVD 9204; vhs 999:2182
Hambleton, Georgina Louise. Christy Brown : the life that inspired My Left Foot Edinburgh : Mainstream, 2007. [MAIN: PR6052.R5894 Z66 2007]
[Bruce, Lenny] Lenny (1974)
Directed by Bob Fosse. Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Valerie Perrine. Depicts the rise to stardom of nightclub comedian, satirist and '60's cult hero, Lenny Bruce and his fatal decline through drug addiction. Utilizing a flashback technique of story-telling and stark black and white photography the producer has pieced together a jagged portrait of a man driven to mainlining honesty into the arteries of a hypocritical culture. 112 min. DVD 607
Directed by Stanley Kramer. Cast: Spencer Tracy, Fredric March, Gene Kelly, Dick York, Donna Anderson, Harry Morgan. A historical drama of the so called "Monkey Trial" which pitted attorney Clarence Darrow and the fundamentalist William Jennings Brian in heated courtroom debate. It is set in a small Tennessee town which gained national attention in 1925 when a biology schoolteacher, John T. Scopes, was arrested for violating state law by teaching Darwin's theory of evolution to his students. 108 min. DVD 1105; vhs 999:639
Directed by Warren Beatty. Cast: Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Edward Herrmann, Jerzy Kosinski, Paul Sorvino, Maureen Stapleton. The true story of the love affair of John Reed, American Communist, journalist and activist and Louise Bryant, writer and feminist. Woven into the story are America's great playwright, Eugene O'Neill, anarchist and feminist, Emma Goldman, Bolshevik leader, Gregory Zinoviev and other notable figures whose lives were shaken by the Russian Revolution. 195 min. DVD 6749; vhs 999:1627
Rowin, Michael Joshua. "Reds." Cineaste. Summer 2007. Vol. 32, Iss. 3; pg. 76, 3 pgs UC users only
Rosenbaum, J. "Jack Reed's Christmas puppy: reflections on Reds." In: Movies as politics Berkeley : University of California Press, c1997 (online access [UCB only] http://ark.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/ft6r29p15c/; hard copy: MAIN: PN1995.9.P6 R67 1997; MOFF: PN1995.9.P6 R67 1997; PFA : PN1995.9.P6 R67)
Rosenstone, Robert A. "In praise of the biopic." In: Lights, camera, history : portraying the past in film / edited by Richard Francaviglia and Jerry Rodnitzky ; with an introduction by Peter C. Rollins ; contributions by Robert Rosenstone ... [et al.]. 1st ed. College Station : Published for the University of Texas at Arlington by Texas A&M University Press, c2007. (Main Stack PN1995.2.L54 2007)
Stansell, Christine. "Reds." In: Past imperfect : history according to the movies / general editor, Mark C. Carnes ; edited by Ted Mico, John Miller-Monzon, and David Rubel. New York : H. Holt, 1995. (Main Stack PN1995.9.H5.P37 1995; Moffitt PN1995.9.H5.P37 1995; Compar Ethn PN1995.9.H5.P37 1995)
[Buffalo Bill (William Frederick Cody)] Annie Get Your Gun (1950)
Directed by George Sidney. Cast: Betty Hutton, Howard Keel, Louis Calhern, J. Carrol Naish. Music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. Based on the musical play produced on the stage by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, II.
Based on the book by Herbert Fields and Dorothy Fields. Frank Butler, handsome star of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, bags clay pigeons and ladies' hearts. He's the best marksman in the world--until a backwoods hoyden challenges him. Her name? Annie Oakley. Special features include: Original theatrical trailer, new introduction by Annie get your gun Broadway revival star Susan Lucci, 3 rare outtake musical numbers, Let's go west again with Betty Hutton, and a pair with the originally cast Judy Garland, Doin' what comes natur'lly and I'm an Indian too. 127 min. DVD 395
[Buffalo Bill (William Frederick Cody)] Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or, Sitting Bull's History Lesson (1976)
Directed by Robert Altman. Featuring Paul Newman, Joel Grey, Geraldine Chaplin, Burt Lancaster, Frank Kaquitts. Chronicles the travels and adventures of Buffalo Bill Cody, the legendary Western adventurer. Although Buffalo Bill had fought Indians and Civil War battles, nothing could prepare him for his newest challenge: show business! His "Wild West Show" was hugely popular, featuring stunt-riders, battle recreations and a beautiful sharpshooter, Annie Oakley. But when Bill signed a former enemy, Sioux Chief Sitting Bull, for a featured role in the show, a clash of cultures reverberated far beyond the boundaries of their sprawling outdoor theater. 123 min. DVD 4269; vhs 999:1641
Directed by Barbet Schroeder. Cast: Faye Dunaway, Mickey Rourke, Alice Krige, J. C. Quinn, Frank Stallone.
Summary Quasi-autobiography of writer-alcoholic Charles Bukowski and life on the skids in L.A.'s bars and flophouses and his choice between that booze-ridden existence or a new life as a poet. Special features: Audio commentary by Barbet Schroeder; documentary I drink, I gamble and I write : the making of Barfly; excerpts from Schroeder's The Charles Cukowski tapes. 99 min. DVD 3367
Directed by Barbet Schroeder. Cast: Matt Dillon, Lili Taylor, Marisa Tomei, Fisher Stevens, Didier Flamand, Adrienne Shelly, Tom Lyons, Karen Young.
Summary This drama centers on Hank Chinaski, the fictional alter-ego of author Charles Bukowski, who wanders around Los Angeles, trying to live off jobs which don't interfere with his primary interest, which is writing. Based on the novel by Charles Bukowski. 94 min. DVD 6751
[Bukowski, Charles]Tales of Ordinary Madness (2000)
Directed by Marco Ferreri. Cast: Ben Gazzara, Ornella Muti, Susan Tyrrell, Tanya Lopert, Roy Brocksmith.
A hard-drinking poet living in the dark alley of the world, specifically Los Angeles, is surrounded by desperate and depraved characters. One, a prostitute whom he loves deeply, inspires him to write incredible poems, but soon he must choose between her and his art. Based on Charles Bukowski's "Erections, ejaculations, exhibitions, and general tales of ordinary madness." Special features: excerpt from documentary "Marco Ferreri: the director who came from the future." 98 min. DVD X1675
Directed by Katja von Garnier. Cast: Hilary Swank, Frances O'Connor, Julia Ormond, Anjelica Huston, Molly Parker, Patrick Dempsey, Laura Fraser, Brooke Smith, Vera Farmiga, Lois Smith, Bob Gunton. Tells the true life stories of Alice Paul and Lucy Burns, two defiant suffragist women who fought for the passage of the 19th Amendment. The two activists broke from the mainstream women's rights movement and created a more radical wing, daring to push the boundaries to secure women's voting rights in 1920. In a country dominated by chauvinism, this was no easy fight. Along the way, sacrifices were made: Alice gave up a chance for love, and collegue Inez Mulholland gave up her life. 123 min. DVD 4040
Mayhall, Laura E. Nym. "Iron Jawed Angels.(Movie Review)." American Historical Review 109.5 (Dec 2004): 1589(2).
[Burroughs, William S.] Beat (2000)
Directed by Gary Walkow. Cast: Kiefer Sutherland, Courtney Love, Norman Reedus, Ron Livingston, Kyle Secor. A true story of two murders that shaped the lives of some of the most influential writers of the "Beat Generation." From their early college years to becoming expatriates in Mexico, William S. Burroughsand his wife Joan Vollmer were haunted by the murderof a college friend by another one of their closest friends. Their obsessive love pushes them to the limits and once again murder is part of their legacy. 80 min. DVD 1393
Directed by Oliver Stone. Cast: Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Banks, James Cromwell, Ellen Burstyn, Richard Dreyfuss, Scott Glenn, Toby Jones, Stacy Keach,, Bruce McGill, Thandie Newton, and Jeffrey Wright. Tells the story of George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States, his life's struggles and triumphs, how he met his wife, Laura, found his faith, and what happened during the critical days before he made the decision to invade Iraq. Special features: Audio commentary with director Oliver Stone; "Dangerous Dynasty: The Bush Legacy" - a look at President Bush's legacy from renowned political experts, academics and historians; "No Stanger to Controversy: Oliver Stone's George W. Bush" -an inside look at the making of the film; W. filmmakers' research and annotations guide; deleted scenes with optional director audio commentary; theatrical trailer. 129 min. DVD X1114
Directed by Gabriel Pascal. Featuring Vivien Leigh, Claude Rains, Stewart Granger, Flora Robson, Cecil Parker, Anthony Harvey, Stanley Holloway, Leo Genn. Cleopatra was the willful child who became a determined monarch and guided Egypt's fortunes. Caesar was her confidante and lover and the man who helped Cleopatra through her transformation. It was a union that was destined to produce one of history's greatest duos. Based on the play by George Bernard Shaw. 123 min. 999:730
[Calamity Jane (Cannary-Burke, Martha Jane)]Calamity Jane (1938)
Directed by David Butler. Cast: Doris Day, Howard Keel, Allyn McLerie, Philip Carey, Dick Wesson.
In this musical-comedy set in Deadwood, Dakota Territory, Calamity Jane is a calamity at love --she's too busy cracking a bullwhip to pay much mind to dresses and perfume. But then one of her boasts requires that she go to Chicago to recruit an actress for the Golden Garter stage. When the actress arrives, the lady in question appears to be a more feminine rival for the favors of Jane's male friends...including her friendly enemy Wild Bill Hickok.
101 min. DVD 8882
[Caligula, Caius Caesar, emperor of Rome] Caligula (Italy / USA, 1979)
Directed by Tinto Brass. Cast: Malcolm McDowell, Teresa Ann Savoy, Helen Mirren, Peter O'Toole, John Gielgud, Adriana Asti. Portrays the decadence and debauchery that marked the reign of the Roman emperor Caligula from 37-41 A.D. The details of his cruel, bizarre reign are revealed: his unholy sexual passion for his sister, his marriage to Rome's most infamous prostitute, and his fiendishly inventive means of disposing of those who would oppose him. 156 min. DVD 1055
[Callas, Maria] Callas Forever (Italy / France / Spain / UK / Romania, 2002)
Directed by Franco Zeffirelli. Cast: Fanny Ardant, Jeremy Irons, Joan Plowright, Jay Rodan, Gabriel Garko, Justino Diaz, Manuel de Blas. Beautifully recreates the magic, passion and artistry of the opera diva Maria Callas, known as "the voice of the century". Gives a loving tribute to what could have possibly happened at the end of Callas's life, whose death came at the age of 53. Callas was a temperamental diva. She captured all the fiery intensity of legend on and off the stage. Her tempestuous relationship with her former manager is what finally persuades her to re-launch her career, despite her fading powers. 108 min. DVD 4089
Directed by Howard Hawks. Cast: Paul Muni, Ann Dvorak, George Raft, Boris Karloff. Drama of the life and death of a Chicago gangster (based on Capone) during prohibition in the 1920's. 93 min. DVD 5674; vhs 999:68
Directed by Bennett Miller. Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Clifton Collins, Jr., Bruce Greenwood, Bob Balaban, Mark Pellegrino, Chris Cooper. Based on true events. Truman Capote was a popular writer for The New Yorker. In 1959, when he learns about the horrific and senseless murder of a family of four in Halcomb, Kansas, Capote and his partner, Harper Lee, travel to the town to do research for an article. However, as Capote digs deeper into the story, he is inspired to expand the project into what would be his greatest work, "In Cold Blood." He arranges extensive interviews with the prisoners, especially with Perry Smith. However, his feelings of compassion for Perry conflict with his need for closure for his book which only an execution can provide. That conflict and the mixed motives for both interviewer and subject make for a troubling experience that produced an literary account that redefined modern non-fiction. 114 min. DVD 5329
Directed by Douglas McGrath. Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Toby Jones, Gwyneth Paltrow, Lee Pace, Daniel Craig, Juliet Stevenson, Michael Panes, Hope Davis, Sandra Bullock, Isabella Rossellini, John Benjamin Hickey, Peter Bogdanovich, Jeff Daniels.
While researching his book "In Cold Blood", writer Truman Capote develops a relationship with convicted murderers Dick Hickock and, in particular Perry Smith, while both men waited for their date of execution on death row. Based on the novel "Truman Capote: in which various friends, enemies, acquaintances and detractors recall his turbulent career" by George Plimpton. 118 min. DVD 7325
Directed by Derek Jarman. Cast: Nigel Terry, Sean Bean, Garry Cooper, Dexter Fletcher, Spencer Leigh, Tilda Swinton, Nigel Davenport, Robbie Coltrane, Michael Gough. A film based on the life and art of Caravaggio, the greatest Italian post-Renaissance painter. Caravaggio was the 'enfant terrible' of Italian Art and his short life, marked with extremes of passion and moral and artistic radicalism, ended violently. 97 min. DVD X59; vhs 999:2139
Directed by Philip Kaufman. Cast: Scott Glenn, Ed Harris, Barbara Hershey, Dennis Quaid, Pamela Reed, Sam Shepard, Kim Stanley, Fred Ward, Veronica Cartwright, David Clennon, Scott Wilson, Donald Moffat, Levon Helm, Jeff Goldblum, Harry Shearer, Charles Frank, Royal Dano. A dramatization of the intrepid test pilot Chuck Yeager and the seven pioneering astronauts chosen for the first manned space flight program in the United States. A thrilling retelling of the true story of Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom, John Glenn, Scott Carpenter, Walter Schirra, Gordon Cooper, and Deke Slayton-- the seven men chosen for Project Mercury. Special features: Biographical profile of John Glenn "American hero: the journey and the mission," scene-specific commentaries with director/screenwriter, cast and crew members ; 3 documentaries "Realizing the right stuff," "T-20 years and counting," "The real men with the right stuff," 13 additional scenes ; interactive timeline to space incorporating vintage NASA footage ; theatrical trailer. 193 min. DVD 6119
Directed by Gavin Millar. Cast: Coral Browne, Peter Gallagher, Ian Holm. Alice Hargreaves, the inspiration of Alice in Wonderland, visits New York at age 80, and reminisces about her friendship with Lewis Carroll and his fantasy creatures. In a wondrous blend of fantasy and reality, she confronts the unsettling memories of her past -- and the Rev. Dodgson (Lewis Carroll), whose affection for Alice created a beloved literary classic. 90 min. 999:3048
Directed by Scott Kalvert. Cast: Faye Dunaway, Mickey Rourke, Alice Krige, J. C. Quinn, Frank Stallone. "Film adaptation of street tough Jim Carroll's epistle about his kaleidoscopic free fall into the harrowing world of drug addiction. As a member of a seemingly unbeatable high school basketball squad, Jim's life centers around the basketball court and the court becomes a metaphor for the world in his mind. A best friend who is dying of leukemia, a coach ("Swifty") who takes unacceptable liberties with the boys on his team, teenage sexual angst, and an unhealthy appetite for heroin -- all of these begin to encroach on young Jim's dream of becoming a basketball star. Soon, the dark streets of New York become a refuge from his mother's mounting concern for her son. He can't go home and his only escape from the reality of the streets is heroin for which he steals, robs and prostitutes himself. Only with the help of Reggie, an older neighborhood friend with whom Jim "picked up a game" now and then, is he able to begin the long journey back to sanity." [Internet Movie Database] Based on the novel by Jim Carroll. 102 min. DVD 5979
Directed by James Mangold. Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Ginnifer Goodwin, Robert Patrick, Dallas Roberts, Dan John Miller, Larry Bagby, Shelby Lynne, Tyler Hilton, Waylon Payne, Shooter Jennings. Traces the life of country western singer Johnny Cash from his childhood to the middle of his musical career, with special attention to his relationship with singer June Carter. 136 min. DVD 5183
Directed by Norman Jewison. Cast: Denzel Washington, John Hannah, Deborah Kara Unger, Liev Schreiber, Vicellous Reon Shannon, David Paymer, Dan Hedaya, Harris Yulin, Rod Seiger. Based upon true events, this is the story of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, an African American boxer who was wrongfully convicted of murder. Sentenced to life in prison, Carter's published memoir, The sixteenth round, inspired a teenager from Brooklyn and three Canadian activists who believed in the truth, to join forces with Carter to prove his innocence. 166 min. 999:2827
[Casanova, Giacomo] Casanova (Il Casanova di Federico Fellini) (Italy / USA, 1976)
Directed by Federico Fellini. Cast: Donald Sutherland, Tina Aumont, Cicely Browne, Carmen Scariptta, Clara Algranti, Daniela Gatti. Donald Sutherland portrays the famous Casanova, a libertine who collects seductions and sexual feats, in his wanning days as he travels from a bubonic-plagued Venice to a syphilitic London and a tubercular Germany.
155 min. DVD 3323
Directed by Lasse Hallstrom. Cast: Heath Ledger, Sienna Miller, Jeremy Irons, Oliver Platt, Lena Olin.
Casanova has to begin searching for a wife. He is a womanizer with many conquests and If he cannot show he is living a more respectable life, the Church will throw him out of Venice. He is quickly engaged to Victoria, a woman with a pure reputation. As soon as that is arranged, he meets Francesca, a feminist who hates all he stands for. Comic chaos ensues in a whirl of misadentures, disguises and mistaken identities as the love-struck Casanova tries to win her heart. 111 min. DVD 5491
Wolff, Ellen."step by step: Casanova." Millimeter, Mar2006, Vol. 34 Issue 3, p32-33, 2pUC users only
[Cash, Johnny] Walk the Line (2005)
Directed by James Mangold. Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Ginnifer Goodwin, Robert Patrick, Dallas Roberts, Dan John Miller, Larry Bagby, Shelby Lynne, Tyler Hilton, Waylon Payne, Shooter Jennings. Traces the life of country western singer Johnny Cash from his childhood to the middle of his musical career, with special attention to his relationship with singer June Carter. 136 min. DVD 5183
Directed by John Byrum. Cast: Nick Nolte, Sissy Spacek, John Heard. Part ode to the Beat Generation, part domestic comedy, this film, based on the memoirs of Carolyn Cassady, tells of her life with Neal Cassady and Jack Kerouac. They were three unconventional people who thumbed their noses at the conventional 1950's, sharing a lifestyle that foreshadowed the social and sexual upheavals of the 60's. Based on the memoir Heart beat by Carolyn Cassady. DVD X1796; vhs 999:2745
[Castelo Camilo]O dia do desespero (The Day of Despair) (Portugal / France / Switzerland, 1991)
Directed by Manoel de Oliveira. Cast: Teresa Madruga, Mário Barroso, Luís Miguel Cintra, Diogo Dória, Canto e Castro, Ruy de Carvalho. Portrait of the last days of the 19th-century Portuguese writer Camilo Castelo Branco who suffered from an eye disease and one day woke up blind. His despair, as a writer unable to write, led him to suicide. 73 min. DVD X2151
[Castle, Vernon and Irene]The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939)
Directed by H.C. Potter. Choreographer: Fred Astaire. Cast: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Edna May Oliver, Walter Brennan, Lew Fields, Etienne Giradot, Janet Beecher.
Fred and Ginger dance up a storm as they dramatize the careers of the renowned ballroom dancers, Vernon and Irene Castle who created such dances as the Castle Walk, Maxie, Texas Tommy and other sensations. Special features: Vintage musical short "Happily buried"; Classic cartoon "Puss gets the boot."
93 min. DVD 6745
[Catherine II, Empress of Russia] The Rise of Catherine the Great(UK, 1934)
Directed by Paul Czinner. Cast: Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Elizabeth Bergner, Gerald du Maurier, Flora Robson, Irene Vanbrugh.
Peek into the life of Catherine II, from the beautiful royal courts of 18th century Russia to her troubled marriage to Peter III (portrayed in nearly 'screwball' fashion). 94 min. DVD X1658
[Catherine II, Empress of Russia] The Scarlet Empress(1934)
Directed by Josef von Sternberg. Cast: Cast: Marlene Dietrich, John Lodge, Sam Jaffe, Louise Dresser.
A historical drama about a German princess, Catherine, who married the Grand Duke Peter, the heir to the Russian throne. Because of his madness, she was able to seize the throne and became renowned as Catherine the Great. Special features: 20-minute BBC documentary The world of Josef von Sternberg. 104 min. DVD 694
Murphy, Kathleen. "Portrait of a lady (times) 2 -- The Earrings of Madame de ... directed by Max Ophuls and starring Danielle Darrieux / The Scarlet Empress directed by Josef Von Sternberg and starring Marlene Dietrich." Film Comment, Jul 1993; Vol. 29, Iss. 4; pg. 23-9 UC users only
Wilson, George M. "Narrative and Visual Pleasure in The Scarlet Empress." In: Style and meaning : studies in the detailed analysis of film / edited by John Gibbs and Douglas Pye.
Manchester ; New York : Manchester University Press ; New York : Distributed exclusively in the USA by Palgrave, 2005. (Main Stack PN1995.S778 2005)
[Chaplin, Charlie] Chaplin (1992)
Directed by Richard Attenborough. Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Dan Aykroyd, Geraldine Chaplin, Kevin Dunn, Anthony Hopkins, Milla Jovovich, Moira Kelly, Kevin Kline, Diane Lane, Penelope Ann Miller, Paul Rhys, John Thaw, Marisa Tomei, Nancy Travis, James Woods.
A loving, grand scale dramatization of the Little Tramp's amazing life and times from his poverty-stricken childhood in England to his Honorary Oscar in 1972. His friendships with Mack Sennett and Douglas Fairbanks, his many wives and scandalous affairs, and his relentless pursuit by J. Edgar Hoover are covered in this biographical film; a stunning depiction of a bygone era when Hollywood was at its most glamorous. Special features: "All at sea" Chaplin home movie; "Strolling into the sunset" featurette; Chaplin the hero" featurette; The most famous man in the world" featurette; Theatrical trailer. 135 min. DVD X387
Directed by Taylor Hackford. Cast: Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington, Regina King, Clifton Powell, Harry Lennix, Bokeem Woodbine, Aunjanue Ellis, Sharon Warren, C.J. Sanders. Ray Charles went blind at the age of seven. Inspired by his mother who insisted he make his own way, he found his calling at the keyboard. 'Ray' follows as he overcomes drug addiction while becoming one of America's most beloved performers. 153 min. DVD 4026
Directed by Darnell Martin. Cast: Adrien Brody, Jeffrey Wright, Gabrielle Union, Columbus Short, Cedric the Entertainer, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Eamonn Walker, Mos Def, Beyoncé Knowles. Chess Records was located on the south side of Chicago. In 1947, it began recording blues music with Muddy Waters and Little Walter. This eventually gave birth to rock and roll in 1955 with Chuck Berry. Record producer, Leonard Chess has an ear for this different type of music and believes he can cash in by signing up new talent such as songwriter, Willie Dixon, Howlin' Wolf, and Etta James. Chess makes all of his artists part of his family and takes care of them. This is not easy since they spend a small fortune on booze, drugs, and the high life. When Chuck Berry goes to jail, Leonard is able to find another talented performer, Etta James, to take his place. In the late sixties, as their music goes out of favor, Leonard Chess gets out of the record business. Special features: Audio commentary by director; deleted scenes; Playing Chess: the making of Cadillac Records; Once upon a blues: Cadillac Records by design. 109 min. X1451
David Wolper Productions. Cast: James Whitmore, Ned Romero, Sam Elliott. Dramatization of the story of Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce Indians and his efforts to free his people. 109 min. Video/C 2257
Directed by Charles Vidor. Cast: Paul Muni, Merle Oberon, Cornel Wilde, Nina Foch, George Coulouris, Howard Coulouris, Stephen Bekassy.
Dramatized biography of Frederic Chopin from the time of his leaving Poland until his death. Emphasizes his romance with George Sand and his love of Poland which caused him to pursue a concert tour which hastened his death from tuberculosis. 112 min. vhs 999:3830
Directed by Bruno Nuytten. Cast: Isabelle Adjani, Gerard Depardieu, Madeleine Robinson, Laurent Grevill, Philippe Clevenot. A historically accurate depiction of one of the most important collaborations in the history of art, that of legendary sculptor Rodin, and the creative prodigy Camille Claudel. 149 min. DVD 518; vhs 999:1154
Royster, Francesca T. Becoming Cleopatra : the shifting image of an icon.
New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2003. (Main Stack PN57.C55; R69 2003)
Willson, Robert F., Jr. "Shakespeare and Hollywood: Two Film Cliches." Journal of Popular Film and Television. 15 (2): 83-84. 1987 Summer.
[Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt]Caesar and Cleopatra (UK, 1946)
Directed by Gabriel Pascal. Cast: Vivien Leigh, Claude Rains, Stewart Granger, Flora Robson, Cecil Parker, Anthony Harvey, Stanley Holloway, Leo Genn. Cleopatra was the willful child who became a determined monarch and guided Egypt's fortunes. Caesar was her confidante and lover and the man who helped Cleopatra through her transformation. It was a union that was destined to produce one of history's greatest duos. Based on the play by George Bernard Shaw. 123 min. 999:730
Directed by Cecil B. DeMille. Cast: Claudette Colbert, Warren William, Henry Wilcoxon. Story of the life of Cleopatra, queen of ancient Egypt from her ascension to the throne through her struggle for power and her loves and entanglements with Julius Caesar and Marc Anthony. Especially noteworthy are the elaborate sets and the famous "barge scene"--one of the most talked about cinematic effects in film history. 101 min. 999:1622
Royster, Francesca T. Becoming Cleopatra : the shifting image of an icon.
New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2003. (Main Stack PN57.C55; R69 2003)
Sargemt, Seymour H. "Julius Caesar and the historical film." English Journal v 61 Feb 1972. p. 230-3+
[Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt] Cleopatra (1963)
Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Featuring Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison. Story of the life of Cleopatra, queen of ancient Egypt from her ascension to the throne through her struggle for power and her loves and entanglements with Julius Caesar and Marc Anthony. 246 min. DVD 986; also DVD 8408; vhs 999:612
Royster, Francesca T. Becoming Cleopatra : the shifting image of an icon.
New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2003. (Main Stack PN57.C55; R69 2003)
Sargemt, Seymour H."Julius Caesar and the historical film." English Journal v 61 Feb 1972. p. 230-3+
[Clinton, Bill (William Jefferson)] Primary Colors (1998)
Directed by Mike Nichols. Cast: John Travolta, Emma Thompson, Billy Bob Thornton, Adrian Lester, Maura Tierney, Paul Guilfoyle, Larry Hagman, Kathy Bates. Follows a virtually unknown Southern governor on a quest for the White House with his strong, savvy and equally ambitious wife. Running against the odds, they need all the help they can get from their extremely colorful political team. Together, they take off on a hilarious, heart-wrenching and ultimately history-making roller coaster ride to the top. 144 min. 999:2527
Director, Gus Van Sant, 2005. Cast: Michael Pitt, Lukas Haas, Asia Argento, Scott Green, Nicole Vicius, Ricky Jay, Ryan Orion, Harmony Korine, Kim Gordon. This film is inspired by the final hours of Kurt Cobain. Blake is a brilliant but troubled musician whose success has left him in a lonely place. The film follows Blake through a handful of hours spent in his wooded home ... a fugitive from his own life. 97 min. DVD 5973
Director, Nick Broomfield. Delves into the death of the leading rock star of the Nirvana rock group, Kurt Cobain. Many people feel Cobain's death was not a suicide, but was rather a homicide that was covered up. All the conspiracy theories have a common thread connecting Cobain's wife, Courtney Love, to his death. No one appears to claim she pulled the trigger, but some claim that she hired someone else to do the job, or else drove Cobain to do it himself. 1997. 95 min. Video/C 6881
Directed by Michael Curtiz. Cast: James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston, Richard Whorf. A rousing musical depicting the life of George M. Cohan, famed playwright, entertainer and composer of patriotic songs. 127 min. DVD 2038; vhs 999:899
[Collins, Michael] Michael Collins (UK / Ireland / USA, 1995)
Directed by Neil Jordan. Cast: Liam Neeson, Aidan Quinn, Stephen Rea, Alan Rickman, Julia Roberts. A docu-drama of the life of the Irish statesman and revolutionary, Michael Collins, who negotiated Ireland's break from England and whose fighting tactics became a model for other 20th century struggles. 133 min. 999:1662
[Columbus, Christopher]1492: Conquest of Paradise (UK / USA / France / Spain, 1992)
Directed by Ridley Scott. Cast: Gerard Depardieu, Armand Assante, Loren Dean, Angela Molina, Fernando Rey, Michael Wincott, Tcheky Karyo, Kevin Dunn, Mark Margolis, Juan Diego Botto, Achero Manas, Sigourney Weaver. The film chronicles the voyages of Columbus, the colonization of the New World highlighting Old World arrogance and New World innocence and concluding with Columbus' personal tragedy. 150 min. 999:3672
Alleva, Richard. "1492: The Conquest of Paradise." Commonweal 119.n20 (Nov 20, 1992): 20(2). UC users only
"Christopher Columbus." In: The Columbia companion to American history on film : how the movies have portrayed the American past / edited by Peter C. Rollins.
New York : Columbia University Press, c2003. (Media Center PN1995.9.U64.C65 2003; Doe Refe PN1995.9.U64.C65 2003; Moffitt PN1995.9.U64.C65 2003; PFA PN1995.9.U64.C65 2003)
Le Beau, Bryan F. "1492: Conquest of Paradise." American Studies 34.n1 (Spring 1993): 151(7).
Strick, Philip. "1492: Conquest of Paradise." Sight and Sound 2.n7 (Nov 1992): 41(2).
Wollen, Peter. "Cinema's conquistadors. (Ridley Scott's '1492: Conquest of Paradise')." Sight and Sound 2.n7 (Nov 1992): 20(4).
[Conlon, Gerry]In the Name of the Father (1993)
Directed by Jim Sheridan. Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Emma Thompson, Terry George and Jim Sheridan. The fact-based story of Gerry Conlon, a petty thief from Belfast. When he angers the IRA, his father sends him to England where, caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, he is accused of a terrorist bombing and forced to confess. He and his father, along with friends of Gerry, are found guilty and sentenced to life in prison as members of the "Guildford Four". Behind bars, Gerry works for 15 years with the help of a dedicated lawyer, to clear their names. Based on the autobiographical book Proved Innocent by Gerry Conlon. 185 min. DVD X1059; vhs 999:2052
Director: Raoul Walsh. Cast: Errol Flynn, Alexis Smith, Jack Carson, Alan Hale, John Loder, William Frawley, Minor Watson, Ward Bond, Medeleine LeBeau, Rhys Williams, Arthur Shields, Dorothy Vaughan.
Because boxing is a considered an illegal and disreputable enterprise in 1880's San Francisco, wealthy and influential members of the prestigious Olympic Club vow to make the sport a "gentlemanly" one. They sponsor a brash, extroverted young bank clerk named Jim Corbett, who quickly becomes an accomplished fighter under the new Marquis of Queensbury Rules. Based on the life of James J. Corbett
Special features: "Warner night at the movies 1942" short subjects gallery: vintage newsreel, sports shorts "Shoot yourself some golf" (with Ronald Reagan and Jane Wyman) and "The right timing," classic cartoon "Foney fables," trailers of Gentlman Jim and 1942's "The male animal;" audio-only bonus: radio show adaptation with Errol Flynn, Alexis Smith and Ward Bond.
104 min. DVD 8053
Director, Paul Schrader. Cast: Greg Kinnear, Willem Dafoe, Rita Wilson, KurtFuller, Maria Bello, Ron Leibman, Ed Begley, Jr. A provocative drama about the life and mysterious death of television actor Bob Crane who became well known as the star of the comedy hit series "Hogan's Heroes." With fame and success, Crane drove headfirst into the darker, destructive side of celebrity life. He eventually teamed with a video technician who helped him document his numerous sexploits. But when his fast living got out of control, the end result was a brutal murder that remains one of Hollywood's most scandalous unsolved mysteries. 106 min. DVD 2335
Doherty, Thomas. "Sex, half-truths and videotape: auto focus and confessions of a dangerous mind.(reviews of 2 films)(Movie Review)." Cineaste 28.2 (Spring 2003): 10(5).
UC users only
Ferber, Lawrence. "The lost language of Crane: Greg Kinnear and director Paul Schrader talk about the homoerotic tension behind the Bob Crane biopic Auto Focus." (film). The Advocate Oct 29, 2002 p55(1)
Hirschberg, Lynn. "First came the sitcom. Then came the murder. Then came the pornographic Web site. Now here comes the Hollywood biopic! Bob Crane, the star of 'Hogan's Heroes,' was the definition of an ephemeral celebrity." (Cover Story) The New York Times Magazine Sept 29, 2002 p36(6)
Directed by Frank Perry. Cast: Faye Dunaway, Steve Forrest, Diana Scarwid, Mara Hobel, Howard Da Silva, Rutanya Alda. Based on the book by her adopted daughter this is the story of the tormented life of movie star, Joan Crawford, who struggling to survive in a cutthroat world, succumbed to alcoholism and child abuse. Based on the book by Christina Crawford. Special DVD features: Commentary by filmmaker John Waters; featurettes; photo gallery; original theatrical trailer. 129 min. DVD X1061; vhs 999:3361
Babener, Liahna. "Haywire in Hollywood; girlhood memories by movieland daughters." Journal of Popular Film and Television 16.n4 (Wntr 1989): 138(10).
Brauerhoch, Annette. "Mixed Emotions: Mommie Dearest-Between Melodrama and Horror." Cinema Journal, vol. 35, no. 1, pp. 53-64, Fall 1995.
UC users only
Haralovich, Mary Beth. "Too much guilt is never enough for working mothers: Joan Crawford, Mildred Pierce, and Mommie Dearest." Velvet Light Trap (Spring 1992): 43(10).
Directed by Mick Jackson. Cast: Tim Pigott-Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Alan Howard, Juliet Stevenson. A dramatized documentary, set in the years 1951-1953, which focuses on the young scientist James Watson who with other scientists "raced" to discover the DNA double helix comprising human genetic material. According to the film, the discovery was primarily made by scientist Rosalind Franklin, but her ideas were stolen by the team of Watson, Crick, and Wilkins, who were subsequently awarded the Nobel Prize after her death. 108 min. DVD 2871; also vhs Video/C 5403
[Crisp, Quentin]The Naked Civil Servant: The Autobiography of Quentin Crisp (UK, TV, 1975)
Directed by Jack Gold. Cast: John Hurt, Patricia Hodge, Frederick Treves, Katharine Schofield, Frank Forsyth, Stanley Lebor.
Based on Quentin Crisp's autobiography, this once-controversial picture stars John Hurt as Crisp, a flamboyant character who publicly declared his homosexuality during the brutally homophobic and misogynistic England of the 1930s and '40s -- a time when this alternative lifestyle was still an offense punishable by imprisonment in Great Britain. Special features: Audio commentary with John Hurt, director Jack Gold, and executive producer Verity Lambert; "Deja vu with Quentin Crisp": Quentin Crisp's observations on British and American culture. 77 min. DVD 8241
Directed by John Lee Hancock. Cast: Billy Bob Thornton, Dennis Quaid, Jason Patric, Patrick Wilson, Jordi Molla, Emilio Echevarria, Marc Blucas, Leon Rippy. Retells the story of the historic 1836 battle in the Texan War of Independence. Facing 4,000 Mexican troops, 186 Texan soldiers and volunteers - including William Travis, Davy Crockett, and Jim Bowie - retreat within the walls of the Alamo, a Franciscan mission that was converted into a military fort. Once inside, the men prepare themselves for what will be a bloody battle to the death. U.S. General Sam Houston leads the charge from the outside. The Texans held the fort for 13 days under siege by General Santa Anna. 136 min. DVD 3008
Andreychuk, Ed.
American frontiersmen on film and television : Boone, Crockett, Bowie, Houston, Bridger, and Carson Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland & Co., c2005. (MAIN: PN1995.9.P487 A53 2005)
Niemi, Robert. "The Alamo (2004)" In: History in the media : film and television Santa Barbara, Calif. : ABC-CLIO, c2006.
(MAIN: PN1995.9.H5 N54 2006)
Thompson, Frank T. "Reprinting the Legend: The Alamo on Film." Film and History: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Film and Television Studies, vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 12-64, 2006
Directed by John Wayne. Cast: John Wayne, Richard Widmark, Laurence Harvey, Frankie Avalon, Patrick Wayne, Richard Boone, Linda Cristal, Joan O'Brien. Film depicts a pivotal event in American history--the battle of the Alamo when 185 "Texans" stood against a 7,000-man Mexican army. The battle ended in the smaller forces' defeat, but lasted long enough to insure the eventual independence of Texas. Special DVD features: John Wayne's "The Alamo" documentary (40 min.) ; theatrical trailers. 202 min. DVD X1033; vhs 999:921
Andreychuk, Ed.
American frontiersmen on film and television : Boone, Crockett, Bowie, Houston, Bridger, and Carson Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland & Co., c2005. (MAIN: PN1995.9.P487 A53 2005)
Niemi, Robert. "The Alamo (2004)" In: History in the media : film and television Santa Barbara, Calif. : ABC-CLIO, c2006.
(MAIN: PN1995.9.H5 N54 2006)
Thompson, Frank T. "Reprinting the Legend: The Alamo on Film." Film and History: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Film and Television Studies, vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 12-64, 2006
[Cromwell, Oliver]To Kill a King(UK / Germany, 2003)
Directed by Cameron Crowe. Cast: Tim Roth, Dougray Scott, Rupert Everett, Olivia Williams, James Bolam, Corin Redgrave, Finbar Lynch, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Adrian Scarborough, Jeremy Swift.
After years of civil war, King Charles I is overthrown in 1645 and two heroes have emerged-- Lord General Thomas Fairfax and his best friend and deputy General Oliver Cromwell. Their friendship is threatened when Fairfax and his wife conspire to return the King to power, and Cromwell instead orders his execution, seizing control. His armies spread violence and fear throughout the country, and Fairfax realizes Cromwell must be stopped, and their bond as two comrades-at-arms irreparably broken. 102 min. DVD 9496
Directed by Cameron Crowe. Cast: Cast: Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand, Kate Hudson, Jason Lee, Patrick Fugit, Anna Paquin, Fairuza Balk, Noah Taylor, Philip Seymour Hoffman. It's the opportunity of a lifetime when teenage reporter William Miller lands an assignment from Rolling Stone magazine. Despite the objections of his protective mother, William hits the road with an up-and-coming rock band and finds there's a lot more to write home about than the music. 124 min. DVD 1106
Directed by Mervyn LeRoy. Cast: Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Henry Travers, Albert Basserman, Robert Walker, Reginald Owen, Van Johnson, Margaret O'Brien. Portrayal of Marie and Pierre Curie, partners in life and in their efforts to isolate the radioactive element radium, first discovered by Dr. Becquerel. 126 min. DVD X1048; vhs 999:3613
Crawford, T. Hugh. "Glowing Dishes: Radium, Marie Curie, and Hollywood." Biography: An Interdisciplinary Quarterly. 23 (1): 71-89. 2000 Winter. UC users only
[Custer, George Armstrong] They Died With Their Boots On (1942)
Directed by Raoul Walsh. Cast: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Arthur Kennedy, Charley Grapewin, Gene Lockhart, Anthony Quinn, Stanley Ridges, John Litel, Walter Hampden, Sydney Greenstreet, Regis Toomey, Hattie McDaniel. Tells the story of General George Armstrong Custer from the time he enters West Point military academy, through the American Civil War and finally to his last days in the battle of Little Big Horn. 139 min. DVD 4019
Aleiss, Angela. "Prelude to World War II: racial unity and the Hollywood Indian." Journal of American Culture 1995, Vol. 18 Issue 2, p25-34, 10p
Aleiss, Angela. "Prelude to World War II: racial unity and the Hollywood Indian." Journal of American Culture 1995, Vol. 18 Issue 2, p25-34, 10p
UC users only
Hutton, Paul Andrew. "'Correct in Every Detail': General Custer in Hollywood." Montana: The Magazine of Western History, Vol. 41, No. 1 (Winter, 1991), pp. 28-57
UC users only
Kraft, Louis.
"Custer The Truth Behind the Silver Screen." American History, Feb2008, Vol. 42 Issue 6, p26-33, 8p
UC users only
Niemi, Robert. "They Died with Their Boots On." In: History in the media : film and television Santa Barbara, Calif. : ABC-CLIO, c2006.
(MAIN: PN1995.9.H5 N54 2006)
Pearson, Roberta E. "Custer's Still the Hero: Textual Stability and Transformation." Journal of Film & Video; Spring-Fall95, Vol. 47 Issue 1-3, p82-97, 16p
UC users only
Directed by Martin Scorsese. Cast: Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong, Gyurme Tethong, Tulku Jamyang Kunga Tenzin, Tenzin Yeshi Paichang. A dramatization of the incredible true story of one of the world's most fascinating leaders -- Tibet's current (14th) Dalai Lama -- and his daring struggle to regain independence for Tibet. Powerfully told and set against a backdrop of world politics the film created an international uproar upon its release. 149 min. DVD 305
[Danton, Georges] Danton(France / Poland / West Germany, 1982)
Directed by Andrzej Wajda. Cast: Gerard Depardieu, Wojciech Pszoniak, Patrice Chereau, Roger Planchon, Jacques Villeret, Angela Winkler, Georges Danton, the popular revolutionary leader, returns to Paris at a time when the new Republic is in disarray. Maximilien Robespierre and his allies have set up a monstrous dictatorship, beginning the infamous "Reign of Terror." Danton pleads with the people for an end to the bloodshed which violates the spirit of their revolution. 166 min. DVD X1609; vhs 999:198
Directed by Fritz Bornemann. Cast: Friedo Solter, Carl-Hermann Risse, Uwe Kockisch, Volkmar Kleinert, Winfried Wagner, Joachim Siebenschuh. A chronicle of the aftermath of the French Revolution and the ideological struggles between two of its leaders, Danton and Robespierre. A production adapted for German television by Fritz Bornemann. PAL format. In German without English subtitles. 133 min. vhs 999:2799
[Darrow, Clarence]Inherit the Wind(1960)
Directed by Stanley Kramer. Cast: Spencer Tracy, Fredric March, Gene Kelly, Dick York, Donna Anderson, Harry Morgan. A historical drama of the so called "Monkey Trial" which pitted attorney Clarence Darrow and the fundamentalist William Jennings Brian in heated courtroom debate. It is set in a small Tennessee town which gained national attention in 1925 when a biology schoolteacher, John T. Scopes, was arrested for violating state law by teaching Darwin's theory of evolution to his students. 108 min. DVD 1105; vhs 999:639
Directed by Roberto Rossellini. Cast: Ugo Cardea, Anne Pouchie, Gabriele Banchero, Kenneth Belton, Vernon Dobtcheff, Renato Montalbano. René Descartes was known as the "Father of modern philosophy." Depicts the seventeenth-century thinker's agonized struggle to assert the primacy of reason. An intimate, psychological study of obsession and existential crisis. 162 min. DVD X1139
Directed by Shekhar Kapu. A dramatization of the life story of the female dacoit, Phoolan Devi. Born of low caste in the Chambal River Valley of India, 11 year-old Phoolan is sold into marriage with a man 20 years her senior. Challenging her fate, she escapes and falls in with a pack of ruthless bandits but the political structure of the male-dominated gang comes with its own set of brutal humiliations, and Phoolan must struggle to rise above a culture determined to bring her down, in a bloody coup that electrified a nation. 119 min. 999:1441
[Devonshire, Georgiana Spencer Cavendish, Duchess of] The Duchess (UK / Italy / France, 2008)
Director, Saul Dibb. Cast: Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, Charlotte Rampling, Dominic Cooper, Hayley Atwell, Simon McBurney. Chronicles the life of 18th century aristocrat Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire (1757 - 1806) who was reviled for her extravagant political and personal life. A vibrant beauty and celebrity of her time, Georgiana is trapped in an unhappy marital triangle with her husband and his live-in mistress. She falls passionately in love with Earl Grey, an ambitious young politician, and the affair causes a bitter conflict with her husband and threatens to erupt into a scandal. Now she must face an agonizing choice between her hopeless but passionate love affair or her responsibilities as a duchess. Special features: How far she went-- making The Duchess; Georgiana in her own words; Costume diary. Based on the book "Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire" by Amanda Foreman. 109 min. DVD X964
[Diana (Spencer), Princess of Wales] The Queen (UK / France / Italy, 2006)
Directed by Stephen Frears. Cast: Helen Mirren (HM Queen Elizabeth II), Michael Sheen (Tony Blair), James Cromwell (Prince Philip), Helen McCrory (Cherie Blair), Alex Jennings (Prince Charles), Roger Allam (Robin Janvrin), and Sylvia Syms (HM The Queen Mother).
The Queen opens with a familiar epigraph "Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown" - Henry IV, Part II. The action of the film takes place during the week following the death, on August 31, 1997 of Diana, Princess of Wales. One of its accomplishments, courtesy of the adroit use of newsreel and other contemporary footage, is to remind viewers of the deep sadness that surrounded that event. It is also about the divergent and potentially ruinous ways the monarch and Prime Minister Tony Blair responded to the resulting torrent of national grief. Special features: The Making Of ... "The Queen" part one "Playing real people" ; part two "The design" ; part three "That week" (20 min.) ; audio commentary by director Stephen Frears and writer Peter Morgan ; audio commentary by British historian and royal expert Robert Lacey, author of "Majesty".
The picture of dignity -- Prime Minister Tony -- Diana -- Upsetting news -- The people's princess -- A public funeral -- Modern men -- The royal standard -- A quiet revolution -- Captive beauty -- A serious mistake -- A day of mourning -- Shared grief -- The funeral -- Two months later -- End credits. 103 min. DVD 7563
[Diaz de Vivar, Rodrigo] El Cid (Italy / USA / UK, 1961)
Directed by Anthony Mann. Cast: Charlton Heston, Sophia Loren, Raf Vallone, Genevieve Page, John Fraser, Gary Raymond, Hurd Hatfield, Massimo Serato, Herbert Lom, Ralph Truman.
Eleventh-century Spain is divided into Christian kingdoms and Moorish strongholds. The young Rodrigo Diaz de Bivar, a Castillian knight who has been dubbed El Cid [El Cid Campeador "The Lord Champion"] by his followers, vows to free his country from the invader. This epic tale romanticizes the years of love, warfare, revenge, rivalries, as El Cid becomes a revered warrior. Much of the movie was shot on location in Spain - including the castles of Belmonte (Cuenca) and Peniscola (Castellon). Special features: Disc 1: Feature commentary with Bill Bronston (son of producer) and Neal M. Rosendorf, vintage radio interviews with Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren, still galleries; filmographies ; Disc 2: "Hollywood conquers Spain: the making of El Cid", "Samuel Bronston: the epic journey of a dreamer", "Behind the camera: Anthony Mann and El Cid", "Miklos Rozsa: maestro of the movies", "Preserving our legacy: Gerry Byrne on film preservation and restoration", trailer gallery. 188 min.DVD 9290
Directed by Charles S. Dubin. Julie Harris as America's first notable poetess, through an examination of her diaries and letters and observations on her life and family. Against a handsome set depicting Dickinson's Amherst, Massachusettes home, this portrayal shrewdly balances the agony of the secluded poet with the bright moments when Dickinson could see the joy in life. 1994. 90 min. DVD 8609
Directed by Max Nosseck. Cast: Lawrence Tierney, Edmund Lowe, Anne Jeffreys. A dramatization of Dillinger's violent career from his early days through his rise to the top of the FBI most-wanted list. Concludes with the well-known "lady in red" betrayal that left Dilinger a bullet-riddled corpse on a dark Chicago street. 70 min. DVD 4113
Directed by Sydney Pollack. Cast: Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, Klaus Maria Brandauer. The true story of Karen Blixen, a strong-willed woman who, with her philandering husband, runs a coffee plantation in Kenya, circa 1914. To her astonishment she soon discovers herself falling in love with the land, its people and a mysterious white hunter. Based on the books "Out of Africa," Shadows on the grass" and "Letters from Africa" by Isak Dinesen ; "Isak Dinesen, the life of a storyteller" by Judith Thurman; "Silence will speak" by Errol Trzebinski. Special features: Song of Africa : an original documentary; Feature commentary with director Sydney Pollack; Production notes; Cast & filmmakers; Theatrical trailer; Universal WEB links. 161min. DVD X789; vhs 999:2021
Directed by Sidney Lumet. Cast: Vin Diesel, Peter Dinklage, Linus Roache, Ron Silver, Anabella Sciorra, Alex Rocco.
Based on the true story of the most remarkable criminal trial in U.S. history. Mobster Jackie Dee DiNorscio tries to strike a bargain with police: a shorter prison term in exchange for ratting on his fellow mobsters. He takes matters in his own hands when he defends himself instead, turning the courtroom upside down. 124 min. DVD X270
Directed by Alexander Korda. Cast: George Arlis, Florence Arlis, Joan Bennett. A historical drama of the life of Benjamin Disraeli, the famous Prime Minister of 19th century Victorian England. One of the masterstrokes of Disraeli's foreign policy provides the focus for the film: the acquisition of the Suez Canal during a time of domestic and international intrigue. 87 min. 999:2863
[Doolittle, James]Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944)
Director: Mervyn LeRoy. A classic World War II thriller - the true life story of the first American air raids on Japan. Spencer Tracy plays Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle, the tough and inspiring mastermind of the historic crew of the "Ruptured Duck," commanded by Captain Ted Lawson. Lawson's daydreams of the bride he left behind are intertwined with the nightmarish terrors of a tense Pacific crossing, thunderous bombings, and the fate of his men on their painful odyssey through mainland China. 139 min. DVD 9130; vhs 999:796
[Dos Santos, João Francisco]Madame Satã (Brazil / France, 2002)
Director, Karim Ainouz. Cast: Lazaro Ramos, Marcelia Cartaxo, Flavio Bauraqui, Fellipe Marques, Renata Sorrah, Ricardo Blat, Emiliano Queiroz.
Born to slaves in Northern Brazil and sold at the age of 7 by his mother for the price of a mule, tells the story of the life of one of the most remarkable figures in Brazilian popular culture, João Francisco dos Santos (1900-1976). In turn, bandit, transvestite, street fighter, brothel cook, convict and father to seven adopted children, dos Santos -- better known as Madame Satñ -- was also a notorious gay performer and drag queen who pushed social boundaries in the volatile 1930s. Special features: Audio commentary with director Karim Ainouz; making-of featurette; "Seams" short documentary. 105 min. DVD X361
Directed by John Sturges. Cast: Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Rhonda Fleming, Jo Van Fleet, John Ireland.
Based on historical events in Tombstone, Arizona this film explores the relationship between two of the West's most celebrated legends -- Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. When Earp saves Holliday from mob violence, the foes become friends and join forces to rid the West of the Clanton gang, which culminates in the legendary gunfight. 122 min. DVD X902; vhs 999:3068
Blake, Michael F. Hollywood and the O.K. Corral : portrayals of the gunfight and Wyatt Earp Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland & Co., c2007.
(MAIN: PN1995.9.W4 B583 2007)
Cohen, Hubert I.
"Wyatt Earp at the O. K. Corral: Six Versions."
The Journal of American Culture. Jun 2003. Vol. 26, Iss. 2; p. 204 (20 pages) UC users only
Simmon, Scott. "Concerning the Weary Legs of Wyatt Earp: The Classic Western According to Shakespeare." Literature/Film Quarterly. 1996. Vol. 24, Iss. 2; pg. 114, 14 pgsUC users only
[Earp, Wyatt] My Darling Clementine (1946)
Directed by John Ford. Cast: Henry Fonda, Linda Darnell, Victor Mature, Cathy Downs, Walter Brennan, Tim Holt, Cathy Downs. Wyatt Earp becomes Marshal of Tombstone in order to avenge the murder of his youngest brother. He is helped by Clementine, "Doc" Holliday and Chihuahua and finally kills old man Clanton and his sons in a gunfight at the O.K. Corral. 117 min. DVD 2290; vhs 999:95
Directed by George P. Cosmatos. Featuring Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Michael Biehn, Powers Boothe, Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton, Jason Priestley, Charlton Heston. Presents the life and times of the famous cowboys Marshall Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday as they team up to bring law to the lawless in a showdown with ruthless outlaws at the O.K. Corral, located at the outskirts of Tombstone, Arizona. 130 min. DVD 2290; vhs 999:1828
Directed by William Dieterle. Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Ruth Gordon, Otto Kruger, Donald Crisp. Portrays Dr. Paul Ehrlich's valiant struggle against persistent opposition as he worked over a number of years to develop a cure for diphtheria and syphilis. 103 min. vhs 999:3614
Babington, Bruce. "To catch a star on your fingertips': diagnosing the medical biopic from The Story of Louis Pasteur to Freud." In: Signs of life : cinema and medicine / edited by Graeme Harper and Andrew Moor. London ; New York : Wallflower Press, 2005.
(Main (Gardner) Stacks PN1995.9.P44 S54 2005)
Crawford, T. Hugh. "Screening Science: Pedagogy and Practice in William Dieterle's Film Biographies of Scientists." Common Knowledge. 6 (2): 52-68. 1997 Fall.
Parascandola, John. "VD at the Movies: PHS Films of the 1930s and 1940s." Public Health Reports March/April 1996, Volume III
[Eleanor of Aquitaine]Lion in Winter (UK, 1968)
Directed by Anthony Harvey. Cast: Peter O'Toole, Katharine Hepburn.
Queen Eleanor (Hepburn) tries to align herself with France in order to insure her eldest son's position as heir to the throne. King Henry (O'Toole) favors his youngest son for the coveted title. The sons care little for either parent, and each will stop at nothing to obtain personal power. The King and Queen's relationship is dissected as they plot, love, cheat, connive and try to politically devour each other. 136 min. DVD X1081; vhs 999:204
[Empress Elisabeth, consort of Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria]Sissi (Austria, 1955)
Director, Ernst Marischka. Cast: Romy Schneider, Karlheinz Bohm, Magda Schneider, Gustav Knuth, Josef Meinrad, Vilma Degischer.
"Sixteen year old princess Elisabeth, 'Sissi', follows her mother and sister Helene to the Austrian court in Ischl, where the engagement between Helene and the young emperor Franz Josef will be announced. But he meets Sissi when she's out fishing and falls in love with her. Sissi loves Franz Josef but a marriage with him comes with a bonus, his arrogant and headstrong mother." [Internet Movie Database] 101 min. 999:300
[Elizabeth I]Elizabeth I (TV, HBO, USA / UK, 2005)
Cast: Helen Mirren, Jeremy Irons, Hugh Dancy, Ian McDiarmid, Patrick Malahide, Toby Jones. A television mini-series exploring the intersection of the private and public life of Elizabeth I in the latter half of her reign, offering a personal look at her allies, her enemies, and her suitors as she struggles to survive in a male-dominated world. 211 min. DVD 6080
[Elizabeth I]Elizabeth I: The Virgin Queen (TV,Masterpiece Theatre, 1996)
Directed by Coky Giedroyc. Cast: Anne-Marie Duff, Tom Hardy, Hans Matheson, Ian Hart, Dexter Fletcher, Kevin McKidd, Daniel Evans, Joanne Whalley, Sienna Guillory.
Anne-Marie Duff stars in this British television production as the shrewd and captivating queen who defended her throne amidst an atmosphere of plotting and intrigue, torture and murder. The Virgin Queen is a riveting drama that explores the fascinating 44-year-reign of Elizabeth I. 230 min. DVD 5422
[Elizabeth I]The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)
Directed by Michael Curtiz. Cast: Bette Davis, Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Donald Crisp, Alan Hale, Vincent Price, Henry Stephenson. This period drama sets the tumultuous on-again, off-again affair between Queen Elizabeth I and the second Earl of Essex against Essex's powerful ambition to assume the throne of England. 106 min. DVD 4020
Robertson, James C. The Casablanca man : the cinema of Michael Curtiz London ; New York : Routledge, 1993. (Main Stack PN1998.3.C87.R63 1993)
Rosenzweig, Sidney. Casablanca and other major films of Michael Curtiz Ann Arbor, Mich.: UMI Research Press, c1982
(MAIN: PN1998.A3 .C9 1982; Storage Info: B 3 569 839 MOFF: PN1998.A3 .C9 1982; PFA : PN1998.3.C9 C37 1982)
Directed by Shekhar Kapur. Cast: Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Christopher Eccleston, Joseph Fiennes, Richard Attenborough, John Gielgud. Young, passionate Elizabeth Tudor comes to the throne amidst bloody turmoil in 1554 England. Among her courtiers are the venerable Sir William Cecil, her lover the Duke of Leicester, the imperious Duke of Norfolk, and her advisor Walsingham. The new Queen Elizabeth I must learn to weigh her counsel carefully and ignore her private yearnings if she is to keep her crown--and her head in this thriller of intrigue in the court of one of history's greatest monarchs. 149 min. DVD 4821; vhs 999:2435
Gillard, Garry. "'I have become a virgin'--Elizabeth.(Film As Text)." Australian Screen Education 37 (Winter 2004): 153(3). UC users only
Knowles, Sarah. "Elizabeth." Film & History, Sep2003, Vol. 33 Issue 2, p78-80, 3p UC users only
O'Leary, Alan.
"The gendered space of cinema and nation in Elizabeth and Michael Collins." Studies in European Cinema, 2004, Vol. 1 Issue 2, p117-127, 11p
UC users only
Pigeon, Renee. ""No man's Elizabeth" : the Virgin Queen in recent films." In: Retrovision : reinventing the past in film and fiction / edited by Deborah Cartmell, I.Q. Hunter, and Imelda Whelehan. London ; Sterling, Virginia : Pluto Press, 2001. (Main Stack PN1995.9.H5.R46 2001)
Sweet, Rosemary. "Elizabeth.(Review)." American Historical Review 104.1 (Feb 1999): 297(2).
[Elizabeth I (Tutor)] Elizabeth: The Golden Age (UK, 2007)
Directed by Shekhar Kapur. Cast: Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Jordi Molla, Samantha Morton, Eddie Redmayne, Clive Owen. Sequel to: Elizabeth.
Queen Elizabeth's reign is threatened by familial betrayal and Spain's invading army. She and her shrewd advisors must act to safeguard the lives of her people. When the dashing seafarer Walter Raleigh captures her heart, Elizabeth is forced to make her most tragic sacrifice for the good of her country. A tale of one woman's crusade to control her love, destroy her enemies, and secure her position as a beloved icon of the western world. Special features: Deleted scenes; "The reign continues: the making of Elizabeth: the golden age" featurette; "Inside Elizabeth's world" featurette; "Commanding the winds: creating the Armada" featurette; "Towers, courts and cathedrals" featurette; audio commentary with director Shekhar Kapur. 115 min. DVD X495
[Elizabeth II, Queen of Great Britain] The Queen (UK / France / Italy, 2006)
Directed by Stephen Frears. Cast: Helen Mirren (HM Queen Elizabeth II), Michael Sheen (Tony Blair), James Cromwell (Prince Philip), Helen McCrory (Cherie Blair), Alex Jennings (Prince Charles), Roger Allam (Robin Janvrin), and Sylvia Syms (HM The Queen Mother).
The Queen opens with a familiar epigraph "Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown" - Henry IV, Part II. The action of the film takes place during the week following the death, on August 31, 1997 of Diana, Princess of Wales. One of its accomplishments, courtesy of the adroit use of newsreel and other contemporary footage, is to remind viewers of the deep sadness that surrounded that event. It is also about the divergent and potentially ruinous ways the monarch and Prime Minister Tony Blair responded to the resulting torrent of national grief. Special features: The Making Of ... "The Queen" part one "Playing real people" ; part two "The design" ; part three "That week" (20 min.) ; audio commentary by director Stephen Frears and writer Peter Morgan ; audio commentary by British historian and royal expert Robert Lacey, author of "Majesty".
The picture of dignity -- Prime Minister Tony -- Diana -- Upsetting news -- The people's princess -- A public funeral -- Modern men -- The royal standard -- A quiet revolution -- Captive beauty -- A serious mistake -- A day of mourning -- Shared grief -- The funeral -- Two months later -- End credits. 103 min. DVD 7563
Directed by Ramon Menendez. Cast: Edward James Olmos, Lou Diamond Phillips, Rosana DeSoto, Andy Garcia. Jaime Escalante, a math teacher at East Los Angeles' Garfield High School, refuses to write off his kids as losers. He cajoles, pushes, wheedles, needles, threatens and inspires 18 kids to become math whizzes. Then they take the National Advanced Placement Calculus exam with surprising results. 103 min. DVD 9513; vhs 999:272
[Essex, Earl of (Robert Devereux)]The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)
Directed by Michael Curtiz. Cast: Bette Davis, Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Donald Crisp, Alan Hale, Vincent Price, Henry Stephenson. This period drama sets the tumultuous on-again, off-again affair between Queen Elizabeth I and the second Earl of Essex against Essex's powerful ambition to assume the throne of England. 106 min. DVD 4020
Robertson, James C. The Casablanca man : the cinema of Michael Curtiz London ; New York : Routledge, 1993. (Main Stack PN1998.3.C87.R63 1993)
Rosenzweig, Sidney. Casablanca and other major films of Michael Curtiz Ann Arbor, Mich.: UMI Research Press, c1982
(MAIN: PN1998.A3 .C9 1982; Storage Info: B 3 569 839 MOFF: PN1998.A3 .C9 1982; PFA : PN1998.3.C9 C37 1982)
[Etting, Ruth] Love Me or Leave Me (1955)
Directed by Charles Vidor. Cast: Doris Day, James Cagney, Cameron Mitchell, Robert Keith, Tom Tully.
Jazz age singing sensation Ruth Etting had it all, but it took more than talent to make it big. Her rise to fame at the hands of her Chicago gangster boyfriend turned her life off stage into a world of fear and abuse. Special features: 3 vintage shorts, the first two with Ruth Etting: A modern Cinderella ; Roseland ; A salute to the theatres; theatrical trailer. 122 min. DVD 8876
[Fairfax, Thomas]To Kill a King(UK / Germany, 2003)
Directed by Cameron Crowe. Cast: Tim Roth, Dougray Scott, Rupert Everett, Olivia Williams, James Bolam, Corin Redgrave, Finbar Lynch, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Adrian Scarborough, Jeremy Swift.
After years of civil war, King Charles I is overthrown in 1645 and two heroes have emerged-- Lord General Thomas Fairfax and his best friend and deputy General Oliver Cromwell. Their friendship is threatened when Fairfax and his wife conspire to return the King to power, and Cromwell instead orders his execution, seizing control. His armies spread violence and fear throughout the country, and Fairfax realizes Cromwell must be stopped, and their bond as two comrades-at-arms irreparably broken. 102 min. DVD 9496
[Farinelli] Farinelli, il Castrato (Belgium / France / Italy / USA, 1994)
Directed by Gérard Corbiau. Cast: Stefano Dionisi, Enrico Lo Verso, Elsa Zylberstein, Jeroen Krabbé. The true story of a world famous castrato in the 18th century. With charisma, talent, drive and success, Farinelli had everything: money, talent, fame, women, and the voice of an angel. He becomes obsessed with earning the respect of his brother's rival, the composer Handel. 110 min. DVD X1393
[Fassbinder, Rainer Werner] A Man Like Eva (Ein Mann wie EVA) (West Germany, 1983)
Directed by Radu Gabrea. Cast: Eva Mattes, Lisa Kreuzer, Charles Regnier, Werner Stocker. Loosely based on the colorful, combustible life and career of German filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder, this film stars actress Eva Mattes in male drag as an obsessive, sadomasochistic movie director. Eva is currently working on a filmization of Dumas' Lady of the Camelias, and in so doing mercilessly uses and abuses everyone in "his" cast and crew and succeeds in driving everyone crazy -- and at least one person to suicide. 92 min. 999:2988
Director, Denzel Washington. Cast: Derek Luke, Joy Bryant, Denzel Washington, Salli Richardson, Earl Billings, Kevin Connolly, Viola Davis, Rainoldo Gooding.
Guided by a determined Navy psychiatrist, a troubled sailor embarks on a personal, emotionally inspiring journey to confront his past and connect with the family he never knew. Inspired by the true life experiences of Antwone Fisher. Special features: Commentary by director Denzel Washington and producer Todd Black; "Meeting Antwone Fisher" featurette; "The Making of Antwone Fisher" behind-the-scenes featurette; "Hollywood and the Navy" featurette. 120 min. DVD 5627
Directed by Milos Forman. Cast: Woody Harrelson, Courtney Love, Edward Norton. Based on the true story of the notorius Hustler publisher who was sued by the Religious Right and paralyzed by a fanatic's bullet who took his case to the Supreme Court in defense of free speech and First Amendment rights. Chronicles Flynt's raunchy business savvy, his wildly unconventional marriage and his infamous courtroom antics. 130 min. DVD 607
[Ford, Robert]The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Directed by Andrew Dominik. Cast: Brad Pitt, Mary-Louise Parker, Brooklynn Proulx, Dustin Bollinger, Casey Affleck, Sam Rockwell, Jeremy Renner, Sam Shepard, Garret Dillahunt, Paul Schneider.
Everyone in 1880s America knows Jesse James. He's the nation's most notorious criminal and is being hunted by the law in 10 states. He's also the land's greatest hero, lauded as a Robin Hood by the public. No one knows of Robert Ford, at least not yet. But the ambitious 19-year-old aims to change that. He befriends Jesse and rides with his gang. And if that doesn't bring Ford fame, he will have to find a deadlier way. Friendship becomes rivalry and the quest for fame becomes obsession. Based on the novel by Ron Hansen.
159 min. DVD 9280
Directed by Samuel Fuller. Cast: Preston Foster, Barbara Britton, John Ireland, Reed Hadley, J. Edward Bromberg, Victor Kilian.
After years of crime reporting and writing pulp novels and screenplays, Samuel Fuller made his directorial debut with the lonesome ballad of Robert Ford who fatally betrayed his friend, the notorious Jesse James. 81 min. DVD 8207
Directed by Bob Fosse. Cast: Roy Scheider, Jessica Lange, Ann Reinking, Leland Palmer, Cliff Gorman, Ben Vereen, Erzsebet Foldi. Bob Fosse's spellbinding film and four time Academy Award winner is a powerful story of a man (loosely based on Fosse's life) driven compulsively to find perfection in his work. It is a musical which celebrates show business, yet strips it of its glitter. 123 min. DVD 5209; vhs 999:1015
Directed by Michael Apted. Cast: Sigourney Weaver (Dian Fossey), Bryan Brown (Bob Campbell), Julie Harris (Roz Carr), John Omirah Miluwi (Sembagare). Based on the true story of young anthropologist Dian Fossey who traveled to the Rwandan African mountains to study the rare gorillas. Based on Gorillas in the mist by Dian Fossey. (Bioscience QL737.P96.F67 2000; Moffitt QL737.P96.F67 2000). 129 min. 999:1703
Directed by Marshall Herskovitz. Cast: Graham Faulkner, Judi Bowker, Alec Guinness, Leigh Lawson, Kenneth Cranham, Lee Montague, Valentina Cortese, Michael Feast, Nicholas Willatt.
A compelling, insightful look at the early years of Saint Francis of Assisi, who abandoned a life of wealth and comfort to seek spiritual values, eventually founding the religious order of Franciscans. 121 min. DVD 2345
Directed by Marshall Herskovitz. Cast: Catherine McCormack, Rufus Sewell, Oliver Platt, Moira Kelly, Fred Ward, Jacqueline Bisset. A dramatization of the life of Vernica Franco, tells the true story of the woman, a poet and courtesan, who used looks, wit and seduction to defy the conventions of 16th century Venice. 112 min. DVD 4895
[Frank, Anne] Anne Frank (USA / Czech Republic, 2001)
Directed by Robert Dornhelm. Cast: Ben Kingsley, Brenda Blethyn, Hannah Taylor Gordon, Tatjana Blancher, Joachim Krol, Jessica Manley, Nick Audsley, Jan Niklas, Lili Taylor. A dramatization that paints the true portrait of Anne Frank both before and after she went into hiding. Get to know the high-spirited and popular girl before the war, and experience the challenges of the brave people who risked their lives trying to keep her safe. This film also explores the enduring mystery of who betrayed the Frank family and reveals what happened next. 189 min. DVD 922
Barnouw, David. "Anne Frank and Film." In: Anne Frank : reflections on her life and legacy / edited by Hyman Aaron Enzer and Sandra Solotaroff-Enzer. pp: 165-72. Urbana : University of Illinois Press, c2000. (Main Stack DS135.N6.F73 2000)
Langer, Lawrence L. "The Americanization of the Holocaust on Stage and Screen." In:
From Hester Street to Hollywood : the Jewish-American stage and screen / edited by Sarah Blacher Cohen. pp: 213-230 Bloomington : Indiana University Press, c1983.
(Main Stack PN3035.F76 198; Moffitt PN3035.F76 1983)
[Frank, Anne]The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank (De schuilplaats van Anne Frank)(USA, TV, 1988)
A made for television docu-drama telling the story of Miep Gies who helped to hide Anne Frank and her family. Originally produced as television programme in 1988. Directed by John Erman. In English with Dutch subtitles. 2006. 95 min. DVD 7907
Barnouw, David. "Anne Frank and Film." In: Anne Frank : reflections on her life and legacy / edited by Hyman Aaron Enzer and Sandra Solotaroff-Enzer. pp: 165-72.Urbana : University of Illinois Press, c2000. (Main Stack DS135.N6.F73 2000)
Doneson, Judith E. "Feminine stereotypes of Jews in Holocaust films; focus on the diary of Anne Frank." In: The Netherlands and Nazi genocide : papers of the 21st annual scholars' conference / edited by G. Jan Colijn and Marcia S. Littell. Lewiston, N.Y. : E. Mellen Press, c1992. (Main Stack D804.3.N48 1992)
Langer, Lawrence L. "The Americanization of the Holocaust on Stage and Screen." In: From Hester Street to Hollywood : the Jewish-American stage and screen / edited by Sarah Blacher Cohen. pp: 213-230 Bloomington : Indiana University Press, c1983.
(Main Stack PN3035.F76 198; Moffitt PN3035.F76 1983)
[Frank, Anne]The Diary of Anne Frank (1959)
Directed by George Stevens. Cast: Millie Perkins, Joseph Schildkraut, Shelley Winters, Richard Beymer, Gusti Huber, Lou Jacobi, Diane Baker, Douglas Spencer, Dody Heath, Ed Wynn. An extraordinary portrayal of humanity set during one of history's most inhumane periods. Features Millie Perkins as the insightful 13 year old biographer of her family's two-year hiding in an Amsterdam attic. At first, the strong-willed teenager embraces her fugitive lifestyle as an adventure. But in time, the ever-increasing fear of discovery and close quarters prove nearly unbearable for the eight personalities in hiding. Special DVD features (Side A): Optional audio commentary by George Stevens, Jr. (Side B): Documentary featurette, The Diary of Anne Frank : echoes from the past (90 min.); excerpt from the documentary, George Stevens : a filmmaker's journey; George Stevens press conference; Movietone News featuring Millie Perkins appearances, Academy Award Highlights, Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony, and more; Millie Perkins screen test; still gallery; trailers. 158 min. DVD 7347; vhs 999:954
Barnouw, David. "Anne Frank and Film." In: Anne Frank : reflections on her life and legacy / edited by Hyman Aaron Enzer and Sandra Solotaroff-Enzer. pp: 165-72. Urbana : University of Illinois Press, c2000. (Main Stack DS135.N6.F73 2000
Doneson, Judith E. "Feminine stereotypes of Jews in Holocaust films; focus on the diary of Anne Frank." In: The Netherlands and Nazi genocide : papers of the 21st annual scholars' conference / edited by G. Jan Colijn and Marcia S. Littell. Lewiston, N.Y. : E. Mellen Press, c1992. (Main Stack D804.3.N48 1992)
Langer, Lawrence L. "The Americanization of the Holocaust on Stage and Screen." In: From Hester Street to Hollywood : the Jewish-American stage and screen / edited by Sarah Blacher Cohen. pp: 213-230 Bloomington : Indiana University Press, c1983. (Main Stack PN3035.F76 198; Moffitt PN3035.F76 1983)
[Frost, David] Frost/Nixon (2008)
Directed by Ron Howard. Cast: Cast Frank Langella, Michael Sheen, Kevin Bacon, Rebecca Hall, Toby Jones, Matthew Macfadyen, Oliver Platt, Sam Rockwell, Clint Howard, Patty McCormack, Andy Milder.
Richard Nixon is the disgraced president with a legacy to save. David Frost is a jet-setting television personality with a name to make. This is the legendary battle between the two men and the historic encounter that changed both their lives. For three years after resigning from office, Nixon remained silent. But in the summer of 1977, the steely, cunning former commander-in-chief agreed to sit for one all-inclusive interview. As cameras roll, a charged battle of wits begins. Based on the stage play by Peter Morgan. Bonus features: Deleted scenes ; The making of Frost/Nixon ; The real interview ; The Nixon library ; feature commentary with director Ron Howard. 123 min. DVD X1744
Directed by Istvan Szabo. Cast: Harvey Keitel, Stellan Skarsgard, Moritz Bleibtreu, Birgit Minichmayr, Ulrich Tukur, Hans Zischler, Armin Rohde, Augush Zirner, Thomas Thieme.
After Hitler took over power in 1933, many Jewish artists were forced to leave Germany. Based on true events this is the story of Wilhelm Furtwangler who choose to stay. Though never a member of the party, he was a receipient of honors associated with party membership. However, the conductor often used his position and contacts to save hundreds of Jewish musicians from concentration camps. When U.S. Major Steve Arnold is tasked with the pre-trial investigations, his aim is to prove that the conductor's genius contributed to the Nazi propaganda, while Furtwangler insisted he stayed to bring comfort to the German people with his music. Based upon the play by Ronald Harwood. 105 min. DVD 2571
Directed by Joseph Losey; cast: Topol, Colin Blakely, Georgia Brown, Edward Fox, John Gielgud, Margaret Leighton, Clive Revill, Tom Conti. A dramatization of Galileo, the 17th century Italian who laid the foundations of modern science by making himself one of the world's first telescopes and discovering the moons of Jupiter. He supported Copernicus' theory that the Earth revolved around the Sun which brought him into conflict with the Catholic Church. By threatening him with torture, the Church forced him to recant his views in front of a tribunal, and sentenced him to house arrest. However, Galileo's trials and theories inspired others like Newton and Kepler to prove that the Earth was not the center of the Universe. Based on the play by Bertolt Brecht. 138 min. DVD 2116
Directed by Peter Jones; cast: Simon Callow, Laura Nardi, John Fraser, Alexa Jargo. his defense of his controversial theory that the earth revolves around the sun. Also includes his trial for heresy and how letters from his illegitimate daughter, Maria Celeste, a cloistered nun, have shed new light on Galileo's discoveries. c2002 114 min. Video/C 9322
[Gandhi, Mahatma] Gandhi (UK / India, 1982)
Directed by Richard Attenborough. Cast: Ben Kingsley, Candice Bergen, Edward Fox, John Gielgud, Trevor Howard, John Mills, Martin Sheen. This film follows Gandhi's life from young lawyer through his historic struggle to free India from colonial rule. Winner of 8 Academy Awards, including Best picture, actor, director and screenplay. 149 min. DVD 927; vhs 999:1749
Directed by Gabriele Muccino. Cast: Will Smith, Jaden Christopher Syre Smith, Thandie Newton, Brian Howe, James Karen, Dan Castellaneta, Kurt Fuller, Takayo Fischer.
In 1981, Chris Gardner was a struggling salesman. His wife worked double shifts to support the family including their young son, Christopher. In the face of this difficult life, Chris has the desperate inspiration to try for a stockbroker internship where one in twenty has a chance of a lucrative full time career. Even when his wife leaves him because of this choice, Chris clings to this dream. The odds become more daunting by the day. Together, father and son struggle through homelessness, jail time, tax seizure and the overall punishing despair in a quest that would make Gardner a respected millionaire. Based on a true story, the special features include an interview with the real Chris Gardner. Based on the autiobiography by Chris Gardner.
Special features: Making pursuit: an Italian take on the American dream; Father and son: on screen and off; The man behind the movie: a conversation with Chris Gardner; Inside the Rubik's Cube; "I can" song; director's commentary. 149 min. DVD 7355
Directed by Martyn Burke Cast: Noah Wyle, Anthony Michael Hall, Joey Slotnick, John DiMaggio, Josh Hopkins.
This film is a semi-humorous docudrama about the men who pioneered an industry that literally transformed the entire world: Apple Computer founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak and Microsoft's Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer. Looks at their struggles during college, the founding of their companies, and the ingenious actions they took to build up their global corporate personal computer empires. Based on the book: Fire in the Valley by Paul Freiberger and Michael Swaine. 96 min. DVD X38
Directed by Robert Schindel, Lukas Stepanik. Cast: Peter Simonischek, Ruth Rieser, August Zirner. The past catches up with two men, the Jewish emigrant composer Hermann Geburtig and the German journalist Konrad Sachs. Geburtig testifies against a former concentration camp supervisor, and Sachs faces the reality that his father was an SS-Doctor. 100 min. DVD 2960
Directed by Sam Wood. Cast: Gary Cooper, Teresa Wright, Walter Brennan, Babe Ruth, Dan Duryea, Bill Dickey, Bob Meusel, Bill Stern. Tells the inspiring story of Lou Gehrig, the New York Yankee's great first baseman and the son of poor immigrants, who rose to heights of baseball fame -- only to be cut down at the peak of his career by an incurable disease known as ALS. 128 min. DVD 5650
[Genghis Khan] Mongol (Kazakhstan / Russia / Mongolia / Germany, 2007)
Directed by Sergei Bodrov. Cast: Asano Tadanobu, Sun Hong Ley, Khulan Chuluun, Odnyam Odsuren,
Delves into the dramatic and harrowing early years of Genghis Khan, the ruler who was born as Temudgin in 1162. Follows Temudgin from his perilous childhood to the battle that sealed his destiny. Portrays the future conqueror not as an evil brute, but as an inspiring, fearless and visionary leader. 126 min. DVD X434
Directed by Agnes Merlet. Cast: Michel Serrault, Valentina Cervi, Miki Manojlovic, Brigitte Catillon, Maurice Garrel, Emmanuelle Devos. Tells the provocative true story of the beautiful and talented daughter of one of Italy's greatest painters. When Artemisia Gentileschi is forbidden to fully pursue her own passion of painting, she convinces a renowned artist to tutor her. He not only liberates her into the world of art but initiates her into the world of sex and love. 96 min. DVD 6109
Benedetti, Laura. "Reconstructing Artemisia: Twentieth-Century Images of a Woman Artist." Comparative Literature, Winter99, Vol. 51 Issue 1, p42, 20p
UC users only
Charbonnier, J. M. "Identifications d'une femme: Artemisia Gentileschi." [profile of the 17th century artist and film by Agnes Merlet]. Beaux Arts Magazine no. 160 (September 1997) p. 82-7
Felleman, Susan."Dirty Pictures, Mud Lust, and Abject Desire." Film Quarterly; Fall2001, Vol. 55 Issue 1, p27, 14p UC users only
Garrard, M. D. "Artemisia's trial by cinema." [film about A. Gentileschi]. Art in America v. 86 no. 10 (October 1998) p. 65+
Lent, Tina Olsin. "'My heart belongs to daddy': the fictionalization of Baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi in contemporary film and novels." Literature-Film Quarterly 34.3 (July 2006): 212(7).UC users only
Tibbetts, John C. "Artemisia (1998)." Film & History, Sep-Dec1998, Vol. 28 Issue 3/4, p82-83, 2p
UC users only
Vidal, B. "Feminist Historiographies and the Woman Artist's Biopic: The Case of Artemisia."
Screen, vol. 48, no. 1, pp. 69-90, Spring 2007
UC users only
[George III]The Madness of King George (UK, 1994)
Directed by Nicholas Hytner. Nigel Hawthorne, Helen Mirren, Ian Holm, Amanda Donohoe, Rupert Graves, Rupert Everett. Based on the life of King George III (1738-1820), this is the story of royal intrigue, sexual indiscretions, backstairs plotting and a battle for power between Parliament and the throne, all occuring while the King is being treated for an unknown mental illness. Based on Alan Bennett's stage play The madness of George III. 110 min. DVD X1056; vhs 999:2805
Directed by Walter Hill. Cast: Wes Studi, Jason Patric, Robert Duvall, Gene Hackman, Matt Damon. Betrayed by the Army's legendary "Indian fighter" General George Crook, Geronimo leads a small band of warriors in escape, but is pursued by a principled officer, a grizzled army scout, and a gung-ho West Point graduate. 115 min. DVD 2045
Directed by Mike Leigh. Cast: Jim Broadbent, Allan Corduner, Timothy Spall, Lesley Manville, Ron Cook, Wendy Nottingham, Kevin McKidd, Shirley Henderson, Dorothy Atkinson, Martin Savage, Eleanor David.
Tensions abound and the music swells in the story about the famous musical team of Gilbert and Sullivan. The two men who were extremely different in size and stature were even more different in temperament and style. Yet, they still managed to create memorable theater. This is the story of the making of one of their most famous collaborations, The Mikado. 161 min. DVD 5476
Directed by Billy Ray. Featuring Hayden Christensen, Peter Sarsgaard, Chloe Sevigny, Rosario Dawson, Melanie Lynskey, Hank Azaria, Mark Blum, Simone-Elise Girard, Steve Zahn. Based on the true story of Stephen Glass, a staff writer for the well respected current events and policy magazine 'The new republic'. He was also a freelance writer featured in 'Rolling Stone', 'Harper's Bazaar' and 'George'. By the mid 1990's, Glass' articles had turned him into one of the most sought-after young journalists in Washington. That is until a new managing editor was hired and Glass's pieces came under greater scrutiny, revealing completely fabricated stories. Special features includes an 1nterview with the real Stephen Glass on the TV program 60 Minutes. 94 min. DVD 2391
Directed by Philip Kaufman. Cast: Scott Glenn, Ed Harris, Barbara Hershey, Dennis Quaid, Pamela Reed, Sam Shepard, Kim Stanley, Fred Ward, Veronica Cartwright, David Clennon, Scott Wilson, Donald Moffat, Levon Helm, Jeff Goldblum, Harry Shearer, Charles Frank, Royal Dano. A dramatization of the intrepid test pilot Chuck Yeager and the seven pioneering astronauts chosen for the first manned space flight program in the United States. A thrilling retelling of the true story of Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom, John Glenn, Scott Carpenter, Walter Schirra, Gordon Cooper, and Deke Slayton-- the seven men chosen for Project Mercury. Special features: Biographical profile of John Glenn "American hero: the journey and the mission," scene-specific commentaries with director/screenwriter, cast and crew members ; 3 documentaries "Realizing the right stuff," "T-20 years and counting," "The real men with the right stuff," 13 additional scenes ; interactive timeline to space incorporating vintage NASA footage ; theatrical trailer. 193 min. DVD 6119
Directed by Vincente Minelli. Cast: Kirk Douglas, Anthony Quinn, James Donald, Pamela Brown, Everett Sloane. A film adaptation on the life of the Dutch painter,Vincent Van Gogh. Though financed and encouraged by his brother, Theo, and spurred on by the excitement of late 19th century Paris and a stormy relationship with Paul Gauguin, Vincent's prolific genius was tragically marred by epilepsy and madness.His paintings which went unsold during his lifetime but are now valued at millions, are shown throughout the film, as are the locations which inspired them in Holland, Belgium and France. Based on the novel by Irving Stone [MAIN: PS3537.T669 L8 1934]. 123 min. DVD 5059; vhs 999:3422
Pollock, Griselda
"Artists mythologies and media genius, madness and art history." Screen Vol XXI nr 3 (1980); p 57-96. The emphasis on the artist in art history using Van Gogh as an example. Special section devoted to the film "Lust for life", p. 89-95.
[Gogh, Vincent van]Van Gogh (France, 1991)
Directed by Maurice Pialat. Cast: Cast: Jacques Dutronc, Bernard Lecoq, Alexandra London, Gerard Sety, Corrine Bourdon, Elsa Zylberstein, Leslie Azoulai.
A portrait of artist Vincent Van Gogh's final days, revealing his mad genius and dark sensuality. The film was shot in the village of Auvers, where Van Gogh actually lived from May to June, 1890. Non-US format DVD. In French without subtitles.
158 min. DVD 3411
Directed by Robert Altman. Cast: Tim Roth, Paul Rhys, Adrian Brine, Yves Dangerfield, Hans Kesting, Peter Tuinman.
A drama of the passionate life of Vincent van Gogh, the obsessive artist driven by inexorable demons and his alternately devoted and despairing younger brother, who seems unable to live with him or without him. 140 min. DVD X70
Directed by Isaac Artenstein. Cast: Oscar Chavez, Maria Rojo, Tony Plana, Pepe Serna. Based on the life story of Pedro J. Gonzalez who championed the cause of Mexican-Americans in California during the Depression years and who worked for the reform of the California penal system. 100 min. Video/C 1758
[Gorky, Maxim]The Childhood of Maxim Gorky (Detstvo Gorkogo) (1938)
Director, Mark Donski. Cast: Alexei Lyarsky, Varvara Massalitinova, Mikhail Troyansky, J. Alexeyeva.
The Childhood of Maxim Gorky (Detstvo Gorkovo) was the first of Russian director Mark Donski's trilogy based upon Gorky's memoirs. Alexei Lyarsky plays the young Maxim, who grows up under the czarist regime with his grandparents as guardians. Continually demeaned by his martinet grandfather, Maxim is drawn to his warm-hearted grandmother, who instills in him the willingness to pursue his writing muse. Gorky's (and Donski's) deep abiding love for Russia is conveyed through the film's remarkably romanticist landscape shots along the Volga River. Includes the silent short "Moscow clad in snow" (5 min.), featuring documentary scenes of Moscow from 1909, filmed for Pathe Frères. 86 min. DVD 7620
[Goya, Francisco]Goya in Bordeaux (Spain / Italy, 1999)
Directed by Carlos Saura. Cast: Francisco Rabal, Jose Coronado, Maribel Verdu, Eulalia Ramon. In Bordeaux, France, in the early 1800's, Goya suffers from strange visions and nightmares. Goya reflects on his tumultuous career, a love affair with the beautiful Duchess of Alba and the evil crusade of Napoleon's French army. 121 min. DVD 563
Directed by Milos Forman. Cast: Javier Bardem, Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgard, Randy Quaid, Jose Luis Gomez, Michael Lonsdale.
Told through the eyes of celebrated Spanish painter Francisco Goya. Set against political turmoil at the end of the Spanish Inquisition and start of the invasion of Spain by Napoleon's army. Captures the essence and beauty of Goya's work which is best known for both the colorful depictions of the royal court and its people, and his grim depictions of the brutality of war and life in 18th century Spain. When Goya's beautiful muse is accused of being a heretic, the renowned painter must convince his old friend Lorenzo, a power-hungry monk and leader of the Spanish Inquisition, to spare her life. 114 min. DVD 9478
Directed by Robert Wise. Cast: . Susan Hayward (Barbara Graham), Simon Oakland, Virginia Vincent, Theodore Bikel, Wesley Lau, Philip Coolidge, Lou Krugman, James Philbrook, Gage Clark, John Marley, Marion Marshall. Based on true events tells the dramatic story of the life of a "B-Girl," Barbara Graham, a vagrant prostitute and fast-living party girl, which led to a sensational murder trial and afterwards, her execution in the gas chamber despite growing doubts about her guilt. The background music is made up in its entirety of progressive jazz. 121 min. DVD 1309
Bingham, Dennis. "'I Do Want To Live!': Female Voices, Male Discourse, and Hollywood Biopics." Cinema Journal. 38 (3): 3-26. 1999 Spring.
[Graysmith, Robert] Zodiac(2007)
Directed by David Fincher. Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards, Robert Downey Jr., Brian Cox, John Carroll Lynch, Chloe Sevigny, Ed Setrakian, John Getz, John Terry, Candy Clark, Elias Koteas, Dermot Mulroney, Donal Logue.
A serial killer in the San Francisco Bay Area taunts police with his letters and cryptic messages. Looks into the lives of the four men most effected by the killer: San Francisco PD Homicide, David Toschi and William Armstrong, the San Francisco Chronicle reporters Paul Avery and Robert Graysmith. Displays the psychological and emotional effects of the killings, as well as the endless procedural details of the investigation (handwriting experts, the "2500" suspects), the letters sent to the San Francisco Chronicle by Zodiac and the work of a 20+ year investigation that wears down and whittles away at any kind of normal life for Toshi and Graysmith. Both men are obsessed with Zodiac and both pay for this obsession with the hard years and loves lost and never regained. Based on the book by Robert Graysmith.
157 min. DVD 8138
Directed by Kasi Lemmons. Cast: Taraji P. Henson, Cedric the Entertainer, Martin Sheen.
Based on the true story of outspoken ex-convict and iconic radio personality Ralph Waldo "Petey" Greene. This powerful biopic details the life and career of the media figure whose voice instilled the black community with hope during the turbulent 1960s. After talking his way onto the Washington, D.C. airwaves in the era of free love Greene, emboldened by the inspirational soul music and rapidly-expanding social consciousness that defined the decade, openly courts controversy as his put-upon producer Dewey Hughes runs interference.
Special features: Deleted scenes; "Who is Petey Greene?" featurette; recreating P-Town. 119 min. DVD 9600
Directed by Philip Kaufman. Cast: Scott Glenn, Ed Harris, Barbara Hershey, Dennis Quaid, Pamela Reed, Sam Shepard, Kim Stanley, Fred Ward, Veronica Cartwright, David Clennon, Scott Wilson, Donald Moffat, Levon Helm, Jeff Goldblum, Harry Shearer, Charles Frank, Royal Dano. A dramatization of the intrepid test pilot Chuck Yeager and the seven pioneering astronauts chosen for the first manned space flight program in the United States. A thrilling retelling of the true story of Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom, John Glenn, Scott Carpenter, Walter Schirra, Gordon Cooper, and Deke Slayton-- the seven men chosen for Project Mercury. Special features: Biographical profile of John Glenn "American hero: the journey and the mission," scene-specific commentaries with director/screenwriter, cast and crew members ; 3 documentaries "Realizing the right stuff," "T-20 years and counting," "The real men with the right stuff," 13 additional scenes ; interactive timeline to space incorporating vintage NASA footage ; theatrical trailer. 193 min. DVD 6119
Director, Joel Schumacher. Cast: Cate Blanchett, Gerard McSorley, Ciaran Hinds, Brenda Fricker, Don Wycherley, Barry Barnes, Simon O'Driscoll, Emmet Bergin, Charlotte Bradley.Based on true events, investigates the life of Veronica Guerin, a relentless crime reporter for The Dublin Sunday Independent during the early '90s. Guerin's violent murder in 1996 led to a revision of Ireland's laws and the creation of the Criminal Assets Bureau. Picks up with her pursuit of the underground drug trade in Dublin, which she suspects is led by mobster Martin "The General" Cahill. When Cahill's gang is attacked, she suspects mobster Gerry "The Monk" Hutch is responsible. Not deterred by threats or gunshot wounds, she uses thug John Traynor as an informer to help out her investigation of psychotic mobster John Gilligan.
98 min. DVD 2416
[Guevara, Ernesto "Che"] The Motorcycle Diaries (Diarios de otocicleta)
(Argentina / USA / Cuba / Germany / Mexico / UK / Chile / Peru / France, 2004)
Director, Walter Salles. Cast: Gael Garcia Bernal, Mia Maestro, Rodrigo de la Serna. Filmed adaptation of Cuban revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara's journals of a road trip across South America. As a young, pre-revolution Guevara, a 23-year-old medical student in 1952, he traveled across the South American continent on a motorcyle with his friend Alberto Granado who co-wrote the source material. As they embark on their journey, both young men come of age and find their individual world views broadened farther than they ever expected. 127 min. DVD 3536
Directed by Hal Ashby. Cast: David Carradine, Ronny Cox, Melinda Dillon, Gail Strickland, Randy Quaid. Set against the grim backdrop of depression America, this film joyously celebrates the life of Woody Guthrie, America's great folk balladeer and poet. As he traveled across America his buoyant spirit and soul-rousing music surrounded him with a quiet strength enabling him to do battle with the social injustice which surrounded him. 149 min. DVD X1038; vhs 999:1749
Friedman, Lester. "America Finds Its Voice: Bound for Glory." In: American cinema of the 1970s : themes and variations / edited by Lester D. Friedman. New Brunswick, N.J. : Rutgers University Press, 2007. (Main Stack PN1993.5.U6.A8577 2007)
Directed by Jan Troell. Cast: Max von Sydow, Ghita Norby, Nette Hoff, Asa Soderling, Eindride Eidsvold, Gard Eidsvold, Sverre Anker Ousdal, Erik Hiviu, Edgar Selge, Ernst Jacobi. Based on true events this is the story of Knut Hamsun, Norway's most beloved author, who supported Hitler during World War II and was regarded as a traitor after the war. Although Hamsun believed it was his destiny to rescue his country from the ravages of a World War, he and his wife Marie faced the angry wrath of a betrayed nation and the private drama of their turbulent relationship. 153 min. 999:2675
Directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud. Cast: Brad Pitt, David Thewlis, B.D. Wong, Mako. Tells the true life story of Heinrich Harrer, an Austrian national and a Nazi sympathizer, who left Austria in 1939 to climb a mountain in the Himalayas. Through a series of circumstances (including internment in a POW camp), he and fellow climber Peter Aufschnaiter become the only two foreigners in the Tibetan holy city of Lhasa. There, Heinrich's life changes forever as he becomes a close confidant to the young Dalai Lama. 136 min. DVD 2690
Directed by Norman Taurog. Cast: June Allyson, Perry Como, Judy Garland, Lena Horne, Gene Kelly, Mickey Rooney, Ann Sothern, Tom Drake, Cyd Charisse, Betty Garrett, Janet Leigh, Marshall Thompson, Mel Torme, Vera-Ellen.
The story of the brilliant but glitchy Lorenz Hart who is disappointed in love by singer Peggy McNeil. He never gets over it and falls apart. Richard Rogers and his wife Dorothy look on in dismay. Special features: Commentary by historian Richard Barrios; new featurette; extensive audio outtakes; vintage short and classic cartoon "Lover;" "You're nearer" outtakes; theatrical trailer. 121 min. DVD 8299
Director, Paul Schrader. Cast: Natasha Richardson, William Forsythe, Ving Rhames, Frances Fisher, Jodi Long. Explores the crime/political/media story of the '70s: the kidnapping and mental torture of newspaper heiress Patty Hearst by the Symbionese Liberation Army ... and her subsequent transformation into a gun-wielding revolutionary called Tania. Based on the book "Every secret thing" by Patricia Campbell Hearst with Alvin Moscow. 108 min. 999:3271
Directed by Orson Welles. Featuring Welles, Joseph Cotten, William Alland, Everett Sloane, Agnes Moorehead. When one of the world's richest and most influential men dies muttering the word "Rosebud", a newspaper's managing editor insists that Kane's obituary film is missing something and "needs an angle." He orders his top reporter Thompson (Alland) to discover what "Rosebud" means. Thompson searches for, finds, and interviews five key figures, but ulimately does not solve the mystery. Because Kane was purportedly based on newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst, efforts were made to surpress the film, by 'Hearst hatchet woman' Louella Parsons, among others. 119 min. DVD 852; vhs 999:85
The Battle Over Citizen Kane DVD 555; vhs Video/C 4210
[Helfgott, David] Shine (Australia, 1996)
Directed by Scott Hicks. Cast: Geoffrey Rush, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Noah Taylor, Lynn Redgrave, John Gielgud. A dramatization of the true story of gifted Australian piano prodigy, David Helfgott who experiences a nervous breakdown and is hospitalized, but later returns to the concert hall. 105 min. DVD 2397
Directed by Fred Zinnemann. Cast: Jane Fonda, Vanessa Redgrave, Jason Robards, Hal Holbrook, Rosemary Murphy, Meryl Streep. "From "Pentimento," the memoirs of late playwright Lillian Hellman, JULIA covers those years in the 1930s when Lillian attained fame with the production of her first play "The Childrens' Hour" on Broadway. Not surprisingly, it centers on Lillian's relationship with her lifelong friend, Julia. It is a relationship that goes beyond mere acquaintance and one for which the word "love" seems appropriate. While Julia attends the University in Vienna, studying with such luminaries as Sigmund Freud and Albert Einstein, Lillian suffers through revisions of her play with her mentor and sometimes lover Dashiel Hammett at a New England beachhouse. After becoming a celebrated playwright, Lillian is invited to a writers conference in Russia. Julia, having taken up the battle against fascism, enlists Lillian en route to smuggle money through Nazi Germany which will assist in the Anti-Fascist cause. It is a dangerous mission especially for a Jewish intellectual on her way to communist Russia. During a brief meeting with Julia on this trip, Lillian learns that Julia has had a child which is called Lilly. Shortly after returning to the States, Lillian is informed of Julia's murder. The details of her death are shrouded in secrecy. Lillian sadly travels to England to search for her namesake the child she had promised Julia to care for." [IMDB] 117 min. DVD 5057
Directed by Anthony Harvey. Cast: Peter O'Toole, Katharine Hepburn.
Queen Eleanor (Hepburn) tries to align herself with France in order to insure her eldest son's position as heir to the throne. King Henry (O'Toole) favors his youngest son for the coveted title. The sons care little for either parent, and each will stop at nothing to obtain personal power. The King and Queen's relationship is dissected as they plot, love, cheat, connive and try to politically devour each other. 136 min. DVD X1081; vhs 999:204
[Henry VIII] The Private Life of Henry VIII (UK, 1933)
Directed by Alexander Korda. Cast: Charles Laughton, Merle Oberon, Elsa Lanchester, Robert Donat, Binnie Barnes, Wendy Barrie. Portrays Henry VIII's various marriages beginning with the execution of Anne Boleyn. Includes his marriage to Jane Seymour and the birth of a male heir, his marriage to Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, and Catherine Parr 97 min. DVD X1656; vhs 999:22
Street, Sarah. "Stepping Westward: The Distribution of British Feature Films in America, and the Case of The Private Life of Henry VIII." In: British cinema, past and present / edited by Justine Ashby and Andrew Higson. London ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2000. (Main Stack PN1993.5.G7.B695 2000; PFA PN1993.5.G7.B695 2000)
Walker, Greg. The private life of Henry VIII
London ; New York : I.B. Tauris, 2003. (MAIN: PN1997 .P769 2003)
Walker, Greg. "The roots of Alexander Korda: myths of identity and the
international film." Patterns of Prejudice, 37:1, 3 - 25, 2003UC users only
Wayne, Mike. "Constellating Walter Benjamin and British Cinema: A Study of The Private Life of Henry VIII." Quarterly Review of Film and Video v. 19 no. 3 (2002) p. 249-60
[Herzl, Theodor]The Wandering Jew, or, The Life of Theodor Herzl (Theodor Herzl, der Bannerträger des jüdischen Volkes) (Austria, 1921)
Directed by Otto Kreisler. Cast: Rudolph Schildkraut, Joseph Schildkraut, H. [i.e. Ernst] Bath, Josef Schreiter; Rudolf Dietz; Else Osterheim; Gita Lenart-Vago; Axel Plessen; Pippa Gettke.
This early film biography of the founder of modern Zionism depicts a young Herzl learning about Jewish persecution throughout the ages, and developing his theory of political Zionism, which he saw as the only solution to anti-semitism. The film then follows Herzl's efforts to implement his ideas by converting European leaders and Jews to his cause. 59 min. DVD X1807
Directed by David Butler. Cast: Doris Day, Howard Keel, Allyn McLerie, Philip Carey, Dick Wesson.
In this musical-comedy set in Deadwood, Dakota Territory, Calamity Jane is a calamity at love --she's too busy cracking a bullwhip to pay much mind to dresses and perfume. But then one of her boasts requires that she go to Chicago to recruit an actress for the Golden Garter stage. When the actress arrives, the lady in question appears to be a more feminine rival for the favors of Jane's male friends...including her friendly enemy Wild Bill Hickok.
101 min. DVD 8882
Directed by Walter Hill. Cast: Jeff Bridges, Ellen Barkin, John Hurt, Diane Lane, Keith Carradine, Christina Applegate, Bruce Dern, James Gammon, David Arquette, Marjoe Gortner. Jeff Bridges portrays Wild Bill Hickok, the hard-drinking, quick-shooting gunslinger, who lived on the edge. Presented in stunning visual style and lightning-fast pace, the film centers around the explosive confrontation between Hickok and a mysterious stranger who has arrived in Deadwood, South Dakota, announcing that he will not leave until Hickok is dead. 115 min. DVD 2207
Directed by Martin Scorsese. Cast: Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Brocco, Paul Sorvino. Revolving around the low-level gangster Henry Hill, this dramatization of a group of men involved with organized crime provides an inside view of the Mafia from 1955 to the 1980's. Based on the biography of Henry Hill titled "Wiseguy" by Nicholas Pileggi. 146 min. DVD 2843; vhs 999:1932
Directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel. Cast: Bruno Ganz, Alexandra Maria Lara, Corinna Harfouch, Ulrich Matthes. Set in Hitler's bunker in 1945, during the brutal and harrowing last days of the Third Reich as seen through the eyes of Hitler's infamous secretary Traudl Junge. Optimism crumbles into grim realization and terror as it becomes clear that Germany's defeat is inevitable. As the Russian army circles the city, the dimly lit halls of the underground refuge become an execution chamber for the Fuhrer and his closest advisors. 155 min. DVD 4178
[Hitler, Adolph]Hitler, ein film aus Deutschland (Hitler, a Film from Germany; Our Hitler, a film from Germany) (1977)
Director, Hans Jürgen Syberberg. Cast: Harry Baer, Heinz Schubert, Peter Kern, Hellmut Lange, Rainer von Artenfels, Martin Sperr, Peter Moland, Johannes Buzalski, Alfred Edel, Amelie Syberberg. Highly experimental film providing a panoramic view of the sources which helped shape early twentieth-century Germany through the Nazi period. Contents: Cassette 1, Part 1. Der Gral (The grail); Cassette 2, Part 2. Ein Deutscher Traum (A German dream); Cassette 3, Part 3. Das Ende eins Wintermarchens (The end of a Winter's tale), and Part 4. Wir Kinder der Holle (We, the children of Hell). 3 videocassettes (420 min.) DVD 8899; vhs 999:2971; also DVD X297 [German without English subtitles]
[Hitler, Adolph]Moloch (Molokh) (Russia / Germany / Japan / Italy / France, 1999)
Directed by Aleksandr Sokurov. Cast: Leonid Mosgowoi, Elena Rufanowa, Leonid Sokol, Yelena Spiridonova, Vladimir Bogdanov, Anatoli Shvedersky. In an ominous fortress perched high above the clouds, everything seems in order for a reposing 24 hours. It is the spring of 1942 in Germany and Eva Braun is the only voice that dares contradict the Fuhrer. Eva is caught up in the complexities of a man incapable of human intimacy, making her as volcanic as her beloved Hitler. 108 min. DVD 6683
Directed by Danny DeVito. Cast: Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito, Armand Assante, J.T. Walsh, Robert Prosky. Traces Jimmy Hoffa's turbulent career from 1935, when he first solicits truck drivers to join the fledgling International Brotherhood of Teamsters, to his disappearance in 1975. The film traces Hoffa's passionate struggle to shape the nation's most influential labor union, his relationship with the mob, and his subsequent conviction and prison term at the hand of Robert Kennedy. 137 min. DVD 6238
Brewer, Gaylord. "Hoffa and The Untouchables: Mamet's Brutal Orders of Authority." Literature Film Quarterly; 2000, Vol. 28 Issue 1, p28, 6pUC users only
Bryant, Simon.
"Hoffa." The American Historical Review. Oct 1993. Vol. 98, Iss. 4; p. 1184 (3 pages)
Pasternak, Judith. "The movies vs. history." Tikkun; Mar/Apr93, Vol. 8 Issue 2, p58, 2p
Pawelczac, Andy. "Hoffa." Films in Review, Mar/Apr93, Vol. 44 Issue 3/4, p129, 3p
UC users only
Wilentz, Sean. "Tales of Hoffa." New Republic, 2/1/93, Vol. 208 Issue 5, p53-60, 7p
UC users only
[Hoffman, Abbie] Steal This Movie (2000)
Directed by Robert Greenwald. Cast: Vincent D'Onofrio, Janeane Garofalo, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Donal Logue, Kevin Corrigan, Kevin Pollak. A unique dramatized journey into the life of activist radical Abbie Hoffman as he battles for social justice and travels thru the maze of music and politics that defined the late sixties and early seventies. 107 min. DVD 534
Directed by Sidney J. Furie. Cast: Diana Ross, Billy Dee Williams, Richard Pryor, Paul Hampton. Presents a film biography of the life of Billie Holliday, the performer known as "Lady Day", one of America's9 most loved and memorable blues singers. 144 min. DVD 4819; vhs 999:3103
Barrett, Lindon. "'In the Dark': Billie Holiday and Some Sights and Sounds of American Value." Callaloo 13 (4): 872-85. 1990 Fall.
Storhoff, Gary. "'Strange Fruit': Lady Sings the Blues as a Crossover Film." Journal of Popular Film and Television. 30 (2): 105-13. 2002 Summer.
[Holliday, "Doc" (John Henry)] Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957)
Directed by John Sturges. Cast: Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Rhonda Fleming, Jo Van Fleet, John Ireland.
Based on historical events in Tombstone, Arizona this film explores the relationship between two of the West's most celebrated legends -- Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. When Earp saves Holliday from mob violence, the foes become friends and join forces to rid the West of the Clanton gang, which culminates in the legendary gunfight. 122 min. DVD X902; vhs 999:3068
[Holliday, "Doc" (John Henry)] My Darling Clementine (1946)
Directed by John Ford. Cast: Henry Fonda, Linda Darnell, Victor Mature, Cathy Downs, Walter Brennan, Tim Holt, Cathy Downs. Wyatt Earp becomes Marshal of Tombstone in order to avenge the murder of his youngest brother. He is helped by Clementine, "Doc" Holliday and Chihuahua and finally kills old man Clanton and his sons in a gunfight at the O.K. Corral. 117 min. DVD 2290; vhs 999:95
Directed by George P. Cosmatos. Featuring Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Michael Biehn, Powers Boothe, Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton, Jason Priestley, Charlton Heston. Presents the life and times of the famous cowboys Marshall Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday as they team up to bring law to the lawless in a showdown with ruthless outlaws at the O.K. Corral, located at the outskirts of Tombstone, Arizona. 130 min. DVD 2290; vhs 999:1828
Blake, Michael F. Hollywood and the O.K. Corral : portrayals of the gunfight and Wyatt Earp Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland & Co., c2007.
(MAIN: PN1995.9.W4 B583 2007)
Cohen, Hubert I.
"Wyatt Earp at the O. K. Corral: Six Versions."
The Journal of American Culture. Jun 2003. Vol. 26, Iss. 2; p. 204 (20 pages) UC users only
Simmon, Scott. "Concerning the Weary Legs of Wyatt Earp: The Classic Western According to Shakespeare." Literature/Film Quarterly. 1996. Vol. 24, Iss. 2; pg. 114, 14 pgsUC users only
[Horn, Tom] Tom Horn(1980)
Directed by William Wiard. Cast: Steve McQueen, Linda Evans, Richard Farnsworth, Slim Pickens, Billy Green Bush.
A recreation of Horn's latter-day career in the turn-of-the-century West. A renowned former army scout, he is hired by ranchers to hunt down rustlers but finds himself on trial for the murder of a boy when he carries out his job too well. Tom Horn finds that the simple skills he knows are of no help in dealing with the ambitions of ranchers and corrupt officials as progress marches over him and the old West. Based on Life of Tom Horn: Governement Scout and Interpreter. Written by Himself. 98 min. vhs 999:3882
Directed by John Lee Hancock. Cast: Billy Bob Thornton, Dennis Quaid, Jason Patric, Patrick Wilson, Jordi Molla, Emilio Echevarria, Marc Blucas, Leon Rippy. Retells the story of the historic 1836 battle in the Texan War of Independence. Facing 4,000 Mexican troops, 186 Texan soldiers and volunteers - including William Travis, Davy Crockett, and Jim Bowie - retreat within the walls of the Alamo, a Franciscan mission that was converted into a military fort. Once inside, the men prepare themselves for what will be a bloody battle to the death. U.S. General Sam Houston leads the charge from the outside. The Texans held the fort for 13 days under siege by General Santa Anna. 136 min. DVD 3008
Andreychuk, Ed.
American frontiersmen on film and television : Boone, Crockett, Bowie, Houston, Bridger, and Carson Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland & Co., c2005. (MAIN: PN1995.9.P487 A53 2005)
Niemi, Robert. "The Alamo (2004)" In: History in the media : film and television Santa Barbara, Calif. : ABC-CLIO, c2006.
(MAIN: PN1995.9.H5 N54 2006)
Thompson, Frank T. "Reprinting the Legend: The Alamo on Film." Film and History: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Film and Television Studies, vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 12-64, 2006
Directed by John Wayne. Cast: John Wayne, Richard Widmark, Laurence Harvey, Frankie Avalon, Patrick Wayne, Richard Boone, Linda Cristal, Joan O'Brien. Film depicts a pivotal event in American history--the battle of the Alamo when 185 "Texans" stood against a 7,000-man Mexican army. The battle ended in the smaller forces' defeat, but lasted long enough to insure the eventual independence of Texas. Special DVD features: John Wayne's "The Alamo" documentary (40 min.) ; theatrical trailers. 202 min. DVD X1033; vhs 999:921
Andreychuk, Ed.
American frontiersmen on film and television : Boone, Crockett, Bowie, Houston, Bridger, and Carson Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland & Co., c2005. (MAIN: PN1995.9.P487 A53 2005)
Niemi, Robert. "The Alamo (2004)" In: History in the media : film and television Santa Barbara, Calif. : ABC-CLIO, c2006.
(MAIN: PN1995.9.H5 N54 2006)
Thompson, Frank T. "Reprinting the Legend: The Alamo on Film." Film and History: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Film and Television Studies, vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 12-64, 2006
Directed by Martin Scorsese. Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale, John C. Reilly, Alec Baldwin, Alan Alda, Ian Holm, Danny Huston, Gwen Stefani, Jude Law, Adam Scott, Matt Ross, Kelli Garner, Frances Conroy, Brent Spiner, Stanley DeSantis, Edward Herrmann, Willem Dafoe. Follows the life of Howard Hughes as the twentysomething millionaire, having already made a fortune improving the design of oil-drilling bits, who comes to Hollywood with an interest in getting into the picture business. It doesn't take long for Hughes to jump from producer to director of his first major film project, a World War I air epic. The film was a massive hit, and the eccentric inventor became a mogul in Hollywood, making Jean Harlow a star and enjoying a romance with Katharine Hepburn. But Hollywood's old-boy network never fully accepted Hughes, and in time his passion for flying began to reclaim his attentions. In time he began designing new planes, setting air speed records, flying around the world, and risking his life testing aircraft. Hughes also found time to romance Ava Gardner and founded his own airline, Trans-World Airlines. As his ideas became bolder and more eccentric, he gained many powerful enemies. 170 min. DVD 3996
Directed by Jonathan Demme. Cast: Paul Le Mat, Jason Robards, Mary Steenburgen, Jack Kehoe, Michael J. Pollard, Pamela Reed, Dabney Coleman, John Glover, Charles Napier.
Based on a true story, hard-luck milkman Melvin Dummar picks up a bum in the Nevada desert. The old man claims to be Howard Hughes and eight years later, Dummar finds himself a beneficiary in the Hughes will. Dummar becomes an instant celebrity while trying to cash in on the fortune. 95 min. DVD 7255
[Hugo, Adele] L'Histoire d'Adèle H. (The Story of Adele H) (France, 1975)
Directed by François Truffaut. Based on a true story, this film concerns Adele (Isabelle Adjani), the younger daughter of the famous author Victor Hugo, who follows her lover, Lt. Pinson, to Nova Scotia in 1863. Refusing to acknowledge his rejection of her, Adele continues to pursue Pinson for years, until her obsession gives way to madness. 97 min. DVD 517; vhs 999:2265
Directed by Harry Hook. Featuring Jon Voight, Graham Greene, David Ogden Stiers, Jack Blessing, Anne Archer. A sole survivor of the massacre of his people, Ishi has been discovered by Dr. Kroeber and his wife Henriette. Ishi carries the secrets of his people--how they lived and how they died--secrets no white man knows. Dr. Kroeber makes it his mission to uncover them before the last of the Yahi is gone forever. Originally produced for HBO television. 1992. 90 min. Video 999:1930
[Ivan IV, Czar of Russia]Ivan the Terrible (Ivan Groznyi) (Soviet Union, 1944/1958)
Writer and director, Sergei Eisenstein. Part 1 opens with the coronation of Ivan, Grand Duke of Moscow, depicting his goal to unify all Russian lands, his successive battles, ending with his self-imposed exile to await the call of the Russian people. Part 2 begins with his return to Moscow to find that his dream of reuniting all of Russia is all but impossible. He discovers an assassination plot and devises a scheme to turn the tables on the plotters. Director Eisenstein died before completing part 3. (Ivan the Terrible was originally released in Russia as motion picture in 1944; Ivan the Terrible. Part two was originally produced in 1946 and released in 1958.) Special features (Criterion version): (Part 1) Multimedia essay on the history of Ivan the Terrible by Joan Neuberger ; deleted scenes ; drawings and production stills. (Part 2) Multimedia essay on Eisenstein's visual vocabulary by Yuri Tsivian. 181 min. DVD 6654 (Criterion); DVD 55; vhs 999:345
Directed by Darnell Martin. Cast: Adrien Brody, Jeffrey Wright, Gabrielle Union, Columbus Short, Cedric the Entertainer, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Eamonn Walker, Mos Def, Beyoncé Knowles. Chess Records was located on the south side of Chicago. In 1947, it began recording blues music with Muddy Waters and Little Walter. This eventually gave birth to rock and roll in 1955 with Chuck Berry. Record producer, Leonard Chess has an ear for this different type of music and believes he can cash in by signing up new talent such as songwriter, Willie Dixon, Howlin' Wolf, and Etta James. Chess makes all of his artists part of his family and takes care of them. This is not easy since they spend a small fortune on booze, drugs, and the high life. When Chuck Berry goes to jail, Leonard is able to find another talented performer, Etta James, to take his place. In the late sixties, as their music goes out of favor, Leonard Chess gets out of the record business. Special features: Audio commentary by director; deleted scenes; Playing Chess: the making of Cadillac Records; Once upon a blues: Cadillac Records by design. 109 min. X1451
[James, Jesse]The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Directed by Andrew Dominik. Cast: Brad Pitt, Mary-Louise Parker, Brooklynn Proulx, Dustin Bollinger, Casey Affleck, Sam Rockwell, Jeremy Renner, Sam Shepard, Garret Dillahunt, Paul Schneider.
Everyone in 1880s America knows Jesse James. He's the nation's most notorious criminal and is being hunted by the law in 10 states. He's also the land's greatest hero, lauded as a Robin Hood by the public. No one knows of Robert Ford, at least not yet. But the ambitious 19-year-old aims to change that. He befriends Jesse and rides with his gang. And if that doesn't bring Ford fame, he will have to find a deadlier way. Friendship becomes rivalry and the quest for fame becomes obsession. Based on the novel by Ron Hansen.
159 min. DVD 9280
Director, Joseph Kane. Cast: Roy Rogers, George (Gabby) Hayes, Donald Barry (Jesse James), Pauline Moore.
Director, Joseph KaneCast: Roy Rogers, George (Gabby) Hayes, Donald Barry (Jesse James), Pauline Moore. Returning to Missouri from the gold fields of California, Gabby Hayes is persuaded by his granddaughter to deposit his earnings in the Northfield bank, which is then promptly robbed. Assigned by the Bankers' Association to track down the presumed culprits, Jesse James and his brother Frank, Roy Rogers soon learns that the Jameses are innocent in this particular crime, which was instead committed by the bank's greedy president. DVD 7912
Directed by Samuel Fuller. Cast: Preston Foster, Barbara Britton, John Ireland, Reed Hadley, J. Edward Bromberg, Victor Kilian.
After years of crime reporting and writing pulp novels and screenplays, Samuel Fuller made his directorial debut with the lonesome ballad of Robert Ford who fatally betrayed his friend, the notorious Jesse James. 81 min. DVD 8207
Directed by Henry King. Cast: Tyrone Power, Henry Fonda, Nancy Kelly, Randolph Scott.
Western adventure mixing romanticized legend with fact to form a biography of one of America's most popular "bad guys". 106 min. DVD X455
[Jesus Christ] The Gospel According to Saint Matthew (Italy / France, 1964)
Directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini. The birth, life, teachings and death on the cross of Jesus Christ presented almost as a cinema-verite documentary. Pasolini limited himself to the account by Matthew: only words written by the Saint are employed; no additional dialogue was written and only scenes described by Matthew are shown. Pasoolini used no professional actors (his mother plays the older Mary. 142 min. DVD 1801; vhs Video/C 999:143
Directed by Norman Jewison. A rock opera depicting in song, dance, and music, the story of the last week of Christ's life, his betrayal and crucifixion as seen from the point of view of Judas. 108 min. DVD 570; vhs 999:1960
Directed by Cecil B. DeMille. Cast: H.B. Warner, Jacqueline Logan, Rudolph Schildkraut, Dorothy Cummings, Ernest Torrence, Montagu Love, Sam De Grasse. An ostentatious retelling of the life of Christ that sealed DeMille's reputation as a master of the biblical epic. The film recounts the teachings of the humble carpenter but also the blasphemies of the Roman Empire in all its sinful splendor. 115 min.DVD 4966; vhs 999:1701
Directed by Nicholas Ray. Cast: Jeffrey Hunter, Siobhan McKenna, Hurd Hatfield, Ron Randell, Viveca Lindfors, Rita Gam, Carmen Sevilla, Brigid Bazlen, Harry Guardino, Rip Torn, Frank Thring, Royal Dano, Maurice Marsac, Gregoire Aslan, Robert Ryan. A large scale biblical epic telling the story of the life of Christ, describing events that took place between Romans and Jews, setting the political background for the life of Christ, and the personalities and ideas of the New Testament. 171 min. DVD 3628
[Jesus Christ] The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
Directed by Martin Scorsese. Cast: Willem Dafoe, Harvey Keitel, Barbara Hershey, Harry Dean Stanton, David Bowie. In this controversial movie, Jesus, as both fully human and fully divine, is viewed as free of sin but subject to all temptations, including sexual ones. Based on the novel by Nikos Kazantzakis. 163 min. DVD 375; vhs 999:1634
Directed by Mel Gibson. Cast: Jim Caviezel, Monica Bellucci, Claudia Gerini, Maia Morgenstern, Sergio Rubini, Toni Bertorelli, Roberto Bestatazzoni, Francesco Cabras, Giovanni Capalbo. A visually stunning portrayal, including scenes of graphic violence, of the last twelve hours in the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In the Garden of Gethsemane near the Mount of Olives, Jesus is betrayed by Judas Iscariot, arrested and condemned to death for blasphemy and brought before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, for sentencing. The roaring crowd demands his death, so Pilate orders his crucifixion. Jesus is severely beaten and made to carry his cross up to Golgotha, the hill outside Jerusalem, where he is nailed to the cross. With his mother looking on, he dies. 127 min. DVD 2897
[Jesus Christ] Two Sacred Classics of the Silent Screen
"The Life and Passion of Christ," (1902-1905) directed by Ferdinand Zecca and Lucien Nonguet, is presented in 31 carefully costumed and staged tableaux which dramatize Christ's crucifixion, death, resurrection and ascension. In black and white with Pathe stencil color added. 44 min. "From the Manger to the Cross," (1912)directed by Sidney Olcott, is a version of the Passion Play presented in more naturalistic terms and filmed on location in Egypt and Palestine. In black and white with color tinting. 71 min. DVD 2324
[Joan of Arc] Jeanne la Pucelle - Les Prisons (Joan the Mail - The Prisons) (France, 1994)
Directed by Jacques Rivette. Featuring Sandrine Bonnaire, Andre Marcon, Jean-Louis Richard, Marcel Nozonnet, Patrick LeMauff, Didier Sauvegrain, Jean-Pierre Lorit, Bruno Wolkowitch. "The Prisons," the second segment in a two-part account of the life of Joan of Arc, begins in June, 1429, as Joan rejoins the Dauphin at Loches and embarks on a series of French victories over the English. But in May of the following year, Joan is captured and imprisoned. In January of 1431, the trial of Joan of Arc begins and during five months, she faces her two judges; accused of sorcery, impurity, wearing men's clothing and refusal to submit to English rule, she is condemned as a heretic and burned at the stake. 116 min. DVD 1171; vhs 999:2372
[Joan of Arc] Jeanne la Pucelle - Les Batailles (Joan the Maid - The Battles) (France, 1994)
Directed by Jacques Rivette. Featuring Sandrine Bonnaire, Andre Marcon, Jean-Louis Richard, Marcel Nozonnet, Patrick LeMauff, Didier Sauvegrain, Jean-Pierre Lorit, Bruno Wolkowitch. Tells the story of Joan of Arc recorded in meticulous detail, relying on original court transcripts and eyewitness accounts. "The Battles," the first segment of this two-part account of her life, follows Joan from her birth in 1412 describing her early life, to her response to inner voices during battles at Orleans culminating with the defeat of the English at Tourelles. 112 min. DVD 1171; vhs 999:2371
Directed by Victor Fleming. Cast: Ingrid Bergman, Jose Ferrer, John Ireland, Leif Erickson, William Conrad, J. Carroll Naish. The story of the peasant girl who led the Dauphin's forces to victory over the English armies in France, only to be sold to the enemy, tried as a witch, and burned at the stake. 100 min. DVD 9061; vhs 999:3385
Directed by Cecil B. DeMille. Cast: Geraldine Farrar, Wallace Reid, Pedro De Cordoba, Horace B. Carpenter. The story of the peasant girl who led the Dauphin's forces to victory over the English armies in France, only to be sold to the enemy, tried as a witch, and burned at the stake. This first historical epic produced by Cecil B. DeMille, was a tribute to the indomitable spirit of the people of France, made when the outcome of WWI, raging on French soil, was far from certain. 138 min. vhs 999:1698
[Joan of Arc] The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999)
Directed by Luc Besson. Featuring Milla Jovovich, John Malkovich, Faye Dunaway, Dustin Hoffman. A lavish epic drama exploring the life of Joan of Arc, her amazing victories, relationship with God and her tragic death. 158 min. DVD 1366
[Joan of Arc] Passion of Joan of Arc (La Passion de Jeanne D'Arc) (France, 1928)
Directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer. Cast: Renee Falconetti, Eugene Silvain, Andre Berley, Maurice Schutz, Antonin Artaud, Gilbert Dalleu, Jean d'Yd, Lois Ravet. The trial and execution of Joan of Arc, based on actual court records, but compressed into a single day. This film is notable for its extensive use of close-ups, extreme close-ups, expressionistic camera angles, and historically accurate sets and costumes. Silent film with French intertitles and English subtitles and musical soundtrack. Special features include: an extensive production design archive; a history of Passion's many versions, with clips; audio interview with Falconetti's daughter; an essay by Richard Einhorn on Joan of Arc and Voices of Light. DVD 121; vhs 999:172; 999:2266 (Restored version)
[Joan of Castile] Juana la Loca (Joan the Mad) (Spain / Italy / Portugal, 2001)
Directed by Vicente Aranda. Cast: Pilar López de Ayala, Daniele Liotti, Rosana Pastor, Giuliano Gemma, Roberto Alvarez, Eloy Azorin, Susy Sánchez, Manuela Arcuri, Héctor Colomé. Joan of Castile (1479-1555, daughter of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella) has gone down in history as "Joan the Mad." Sent alone to Brussels, sheltered eighteen-year-old Joan is a willing pawn in her political marriage to a young Hapsburg, Philip Archduke of Austria, consolidating Spain as regional power. Amazingly, Joan falls in love with Philip, who reciprocates initially, but then becomes noticeably indifferent. Juana becomes queen of Spain when her mother and her older brothers die in 1504. Due to the pressure of being queen and the discovery that her husband has many lovers, her mental health starts getting worse. Felipe, seeing his wife in these circumstances, makes the Burgos Court to declare the insanity of Juana and recludes her in the Monastry of Las Huelgas, proclaiming himself as the king. Inspired by the scenes from the play, "La Locura de Amor" [The Madness of Love] by Manuel Tamayo y Baus. 118 min. DVD X959
Directed by Martyn Burke Cast: Noah Wyle, Anthony Michael Hall, Joey Slotnick, John DiMaggio, Josh Hopkins.
This film is a semi-humorous docudrama about the men who pioneered an industry that literally transformed the entire world: Apple Computer founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak and Microsoft's Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer. Looks at their struggles during college, the founding of their companies, and the ingenious actions they took to build up their global corporate personal computer empires. Based on the book: Fire in the Valley by Paul Freiberger and Michael Swaine. 96 min. DVD X38
Directed by Martin Ritt. Cast: James Earl Jones, Jane Alexander, Lou Gilbert, Joel Fluellen, Chester Morris.
Based on the life of African American boxer Jack Johnson, this fictional account of his rise to fame chronicles the battles that the flamboyant champion fought in and out of the ring. Refusing to live within the boundaries deemed acceptable by society, this renowned hero and the woman he loved chose to live their lives the way they wanted-- something which evoked great fury from a narrow-minded world. 102 min. DVD 8059
Directed by Alfred E. Green. Cast: Larry Parks, Evelyn Keyes, William Demarest, Bill Goodwin.
A musical extravaganza biopic telling the story of the meteoric singing/performing career of Asa Yoelson, a talented cantor's son determined to make it big in the "biz". After changing his name to Al Jolson, he captivated audiences everywhere with his minstrel and jazz performances. 130 min. DVD 9907
[Joyce, James and Nora] James Joyce's Nora (France / USA, 1999)
Directed by Pat Murphy. Cast: Ewan McGregor, Susan Lynch, Peter McDonald, Roberto Citran. Tells the story of reknowned rebel lovers, James Joyce and Nora Barnacle, following the famous literary pair from the dark streets of Dublin to the sun-kissed Italian coast. Bold, earthy and honest, their volatile sexually-charged relationship broke all social and religious bounds and became the basis for Joyce's masterpiece Ulysses. 106 min. DVD 3483
Directed by William Dieterle. Cast: Paul Muni, Bette Davis, Brian Aherne, Claude Rains, John Garfield, Donald Crisp, Joseph Calleia, Gale Sondergaard, Gilbert Roland, Henry O'Neill.
A dramatizated account of the triumphant resistance of President Benito Juarez and his followers against the attempt by Louis Napoleon to install Maximillian von Hapsburg as Emperor of Mexico. 123 min. 999:2832
Directed by Steven Soderbergh. Cast: Jeremy Irons, Theresa Russell, Alec Guinness, Joel Grey. In 1919 Prague, Czechoslovakia, Jeremy Irons plays Kafka, an insurance clerk and aspiring writer leading a staid and reclusive life, until his closest friend mysteriously disappears without a trace. A seductive co-worker leads Kafka to a group of anarchists who speak of a "cover-up of monumental proportions" controlled from within a castle outside the city. Searching for the truth, Kafka ventures behind the castle's walls and discovers a terrifying secret. 100 min. 999:3365
Directed by Julie Taymor. Cast: Salma Hayek, Alfred Molina, Valeria Golino, Mia Maestro, Roger Rees, Diego Luna, Geoffrey Rush, Ashley Judd, Antonio Banderas. A dramatization of the life of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, from her humble upbringing to the worldwide fame and controversy that surrounded both her and her husband, Diego Rivera. Special features: Disc 1: Feature film with commentary by director Julie Taymor; selected scenes commentary with composer Elliot Goldenthal; a conversation with Salma Hayek -- Disc 2: American Film Institute Q&A with director Julie Taymor; Bill Moyers interview with Julie Taymor; Chavela Vargas interview; the voice of Lila Downs; the vision of Frida: with Rodrigo Prieto and Julie Taymor; the design of "Frida": with Felipe Fernandez; the music of "Frida": with Elliot Goldenthal and Salma Hayek; Salma Hayek's recording session; bringing Frida Kahlo's life and art to film: a walk through real locations; portrait of an artist; "Amobea Proteus" visual FX; "The Brothers Quay" visual FX; Frida Kahlo facts. 122 min. DVD 1712
Bartra, Eli, and John Mraz. "Las Dos Fridas: History and transcultural identities." Rethinking History 9.4 (Dec 2005): 449-457.
Briley, Ron. "Frida" Film & History 33:2 (2003) p. 75-77
UC users only
Fein, Seth. "Frida/Frida naturaleza viva." American Historical Review; Oct2003, Vol. 108 Issue 4, p1261-1263, 3p UC users only
Guzman, Isabel Molina. "Mediating Frida: Negotiating discourses of Latino/o authenticity in global media representations of ethnic identity." Critical Studies in Media Communication 23.3 (August 2006): 232(20).
Lent, Tina Olsin.
"Life as Art/Art as Life: Dramatizing the Life and Work of Frida Kahlo."
Journal of Popular Film & Television. 2007. Vol. 35, Iss. 2; p. 68 (9 pages)
UC users only
West, Joan M "Frida." Cineaste, 28:2 (Spring 2003) p. 39-41
UC users only
[Kahlo, Frida] Frida: naturaleza viva. (1984)
Directed by Paul Leduc. Cast: Ofelia Medina, Juan Jose Gurrola, Salvador Sanchez, Max Kerlow, Claudio Brook. On her deathbed, the artist Frida Kahlo recalls her life as a painter and reflects on the effects of her illnesses and injuries and on her relationships with Leon Trotsky, husband Diego Rivera, and others. 1989. 108 min. Video/C 2944
Fein, Seth. "Frida/Frida naturaleza viva." American Historical Review; Oct2003, Vol. 108 Issue 4, p1261-1263, 3p UC users only
DD>Lent, Tina Olsin.
"Life as Art/Art as Life: Dramatizing the Life and Work of Frida Kahlo."
Journal of Popular Film & Television. 2007. Vol. 35, Iss. 2; p. 68 (9 pages)
UC users only
Lynd, Juliet. Art and Politics in Paul Leduc's Frida: Naturaleza viva. RLA: Romance Languages Annual. 10 (2): 696-702. 1998.
[Kalmar, Bert] Three Little Words (1950)
Directed by Richard Thorpe. Cast: Fred Astaire, Red Skelton, Vera-Ellen, Arlene Dahl, Keenan Wynn, Gale Robbins, Gloria de Haven. A musical biopic telling the story of the lives of the successful Tin Pan Alley songwriting team of Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby. 102 min. DVD 5683
Directed by Arthur Penn. Cast: Anne Bancroft (Annie Sullivan), Patty Duke (Helen Keller), Victor Jory, Inga Swenson, Andrew Prine, Kathleen Comegys. 106 min. DVD 627; 999:2929
Directed by Paul Aaron. Featuring Patty Duke Astin, Melissa Gilbert, Diana Muldaur, Charles Siebert. A dramatization of the true story of the struggle of a Boston teacher, Annie Sullivan, to communicate with and teach the deaf, blind, and mute child, Helen Keller. Original television drama made in 1979. Based on William Gibson's play. 98 min. 999:957
Directed by Oliver Stone. Cast: Kevin Costner, Kevin Bacon, Tommy Lee Jones, Laurie Metcalf, Gary Oldman, Michael Rooker, Jay O. Sanders, Sissy Spacek. Director Oliver Stone seamlessly blends archival film with acted sequences in his version of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, which alleges that there was a massive plot and cover-up surrounding JFK's death. Based on the books "On the trail of the assassins" by Jim Garrison and "Crossfire: the plot that killed Kennedy" by Jim Marrs. 209 min. DVD 772; vhs 999:1260
Directed by Roger Donaldson. Cast: Kevin Costner, Bruce Greenwood, Steven Culp, Dylan Baker, Michael Fairman, Kevin Conway, Walter Adrian. October 1962, for thirteen extraordinary days the world stood on the brink of destruction. Krushchev wouldn't back down, President Kennedy wouldn't give in.Inspired by the real-life events that took place inthe Kennedy White House during the Cuban missile crisis. Special features: filmmaker commentary with KevinCostner, Roger Donaldson, David Self and others ;historical figures commentary featuring archival audio of John F. Kennedy, Robert McNamara, Kenneth P.O'Donnell, and newly created interviews with Pierre Salinger, Sergei Khrushchev and many others ;documentary 'Roots of the Cuban Missile Crisis' ;documentary 'Bringing history to the silver screen' ;historical figures biography gallery ; visual effects scene demonstrations ; deleted scenes with director commentary ; cast and crew filmographies ; theatrical trailers ; script to screen screenplay ; interactive menus. 142 min. DVD 837
Directed by Emilio Estevez. Cast: Harry Belafonte, Joy Bryant, Nick Cannon, Emilio Estevez, Laurence Fishburne, Brian Geraghty, Heather Graham, Anthony Hopkins, Helen Hunt, Joshua Jackson, David Krumholtz, Ashton Kutcher, Shia LaBeouf, Lindsay Lohan, William H. Macy, Demi Moore, Freddy Rodriguez, Martin Sheen, Christian Slater, Sharon Stone, Elijah Wood.
Revisits the night presidential-hopeful Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated at the Ambassador Hotel in 1968. As the lives of those who were present dramatically intersect, Bobby shows how the gunshots that rang out that night forever changed the course of American history. Special features: 'Bobby' : the making of an American epic ; Eyewitness accounts from the Ambassador Hotel ; theatrical trailer. 119 min. DVD 7463
Directed by Richard Whorf. Cast: Robert Walker, Van Johnson, Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, June Allyson, Kathryn Grayson, Van Heflin, Dinah Shore, Lucille Bremer, Lena Horne, Angela Lansbury, Tony Martin, Virginia O'Brien, Cyd Charisse. A musical biopic based on the life of American Broadway pioneer Jerome Kern, featuring renditions of the famous songs from his musical plays by contemporary stage artists, including a condensed production of his most famous: Showboat. 130 min. DVD 5682
Directed by John Byrum. Cast: Nick Nolte, Sissy Spacek, John Heard. Part ode to the Beat Generation, part domestic comedy, this film, based on the memoirs of Carolyn Cassady, tells of her life with Neal Cassady and Jack Kerouac. They were three unconventional people who thumbed their noses at the conventional 1950's, sharing a lifestyle that foreshadowed the social and sexual upheavals of the 60's. Based on the memoir Heart beat by Carolyn Cassady. DVD X1796; vhs 999:2745
[Kerouac, Jack]The Last Time I Committed Suicide (1997)
Directed by Stephen T. Kay. Cast: Thomas Jane, Keanu Reeves, Adrien Brody, John Doe, Claire Forlani, Jim Haynie, Marg Helgenberger, Lucinda Jenney, Gretchen Mol. Beat icon Neal Cassady is forced to choose between the lustful life of a drifter or the all-elusive American dream in this drama loosely based on several incidents from Cassady's life, as well as a letter that Neal sent to Jack Kerouac about some complicated events in his love life. 93 min. 999:2724
Directed by Bill Condon. Cast: Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, Chris O'Donnell, Peter Sarsgaard, Timothy Hutton, John Lithgow, Tim Curry, Oliver Platt. A dramatization of the life of Alfred Kinsey, a researcher driven to uncover the most private secrets of the nation, and journey into the mystery of human behavior. His 1948 book Sexual Behavior in the Human Male irrevocably changed American culture. 118 min. DVD 4039
Corber, Robert J. "Rethinking Sex: Alfred Kinsey Now.(Kinsey)(Movie Review)." American Quarterly 57.2 (June 2005): 463-474.
Esther, John. "On the making of Kinsey and Kinsey: John Esther talks to the director of a groundbreaking biopic.(Bill Condon's biographical movie)(Interview)." The Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide 12.4 (July-August 2005): 15(3).
UC users only
Grundmann, Roy. "Sex, science, and the biopic: an interview with Bill Condon.(Interview)." Cineaste 30.2 (Spring 2005): 11(1).
UC users only
Grundmann, Roy. "Too darn hot: Kinsey and the culture wars.(Critical Essay)." Cineaste 30.2 (Spring 2005): 4(7). UC users only
Williams, Linda. "Kinsey.(Movie Review)." Film Quarterly 58.3 (Spring 2005): 43(5). UC users only
[Klimt, Gustav]Klimt (Austria / France / Germany / UK, 2006)
Directed by Raoul Ruiz. Cast: John Malkovich, Veronica Ferres, Stephen Dillane, Saffron Burrows, Nikolai Kinski, Sandra Ceccarelli.
A biographical fantasy on the life of Gustav Klimt, whose paintings, like his life, were full of intensity, passion, and controversy. On his death bed, Klimt recalls the decadence of his past, traveling back in time to the 1900 World Exhibition in Paris, where he is introduced to a mysterious dancer who emerges as his muse and the personification of his own erotic ideals. 97 min. DVD 9489
Directed by Andrzej Wajda. Cast: Wojtek Pszoniak, Ewa Dalkowska. Tells the true story of Janusz Korczak, a renowned physician and author, who ran a home for Jewish orphans in 1930's Warsaw. Urged by friends to flee the country, he chose to remain with his orphans, but as the war continued it became plain that, depite Krczak's tireless efforts, the children would be deported to concentration camps. 118 min. 999:3652
Director: Oliver Stone. Cast: Tom Cruise, Kyra Sedgwick, Raymond J. Barry, JerryLevine, Frank Whaley, Caroline Kava, Willem Dafoe. Follows the young Ron Kovic from his days as a zealous teen who eagerly joins up for the Vietnam War, to his return from the war as an embittered veteran, paralyzed from mid-chest down. Chronicles his disillusionment with the country's continued involvement in Vietnam, his physical struggle and his emergence as a brave new voice for thousands of disenchanted vets. 145 min. DVD 769; vhs 999:740
[Kristina, Queen of Sweden] Queen Christina (1934)
Directed by Alexander Korda. Cast: Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, Ian Keith, Lewis Stone, Elizabeth Young, C. Aubrey Smith, Reginald Owen, Georges Renavent, David Torrence, Gustav Von Seyffertitz. Screen portrayal of the 17th century Queen of Sweden who relinquishes her throne for her lover, the ambassador from Spain. 100 min. DVD 4285; vhs 999:2990
Directed by Martin Scorsese. Cast: Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, Cathy Moriarty. Robert DeNiro stars as Jake LaMotta, the controversial prize fighter of the 1940's who rose from the streets of the Bronx to the heights of his sport, only to find disillusionment and corruption as well as fame. 129 min. DVD 137; Video/D 116 vhs 999:870
[Lawrence, T.E. (Thomas Edward)] Lawrence of Arabia (UK, 1962)
Directed by David Lean. Cast: Alec Guinness, Omar Sharif, Peter O'Toole, Anthony Quinn, Jack Hawkins, Anthony Quayle, Claude Rains. The story of T.E. Lawrence (Peter O'Toole), the heroic and troubled man who organized the Arab nations to fight the Turks in World War I and then, having reached a pinnacle of power in Mideast politics, retired to postwar military obsurity.
129 min. DVD 666; vhs 999:382
Director, Rob Cohen. Cast: Jason Scott Lee, Lauren Holly, Nancy Kwan, Robert Wagner, Michael Learned, Ric Young.
True story of the kung-fu king Bruce Lee based on the biography by his widow that dwells not on his mysterious death but his inspirational life and improbable rise to stardom from the streets of Hong Kong. Reveals the life of the man behind the legend, his awesome martial arts fighting skills, passionate romance, and spiritual triumph over demons from without ... and within. Based on the book "Bruce Lee, the man only I knew" by Linda Lee Cadwell. 120 min. DVD 7842
[Leonowens, Anna Harriette]Anna and the King (1999)
Director, Andy Tennant. Cast: Cast: Jodie Foster, Chow Yun-fat, Bai Ling.
English schoolteacher Anna Leonowens has traveled to Siam to educate the fifty eight children of King Mongkut. Each has preconceived ideas about the other's world. Amid the danger of political unrest, their growing respect for each other turns into romance. Based upon the diaries of Anna Leonowens. Special features: Commentary by Andy Tennant, five featurettes, television special, six deleted scenes, theatrical trailer, music video "How can I not love you" by Joy 147 min. DVD 525
Director, Walter Lang. Cast: Deborah Kerr, Yul Brynner, Rita Moreno, Martin Benson, Terry Saunders.
An English schoolteacher finds herself at odds with the King when she is the teacher at the royal court in Siam in the 1860s. Over time, Anna and the King stop trying to change each other and begin to understand one another. Based on Anna and the King of Siam (which presents the life of Anna Leonowens) by Margaret Landon. 133 min. DVD 606; vhs 999:696
[Leopold, Nathan Freudenthal and Loeb, Richard A.] Compulsion (1959)
Director, Richard Fleischer. Cast: Orson Welles, Dean Stockwell, Diane Varsi, Bradford Dillman, E.G. Marshall, Martin Milner, Richard Anderson. A riveting true story about the notorious 1924 Leopold-Loeb murder case. Brilliant attorney Clarence Darrow defended two wealthy Chicago teenagers who thought their superior intellect would enable them to execute the perfect crime. Darrow's history-making and controversial defense against capital punishment saved the boys from a death sentence. 105 min. DVD 8339; vhs 999:3346
[Leopold, Nathan Freudenthal and Loeb, Richard A.]Rope (1948)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Starring James Stewart, John Dall, Farley Granger, Cedric Hardwicke. Granger and Dall are two friends who strangle a classmate for intellectual thrills and then proceed to invite his family and mutual friends to dinner-with the body stuffed inside the trunk they use for a buffet table. Their former teacher, James Stewart, suspects wrongdoing. Before the night is over, he finds out how brutally his students have twisted his own academic theories. The homosexual relationship of the two central characters was kept under wraps by the censors--although it remains fairly obvious to the careful viewer. DVD 639; vhs 999:255
[Leopold, Nathan Freudenthal and Loeb, Richard A.] Swoon (1992)
Directed by Tom Kalin. A film noir "thriller" that presents the true case of Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, brilliant young men from good Jewish families, who were convicted for murdering a 13-year-old boy. Some of the basic features of this story were also used in Hitchcock's 1948 film, Rope 93 min. DVD X791; vhs 999:1161
[Levi, Primo] The Truce (Italy / France / Germany / Switzerland, 1996)
Directed by Francesco Rosi. Cast: John Turturro, Rade Serbedzija, Massimo Ghini, Teco Celio, Roberto Citran, Claudio Bisio, Andy Luotto, Agnieszka Wagner and Stefano Dionisi. Tells the true story of humanist Primo Levi and other Italian prisoners liberated from Auschwitz after WWII as they embark on a thousand-mile journey back home to Italy. Along the way, they face great odds but as Primo travels he rediscovers the simply joys of life that the war threatened to destroy forever -- friendship, love, laughter, and most of important of all, a sense of hope. 118 min. DVD 3108
Directed by Richard Attenborough. Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Debra Winger, James Frain, Daniel Goode, Scott Handy. Based on the true story of C.S. Lewis, a world-renowned writer and professor who remains untouched by any great passion until he meets and falls in love with Joy Gresham, a feisty, abrasive New York divorcee. 133 min. DVD 6395
Directed by D.W. Griffith. Cast: Walter Huston, Una Merkel, Ian Keith, Frank Campeau, Hobart Bosworth, Henry B. Walthall, Kay Hammond, Alyn E. Warren, Fred Warren. This epic biography of the life of Abraham Lincoln is D.W. Griffith's first talking picture. It begins with Lincoln's life just prior to his White House ascent. His romance with Ann Rutledge and the famed Lincoln-Douglas debate receive special attention, and Griffith is in his element when picturing the battle scenes of the Civil War. The film concludes with Lincoln's assassination at Ford's Theatre. 84 min. DVD X622; vhs Video/C 999:1882
"Abraham Lincoln." In: The Columbia companion to American history on film : how the movies have portrayed the American past / edited by Peter C. Rollins.
New York : Columbia University Press, c2003. (Media Center PN1995.9.U64.C65 2003; Doe Refe PN1995.9.U64.C65 2003; Moffitt PN1995.9.U64.C65 2003; PFA PN1995.9.U64.C65 2003)
[Lincoln, Abraham] Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940)
Directed by John Cromwell. Cast: Raymond Massey, Gene Lockhart, Ruth Gordon, Mary Howard, Minor Watson, Alan Baxter, Harvey Stephens, Howard da Silva.
Views Lincoln's life, from his early days as a young woodsman to his election to the presidency in 1860. Includes his first love with Ann Rutledge, his marriage to Mary Todd, his early law practice, and his debates with Stephen Douglas. Film version of Robert E. Sherwood's play of the same title. 110 min. DVD X1799
Directed by John Ford. Cast: Henry Fonda, Alice Brady, Marjorie Weaver, Arleen Whelan. Ten formative years in the life of one of America's greatest statesmen are brought vividly to the screen by Henry Fonda in this fictionalized biography of Abraham Lincoln's early years as a lawyer in Springfield, Ill. 137 min. DVD 5100; also DVD 9362; vhs 999:1039
"Abraham Lincoln." In: The Columbia companion to American history on film : how the movies have portrayed the American past / edited by Peter C. Rollins.
New York : Columbia University Press, c2003. (Media Center PN1995.9.U64.C65 2003; Doe Refe PN1995.9.U64.C65 2003; Moffitt PN1995.9.U64.C65 2003; PFA PN1995.9.U64.C65 2003)
[Lindbergh, Charles A.] The Spirit of St. Louis (1957)
Directed by Billy Wilder. Cast: James Stewart, Murray Hamilton, Bartlett Robinson, Charles Watts. Biography of Charles Lindbergh from his days of precarious mail runs in aviation's infancy to his design of a small transatlantic plane and the vicissitudes of its takeoff and epochal flight from New York to Paris in 1927. 135 min. DVD 6167
[Lindsay, Norman ] Age of Consent (Australia, 1969)
Directed by Michael Powell. Cast: James Mason, Helen Mirren, Jack MacGowran. Based on the life of controversial Australian artist Norman Lindsay. Lindsay is a jaded painter who heads Down Under looking for a way to revitalize his creative soul. His self-imposed exile is interrupted by Cora, an uninhibited young woman on her own journey of self-discovery. Based on the novel by Norman Lindsay. Special features: Director Martin Scorsese on Age of consent; commentary with historian Kent Jones; making Age of consent; Helen Mirren: a conversation with Cora; Down Under with Ron and Valerie Taylor. 106 min. DVD X1382
Directed by Robert Rossen. Cast: Broderick Crawford, Mercedes McCambridge, John Ireland, Joanne Dru, John Derek. A political demagogue governor of a Southern State believes that every man has his price and that the end justifies the means. Based on the life of Huey Pierce Long, governor of Louisiana and senator. Based on the book by Robert Penn Warren. 109 min. DVD 5484; vhs 999:264
Directed by Steven Zaillian. Cast: Sean Penn, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, James Gandolfini, Mark Ruffalo, Patricia Clarkson, Kathy Baker, Jackie Earle Haley, Anthony Hopkins.
Willie Stark is an uncorrupted small-town mayor in 1950s Louisiana. He gets picked by the political machine to run as a wild card candidate in the upcoming gubernatorial race. But, when Willie realizes that he is being manipulated, he veers off on his own to become the darling of the electorate's downtrodden and forgotten hicks. Covering the campaign for a local paper is Jack Burden, whose editorial pieces become so admiring of Willie that he's fired. But, when Stark wins, Burden hires onto the new governor's team as a personal aide. Once in office, Governor Stark antagonizes the state legislature, the oil companies, and the moneyed classes with his share-the-wealth promises to the sweaty masses. Legislators become so outraged that they start serious impeachment talk, a move supported by the admired and retired Judge Irwin, who also happens to be Jack's godfather. Based on the life of Huey Pierce Long, governor of Louisiana and senator. Special features: The making of All the king's men (featurette) ; An American classic (featurette) ; La. confidential: on location with All the king's men (featurette) ; Shake hands with the devil (featurette) ; The legend and lore of Huey Long (featurette) ; deleted scenes. 128 min. DVD 6716
[Louis XIV, King of France, 1638-1715]La Prise de pouvoir par Louis XIV (The Taking of Power by Louis XIV) (France, 1965)
Directed by Roberto Rossellini. Traces the creation of an absolute monarchy by France's "Sun King", Louis XIV. 102 min. DVD X855; DVD 4678 (in French without English subtitles); vhs 999:343
[Louis XIV, King of France, 1638-1715]The King Dances (Le Roi danse) (France / Germany / Belgium, 2000)
Directed by Gerard Corbiau. Cast: Benoit Magimel (Louis XIV), Boris Terral (Lully), Tcheky Karyo (Moli`ere), Colette Emmanuelle (queen mother [Anne of Austria]), Cecile Bois (Madeleine), Claire Keim (Julie), Johan Leysen (Cambert), Idwig Stephane (Conti), Emil Tarding (the young Louis XIV); others. Historical drama about Louis XIV of France, centering on his passion for dance and music. The shy heir to the throne has his destiny altered when musician Jean-Baptiste Lully and the famed playwright Moliere enter his life. Recognizing the young king's talent for dance they compose and stage ballets that glorify Louis' image. The film includes many recreations of dance, drama, and opera of the era. 114 min. DVD 4502
Director, Nick Broomfield. Delves into the death of the leading rock star of the Nirvana rock group, Kurt Cobain. Many people feel Cobain's death was not a suicide, but was rather a homicide that was covered up. All the conspiracy theories have a common thread connecting Cobain's wife, Courtney Love, to his death. No one appears to claim she pulled the trigger, but some claim that she hired someone else to do the job, or else drove Cobain to do it himself. 1997. 95 min. Video/C 6881
[Lovelace, Ada King, Countess of] Conceiving Ada.(USA / Germany, 1997)
Directed by Lynn Hershman Leeson. Cast: Tilda Swinton, Francesca Faridany, Timothy Leary, Karen Black, John O'Keefe, John Perry Barlow. Emmy Coer, a computer genius, devises a way to communicate with the past and manages to reach Ada King, Countess of Lovelace, daughter of the famed poet Lord Byron and an amateur mathematician who wrote what is considered to be the first computer language back in the 19th century. Ada's ideas were stifled and unfulfilled because of the reality of life as a woman in the Victorian era but Emmy has a plan to defeat death using DNA as a communicative agent to bring Ada to the present. But what are the possible ramifications? 84 min. 999:2648
[Ludwig II, King of Bavaria]Ludwig: requiem für einen Jungfräulichen König(Germany, 1972)
Director, Hans Jürgen Syberberg. Cast: Harry Baer, Ingrid Caven, Balthasar Thomass, Oskar von Schab, Edgar Murray, Peter Kern, Gerhard Maerz. A dramatic exploration of the life of King Ludwig II of Bavaria (1845-1886), featuring a collage-like mixture of images from German folklore and history. The first section presents in the course of one single night several significant events in the life of Ludwig. The second section depicts nightmarish projections of his fantasies and reality, as well as his fall from grace and death. In German without English subtitles. 1972. 139 min. DVD X298
Directed by Helmut Kautner. A dramatization of the tragic life of Bavaria's King Ludwig II, from his ascension to the throne to his early death in 1886. In German without English subtitles. 110 min. 999:2962
[Lumumba, Patrice] Lumumba (2000)
Directed by Raoul Peck. Cast: Eriq Ebouaney, Alex Descas, Maka Kotto, Theophile Moussa Sowie, Andre Debaar. Dramatizes the life of Congolese revolutionary, Patrice Lumumba, who led his country to independence from Belgium in 1960. He served for less than a year as the first elected prime minister, until he was brutally assassinated. In French with English subtitles. 115 min. DVD 1592
Directed by Guy Green. Cast: Cast: Stacy Keach, Alan Badel, Judi Dench, Hugh Griffith, Patrick Magee, Robert Stephens, Leonard Rossiter.
Compressing nearly two decades, this is a provocative character study of Martin Luther, his deepening religious dilemmas and his eventual condemnation of the Catholic Church and incitement of the Protestant reformation. 111 min. DVD 1587
Directed by Margarethe von Trotta. Cast: Barbara Sukowa, Daniel Olbrychski, Otto Sander. Dramatization of the life of Rosa Luxemburg, a Polish Jewess, who became known as "Red Rosa". She became German through an unconsumated marriage and at the beginning of the century, played an important role in the political and moral fields. She was at the sides of Bebel, Jaures, Lenin during all the major international congresses. She was also an ardent pacifist and spent the greatest part of World War I in prison and was eventually assissinated. 122 min. 999:1197
Directed by Michael Apted. Cast: Sissy Spacek, Tommy Lee Jones, Beverly D'Angelo, Levon Helm, Phyllis Boyens. A dramatization of the life of the "Queen of Country Music" from her backwoods Appalachia home to the Grand Ole Opry and super stardom. 110 min. DVD 2864
[Maintenon, Madame de]L'allee du Roi(France, 1996)
Director, Nina Companez. A historical drama based on the recollections of Francoise d'Aubigne, Marques de Maintenon, wife to Louis XIV, the King of France. In French without substitles. 240 min. DVD 4510
Director, Patricia Mazuy. Cast: Isabelle Huppert, Jean-Pierre Kalfon, Simon Regiani, Anne Marev, Jean-Francois Balmer. Madame de Maintenon, wife of Louis XIV, founds Saint-Cyr, a boarding school outside of Paris for the daughters of destitute nobility where girls are brought to acquire the language and manners befitting their rank. The school eventually becomes a source of nightmarish anxiety for her, as idle noblemen discover her young charges. In French without substitles. 114 min. DVD 4511
[Malcolm X] Malcolm X (1992)
Directed by Spike Lee. Starring Denzel Washington, Angela Bassett, Albert Hall, Al Freeman. Screen version of the life of Malcolm X, who through his religious conversion to Islam, found the strength to rise up from a criminal past to become an influential civil rights leader. 201 min. DVD 148; vhs 999:769
[Marguerite, Queen, consort of Henry IV, King of France] La reine Margot (Queen Margot) (France / Italy / Germany, 1994)
Directed by Patrice Chéreau. Cast: Isabelle Adjani, Daniel Auteuil, Jean-Hugues Anglade, Vincent Perez, Virna Lisi, Jean-Claude Brialy. Thrown into a political marriage of convenience by her ruthlessly power-hungry family, the beautiful Margot soon finds herself hopelessly drawn into their murderous affairs. It's then she realizes her only hope of escape lies somewhere between the heroic soldier who loves her and the enemy husband who could save her. Based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas. 144 min. DVD 6675
[Marat, Jean Paul] Marat/Sade (The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as performed by the Inmates of the Asylum at Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade (UK, 1967)
Directed by Peter Brook. Cast: Glenda Jackson, Patrick Magee, Ian Richardson. History's most infamous sexual adventurer lives in a madhouse, where a beautiful laundry maid helps him smuggle his erotic stories to the printer. Defying orders from the asylum's resident priest, the titillating passages whip all of France into a sexual frenzy, until a fiercely conservative doctor tries to put an end to the fun. 115 min. DVD 1337; vhs Video/C 1638
[Marie Antoinette] Marie Antoinette (Japan / France / USA, 2006)
Directed by Sofia Coppola. Cast: Kirsten Dunst, Marianne Faithfull, Steve Coogan, Judy Davis, Jason Schwartzman, Rose Byrne, Al Weaver, Shirley Henderson, Molly Shannon, Rip Torn.
An impressionistic retelling of France's iconic but ill-fated queen, Marie Antoinette. From her betrothal and marriage to Louis XVI at 15 to her reign as queen at 19 and to the end of her reign as queen and ultimately the fall of Versailles. Based on the book by Antonia Fraser. 123 min. DVD 6399
Frodon, Jean-Michel. "Sofia Coppola: 'Tout était possible du moment qu'on restait dans l'esprit du film'." Cahiers du Cinéma, vol. 612, pp. 24-28, May 2006
Harison, Casey. "The French Revolution on Film: American and French Perspectives." History Teacher, May2005, Vol. 38 Issue 3, p299-324, 26p
UC users only
Lee, Nathan "Pretty Vacant: The Radical Frivolity of Sofia Coppola's "Marie Antoinette" Film Comment 42:5 (September-October 2006) p. 24-26 UC users only
McDonald, Neil "Three Queens." Quadrant Magazine; Mar2007, Vol. 51 Issue 3, p77-81, 5p UC users only
McGill, Hannah "Marie Antoinette" Sight and Sound Record 16:11 (November 2006) p. 68-69 UC users only
Usuda, Kohei. "The voice of Marianne faithfull; On Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette." CineAction - Wntr 2008 i75 p54(4)UC users only
Woodworth, Amy. "A Feminist Theorization of Sofia Coppola's Postfeminist Trilogy." In: Situating the feminist gaze and spectatorship in postwar cinema / edited by Marcelline Block. Newcastle upon Tyne : Cambridge Scholars, 2008. (Main PN1995.9.W6 S58 2008)
Zevin, Alexander. "Marie Antoinette and The Ghosts of the French Revolution." Cineaste; Spring2007, Vol. 32 Issue 2, p32-34, 4p UC users only
[Marie Antoinette] Marie Antoinette (1938)
Directed by W.S. Van Dyke II. Cast: Norma Shearer, Tyrone Power, Lionel Barrymore, Robert Morley, Anita Louise, Joseph Schildkraut, Gladys George, Henry Stephenson. A retelling of the life of France's iconic but ill-fated queen, Marie Antoinette from her betrothal and marriage to Louis XVI at 15 to her reign as queen at 19 and to the end of her reign as queen and ultimately the fall of Versailles. 157 min. DVD 6399
[Marion, Francis]The Swamp Fox (TV, Walt Disney Presents)
The Swamp Fox is the Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion. This patriot fought the British using unusual methods as he matched wits with the Tories in stories of adventure and action. Contents: Episode 1. Birth of the Swamp Fox (broadcast Oct. 23, 1959) -- Episode 2. Swamp Fox: Brother against brother (broadcast Oct. 30, 1959) -- Episode 3. Swamp Fox: Tory vengeance (broadcast Jan. 1, 1960).
Leslie Nielsen (The Swamp Fox); John Sutton, Joy Page, Tim Considine, Barbara Eiler. DVD X17
Directed by John Ford. Cast: Katharine Hepburn, Fredric March, Florence Eldridge, Donald Crisp, John Carradine. Historical drama about the ill-fated Mary, Queen of Scots, and the tumultuous relationship between Mary and her cousin Elizabeth, Queen of England. 123 min. DVD 4283; vhs 999:3685
[Mary, Queen of Scots] Mary, Queen of Scots (UK, 1972)
Directed by Charles Jarrott. Cast: Vanessa Redgrave, Glenda Jackson, Patrick McGoohan, Timothy Dalton, Nigel Davenport, Trevor Howard, Daniel Massey, Ian Holm. Mary Stuart (Mary I, 1542-1587) was named Queen of Scotland when she was only six days old. Mary would be the last Roman Catholic ruler of Scotland. She is imprisoned at the age of 23 by her cousin Elizabeth (1533-1603), the Queen of England and her arch adversary. Nineteen years later the life of Mary would end with her beheading. With her execution the last threat to Elizabeth's throne is finally removed. The two Queens with their contrasting personalities make a dramatic counterpoint to history. 132 min. DVD X832
Directed by George Fitzmaurice. Cast: Greta Garbo, Ramon Novarro, Lionel Barrymore, Lewis Stone. Garbo is mesmerizing as the dancer-turned-German secret agent in a wartime Paris seething with secrets and betrayal. With the world at war, love was her weapon. The only men she couldn' t seduce were the 12 in the firing squad that ended her life. 89 min. DVD 4283; vhs 999:3685
Director, Hans Jürgen Syberberg. Cast: Attila Horbiger, Helmut Kautner, Kristina Soderbaum, Kathe Gold, Lil Dagover, Mady Rahl, Rudolf Prack.
The film describes the inner world of Karl May, the popular 19th-century German author "at the beginning of the end of the fairy tale" in a kind of monologue in a monstrous intimate play. In German without English subtitles. 187 min. DVD X299
[McCandless, Christopher Johnson] Into the Wild (2007)
Directed by Sean Penn. Cast: Emile Hirsch, Marcia Gay Harden, William Hurt, Jena Malone, Brian Dierker, Catherine Keener, Vince Vaughn, Kristen Stewart, Hal Holbrook.
Freshly graduated from college with a promising future ahead, Christopher McCandless walked out of his privileged life and into the wild in search of adventure. What happened to him on the way transformed this young wanderer into an enduring symbol for countless people - a fearless risk-taker who wrestled with the precarious balance between man and nature. Based on a true story. Special features: "Into the wild: the story, the characters" featurette; "Into the wild: the experience" featurette; theatrical trailer. 148 min. DVD 9477
[Medici, Cosimo de] The Age of Cosimo de Medici (L'età di Cosimo de' Medici)(1972)
Directed by Roberto Rossellini. Cast: Giorgio Gobbi, Cristiano Mancini, Marilena Paci, Stefano Accorsi.
Like a Renaissance painting come to life, gives a portrait of fifteenth-century Florence ruled by the Medici political dynasty. Focuses on two of the city's leading citizens: banker Cosimo de' Medici [1389 – 1464] and art theorist Leon Battista Alberti [1404 – 1472]. 255 min. DVD X1137
Directed by David Lynch. Cast: Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt, Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller. Based on a true story in 19th century England, the film examines the complex emotional experiences faced by John Merrick, afflicted with neurofibromastosis and known as the "Elephant Man." He is discovered and rescued by a dedicated surgeon from his life as a circus freak, and is given a chance to live his last years with comfort, respect, and dignity. 123 min. DVD 1060
[Michelangelo Buonarroti]The Agony and the Ecstasy(1965)
Directed by Carol Reed. Cast: Charlton Heston, Rex Harrison, Diane Cilento, Harry Andrews, Alberto Lupo, Adolfo Celi. In this historical drama, when Pope Julius II commissions Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, the artist initially refuses. Virtually forced to do the job by Julius, he later destroys his own work and flees Rome. Eventually resumed, the project becomes a battle of wills fueled by the artistic and temperamental differences between the two men. 139 min. 999:3578
Directed by Philip Kaufman. Cast: Fred Ward, Uma Thurman, Maria de Medeiros, Richard E. Grant, Kevin Spacey. Upon meeting unconventional American author Henry Miller in Paris in 1931, a young writer named Anais Nin boldly embarks on a passionate voyage of self-discovery, and faithfully records every experience in her diary. 137 min. DVD 346
Director, Gus Van Sant. Cast: Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, Diego Luna, James Franco.
Profiles the life of Harvey Milk, a middle-aged New Yorker who, after moving to San Francisco, became a Gay Rights activist and city politician. On his third attempt, he was elected to San Francisco's Board of Supervisors in 1977. His election made him the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in the United States. The following year, both he and the city's mayor, George Moscone, were shot to death by former city supervisor, Dan White, who blamed his former colleagues for denying White's attempt to rescind his resignation from the board. 129 min. DVD X1378
[Miller, Henry]Quiet days in Clichy (Stille dage i Clichy) (Denmark, 1970)
Director, Jens Jorgen Thorsen. Cast: Louis White, Paul Valjean, Wayne Rodda, Ulla Lemvigh-Mueller. English language version of the film (adaptated from thenovel by Henry Miller) which was seized by the U.S.Government in 1970 on charges of obscenity. When it was finally released by the courts the film mysteriously disappeared. Now more than 30 years laterthis adults-only classic featuring the originalsoundtrack by rock legend Country Joe McDonald isre-released. The plot centers around Joe, a struggling writer and his roommate Cal. Together they laugh andlove their way through a decadent Paris paved with wanton women, wild orgies and outrageous erotic adventures. Special features: Dirty books, dirty movies: Barney Rosset on Henry Miller ; Songs of Clichy: interview with Country Joe McDonald ; poster and still gallery ; talent bios. ; liner notes by author Jim Knipfel ; court documents (DVD-Rom). Adapted from the novel of the same title by Henry Miller.100 min. DVD 1553
[Miller, Henry] Jours tranquilles à Clichy (Quiet days in Clichy) (France / Italy / Germany, 1989)
Director, Claude Chabrol. Featuring Nigel Havers, Andrew McCarthy, Barbara De Rossi, Stephanie Cotta, Eva Grimaldi, Isolde Barth. A womanizing photographer takes up residence with an impoverished writer in the promiscuous red light district of 1930's Paris. Together, they spend days at the club Melody, a place of ill-repute where prostitutes satisfy the passions and desires of their clientele. Adapted from the novel of the same title, written by Henry Miller. 100 min. 999:2900
[Modigliani, Amedeo] Modigliani (USA / France / Germany / Italy / Romania / UK, 2004)
Directed by Mick Davis. Cast: Andy Garcia, Elsa Zylberstein, Omid Djalili, Hippolyte Girardot, Eva Herzigova, Udo Kier, Susie Amy, Peter Capaldi, Louis Hilyer.
Brings to life artistic genius Amedeo Modigliani's story of tragic love, rivalry, and excess in the midst of art history's golden age when greats like Picasso, Rivera, Cocteau, and Modigliani held court in the salons of post-WWI Paris. 127 min. DVD X72
Directed by Ariane Mnouchkine. Cast: Philippe Caubère, Jean Daste, Josephine Derenne.
How did Moliere, a child born in 1622 to working-class parents, become such a well-known author? This film dramatizes the life of an honest man who struggles incessantly to practice his art in a century of hypocrisy and repression. 290 min. DVD 4590; vhs Video/C 952
Directed by Max Ophüls. Cast: Martine Carol (Lola Mont`es), Peter Ustinov (Ringmaster), Anton Walbrook (King Ludwig), Henri Guisol (Maurice), Lise Delamare (Lola's mother), Paulette Dubost (Josephine), Oskar Werner (Student). Depicts, through flashbacks, the life of a famous courtesan, recounted as part of a lavish circus act. The ringmaster introduces and displays Lola Montes who recalls her romances with Franz Liszt, a student, and Ludwig, King of Bavaria before she was reduced by scandal, poverty and ill fortune to her present life as a circus performer. 110 min. DVD 189
Burdick, Dolores M. "Lisa, Lola, and I: The Woman Unknown as the Woman Immortal in Ophuls and Robbe-Grillet." Michigan Academician, vol. 12 no. 3. 1980 Winter. pp: 251-259.
[More, Thomas, Sir, Saint] A Man For All Seasons (UK, 1966)
Directed by Fred Zinnemann. Cast: Paul Scofield, Wendy Hiller, Leo McKern, Robert Shaw,Orson Welles, Susannah York, Nigel Davenport, John Hurt, Corin Redgrave. Historical drama about Sir Thomas More, a scholar and statesman, who will make any sacrifice forking and country as long as he can do it with a clear conscience. His opposition to King Henry VIII's breakwith the Roman Catholic Church provides the conflict which led to More's execution. 120 min.DVD 7451; vhs 999:195
Director, Oliver Stone. Featuring, Val Kilmer, Meg Ryan, Kevin Dillon, Kyle MacLachlan, Frank Whaley, Michael Madsen, Billy Idol, Kathleen Quinlan. Biographical film about one of the most exciting and controversial figures of the '60s, Jim Morrison. With his rock and roll band, The Doors, he influenced the rock music scene as no other group had. 181 min. DVD 770
Directed by Brenda Chapman, Steve Hickner, Simon Wells. Voices: Val Kilmer, Ralph Fiennes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sandra Bullock, Jeff Goldblum, Danny Glover, Patrick Stewart. A musical animated adaptation of the story of Moses. Two brothers, one born of royal blood, one an orphan with a secret past grow up the best of friends. But the truth will ultimately set them apart, as one becomes the ruler of a powerful empire, while the other is revealed as the chosen leader of the Jewish people, destined to free them from bondage. 99 min. DVD 1408
Directed by Cecil B. De Mille. Cast: Theodore Roberts, Charles De Roche, Estelle Taylor, Julia Faye, Terence Moore, James Neill, Edythe Chapman, Richard Dix, Rod La Rocque. This early silent Cecil B. Demille production tells the story of how the Israelites left Egypt and acquired the Ten Commandments, as told in the context of a mother trying to bring up her children to believe in God. 146 min. DVD 5328; vhs 999:3395
Directed by Cecil B. De Mille. Cast: Charlton Heston, Yul Brynner, Anne Baxter, Edward G. Robinson, Yvonne De Carlo, Debra Paget, John Derek, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Nina Foch, Martha Scott, Judith Anderson, Vincent Price, John Carradine. The epic story of Moses, the prophet who led his people, the Israelites, out of bondage in the land of Egypt to the Promised Land. 219 min. DVD 5328; vhs 999:852
Directed by Preston Sturges. Cast: Joel McCrea, Betty Field, Harry Carey, William Demarest, Franklin Pangborn, Porter Hall. A dramatization of the life of Dr. William Morton, the dedicated physician who discovered ether in 1846. Until that time, all surgeries were performed with the patient fully conscious. Here is the story of the doctor's great contribution to humanity, and later tribulations as he shared his knowledge rather than hoard it for monetary gain. 87 min. DVD 6582; vhs 999:3139
Babington, Bruce. "To catch a star on your fingertips': diagnosing the medical biopic from The Story of Louis Pasteur to Freud." In: Signs of life : cinema and medicine / edited by Graeme Harper and Andrew Moor. London ; New York : Wallflower Press, 2005.
(Main (Gardner) Stacks PN1995.9.P44 S54 2005)
[Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus] Amadeus (1990)
Directed by Milos Forman. Cast: F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, Elizabeth Berridge, Simon Callow, Roy Dotrice, Christine Ebersole, Jeffrey Jones. Adapted from Shaffer's play, the film presents the life of Antonio Salieri, a mediocre 18th century Viennese composer obsessed with and jealous of the musical genius of the age: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mad with envy, he plots to destroy Mozart by any means. 137 min. DVD 250; vhs 999:397; and Director's Cut, 2001, on DVD 1462
Director, John Ford. Cast: Warner Baxter, Gloria Stuart, John Carradine, Claude Gillingwater, Arthur Byron, Harry Carey, Francis McDonald.
The story of Dr. Samuel Mudd, the physician who was tried and convicted for treating the injured John Wilkes Booth following Abraham Lincoln's assassination. Mudd was imprisoned in Fort Jefferson on Dry Tortugas Island where he treated prisoners stricken with yellow fever until his eventual release. 96 min. DVD 9369
[Muhammad, Prophet The Message (Pakistan / Kuwait / Morocco / Libya / UK / Lebanon, 1976)
Directed by Richard Eyre. Cast: Anthony Quinn, Irene Papas, Michael Ansara, Johnny Sekka, Michael Forest.
Tells the dramatic story of Mohammed, the prophet who founded Islam. The film starts with Muhammed receiving the Koran from the angel Gabriel and ends at his death. Disc 1. English language -- Disc 2. Arabic language. 91 min. DVD 9147
Directed by Peter Watkins. Cast: Geir Westby, Gros Fraas, Eric Allum, Amund Berge. A dramatic presentation of the life of Norwegian expressionist painter Edvard Munch and the effect his upbringing in Norway had on his work and whose raw, modern work The Scream shocked the bourgeois world. Mixing fact and fiction, all of the dialogue attributed to Munch in the film is taken from his diaries. 174 min. DVD X1197; also DVD 5155
Brooke, Michael. "Edvard Munch." Sight and Sound 17:11 (November 2007) p. 85
UC users only
Cook, John R. "The Past is Myself: Peter Watkins' Edvard Munch (1973)" Critical Studies in Television, May2007, Vol. 2 Issue 1, p2-18, 17p UC users only
Rapfogel, Jared. "Cautionary Tales and Alternate Histories: The Films of Peter Watkins
Cineaste 32:2 (Spring 2007) p. 20-25 UC users only
[Murdoch, Iris] Iris (UK / USA, 2001)
Directed by Richard Eyre. Cast: Judi Dench, Jim Broadbent, Kate Winslet, Hugh Bonneville, Penelope Wilton. Adapted from the memoirs of literary critic John Bayley, the film recounts his courtship of and long marriage to British novelist Iris Murdoch. The scenario tacks back and forth from the young Iris - ready to seduce one and all with her coy command of words and sex appeal--to the elder Iris - slowly giving way to the cruel erasure of Alzheimer's. 91 min. DVD 1275
Directed by E. Elias Merhige. Cast: John Malkovich, Willem Dafoe, Cary Elwes, Aden Gillet, Eddie Izzard, Udi Kier, Catherine McCormack, Ronan Vibert. This riveting suspense thriller is about the filming of Nosferatu and the difficult relationship between the director, F. W. Murnau and actor Max Schreck. As cast and crew begin to disappear, it seems that Murnau has made a devil's bargain with Schreck, whose performance is too authentic. 92 min. DVD 2330
Atkinson, M. "Vampire variations" [E. E. Merighe's Shadow of the vampire]. Film Comment v. 36 no. 6 (November/December 2000) p. 27-9
Calhoun, J. "Fangs for the memories [Shadow of the vampire]. Entertainment Design v. 35 no. 2 (February 2001) p. 8
UC users only
Elsaesser, Thomas. "Six degrees of Nosferatu."
Sight & Sound v. ns11 no. 2 (February 2001) p. 12-15UC users only
Kemp, P. Shadow of the vampire. Sight & Sound v. ns11 no. 2 (February 2001) p. 50-1UC users only
Sterritt, D. Shadow of the vampire. Cineaste v. 25 no. 4 (2000) p. 34-5UC users only
[Murrow, Edward R.] Good Night and Good Luck (2005)
Directed by George Clooney. Featuring David Strathairn, Patricia Clarkson, George Clooney, Jeff Daniels, Robert Downey, Jr., Frank Langella. Takes place in the 1950's America, during the early days of broadcast journalism. It chronicles the real-life conflict between television newsman Edward R. Murrow and Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee. With a desire to report the facts and enlighten the public, Murrow, and his dedicated staff - headed by his producer Fred Friendly and Joe Wershba in the CBS newsroom - defy corporate and sponsorship pressures to examine the lies and scaremongering tactics perpetrated by McCarthy during his communist 'witch-hunts'. A very public feud develops when the Senator responds by accusing the anchor of being a communist. In this climate of fear and reprisal, the CBS crew carries on and their tenacity will prove historic and monumental. min. DVD 5223
[Musset, Alfred de] Les enfants du siècle (Children of the century)(1999)
Directed by Diane Kurys. Cast: Juliette Binoche, Benoit Magimel, Stefano Dionisi, Robin Renucci, Karin Viard, Isabelle Carre, Patrick Chesnais, Arnaud Giovanetti, Denis Podalyd?es, Olivier Foubert, Marie-France Mignal, Michel Robin.
A dramatization of the love affair between the authors George Sand and Alfred de Musset that scandalized their families, friends and the salons of Paris in nineteenth century France. 137 min. DVD 8161
A film by Ron Howard. Cast: . Russell Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly, Paul Bettany, Adam Goldberg, Judd Hirsch, Josh Lucas, Anthony Rapp, Christopher Plumer. Based on true events this is the dramatic biography of John Nash, a mathematical genius, who made an astonishing discovery early in his career and stood on the brink of international acclaim. But the handsome and arrogant Nash soon found himself on a painful and harrowing journey. After many years of struggle, he eventually triumphed over his schizophrenia, and finally, late in life, received the Nobel Prize. 135 min. DVD 1230
A film by Mohamed Fadel. A docudrama presentation including vintage newsreel footage of the events surrounding the 1956 nationalization of the Suez Canal by Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser. 1996. 140 min. Video/C 5593
Gordon, Joel. "Film, Fame, and Public Memory: Egyptian Biopics from Mustafa Kamil to Nasser 56." International Journal of Middle East Studies. 31(1):61-79. 1999 Feb
[Gillis, Lester Joseph aka Baby Face Nelson]Baby Face Nelson (1995)
Directed by Scott Levy. Cast: Scott Levy. In this dramatization of the life of George "Baby Face" Nelson, the gangster becomes intoxicated on the publicity of his crimes, but with allies like John Dillinger and enemies like J. Edgar Hoover, the joy ride of his crime spree can't last forever. 81 min. vhs 999:630
Directed by Brian De Palma. Cast: Kevin Costner, Charles Martin Smith, Andy Garcia, Robert De Niro, Sean Connery, Patricia Clarkson. A fierce, larger-than-life depiction of Al Capone, the mob warlord who ruled Prohibition-era Chicago and Eliot Ness, the law enforcer who vowed to bring him down. 129 min. DVD 8432; vhs 999:2720
Directed by Sergei Eisenstein and Dmitri Vasilyev. Musical score, Sergei Prokofiev. Historical drama set in 1242 which deals with the defence of Russia by the prince, Alexander Nevsky, from invasion by Teutonic crusaders. Special features: Audio essay by film scholar David Bordwell ; Russell Merritt's multimedia essay on the Eisenstein-Prokofiev collaboration ; reconstruction of Eisenstein's unfinished film Bezhin Meadow by the Eisenstein Museum's Naum Kleiman, plus scholar Jay Leyda's photos and documents from the set ; drawings and production stills ; restoration demonstration ; new English subtitle translation. 108 min. DVD 6653 (Criterion); DVD 192; vhs 999:72
Directed by Spike Lee. Actor and writer Roger Guenveur Smith presents a solo perfomance of Huey P. Newton's life in a stream-of-consciousness monologue inspired by the writings and interviews of Newton, the late co-founder of the Black Panther Party. Director Spike Lee complements Smith's performance with an imaginative mixture of multiple camera angles and documentary footage. Based on the taped performance before a live audience in New York City, the film also features an award-winning score by Marc Anthony Thompson and guest solos by Branford Marsalis. 90 min. Video/C 9568
[Nicholas II, Emperor of Russia] Nicholas and Alexandra(UK, 1971)
Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner. Cast: Michael Jayston, Janet Suzman, Harry Andrews, Tom Baker, Michael Bryant, Maurice Denham, Jack Hawkins, Ian Holm, Curt Jürgens, John McEnery, Eric Porter, Michael Redgrave, Alan Webb, Irene Worth, Laurence Olivier. The final years of the Russian Tsar and Empress are chronicled in this epic which begins in 1904. Tsar Nicholas II is celebrating the birth of his only son, the heir to the Russian throne. But all is not well in Russia, for it is at war with the Japanese and there is a growing threat of internal revolution. Empress Alexandra, searching for answers to troubles of her own, seeks the advice from the charismatic monk, Rasputin, who, many believe, has power over her. The Bolshevik unrest grows and The Duma, a parliament for the people, demands the Tsar's abdication. The Royal Family is imprisoned and then executed as a new government takes form under Lenin. 189 min. DVD 3519
Directed by Melville Shavelson. Cast: Danny Kaye, Barbara Bel Geddes, Louis Armstrong, Harry Guardino, Bob Crosby, Bobby Troup, Ray Anthony, Ray Daley.
Biography of jazzman Loring "Red" Nichols. He gets a job playing in Wil Paradise's band, but quits to pursue his dream of playing Dixieland jazz. Red forms the "Five Pennies" which features his wife, Bobbie, as vocalist. At the peak of his fame, Red and Bobbie's daughter, Dorothy, develops polio. He quits the music business to move to Los Angeles where the climate is better for Dorothy. As she becomes a young teen, Dorothy learns of her father's musical past, and he is persuaded to open a small nightclub which is failing until some noted names from his past come to help out. 117 min. DVD 3519
Directed by Philip Kaufman. Cast: Fred Ward, Uma Thurman, Maria de Medeiros, Richard E. Grant, Kevin Spacey. Upon meeting unconventional American author Henry Miller in Paris in 1931, a young writer named Anais Nin boldly embarks on a passionate voyage of self-discovery, and faithfully records every experience in her diary. 137 min. DVD 346
Directed by Ron Howard. Cast: Cast Frank Langella, Michael Sheen, Kevin Bacon, Rebecca Hall, Toby Jones, Matthew Macfadyen, Oliver Platt, Sam Rockwell, Clint Howard, Patty McCormack, Andy Milder.
Richard Nixon is the disgraced president with a legacy to save. David Frost is a jet-setting television personality with a name to make. This is the legendary battle between the two men and the historic encounter that changed both their lives. For three years after resigning from office, Nixon remained silent. But in the summer of 1977, the steely, cunning former commander-in-chief agreed to sit for one all-inclusive interview. As cameras roll, a charged battle of wits begins. Based on the stage play by Peter Morgan. Bonus features: Deleted scenes ; The making of Frost/Nixon ; The real interview ; The Nixon library ; feature commentary with director Ron Howard. 123 min. DVD X1744
Directed by Oliver Stone. Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Joan Allen, Powers Boothe, Ed Harris, James Woods. Drama about the fall of President Richard Nixon portrayed as a complex man whose chance at greatness was ultimately destroyed by his passion for power-- when his involvement in conspiracy jeopardizes the nation's security and the presidency of the United States. 191 min. DVD 775; vhs 999:1440
[Nixon, Richard M.]Secret Honor: A Political Myth (1984)
Directed by Robert Altman. Cast: Philip Baker Hall. A dramatization of the life of Richard M. Nixon in the final hours before his resignation from the U.S. presidency. The plot theorizes that Nixon did not resign because of the Watergate cover-up but was motivated instead by his secret decision to thwart the plans of a cabal of businessmen to continue their control of the White House. 90 min. 999:201
[Nova, Sayat] The Color of Pomegranates (Nran guyne) (Soviet Union, 1969)
Directed by Sergei Paradzhanov. Cast: Sofiko Chiaureli, M. Aleksanian, V. Galstian. Stylized biographical drama of the life of noted eighteenth century Armenian poet and troubadour Sayat Nova. Based on his writings, the film which depicts the poet's life in eight sections from childhood to death, is rich with symbols of sacred and secular Armenian life. 88 min. DVD 6262
[Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca, Alva] Cabeza de Vaca (Mexico / Spain / USA / UK, 1993)
Directed by Nicolas Echevarria. Based on the true account of a Spanish explorer's capture, escape, and journey from Texas to Mexico City between 1527 and 1537. Includes tales of El Dorado. 110 min. 999:946
Alvaray, Luisela. "Imagi(ni)ng Indigenous Spaces: Self and Other Converge in Latin America." Film & History. 2004. Vol. 34, Iss. 2; pg. 58, 7 pgsUC users only
Hershfield, Joanne. "Assimilation and Identification in Nicholás Echeverría's Cabeza de Vaca."
Wide Angle: A Film Quarterly of Theory, Criticism, and Practice, vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 6-24, 1995
Juan-Navarro, Santiago
"Constructing Cultural Myths: Cabeza de Vaca in Contemporary Hispanic Criticism, Theater, and Film." In: A twice-told tale : reinventing the encounter in Iberian/Iberian American literature and film / edited by Santiago Juan-Navarro and Theodore Robert Young.
Newark : University of Delaware Press; London; Cranbury, NJ: Associated University Presses, c2001. (Main Stack PQ7081.A1.T85 2001)
Restrepo, Luis Fernando. "Primitive Bodies in Latin American Cinema: Nicolas Echeverría's Cabeza de Vaca." In: Primitivism and identity in Latin America : essays on art, literature, and culture / edited by Erik Camayd-Freixas and Jose Eduardo Gonzalez. pp: 189-208. Tucson : University of Arizona Press, c2000. (UCB Main PQ7082.N7.P755 2000)
. Walter, Krista. "Filming the Conquest: Cabeza de Vaca and the Spectacle of History." Literature-Film Quarterly. 30(2):140-45. 2002 UC users only
Directed by George Sidney. Cast: Betty Hutton, Howard Keel, Louis Calhern, J. Carrol Naish. Music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. Based on the musical play produced on the stage by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, II.
Based on the book by Herbert Fields and Dorothy Fields. Frank Butler, handsome star of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, bags clay pigeons and ladies' hearts. He's the best marksman in the world--until a backwoods hoyden challenges him. Her name? Annie Oakley. Special features include: Original theatrical trailer, new introduction by Annie get your gun Broadway revival star Susan Lucci, 3 rare outtake musical numbers, Let's go west again with Betty Hutton, and a pair with the originally cast Judy Garland, Doin' what comes natur'lly and I'm an Indian too. 127 min. DVD 395
[Oakley, Annie] Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or, Sitting Bull's History Lesson (1976)
Directed by Robert Altman. Featuring Paul Newman, Joel Grey, Geraldine Chaplin, Burt Lancaster, Frank Kaquitts. Chronicles the travels and adventures of Buffalo Bill Cody, the legendary Western adventurer. Although Buffalo Bill had fought Indians and Civil War battles, nothing could prepare him for his newest challenge: show business! His "Wild West Show" was hugely popular, featuring stunt-riders, battle recreations and a beautiful sharpshooter, Annie Oakley. But when Bill signed a former enemy, Sioux Chief Sitting Bull, for a featured role in the show, a clash of cultures reverberated far beyond the boundaries of their sprawling outdoor theater. 123 min. DVD 4269; vhs 999:1641
[Oppenheimer, J. Robert] Fat Man and Little Boy(1989)
Directed by Roland Joffe. Cast: Paul Newman, Dwight Schultz, Bonnie Belelia, John Cusack, Laura Dern, John C. McGinley. Fat man and little boy were the names given to the first 2 atomic bombs built by "The Manhattan Project". This film is the true story of their creation, and the fascinating people involved. 94 min. DVD 1192
Mano, D. Keith. "The Making of Fat Man and Little Boy." National Review; 11/10/1989, Vol. 41 Issue 21, p63-67, 5p UC users only
Taylor, Bryan C. "Fat Man and Little Boy": The Cinematic Representation of Interests in the Nuclear Weapons Organization." Critical Studies in Mass Communication, v10 n4 p367-94 Dec 1993
Walker, J. Samuel. "Fat Man and Little Boy." Journal of American History; Dec90, Vol. 77 Issue 3, p1120-1121, 2pUC users only
[Oppenheimer, J. Robert]Robert Oppenheimer: The Father of the Atomic Bomb(BBC TV, 1980)
Directed by Barry Davis. Cast: Sam Waterston, Peter Banks, David Baxt, Colin Bennett, Ron Berglas.
A seven part television biography examining the life of controversial physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer who led the Manhattan Project in 1942 and came to be known as "Father of the atomic bomb." Although he served as a government adviser on nuclear weapons, he eventually campaigned against further development of nuclear arms. 420 min. DVD 6296
Director, Stephen Frears. Cast: Gary Oldman (Joe Orton), Alfred Molina (Kenneth Halliwell), Vanessa Redgrave, Julie Walters, Richard Wilson, Frances Barber, Margaret Tyzack, Wallace Shawn. Based on the true story of the murder/suicide of playwright Joe Orton and his lover, Ken Halliwell. When Orton, after years of unsuccessful collaboration with Halliwell, breaks away and achieves fame and fortune on his own, Halliwell cracks, hammers Orton to death and then kills himself. 105 min. DVD X823; vhs 999:3488
[Oswald, Lee Harvey]The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald(TV, 1977)
Directed by David Greene, Gordon Davidson. Cast: Lorne Greene, Ben Gazzara, John Pleshette.
It would have been one of the most revealing criminal trials in American history. But a single gunshot prevented it from taking place. This extraordinary drama dares to ask what would have happened if Lee Harvey Oswald had lived to stand trial for the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. 192 min. 999:1041
Directed by Clint Eastwood. Cast: Gretchen Mol, Chris Bauer, Jared Harris, Sarah Paulson, Cara Seymour, David Strathairn, Lili Taylor.
Bettie Page grew up in a conservative religious family in Tennessee and became a photo model sensation in 1950s New York. Bettie's legendary pin-up photos made her the target of a Senate investigation into pornography, and transformed her into an erotic icon who continues to enthrall fans to this day. Bonus features: Audio commentary with Gretchen Mol, writer/director Mary Harron and writer Guinevere Turner; an inside look at the "Pin-up queen of the universe"; theatrical trailer; presenting Bettie Page: a provocative performance, starring Bettie herself.
Director of photography, Mott Hupfel ; editor, Tricia Cooke ; music by, Mark Suozzo ; costume designer, John Dunn ; production designer, Gideon Ponte. 90 min. DVD 6467
The Irving Klaw Classics. Vol. l, The Bettie Page Films DVD 7524
[Parker, Charlie] Bird (1988)
Directed by Clint Eastwood. Cast: Forest Whitaker, Diane Venora, Michael Zelniker, Sam Wright, Keith David. A gripping drama of the life of legendary jazz saxophonist Charlie "Yardbird" Parker, directed and produced by jazz fan, Clint Eastwood. Past and future overlap as the movie explores Bird's relationship with his steadfast wife Chan Parker, his soaring skill and destructive excesses with alcohol and drugs. Film uses actual recordings by Parker skillfully blending his solo recordings with modern musicians attuned to the Yardbird's improvisations. 160 min. DVD 625
"Clint Eastwood: an interview. (interview)." Film Quarterly 42.n3 (Spring 1989): 12(12).
Crouch, Stanley. "Bird land: Charlie Parker, Clint Eastwood, and America." The New Republic 200.n9 (Feb 27, 1989): 25(7).
Giddins, G. "Clint Eastwood shoots us the Bird. (cover story)" Esquire; Oct88, Vol. 110 Issue 4, p133, 10p
Hentoff, Nat. "Flight of fancy; Clint Eastwood indulges his personal interests with the film biography of jazz musician Charlie "Bird" Parker. (interview)." American Film 13.n10 (Sept 1988): 24(7).
Kael, Pauline. " Bird thou never wert." New Yorker, Oct 17 1988, Vol. 64, p110, 4p;
McCombe, John P. "Reinventing Bird: The Evolving Image of Charlie Parker on Film." Post Script 25:1 (Fall 2005) p. 22-37 UC users only
Simon, John. "Sweet Bird of Untruth." National Review; 11/7/1988, Vol. 40 Issue 22, p68-70, 3p UC users only
[Parker, Dorothy] Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994)
Directed by Alan Rudolph. Cast: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Campbell Scott, Matthew Broderick, Peter Gallagher, Jennifer Beals, Andrew McCarthy, Wallace Shawn, Martha Plimpton, Sam Robards, Lili Taylor, James LeGros, Gwyneth Paltrow, Heather Graham, Stephen Baldwin, Tom McGowan, Rebecca Miller. Dorothy Parker, a brilliant writer with a razor-sharp tongue, shares a professional but intimate relationship with comic genius Robert Benchley. But when she meets Charlie MacArthur, she falls hopelessly in love, a condition even literary genius can't seem to cure. 124 min. 999:3393
Directed by Roberto Rossellini. Cast: Pierre Arditi, Rita Forzano, Giuseppe Addobbati, Christian De Sica, Livio Galassi, Bruno Cattaneo, Bepi Mannaiuolo, Marco Bonetti, Teresa Ricci, Christian Aleny, Bernard Rigal. Evoking the terror and desperation of the seventeenth century, this film brings to life Blaise Pascal, the philosopher and mathematician who, amidst religious persecution and ignorance, believed in a harmony between God and science. 129 min. DVD X1138
Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner. Cast: George C. Scott, Karl Malden, Stephen Young. The World War II adventures of the controversial American general, George S. Patton. 171 min. DVD 2877; vhs 999:770
Beidler, Philip D. "Just like in the movies: Richard Nixon and 'Patton.'" The Georgia Review Fall 1995 v49 n3 p567(10)
Fussell, Paul. "Patton." In: Past imperfect : history according to the movies / general editor, Mark C. Carnes ; edited by Ted Mico, John Miller-Monzon, and David Rubel. New York : H. Holt, 1995. (Main Stack PN1995.9.H5.P37 1995; Moffitt PN1995.9.H5.P37 1995; Compar Ethn PN1995.9.H5.P37 1995)
Winchell, Mark Royden. "The universal soldier : Franklin Schaffner's Patton (1970)." In: God, man, and Hollywood : politically incorrect cinema from "The birth of a nation" to "The Passion of the Christ" / Mark Royden Winchell. Wilmington, Del. : ISI Books, c2008. (Main Stack PN1995.9.S6.W53 2008; PFA PN1995.9.S6.W53 2008)
[Paul, Alice] Iron Jawed Angels (2004)
Directed by Katja von Garnier. Cast: Hilary Swank, Frances O'Connor, Julia Ormond, Anjelica Huston, Molly Parker, Patrick Dempsey, Laura Fraser, Brooke Smith, Vera Farmiga, Lois Smith, Bob Gunton. Tells the true life stories of Alice Paul and Lucy Burns, two defiant suffragist women who fought for the passage of the 19th Amendment. The two activists broke from the mainstream women's rights movement and created a more radical wing, daring to push the boundaries to secure women's voting rights in 1920. In a country dominated by chauvinism, this was no easy fight. Along the way, sacrifices were made: Alice gave up a chance for love, and collegue Inez Mulholland gave up her life. 123 min. DVD 4040
Mayhall, Laura E. Nym. "Iron Jawed Angels.(Movie Review)." American Historical Review 109.5 (Dec 2004): 1589(2).
[Pearl, Daniel and Pearl, Mariane]A Mighty Heart (2007)
Directed by Michael Winterbottom. Cast: Angelina Jolie, Dan Futterman, Irrfan Khan, Archie Panjabi, Will Patton.
Jewish-American journalist, Daniel Pearl was kidnapped in Pakistan in January of 2002. The violent act became an international scandal as the group that claimed responsibility for the crime demanded the liberation of prisoners from the American detainee prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The American government did not give in to the terrorists' demands. Pearl's wife, Mariane, traveled to Pakistan alone knowing the odds were against her. Holding onto hope became all the more complicated when she was surrounded by chaos, yet she must remain calm. After all, she is the heart of this operation. Based on true events. Special features: "Journey of passion : the making of A mighty heart" ; Public service announcement ; Committee to Protect Journalists. 108 min. DVD 9401
Directed by Robert Pulcini & Shari Springer Berman. Cast: Paul Giamatti, Hope Davis, Judah Friedlander, James Urbaniak, Earl Billings, James McCaffrey, Maggie Moore, Vivienne Benesch. Pekar is a frustrated file clerk working at the local V.A. Hospital. He is also a comic book fan who befriends the young illustrator Robert Crumb and is soon inspired to create comic books based on his own life. Along his bumpy journey he meets, marries and falls in love with Joyce, an admiring comic book seller. 101 min. DVD 2333
Directed by Alan Parker. Cast: Madonna, Antonio Banderas, Jonathan Pryce, Jimmy Nail.
Based on the musical play with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, presents the true-life story of Eva Peron, who rose above childhood poverty and a scandalous past to achieve fortune and fame as the wife of the Argentinian president. 135 min. DVD 2675
[Peron, Evita] Little Mother (West Germany / USA / Yugoslavia, 1973)
Directed by Radley Metzger. Cast: Christiane Kruger, Siegfried Rauch, Mark Damon, Ivan Desny, Anton Diffring.
This fictionalized account of Eva Peron's life focuses on Eva's use of sexual persuasion and conquest. In this Evita, the young seductress sleeps her way to the top of a nation. When her new husband becomes President, she finally has all the power she craves--until her shocking downfall. The film does not use Eva's name, nor the name of any country, to tell its story. 95 min. DVD 6358
[Peter the First] Peter the First (Soviet Union, 1937-1939)
Directed by Vladimir Petrov. Chronicles the later years of Tsar Peter's life, during which he almost singlehandedly, forged a medieval Russia into a modern Western nation. Filmed over a three year period, with a cast of more than 5000, the film utilizes montage techniques as created by Eisenstein, Pudovkin, and Dovzhenko to present this crucial period of Russian history. 203 min. 999:3383
Directed by Claude Lelouch. Cast: Evelyne Bouix, Marcel Cerdan jr., Jaques Villeret, Francis Huster.
Summary This tragic musical drama chronicles the star-crossed love between beloved French singer Edith Piaf and World Middleweight boxing champion Marcel Cerdan who died in a plane crash. The tumultuous affair is paralleled by the love affair of a French POW and his young pen pal who get engaged after writing to each other for four years and having never met. Their romances are framed by the sad, torchy songs of Piaf. 156 min. DVD X2052
[Piaf, Edith] La Vie en Rose (La Môme) (France / UK / Czech Republic, 2007)
Directed by Olivier Dahan. Cast: Marion Cotillard, Sylvie Testud, Pascal Greggory, Emmanuelle Seigner, Jean-Paul Rouve, Gerard Depardieu, Clotilde Courau, Jean-Pierre Martins, Catherine Allegret, Marc Barbe.
Raised in a brothel, then wrested from the only life she knew by her father, so they could join the circus, Edith Piaf spent her teen years on the streets. She is finally "rescued" by a crime figure who gives her career a start and, ultimately, by her international success and final illness. Always frail, sickly, malnourished, and wildly temperamental, she was often on drugs or alcohol and was always in search of true love. Middleweight boxer, Marcel Cerdan, captures her heart and gives her something to live for, besides her music--at least for a while. Special features: "Stepping into character:" an exclusive behind the scenes look at Marion Cotillard's transformation into Edith Piaf's character, including an interview with the director and award-winning Marion Cotillard; Edith Piaf documentary. 141 min. DVD 8800
Directed by Buzz Kulik. Cast: James Caan, Billy Dee Williams, Jack Warden, Shelley Fabares, Judy Pace. A dramatization of the true life experiences and deep friendship between Gale Sayers, black halfback for the Chicago Bears, and his white teammate, Brian Piccolo, who died of cancer in 1970. 74 min. DVD 7583
Directed by Leon Ichaso. The story of the life of a Latino icon, the poet-playwright-actor Miguel Pinero (played by Benjamin Bratt), whose urban poetry is recognized as a pre-cursor to rap and hip-hop. After doing time in hard-core Sing-Sing for petty thefts and drug dealing, Pinero turned his prison experiences into the 1974 Tony-nominated play Short Eyes and founded the famed Nuyorican Poets Cafe on Manhattan's Lower East Side. 2001. 94 min. DVD 1192
Directed by Mike Newell. Cast: Al Pacino, Johnny Depp, Michael Madsen, Bruno Kirby, James Russo, Anne Heche. This true story (based on the book by Joseph D. Pistone with Richard Woodley) follows FBI agent Joe Pistone as he infiltrates the mafia of New York. Posing as a jewel broker he is granted entrance into the violent mob family of aging hitman Lefty Ruggiero. When his personal and professional lives collide, Pistone jeopardizes his marriage, his job, his life and ultimately, the gangster mentor he has come to respect and admire. 121 min. DVD 5334
[Pittman, Jane] The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (TV, 1973)
Directed by John Korty. Cast: Cicely Tyson, Richard A. Dysart.
Presents the story of the long life of Miss Jane Pittman, who began her life as a slave in the South and who marched for her civil rights in the 20th century at the age of 110. 106 min. Video/C 144
Directed by Christine Jeffs. Cast: Gwyneth Paltrow, Daniel Craig, Jared Harris, Amira Casar, Andrew Havill, Sam Troughton, Lucy Davenport, Antony Strachan, Blythe Danner, Michael Gambon.
A dramatization of the life story of American author and poet Sylvia Plath. Born in Boston, MA, in 1932, Plath developed a talent as a writer and published her first poem when she was eight years old. That same year, Plath was forced to confront the unexpected death of her father. In 1950, she began studying at Smith College on a literary scholarship. In 1955, she was granted a Fulbright Scholarship to study in England at Cambridge. There, Plath met author Ted Hughes, the two fell in love, and married in 1958. However, marriage, family, and a growing reputation as an important poet failed to bring Plath happiness. 111 min. DVD 2310
Disney. An animated, "sanitized-for-your-protection" musical version of Pocahontas, the young daughter of Chief Powhatan meets up with a shipful of English settlers led by their courageous captain John Smith. Their friendship leads to events that will change history as the native Americans and English settlers learn to live side by side. Includes behind-the-scenes documentary "The Making of Disney's Pocahontas" plus additional bonus material including early concept art and animation tests, background on the creation and development of characters, storyboards and story reels, abandoned concepts and characters, deleted musical sequences, deleted animation, trailers, publicity and promotions. 193 min. DVD 1417
Directed by Terrence Malick. Cast: Colin Farrell, Christopher Plummer, Christian Bale, August Schellenberg, Wes Studi, Q'Orianka Kilcher. Set admidst the first encounter of European and Native American cultures during the founding of the Jamestown Virginia settlement in 1607. Tells the classic tale of Pocahontas and her relationships with adventurer John Smith and aristocrat John Rolfe. This woman's journey of love lost and found again takes her from the untouched beauty of the Virginia wilderness to the upper crust of English society as we witness the dawn of a new America. Special features: Making 'The new world' documentary (60 min.) 135 min. DVD 5563
Directed by Ed Harris. Cast: Ed Harris, Marcia Gay Harden, Tom Bower, Jennifer Connelly, Bud Cort, John Heard, Val Kilmer, Robert Knott. Fellow artists and lovers Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner are at the center of New York's 1940's art scene, but as Krasner neglects her work to push Pollock's career forward, Pollock begins to unravel emotionally. Pollock and Krasner escape to the country to marry, and soon, Pollock creates the work that makes him the first internationally-famous modern painter in America. But with fame and fortune comes a volatile temper and severe self-doubt and before long, Pollock's life threatens to explode. Special features: Ed Harris commentary; "making-of" documentary; Charlie Rose interview with Ed Harris; deleted scenes; filmographies; theatrical trailers; production notes; scene selections. Based on "Jackson Pollock : an American saga" by Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith [MAIN: ND237.P73 N34 1991; MOFF: ND237.P73 N34 1989]. 123 min. DVD 787
Bracewell, Michael. "Pollock." Sight and Sound 12.6 (June 2002): 47(2).
Kalina, Richard. "Pollock: Lights, Action, Camera." Art in America 89.2 (Feb 2001): 57.
Macnab, Geoffrey. "A bigger splash." Sight and Sound 12.6 (June 2002): 22(3).
Miller, Keith. "Dripped over the ege." TLS. Times Literary Supplement 5175 (June 7, 2002): 19(1).
Siegel, Katy. "Splatter Fest." Artforum International 39.3 (Nov 2000): 23.
Stone, Laurie. "A woman near a door. (Essays)." The Literary Review 46.4 (Summer 2003): 655(12).UC users only
[Porter, Cole] De-Lovely (2004)
Directed by Irwin Winkler. Cast: Kevin Kline, Ashley Judd, Jonathan Pryce, Kevin McNally, Sandra Nelson, Allan Corduner, Peter Polycarpou, Keith Allen, James Wilby. An original musical portrait of American composer Cole Porter, filled with his unforgettable songs. Porter looks back on his life as if it were one of his spectacular stage shows, with the people and events of his life becoming the actors and actions onstage. Through elaborate production numbers and popular hits, Porter's elegant, excessive past comes to light - including his deeply complicated relationship with his wife, Linda Lee Porter, who was his inspiration. 125 min. DVD 3371
Directed by Michael Curtiz. Cast: Cary Grant, Alexis Smith, Monty Woolley, Ginny Simms, Jane Wyman.
A musical film presenting a fictionalized biography of composer Cole Porter from his days at Yale in the 1910s through the height of his success to the 1940s. The film's attempted biography matches many public myths surrounding Cole at the time. Special features: Vintage shorts Desi Arnaz and his orchestra and musical movieland; Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd in the classic Looney Tunes cartoon The Big Snooze; Cole Porter musicals trailer gallery. 128 min. DVD 8216
Custen, George F. "Night and day. Cole Porter, Warner Bros., and the re-creation of a life." Cineaste Vol XIX nr 2-3 (1992); p 42-44
[Potter, Beatrix] Miss Potter (2006)
Directed by Chris Noonan. Cast: Renee Zellweger, Ewan McGregor, Emily Watson, Barbara Flynn, Bill Paterson, Matyelok Gibbs, Lloyd Owen, Anton Lesser, David Bamber.
In an effort to give their younger brother, Norman a project to keep him busy now that he has joined the family publishing house, the older Warne brothers agree to publish Miss Beatrix Potter's first children's book. They don't expect the book to sell well, but they need to keep Norman busy. As they work together, Norman and Beatrix become close. After the first book is published, Beatrix goes on to a second book and that sells well. One day at lunch, she meets the rest of Norman's family, including his sister, Millie and the two women become fast friends. Norman proposes, but Beatrix's parents object. After much argument, they agree to let Beatrix marry Norman provided they wait until the end of the summer. Special features: Feature commentary with director Chris Noonan; The tale of Peter Rabbit and Beatrix Potter; The making of a real-life fairy tale; "When you taught me how to dance"; Music video performed by Katie Melua; Theatrical trailer. 93 min. DVD 8190
[Proust, Marcel] Le Temps Retrouvé (Time Regained) (France / Italy / Portugal, 1999)
Directed by Raoul Ruiz. Featuring Catherine Deneuve, Emmanuelle Beart, Vincent Perez, John Malkovich, Marcello Mazzarella. Set in 1922, this film opens with the French author on his deathbed remembering his life. Gradually his own experiences give way to the characters in his novels -- fiction eclipses reality as the author's creations combine with his own experiences. The result is a montage of moving snapshots and feverish dreams that make the film the ultimate in Proustian cinema. 158 min. DVD 632
[Pu Yi]The Last Emperor (China / UK / France / Italy, 1987)
Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci. Cast: John Lone, Joan Chen, Peter O'Toole, Ying Ruocheng. The epic adventure and true story of Pu Yi, the last Emperor of China, from his ascension to the throne as Emperor Xuan Tong, the 10th Emperor of the Qing Dynasty in 1908, to his rehabilitation and employment by the communists as a guide around his former palace in 1959. 218 min. DVD 213
Director, Manuel Huerga. Cast: Daniel Bruhl, Tristan Ulloa, Leonor Watling, Ingrid Rubio, Leonardo Sbaraglia.
A dramatization of true life anarchist and bank-robber Salvador Puig Antich, whose 1974 execution under the dictatorship of Francisco Franco ushered in a period of unrest that helped Spain transition to democracy. 137 min. DVD 8595
Directed by Phil Karlson. Cast: Joe Don Baker, Noah Beery, Jr., Elizabeth Hartman, Felton Perry, Pepper Martin. Based on the true story of the legendary Tennessee sheriff, Buford Pusser, who with the help of his wife and his right hand man, the first black deputy sheriff in Tennessee, refused to compromise his fight against corruption in his county.
DVD. 126 min. DVD 610
Director: William Wellman. Cast: Robert Mitchum, Burgess Meredith, Freddie Steele, Wally Cassell, Dorothy Coonan, William "Billy" Benedict. A gripping World War II drama based upon the newspaper columns of Pulitzer Prize-winning war correspondent Ernie Pyle. Pyle joins Company C, 18th Infantry as this American army unit fights its way across North Africa and then catches up with the unit again in Italy and accompanies it through the battles of San Vittorio and Cassino. He learns from its commanding officer the loneliness of command and from the individual G.I.'s of the human capacity to survive drudgery, discomfort and the terror of combat. The film is acknowledged as one of greatest war pictures ever made, portraying an unsentimental story of mud, blood and death. Special DVD features: Biographical notes on Pyle by James Tobin ; archival newsreel footage of Pyle talking to G.I.s in Italy ; still gallery of original Pyle newspaper columns. 108 min. DVD X1092; vhs 999:2668
[Reavis, James Addison] The Baron of Arizona (1950)
Directed by Samuel Fuller. Cast: Vincent Price, Ellen Drew, Vladimir Sokoloff, Beulah Bondi, Reed Hadley, Robert H. Barrat.
Based on the life of a legendary swindler, Vincent Price portrays James Addison Reavis, who, in 1880, concocted an elaborate and dangerous hoax to ascend to the title of "Baron of Arizona" and inherit all the land in the state. 97 min. DVD 8208
Directed by Warren Beatty. Cast: Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Edward Herrmann, Jerzy Kosinski, Paul Sorvino, Maureen Stapleton. The true story of the love affair of John Reed, American Communist, journalist and activist and Louise Bryant, writer and feminist. Woven into the story are America's great playwright, Eugene O'Neill, anarchist and feminist, Emma Goldman, Bolshevik leader, Gregory Zinoviev and other notable figures whose lives were shaken by the Russian Revolution. 195 min. DVD 6749; vhs 999:1627
Rowin, Michael Joshua. "Reds." Cineaste. Summer 2007. Vol. 32, Iss. 3; pg. 76, 3 pgs UC users only
Rosenbaum, J. "Jack Reed's Christmas puppy: reflections on Reds." In: Movies as politics Berkeley : University of California Press, c1997 (online access [UCB only] http://ark.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/ft6r29p15c/; hard copy: MAIN: PN1995.9.P6 R67 1997; MOFF: PN1995.9.P6 R67 1997; PFA : PN1995.9.P6 R67)
Rosenstone, Robert A. "In praise of the biopic." In: Lights, camera, history : portraying the past in film / edited by Richard Francaviglia and Jerry Rodnitzky ; with an introduction by Peter C. Rollins ; contributions by Robert Rosenstone ... [et al.]. 1st ed. College Station : Published for the University of Texas at Arlington by Texas A&M University Press, c2007. (Main Stack PN1995.2.L54 2007)
Stansell, Christine. "Reds." In: Past imperfect : history according to the movies / general editor, Mark C. Carnes ; edited by Ted Mico, John Miller-Monzon, and David Rubel. New York : H. Holt, 1995. (Main Stack PN1995.9.H5.P37 1995; Moffitt PN1995.9.H5.P37 1995; Compar Ethn PN1995.9.H5.P37 1995)
[Rembrandt] Rembrandt (UK, 1936)
Directed by Alexander Korda. Cast: Charles Laughton, Gertrude Lawrence, Elsa Lanchester, Edward Chapman. In Amsterdam of 1642, master painter Rembrandt Van Rijn enjoys a full life until the sudden death of his wife. Bankrupt and bereft, he finds comfort in a pretty servant in his home. Can he summon the courage to overcome his demons or will tragedy continue to haunt 85 min. DVD 2194
A biography of Cecil Rhodes who arrived in Africa at the age of eighteen to join the diamond rush but soon conceived another ambition: to bring the entire land under British rule. By the time he was thirty, Rhodes was one of the wealthiest men in the world and ten years later, a new country had been created and named for him, Rhodesia. A candid vision of the birth of apartheid, and the bitter wars that divided a country and devastated its people. Originally produced for PBS television in 1996. 336 min. Video/C 5519
Burns, James. "Biopics And Politics: The Making and Unmaking of the Rhodes Movies." Biography 2000 23(1): 108-126.
[Rimbaud, Arthur] Total Eclipse (UK / France / Belgium / Italy, 1995)
Directed by Agnieszka Holland. Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, David Thewlis, Romane Bohringer. A drama based on the life of the French writer Arthur Rimbaud, whose philosophy of living life to the extreme inspired the rock generation and of Paul Verlaine, a writer of lesser talent who is torn between his growing infatuation with Rimbaud and the domestic demands of his wife. Together, these two men feed each other's hunger for life and love, trying desperately to straddle the lines between knowledge and self-destruction, creativity and delusion. 112 min. DVD 1074
Geist, Kenneth. "Total Eclipse." Films in Review. Jan 1996. Vol. 47, Iss. 1-2; p. 68 (17 pages)
Turk, Edward Baron
"Agnieszka Holland's Total Eclipse, a Contemporary "Film Maudit"."
The French Review, Vol. 72, No. 2 (Dec., 1998), pp. 260-272UC users only
[Rochester, John Wilmot, Earl of] The Libertine (UK, 2004)
Directed by Laurence Dunmore. Cast: Johnny Depp, Samantha Morton, John Malkovich, Paul Ritter, Stanley Townsend, Francesca Annis, Rosamund Pike, Tom Hollander, Johnny Vegas, Richard Coyle. John Wilmot, a 17th century poet, is the Earl of Rochester and from the beginning he treats his wife cruelly, drinks to relentless excess, abuses his friendships, and generally wallows in dissipation, much to the dismay of King Charles II. The king hopes that Rochester will write a play glorifying his reign. But Rochester finds his true inspiration when he sees a young actress named Lizzie Barry. Rochester sets out to make her the greatest actress of their time--and she, with some reluctance, submits to his teaching. 114 min. DVD 5990
Directed by Lloyd Bacon. Cast: Pat O'Brien, Gale Page, Ronald Reagan, Donald Crisp, Albert Basserman, Owen Davis, Jr.
Based upon the private papers of Mrs. Rockne, and the reports of Rockne's intimate associates and friends, this film tells the life story of Notre Dame's football coach who inspired many victories with his powerful speeches. Regarded as one of the greatest coaches in college football history he is credited with popularizing the use of the forward pass. Special features: Oscar-winning Technicolor historical short "Teddy, the Rough Rider"; Classic cartoon "Porky's baseball broadcast"; Audio-only bonus: Radio show with O'Brien and Reagan; Theatrical trailer. 98 min. DVD X200
Directed by Terrence Malick. Cast: Colin Farrell, Christopher Plummer, Christian Bale, August Schellenberg, Wes Studi, Q'Orianka Kilcher. Set admidst the first encounter of European and Native American cultures during the founding of the Jamestown Virginia settlement in 1607. Tells the classic tale of Pocahontas and her relationships with adventurer John Smith and aristocrat John Rolfe. This woman's journey of love lost and found again takes her from the untouched beauty of the Virginia wilderness to the upper crust of English society as we witness the dawn of a new America. Special features: Making 'The new world' documentary (60 min.) 135 min. DVD 5563
Directed by Stanley Donen. Cast: Jose Ferrer, Merle Oberon, Helen Traubel, Doe Avedon, Tamara Toumanova, Paul Stewart, Isobel Elsom, William Olvis, James Mitchell, Walter Pidgeon, Paul Henreid, Rosemary Clooney, Gene & Fred Kelly, Jane Powell, Vic Damone, Ann Miller, Cyd Charisse, Howard Keel, Tony Martin.
While Broadway swings to the jazzy beat of ragtime, Sigmund Romberg continues to play the beautiful waltzes of his native Austria at the Cafe Vienna. Persuaded by the cafe owner to compose in the new style, he creates a hit song, which leads to great musical success, but the woman he loves is reluctant to return his feelings. Dance numbers: Leg of mutton dance, performed by Ferrer and Traubel -- Sunrise in Paris, performed by Toumanova -- Mr. & Mrs., from Midnight girl, performed by Ferrer and Clooney -- I love to go swimmin' with women, from Dancing around, performed by Gene & Fred Kelly -- It, from Artists & models, performed by Ann Miller -- Dance, from The desert song, performed by Charisse and Mitchell. 132 min. DVD 9895; vhs 999:3869
Directed by John Duigan. Romero is a compelling and deeply moving look at the life of Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador, who made the ultimate sacrifice in a passionate stand against social injustice and the oppression in his country. This film chronicles the transformation of Romero from an apolitical, complacent priest to a comitted leader of the Salvadoran people. 105 min. DVD 4503; vhs 999:479
Directed by Daniel Mann. Cast: Susan Hayward, Richard Conte, Eddie Albert, Jo Van Fleet, Don Taylor, Ray Danton.
Biographical film that tells the story of Lillian Roth, who battled alcoholism as she worked her way to Broadway stardom. After her fall from fame to a booze-hazy existence on L.A.'s Skid Row, she fought her way back with the help of Alcoholics Anonymous. 110 min. DVD 8930
[Ruan, Lingyu] Centre Stage (Ruan Lingyu) (Hong Kong, 1992)
Directed by Stanley Kwan. Cast: Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung Ka-Fai, Liang Jiahui, Liu Jialing. Dramatized biography based on the life of the Chinese silent movie actress Ruan Ling-yu, of the 1930s. Tells the sad story of a young woman who is rescued from poverty to show business and is subsequently destroyed by it. 121 min. DVD 1776
[Rublev, Andrei] Andrei Rublev (Soviet Union, 1966)
Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky. Story of the famed 15th century icon painter who survives the cruelties of medieval Russia to create works of art. DVD 336; vhs 999:865:1&2
Directed by Richard Thorpe. Cast: Fred Astaire, Red Skelton, Vera-Ellen, Arlene Dahl, Keenan Wynn, Gale Robbins, Gloria de Haven. A musical biopic telling the story of the lives of the successful Tin Pan Alley songwriting team of Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby. 102 min. DVD 5683
Directed by Irving Cummings. Cast: Alice Faye, Don Ameche, Henry Fonda, Edward Arnold, Warren William, Leo Carrillo, Helen Westley, Dorothy Peterson, Ernest Truex. A biography of American actress and singer Lillian Russell, from her discovery in 1890 by band leader Tony Pastor until her retirement in 1912, when she married newspaperman Alexander Moore. 127 min. DVD X684
A docu-drama about the 1927 Massachusetts trial and execution of two Italian-American immigrant anarchists based on Vanzetti's own letters and speeches. Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, two Italian immigrants to America were executed after they were convicted of killing two people during a robbery in South Braintree. Their controversial trial became a political firestorm fueled by anti-immigration and "Red Scare" hysteria that gripped post-World War I America. This unique docu-drama, shot on location around Boston where the case took place, tells the events from the point of view of Vanzetti. Written and directed by David Rothauser. 2004. 57 min. DVD 6909
[Sade, Marquis de] Marat/Sade (The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as performed by the Inmates of the Asylum at Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade (UK, 1967)
Directed by Peter Brook. Cast: Cast: Glenda Jackson, Patrick Magee, Ian Richardson. History's most infamous sexual adventurer lives in a madhouse, where a beautiful laundry maid helps him smuggle his erotic stories to the printer. Defying orders from the asylum's resident priest, the titillating passages whip all of France into a sexual frenzy, until a fiercely conservative doctor tries to put an end to the fun. 115 min. DVD 1337; Video/C 1638
Directed by Philip Kaufman. Cast: Geoffrey Rush, Kate Winslet, Joaquin Phoenix, Michael Caine. History's most infamous sexual adventurer lives in a madhouse, where a beautiful laundry maid helps him smuggle his erotic stories to the printer. Defying orders from the asylum's resident priest, the titillating passages whip all of France into a sexual frenzy, until a fiercely conservative doctor tries to put an end to the fun. 124 min. DVD 865
Directed by Benoit Jacquot. Cast: Daniel Auteuil, Marianne Denicourt, Jeanne Balibar, Gregoire Colin, Isild Le Besco, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Philippe Duquesne, Vincent Branchet, Raymond Gerome.
The Marquis de Sade, the famous philanthropist and sexual predator, faces execution by Robespierre's puritanical regime, but thanks to his mistress finds temporary respite at Picpus, a sanitarium for aristocrats awaiting the guillotine. There, he focuses his attention on Emilie, a teenager longing to experience sensual pleasure before her death. 100 min. DVD 2227
[Sand, George] Les enfants du siècle (Children of the Century)(1999)
Directed by Diane Kurys. Cast: Juliette Binoche, Benoit Magimel, Stefano Dionisi, Robin Renucci, Karin Viard, Isabelle Carre, Patrick Chesnais, Arnaud Giovanetti, Denis Podalydès, Olivier Foubert, Marie-France Mignal, Michel Robin.
A dramatization of the love affair between the authors George Sand and Alfred de Musset that scandalized their families, friends and the salons of Paris in nineteenth century France. 137 min. DVD 8161
[Sassoon, Siegfried] Behind the Lines (Regeneration) (1997)
Directed by by Gillies Mackinnon. Cast: Jonathan Pryce, James Wilby, Jonny Lee Miller, Stuart Bunce, Tanya Allen. As a psychiatrist at a respected Scottish asylum, Dr. Rivers heals shellshocked soldiers so they can be sent back into the trenches. Then he encounters a different kind of patient--a war hero sent to the asylum for publishing an outspoken anti-war pamphlet. As each struggles to cope with the war, the line between patient and doctor begins to blur. Taken from Pat Barker's 1991 novel "Regeneration" and based on true events. 95 min. DVD 4936
[Schiller, Friedrich] Friedrich Schiller: Eine Dichterjugend (Germany, 1923)
Directed by Curt Goetz. Cast: Theodor Loos (Friedrich Schiller), Hermann Vallentin, Isabel Heermann, Max Patteg, Ilka Grüning. A silent film about the youth of the leading German 18th century dramatist, poet, and literary theorist Friedrich Schiller (1759-1805). In 1773 he had to leave home and spent miserable years under strict discipline at the military academy of The Duke Karl Eugen, which only strengthened his longing for freedom. His first play "The Robbers" (1781) spoke of the ideas of liberty and became a landmark in German theater. Following the conventions of the silent movie era, the positive was tinted.80 min. Includes two different improvised piano scores by Joachim Bärenz.
Special features: Deleted and missing scenes from the original screenplay. 102 min. DVD X765
Directed by Steven Spielberg. Stars Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes, Caroline Goodall. The true story of the enigmatic Oskar Schindler, a member of the Nazi party, womanizer & war profiteer, who saved the lives of more than 1,100 Jews during the Holocaust. 197 min. DVD 2373; vhs 999:1120:1&2
Directed by Philip Kaufman. Cast: Scott Glenn, Ed Harris, Barbara Hershey, Dennis Quaid, Pamela Reed, Sam Shepard, Kim Stanley, Fred Ward, Veronica Cartwright, David Clennon, Scott Wilson, Donald Moffat, Levon Helm, Jeff Goldblum, Harry Shearer, Charles Frank, Royal Dano. A dramatization of the intrepid test pilot Chuck Yeager and the seven pioneering astronauts chosen for the first manned space flight program in the United States. A thrilling retelling of the true story of Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom, John Glenn, Scott Carpenter, Walter Schirra, Gordon Cooper, and Deke Slayton-- the seven men chosen for Project Mercury. Special features: Biographical profile of John Glenn "American hero: the journey and the mission," scene-specific commentaries with director/screenwriter, cast and crew members ; 3 documentaries "Realizing the right stuff," "T-20 years and counting," "The real men with the right stuff," 13 additional scenes ; interactive timeline to space incorporating vintage NASA footage ; theatrical trailer. 193 min. DVD 6119
Directed by Fritz Lehner . Presents 2 versions of the film directed by Fritz Lehner of the last days of the composer Franz Schubert. Udo Samel plays Franz Schubert in these film biographies that present a grim look at the darker side of the legendary composer. Schubert is released from a hospital-asylum after being treated for a sexually transmitted disease. After visiting his strict father, he goes to live with his wealthy friend Schober. Franz is followed by Kajetan, the crippled beggar he befriended during his hospital stay. In German without subtitles.
Version 1: Notturno: love has lied (100 min.) -- Version 2: Notturno: Winterjourney (131 min.)
DVD 7767
[Scopes, John Thomas] Inherit the Wind(1960)
Directed by Stanley Kramer. Cast: Spencer Tracy, Fredric March, Gene Kelly, Dick York, Donna Anderson, Harry Morgan. A historical drama of the so called "Monkey Trial" which pitted attorney Clarence Darrow and the fundamentalist William Jennings Brian in heated courtroom debate. It is set in a small Tennessee town which gained national attention in 1925 when a biology schoolteacher, John T. Scopes, was arrested for violating state law by teaching Darwin's theory of evolution to his students. 108 min. DVD 1105; vhs 999:639
Directed by Paul Humfress, Derek Jarman. Cast: Leonardo Treviglio, Barney James, Richard Warwick, Ken Hicks, Janusz Romanov, Neil Kennedy. Describes the last few days of the life of the Catholic martyr St. Sebastian, in particular his relationship with the Emperor Diocletian in 303 A.D., his banishment to a remote outpost of the Roman Empire because of his Christian sympathies, the ambiguous relation with his commanding officer, Severus, and finally his execution by his fellow soldiers. "St. Sebastiane was an obscure Roman mystic who might barely be remembered today were it not for the homoerotic rumors which have persistently clung to him. In Sebastiane, directors Derek Jarman and Paul Humfress bring all the implied into the foreground, creating the frankly homosexual world of their St. Sebastiane. In the process they have pulled offan amazing trick. They have made a beautiful film which evokes a realistic feeling of another place and time, explores the dual nature of spirituality and sexuality, and also depicts an ultimate homosexual fantasy." [PopCornQ] 85 min. DVD 1621
Directed by George Hickenlooper. Cast: Sienna Miller, Guy Pearce, Hayden Christensen, Jimmy Fallon, Jack Huston, Armin Amiri, Tara Summers, Mena Suvari, Shawn Hatosy, Beth Grant, James Naughton, Edward Herrmann, Illeana Douglas, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Don Novello.
Edie Sedgwick, a beautiful, wealthy young party girl, drops out of Radcliffe in 1965 and heads to New York to become Holly Golightly. When she meets a hungry young artist named Andy Warhol, he promises to make her the star she always wanted to be. And like a super nova she explodes on the New York scene only to find herself slowly losing her grip on reality.
83 min. DVD 8075
Performers: A. Martinez, Henry Darrow, Rose Portillo, Pepe Serna, Danny De La Paz, Enrique Castillo, Lupe Ontiveros, Edward James Olmos. A docu-drama based on the life of one of Texas' unsung heroes, Juan Nepomunceno Seguin, a leader in San Antonio who raised an army to fight the Mexican forces of Santa Ana at the Alamo. Written and directed by Jesus Salvador Trevino.
68 min. Video/C 5133
Fregoso, Rosa Linda. "Seguin: The Same Side of the Alamo Bilingual." In:
Chicano Cinema: research, Reviews, and Resources Edited by Gary D. Keller. pp: 146-152. Binghamton, N.Y.: Bilingual Review/Press, c1985. (UCB Main PN1995.9.M49.C47 1985; UCB Moffitt PN1995.9.M49.C47 1985)
Thompson, Frank T.
"Reprinting the Legend: The Alamo on Film."
Film and History: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Film and Television Studies, vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 12-64, 2006
Directed by Sidney Lumet. Cast: Al Pacino, John Randolph, Jack Kehoe, Biff McGuire, Barbara Eda-Young, Cornelia Sharpe.
Dramatization of the true story of Frank Serpico, a young New York police officer who refuses to extort money from criminals as the other officers do. His fellow police officers turn against him when he seeks to expose the situation during a grand jury investigation. 130 min. DVD 9883
[Seurat, Georges] Sunday in the Park with George. (1985)
Cast: Mandy Patinkin (George); Bernadette Peters (Dot/Marie); Charles Kimbrough, Barbara Bryne, Dana Ivey, Mary D'Arcy, Sue Anne Gershenson, Cris Groenendaal, John Jellison, Frank Kopyc, Judith Moore, Nancy Opel, William Parry, Natalie Polizzi, Michele Rigan, Brent Spiner, Melanie Vaughan, Robert Westenberg, supporting soloists. A television production of the Broadway musical loosely based on the life of artist Georges Seurat. In Act 1 Seurat is working on his latest painting with the woman he loves posing for him. As Georges interacts with various people who happen through the park, they become characters in his painting. In Act 2 Seurat's great grandson and his grandmother return to the place where Seurat created his masterpiece to ponder ideas of what is art and what is life. 146 min. DVD 1998
[Shepard, Alan]The Right Stuff (1983)
Directed by Philip Kaufman. Cast: Scott Glenn, Ed Harris, Barbara Hershey, Dennis Quaid, Pamela Reed, Sam Shepard, Kim Stanley, Fred Ward, Veronica Cartwright, David Clennon, Scott Wilson, Donald Moffat, Levon Helm, Jeff Goldblum, Harry Shearer, Charles Frank, Royal Dano. A dramatization of the intrepid test pilot Chuck Yeager and the seven pioneering astronauts chosen for the first manned space flight program in the United States. A thrilling retelling of the true story of Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom, John Glenn, Scott Carpenter, Walter Schirra, Gordon Cooper, and Deke Slayton-- the seven men chosen for Project Mercury. Special features: Biographical profile of John Glenn "American hero: the journey and the mission," scene-specific commentaries with director/screenwriter, cast and crew members ; 3 documentaries "Realizing the right stuff," "T-20 years and counting," "The real men with the right stuff," 13 additional scenes ; interactive timeline to space incorporating vintage NASA footage ; theatrical trailer. 193 min. DVD 6119
Directed by Gregory Nava. Cast: Jennifer Lopez, Edward James Olmos, Jon Seda, Constance Marie, Jacob Vargas, Lupe Ontiveros, Jackie Guerra, Rebecca Lee Meza.
"Selena" tells the story of Latin Queen Selena Quintanilla-Perez, who was the most popular Latin Singer at the time of her tragic death at the age of only 23 years in 1995. Her life story takes off as Jennifer Lopez accurately portrays Selena through her unforgettable concerts, her family struggles, and her secret marriage to her guitarist Chris Perez. Special features: Disc 1: Original theatrical version, The making of Selena 10 years later, 9 additional scenes ; disc 2: Extended director's cut film version, Selena: Queen of Tejano featurette. 134 min. DVD X401
Directed by Barry Levinson. Cast: Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Harvey Keitel, Ben Kingsley, Joe Mantegna. The incredible true story of Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, the playboy gangster who betrayed the Mob for love. A cold-blooded killer who dreamed of Hollywood stardom, a crazed "patriot," who plotted against Mussolini, and the brilliant visionary who carved Las Vegas out of the dry Nevada desert, Bugsy had it all until he fell in love with a woman who wanted more. Their love affair was passionate, tempestuous and ultimately tragic. 136 min. DVD 5336
Directed by Mike Nichols. Cast: Meryl Streep, Kurt Russell, Cher, Craig T. Nelson, Diana Scarwid, Fred Ward, Ron Silver.
Based on a true story. When Karen Silkwood becomes contaminated with plutonium at her job and voices her protest at the indifference and denial of her company, she becomes a threat to the entire nuclear industry and the government agencies that monitor it. 131 min. DVD 8913
[Singh, Bhagat] The Legend of Bhagat Singh (India, 2002)
Directed by Raj Kumar Santoshi. Cast: Ajay Devgan, Akhilendra Mishra, Sushant Singh, D. Santosh, Raj Babbar, Farida Jalal, Amrita Rao.
A dramatization of the remarkable life of Bhagat Singh [1907-1931], one of the most influential revolutionaries of the Indian independence movement. He became involved in numerous revolutionary organizations and quickly rose through the ranks of the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) and later the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA). Singh gained support when he underwent a 63-day fast in jail, demanding equal rights for Indian and British political prisoners. He was hanged for shooting a police officer in response to the killing of a veteran freedom fighter. His legacy prompted youth in India to begin fighting for Indian independence and also increased the rise of socialism in India. 156 min. DVD 9687
Directed by Terrence Malick. Cast: Colin Farrell, Christopher Plummer, Christian Bale, August Schellenberg, Wes Studi, Q'Orianka Kilcher. Set admidst the first encounter of European and Native American cultures during the founding of the Jamestown Virginia settlement in 1607. Tells the classic tale of Pocahontas and her relationships with adventurer John Smith and aristocrat John Rolfe. This woman's journey of love lost and found again takes her from the untouched beauty of the Virginia wilderness to the upper crust of English society as we witness the dawn of a new America. Special features: Making 'The new world' documentary (60 min.) 135 min. DVD 5563
[Solanas, Valerie] I Shot Andy Warhol. (1996)
Directed by Mary Harron. Starring Lili Taylor, Jared Harris, Stephen Dorff, Lothaire Bluteau, Martha Plimpton, Anna Thompson. A docudrama of the cultural whirlwind of events surrounding Valerie Solanas' shooting of pop-art superstar Andy Warhol. Solanis arrived in mid- 60's New York City with a single-minded mission: to spread the word on female superiority. She became a fringe member of the psychedelic entourage surrounding Andy Warhol but when her feminist zeal grew too bizarre and violent, even for this avant-garde circle, the consequences were explosive. 104 min. DVD 8552; vhs 999:1600
Directed by Stanley Kubrick. Cast: Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Charles Laughton, Peter Ustinov, John Gavin, Tony Curtis. The story of the blood gladiator slave Spartacus, the woman who believed in his cause, and the powerful Roman general who challenged his convictions. Set against the background of Imperial Rome, this is an inspirational true account of man's eternal struggle for freedom. 196 min. DVD 2088 (Fully restored widescreen version); DVD 261; vhs 999:179
Directed by Roberto Chiosso. An early Italian silent era spectacle based on the revolt of the slaves of ancient Rome. "One of the historical "kolossals" of the silent era which were produced to stimulate the nationalism of Italians as they veered toward intervention during World War I. 58 min. 999:3246
[Stahl, Jerry]Permanent Midnight (1998)
Director, David Veloz. Cast: Ben Stiller, Elizabeth Hurley, Maria Bello, Owen Wilson, Cheryl Ladd, Peter Greene, Janeane Garofalo.
A dramatization of the true story of TV writer Jerry Stahl who makes a fortune writing drivel and sinks into unrepentant drug addiction. 88 min. DVD 9086
[Stander, Andre]Stander (Canada / Germany / South Africa / UK, 2003)
Directed by Bronwen Hughes. Cast: Tom Jane, Dexter Fletcher, David Patrick O'Hara, Deborah Kara Unger. Based on the true story of Andre Stander, a South African police officer who suffers a crisis of conscience after his involvement in a riot in Johannesburg. He goes from law enforcer to law breaker, becoming one of South Africa's most notorious bank robbers. 116 min. DVD 7318
Directed by Alain Resnais. Cast: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Anny Duperey, Charles Boyer, Francois Perier, Gerard Deaprdieu. An exquisite recounting of the climatic days in 1933 in the career of Stavisky, the con man turned international financier whose ruin resulted in political scandal and his own mysterious death. 117 min. 999:1547
[Stein, Gertrude] Waiting for the Moon. (UK / France / USA / West Germany, 1987)
Directed by Jil Godmilow. Cast: Linda Hunt, Linda Bassett, Bernadette Lafont, Bruce McGill, Jacques Boudet, Andrew McCarthy. An engrossing and fascinating exploration of the complex relationship of Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas during a three-month period in 1936. 101 min. DVD 5518
Directed by Sam Wood. Cast: James Stewart, June Allyson, Frank Morgan, Agnes Moorehead, Bill Williams. The true story of Chicago White sox pitcher, Monty Stratton. Stratton suffers a devastating hunting accident which leads to the amputation of one leg. Learning to walk with an artificial limb, he struggles to resume his career. 102 min. DVD 6172
Directed by Julien Duvivier. Cast: Luise Rainer, Fernand Gravet, Miliza Korjus, Hugh Herbert, Lionel Atwill. Musical biography loosely based on the life of composer Johann Strauss which captures his spirit and inventiveness. 102 min. vhs 999:3851
[Street, William Douglas "Chameleon"] Chameleon" Street (1989)
Directed by by Wendell B. Harris, Jr. Featuring Wendell B. Harris, Jr., Angela Leslie, Amina Fakir, Paula McGee, Anthony Ennis. Dramatizes the true story of William Douglas "Chameleon" Street, a quick-witted, self-tutored young man from Detroit who barely managed to earn a high school diploma, yet in the 70's managed to pull off a series of high-profile hoaxes, posing variously as a Detroit lawyer, a Time magazine reporter, a French exchange student, and a Harvard-educated surgeon.
95 min. 999:3771
[Strindberg, August] The Freethinker: Strindberg, 1849-1912 (Fritänkaren) (Sweden, 1994)
Directed by Peter Watkins.
Using dramatic re-enactments, presents a non-linear depiction of the life of Swedish novelist and playwright, August Strindberg. Depicted as a rebel, an idealistic and controversial iconoclast Strindberg openly criticized the hypocrisy of 19th century society.
274 min. DVD X1195
Directed by John Frankenheimer. Cast: Burt Lancaster, Karl Malden, Thelma Ritter, Neville Brand, Edmond O'Brien, Betty Field, Telly Savalas. The true story of Robert Stroud, a convicted killer living in solitary confinement, who avoids the depths of despair by becoming a world-renowned authority on birds during his imprisonment on Alcatraz Island. 149 min. DVD 1306
Directed by Mike Leigh. Cast: Jim Broadbent, Allan Corduner, Timothy Spall, Lesley Manville, Ron Cook, Wendy Nottingham, Kevin McKidd, Shirley Henderson, Dorothy Atkinson, Martin Savage, Eleanor David.
Tensions abound and the music swells in the story about the famous musical team of Gilbert and Sullivan. The two men who were extremely different in size and stature were even more different in temperament and style. Yet, they still managed to create memorable theater. This is the story of the making of one of their most famous collaborations, The Mikado. 161 min. DVD 5476
Directed by Roman Polanski. Cast: Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Frank Finlay, Maureen Lipman, Emilia Fox, Ed Stoppard, Julia Rayner, Jessica Kate Meyer. Based on the memoirs of Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Polish Jew and a brilliant pianist who watched as his family was shipped off to Nazi labor camps. Tells of his heroic and inspirational journey of survival with the unlikely help of a sympathetic German officer, as he lived for years in the ruins of Warsaw, hiding from the Nazis. 149 min. DVD 1632
[Tabori, Elsa]My Mother's Courage (Mutters Courage) (Germany / UK / Austria / Ireland, 1995)
Directed by Michael Verhoeven. Cast: Pauline Collins, Ulrich Tukur, Heribert Sasse, Natalie Morse, Robert Giggenbach, Günter Bothur, Simon Verhoeven, Jens Harzer, Buddy Elias, Peter Radtke, Otto Grünmandl, Hana Frejkova. Based on the true story of Elsa Tabori, whose dramatist son George Tabaria also wrote a stage version of it. During the German occupation in summer 1944, a woman who has been deported by the Nazis escapes annihilation in a concentration camp through her courage. Based on the novel by George Tabori. 89 min. DVD X1063
Director, Seijun Suzuki. Cast: Kenji Sawada, Tomoko Mariya, Masumi Miyazaki, Tamasaburo Bando.
A sensual, absurdist ghost story spun around the character and work of real-life painter and poet Yumeji Takehisa (1884-1934), seen as a chronic philanderer and dreamer. 128 min. DVD 5479
Directed by Kimberly Peirce. Cast: Hilary Swank, Chloe Sevigny, Peter Sarsgaard, Brendan Sexton III. Based on a true story of a teenager, Teena Brandon, who altered her appearance to appear as a man and assumed the name Brandon Teena. She moved to a tiny Nebraska town and made new friends under her new identity. All went well until her new friends discovered her secret with shocking consequences. 118 min. DVD 4132; vhs 999:2731
[Teresa of Avila, Saint]Teresa, el cuerpo de Cristo (Theresa: The Body of Christ) (France / Spain / UK, 2007)
Directed by Ray Loriga. Cast: Paz Vega, Leonor Watling, Geraldine Chaplin, Jose Luis Gomez. In Castilla, the daughter of a nobleman Teresa de Ahumada joins a convent seeking a spiritual life. Teresa embarks on a crusade of prayer and sacrifice that initially finds her branded a lunatic by those in power but after a periods of prayer and sacrifice, her claims that she has visions of Jesus attract the attention of the church hierarchy. A drama based on the life of Spain's feminist mystic Saint Teresa of Avila. 121 min. DVD X1000
[Thérèse, -- de Lisieux, Saint]Thérèse (France, 1986)
Directed by Alain Cavalier. Cast: Catherine Mouchet, Helene Alexandridis, Aurore Prieto, Sylvie Habault, Clemence Massart, Ghislaine Mona Heftre. A dramatization of the real-life story of St. Therese de Lisieux, a young woman who found personal joy and spiritual liberation within the restrictive traditions of an austere religious order. 90 min. DVD 3428
[Toklas, Alice B.] Waiting for the Moon. (UK / France / USA / West Germany, 1987)
Directed by Jil Godmilow. Cast: Linda Hunt, Linda Bassett, Bernadette Lafont, Bruce McGill, Jacques Boudet, Andrew McCarthy. An engrossing and fascinating exploration of the complex relationship of Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas during a three-month period in 1936. 101 min. DVD 5518
Directed by David Fincher. Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards, Robert Downey Jr., Brian Cox, John Carroll Lynch, Chloe Sevigny, Ed Setrakian, John Getz, John Terry, Candy Clark, Elias Koteas, Dermot Mulroney, Donal Logue.
A serial killer in the San Francisco Bay Area taunts police with his letters and cryptic messages. Looks into the lives of the four men most effected by the killer: San Francisco PD Homicide, David Toschi and William Armstrong, the San Francisco Chronicle reporters Paul Avery and Robert Graysmith. Displays the psychological and emotional effects of the killings, as well as the endless procedural details of the investigation (handwriting experts, the "2500" suspects), the letters sent to the San Francisco Chronicle by Zodiac and the work of a 20+ year investigation that wears down and whittles away at any kind of normal life for Toshi and Graysmith. Both men are obsessed with Zodiac and both pay for this obsession with the hard years and loves lost and never regained. Based on the book by Robert Graysmith.
157 min. DVD 8138
Directed by John Huston. Cast: Jose Ferrer, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Suzanne Flon, Colette Marchand. The story of 19th century artist, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, covering the period of the painter's life in Paris. There he spends his time at the Moulin Rouge cafe sketching, and there, too, he meets and falls in love with the first woman who is not turned away by his deformity. 120 min. DVD X1145; vhs 999:3529
Directed by John Lee Hancock. Cast: Billy Bob Thornton, Dennis Quaid, Jason Patric, Patrick Wilson, Jordi Molla, Emilio Echevarria, Marc Blucas, Leon Rippy. Retells the story of the historic 1836 battle in the Texan War of Independence. Facing 4,000 Mexican troops, 186 Texan soldiers and volunteers - including William Travis, Davy Crockett, and Jim Bowie - retreat within the walls of the Alamo, a Franciscan mission that was converted into a military fort. Once inside, the men prepare themselves for what will be a bloody battle to the death. U.S. General Sam Houston leads the charge from the outside. The Texans held the fort for 13 days under siege by General Santa Anna. 136 min. DVD 3008
Andreychuk, Ed.
American frontiersmen on film and television : Boone, Crockett, Bowie, Houston, Bridger, and Carson Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland & Co., c2005. (MAIN: PN1995.9.P487 A53 2005)
Niemi, Robert. "The Alamo (2004)" In: History in the media : film and television Santa Barbara, Calif. : ABC-CLIO, c2006.
(MAIN: PN1995.9.H5 N54 2006)
Thompson, Frank T. "Reprinting the Legend: The Alamo on Film." Film and History: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Film and Television Studies, vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 12-64, 2006
Directed by John Wayne. Cast: John Wayne, Richard Widmark, Laurence Harvey, Frankie Avalon, Patrick Wayne, Richard Boone, Linda Cristal, Joan O'Brien. Film depicts a pivotal event in American history--the battle of the Alamo when 185 "Texans" stood against a 7,000-man Mexican army. The battle ended in the smaller forces' defeat, but lasted long enough to insure the eventual independence of Texas. Special DVD features: John Wayne's "The Alamo" documentary (40 min.) ; theatrical trailers. 202 min. DVD X1033; vhs 999:921
Andreychuk, Ed.
American frontiersmen on film and television : Boone, Crockett, Bowie, Houston, Bridger, and Carson Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland & Co., c2005. (MAIN: PN1995.9.P487 A53 2005)
Niemi, Robert. "The Alamo (2004)" In: History in the media : film and television Santa Barbara, Calif. : ABC-CLIO, c2006.
(MAIN: PN1995.9.H5 N54 2006)
Thompson, Frank T. "Reprinting the Legend: The Alamo on Film." Film and History: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Film and Television Studies, vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 12-64, 2006
Directed by Frank Pierson. Cast: Gary Sinise, Diana Scarwid, Richard Dysart, Colm Feore, James Gammon, Tony Goldwyn, Pat Hingle, Harris Yulin. A made for television docu-drama of the life of President Harry S. Truman who led the nation through the end of World War II, the beginning of the Cold War, the struggle for civil rights and the creation of the United Nations. Based on the book by David McCullough. 130 min. DVD 1141
Cast: Derek Jacobi, Alun Armstrong, Richard Johnson, Harold Pinter, Amanda Root, Prunella Scales. A Dramatization of the life of Alan Turing, British mathematical genius and designer of the computer that broke the German Enigma code during World War II, whose admittance to homosexuality at a time when it was illegal presented problems for him, for his family, for his colleagues, and for the State's preoccupation with national security. Originally shown on the television program Mobil masterpiece theatre. Based on the play of the same title by Hugh Whitemore, and on the book, Alan Turing: The Enigma, by Andrew Hodges (QA29.T8 H63 1983 Main Stack, Astr/Math, Moffitt) Originally broadcast as an episode of the PBS television series, Mobil masterpiece Theatre. 90 min. Video/C 999:1822
Directed by Irving Rapper. Cast: Fredric March, Alexis Smith, Donald Crisp, Alan Hale, C. Aubrey Smith, John Carradine.
Summary The story of Samuel "Mark Twain" Clemens from his boyhood to his glory days. Twain thought his talent was inferior to the staid prose of other authors. This film shows both the ambivalent artist Twain & the other romantic, flawed man, Clemens. 130 min. DVD X1801
Directed by Luis Valdez. Cast: Lou Diamond Phillips, Esai Morales, Rosana De Soto, Elizabeth Pena, Joe Pantoliano. A Docudrama of the man, the myth, and the music that brought America to its feet and catapulted 17 year-old Ritchie Valens to rock 'n' roll stardom. 103 min. DVD 6696; vhs 999:269
Produced and directed by Mario Van Peebles Cast: Joy Bryant, T.K. Carter, Terry Crews, Ossie Davis, David Alan Grier, Nia Long, Paul Rodriguez, Saul Rubinek, Vincent Schiavelli, Khleo Thomas, Mario Van Peebles, Karimah Westbrook, Rainn Wilson. A candid portrait of Melvin Van Peeble's struggles as a young, black director during the society-shifting 70's. Determined to make a film that matters, Melvin deals with two-faced backers, a rag-tag crew, threatening creditors, and various shades of Hollywood hypocrisy. With everything on the line, his only choice is to stick to his guns and do whatever it takes to get his neo-blaxploitation epic to the audience for which it was envisioned.
2004. 109 min. DVD 3540
[Vanzetti, Bartolomeo] The Diary of Sacco and Vanzetti
A docu-drama about the 1927 Massachusetts trial and execution of two Italian-American immigrant anarchists based on Vanzetti's own letters and speeches. Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, two Italian immigrants to America were executed after they were convicted of killing two people during a robbery in South Braintree. Their controversial trial became a political firestorm fueled by anti-immigration and "Red Scare" hysteria that gripped post-World War I America. This unique docu-drama, shot on location around Boston where the case took place, tells the events from the point of view of Vanzetti. Written and directed by David Rothauser. 2004. 57 min. DVD 6909
[Vatel, Francois] Vatel (France / UK / Belgium, 2000)
Directed by Roland Joffe. Cast: Gerard Depardieu, Uma Thurman, Tim Roth, Timothy Spall, Julian Glover, Julian Sands. The Duc de Conde's employee, Francois Vatel, is in charge of cooking and preparing shows for the French King Louis XIV when he visits the castle of Chantilly, owned by de Conde. If Vatel can impress the King, de Conde will gain his favors, and the destiny of France will change. While the King is visiting and three days of banquets ensue, Vatel falls in love with the King's mistress. 103 min. DVD 1173
[Verlaine, Paul] Total Eclipse (France / UK / Belgium, 1995)
Directed by Agnieszka Holland. Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, David Thewlis, Romane Bohringer. A drama based on the life of the French writer Paul Verlaine, whose philosophy of living life to the extreme inspired the rock generation and of Paul Verlaine, a writer of lesser talent who is torn between his growing infatuation with Rimbaud and the domestic demands of his wife. Together, these two men feed each other's hunger for life and love, trying desperately to straddle the lines between knowledge and self-destruction, creativity and delusion. 112 min. DVD 1074
Geist, Kenneth. "Total Eclipse." Films in Review. Jan 1996. Vol. 47, Iss. 1-2; p. 68 (17 pages)
Turk, Edward Baron
"Agnieszka Holland's Total Eclipse, a Contemporary "Film Maudit"."
The French Review, Vol. 72, No. 2 (Dec., 1998), pp. 260-272UC users only
[Vermeer, Johannes]Girl with a Pearl Earring (UK / Luxembourg, 2003)
Directed by Peter Webber. Cast: Colin Firth, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Wilkinson, Judy Parfitt, Cillian Murphy, Essie Davis, Joanna Scanlan, Alakina Mann. In Delft, Holland in 1665 seventeen-year-old Griet becomes a maid in the house of Johannes Vermeer, where she gradually attracts the master painter's attention. Johannes and Griet must hide their inspiration of each other from his volatile wife, Catharina. The wealthy and trouble-making Master van Ruijven senses the intimacy between the artist and his maid, and contrives a commission for Vermeer to paint Griet alone. The result will be one of the greatest paintings ever created, but at what cost? Based on the novel: Girl with a pearl earring by Tracy Chevalier [MAIN: PS3553.H4367 G57 1999]. 100 min. DVD X52
Directed by Alex Cox. Featuring Gary Oldman, Chloe Webb, David Hayman, Andrew Schofield, Debby Bishop. Portrays the love affair between the famous bad boy, Sid Vicious of the rock group Sex Pistols and his American groupie girlfiend, Nancy Spungen, from the initial euphoria of their romance to their tragic plunge into the vortex of drugs and self-delusion. 113 min. 999:2772
[Vieira, Antonio] Word and Utopia (Palavra e Utopia) (Portugal, 2000)
Directed by Manoel de Oliveira. Cast: Lima Duarte, Miguel Cintra, Ricardo Trepa, Miguel Guilherme, Leonor Silveira. Tells the story of Jesuit missionary Antonio Vieira, a 17th century Portuguese priest who lived in Brazil working for better treatment of the Indians and to abolish slavery, who is called before the Inquisition. 130 min. Non-US (PAL) format DVD. DVD 5203
[Villa, Pancho] And Starring Pancho Villa As Himself (2003)
Directed by Bruce Beresford. Cast: Antonio Banderas, Eion Bailey, Matt Day, Michael McKean, Colm Feore, Alexa Davalos, Anthony Stewart Head, Alan Arkin, Jim Broadbent. The true story of how Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa allowed a Hollywood crew to film him in battle, altering the course of film and military history in the process. Early movie giants D.W. Griffin and Harry Aiken send Frank Thayer to Mexico to persuade the cash-strapped, publicity-hungry Villa to let them film his revolution. Stepping into the literal cross fire, Thayer's crew risk their lives in the mingling of fiction and reality. The two make their movie and its original U.S. release helps change public opinion in Villa's favor and proves "the lens is mightier than the sword" 111 min. DVD 2682
Directed by Jack Conway. Featuring Wallace Beery, Leo Carrillo, Fay Wray, Donald Cook, Joseph Schildkraut. The sometimes heroic, sometimes infamous deeds of Mexican bandit and patriot Pancho Villa. Villa fought the Diaz regime, whose soldiers killed his father. He later became one of the most ruthless Mexican bandits, but also helped put the honorable Francisco Madero in power. After Madero's assassination, Villa himself led his country, however, being a better fighter than a bureaucrat, he gave up the presidency when he could restore Mexico to its people. 115 min. 999:2831
Directed by Alan Crosland. Cast: John Barrymore, Conrad Veidt, Marceline Day, Henry Victor, Mack Swain.
Summary A rich historical romance starring John Barrymore as the swashbuckling poet Frances Villon who battles to save his country from the devious Duke of Burgundy and nasty King Louis the XI in 17th Century France. Special feature: Filmed introduction by Orson Welles. 98 min. DVD X1704
[Vincent de Paul, Saint]Monsieur Vincent (France, 1947)
Directed by Maurice Cloche. Cast: Pierre Fresnay, Aime Clariond, Jean Debucourt, Lise Delamare, Germaine Dermoz, Gabrielle Dorziat, Pierre Dux, Yvonne Gaudeau.
Tells the remarkable journey of St. Vincent de Paul, who rose from slavery to become a trusted advisor to queens and princes. A dramatic biopic that reveals how St. Vincent de Paul's commitment to the poor made him a great humanitarian. 114 min. DVD 9901
[von Bulow, Claus; von Bulow, Sunny] Reversal of Fortune (1990)
Directed by Barbet Schroeder. Cast: Glen Close, Jeremy Irons, Ron Silver. Did European aristocrat Claus von Bulow attempt to murder his wife Sunny at their luxurious Newport mansion in 1980? The tabloids of the day certainly had their opinions. "You have one thing in your favor, " defense attorney Alan Dershowitz told von Bulow, "Everybody hates you." Reversal of Fortune is the acclaimed movie version of events that had all America talking. 106 min. 999:2598
Directed by John Frankenheimer. Cast: Gary Sinise, Mare Winningham, Angelina Jolie, Terry Kinney, William Sanderson. Governor of Alabama, George Wallace was an infamous politician and segregationist. He had a lust for power and status that made him bedfellows with racists and became one of the most destructive and most hated American politicians of his time. Follows George from his early days as a state circuit judge to his presidential run, when he was paralyzed by a would-be assassin. Based on the book by Marshall Frady. Originally broadcast by TNT Aug. 24, 1997. 185 min. DVD X941
Directed by Mel Gibson. Cast: Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohan, Catherine McCormack. A sumptuously produced historical epic based upon the life of William Wallace, a bold Scotsman who used the steel of his blade and the fire of his intellect to rally his countrymen to liberation in the 14th century. 103 min. DVD 509
Canitz, A. E. Christa. "'Historians... Will Say I Am a Liar': The Ideology of False Truth Claims in Mel Gibson's Braveheart and Luc Besson's The Messenger." In: Postmodern medievalisms / edited by Richard Utz and Jesse G. Swan.
Woodbridge, UK; Rochester, NY : D.S. Brewer, 2005. (Main Stack CB351.S78 v.13)
Dvorak, Ken.
"Braveheart: A Distant Hero for a Post-Modernist Audience?" Film & History , Feb-May1995, Vol. 25 Issue 1/2, p59-59, 1p
UC users only
Ewan, Elizabeth. "Braveheart directed by Mel Gibson / Rob Roy directed by Michael Caton-Jones." The American Historical Review. Washington: Oct 1995. Vol. 100, Iss. 4; p. 1219 UC users only
Keller, James R.
"Masculinity and marginality in Rob Roy and Braveheart."
Journal of Popular Film & Television. Winter 1997. Vol. 24, Iss. 4; p. 146 (6 pages) UC users only
Kennedy, Harlan. "Kiltspotting: Highland reels." Film Comment. Jul/Aug 1996. Vol. 32, Iss. 4; pg. 28, 5 pgsUC users only
Morgan, Sally J. "The ghost in the luggage: Wallace and Braveheart: post-colonial 'pioneer' identities." European Journal of Cultural Studies; Sep99, Vol. 2 Issue 3, p375, 18p
Niemi, Robert. "Braveheart" In: History in the media : film and television Santa Barbara, Calif. : ABC-CLIO, c2006.
(MAIN: PN1995.9.H5 N54 2006)
Ray, Sid.
"Hunks, History, and Homophobia: Masculinity Politics in Braveheart and Edward II." Film & History Sep-Dec1999, Vol. 29 Issue 3/4, p22-31, 10p
UC users only
Ross, Andrew. "Wallace's Monument and the Resumption of Scotland." Social Text; Winter2000, Vol. 18 Issue 4, p83, 25pUC users only
[Warhol, Andy]Factory Girl. (2006)
Directed by George Hickenlooper. Cast: Sienna Miller, Guy Pearce, Hayden Christensen, Jimmy Fallon, Jack Huston, Armin Amiri, Tara Summers, Mena Suvari, Shawn Hatosy, Beth Grant, James Naughton, Edward Herrmann, Illeana Douglas, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Don Novello.
Edie Sedgwick, a beautiful, wealthy young party girl, drops out of Radcliffe in 1965 and heads to New York to become Holly Golightly. When she meets a hungry young artist named Andy Warhol, he promises to make her the star she always wanted to be. And like a super nova she explodes on the New York scene only to find herself slowly losing her grip on reality.
83 min. DVD 8075
Directed by Mary Harron. Cast: Lili Taylor, Jared Harris, Stephen Dorff, Lothaire Bluteau, Martha Plimpton, Anna Thompson. A docudrama of the cultural whirlwind of events surrounding Valerie Solanas' shooting of pop-art superstar Andy Warhol. Solanis arrived in mid- 60's New York City with a single-minded mission: to spread the word on female superiority. She became a fringe member of the psychedelic entourage surrounding Andy Warhol but when her feminist zeal grew too bizarre and violent, even for this avant-garde circle, the consequences were explosive. 104 min. DVD 8552; vhs 999:1600
Directed by Mick Jackson. Cast: Tim Pigott-Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Alan Howard, Juliet Stevenson. A dramatized documentary, set in the years 1951-1953, which focuses on the young scientist James Watson who with other scientists "raced" to discover the DNA double helix comprising human genetic material. According to the film, the discovery was primarily made by scientist Rosalind Franklin, but her ideas were stolen by the team of Watson, Crick, and Wilkins, who were subsequently awarded the Nobel Prize after her death. 116 min. Video/C 5403
Directed by John Ford. Cast: John Wayne, Dan Dailey, Maureen O'Hara, Ward Bond. Tells the true story of Naval Commander Frank "Spig" Wead - from his first solo flight that ends in the admiral's swimming pool to his assignment as commander aboard an aircraft carrier during World War II. After he breaks his neck in an accident and is paralyzed, Wead discovers the power of his pen and becomes a renowned Hollywood screenwriter. 110 min. DVD 5668
Directed by Tim Robbins. Cast:Roy Rogers, George "Gabby" Hayes, Elyse Knox, Addison Richards, Sally Payne, Harry Woods, Zeffie Tilbury, Hal Taliaferro, Jay Novello, Jack Ingram.
Roy Rogers is mistaken for a notorious gunslinger when he arrives in Tombstone, a lawless frontier town. The corrupt mayor has sent for the hired gun in order to strong-arm the town into obeying his will, and Roy accepts the job of sheriff unaware of the mayor's true intentions. 134 min. DVD 281
Atkinson, Michael. "Hollywood Keeps Left." The American Prospect 11.5 (Jan 17, 2000): 54.
UC users only
Alleva, Richard. "Ah, the theater." Commonweal.Mar 10, 2000. Vol. 127, Iss. 5; pg.
21, 3 pgs
UC users only
Briley, Ron. "Cradle Will Rock."
Journal of American History; Dec2001, Vol. 88 Issue 3, p1202-1203, 2p
UC users only
Cole, Stephen. "Cradle Will Rock." American Historical Review, Oct2000, Vol. 105 Issue 4,
p1440, 2p;
UC users only
Doherty, Thomas. "All's Welles that ends Welles." The Chronicle of Higher Education. Feb 25,
2000. Vol. 46, Iss. 25; pg. B11, 2 pgs
UC users only
Gustaitis, Joseph. "The cradle that ROCKED America.(Orson Welle's 1937 production of musical 'The Cradle Will Rock')." American History 34.6 (Feb 2000): 17.UC users only
Mason, Terrence C. "The filmmaker as humanist.(Tim Robbins)." Social Education 64.1 (Jan-Feb 2000): 14(7).
McKissack, Fred. "The Question of the Cradle." Progressive, Mar2000, Vol. 64 Issue 3, p38, 2p
UC users only
Strick, Philip. "Cradle Will Rock." Sight & Sound, May2000, Vol. 10 Issue 5, p40-41, 2p,
UC users only
Teachout, Terry. ""Cradle" of Lies.(Review)." Commentary 109.2 (Feb 2000): 51..UC users only
Michael Wilmington. "Cradle Will Rock."
Film Comment. Nov/Dec 1999. Vol. 35, Iss.
6; p. 79 (1 page) UC users only
[Welles, Orson] RKO 281 (2000)
Directed by Benjamin Ross. Cast: Liev Schreiber, James Cromwell, Melanie Griffith, Brenda Blethyn, Roy Scheider and John Malkovich. Based in part on the PBS documentary "The Battle over Citizen Kane," this is a dramatization of the battle between Orson Welles and newspaper publisher William Randolf Hearst over the production of the motion picture Citizen Kane. Rich with tales of sexual blackmail, money and threats behind closed doors, this tells the story of Hearst's attempts to shut the movie down and ruin Welles' career. 87 min. DVD 290
Cole, Stephen. "RKO 281." American Historical Review; Oct2000, Vol. 105 Issue 4, p1440, 2p UC users only
Doherty, Thomas. "All's Welles that ends Welles." The Chronicle of Higher Education. Feb 25,
2000. Vol. 46, Iss. 25; pg. B11, 2 pgs
Hoberman, J. "RKO 281."
Film Comment. Jan/Feb 2000. Vol. 36, Iss. 1; p. 75
(2 pages)UC users only
[Whale, James] Gods and Monsters (1988)
Directed by Bill Condon. Cast: Ian McKellen, Brendan Fraser, Lynn Redgrave. It's 1957 and Hollywood horror director James Whale's heyday as the director of "Frankenstein," "Bride of Frankenstein" and "The Invisible Man" is long behind him. Retired and a semi-recluse, he lives his days accompanied only by images from his past. When his dour housekeeper Hannah hires handsome young gardener Clayton Boone, the openly gay director and the simple yardman develop an unlikely friendship. Based upon the novel: Father of Frankenstein / by Christopher Bram. Includes documentary: "The World of Gods and monsters : a journey with James Whale" / produced and directed by David J. Skal and Sam Irvin ; written by David J. Skal ; narrated by Clive Barker. Special features: Directors's commentary with Bill Condon ; The making of Gods & Monsters -- Theatrical trailer. 106 min. DVD X1057; vhs 999:2598
Director, Mick Jackson. Cast: Michael Keaton, Helena Bonham Carter, Lili Taylor, Bruce McGill, Robert Widsom, Joshua Leonard, Paul Guilfoyle, Michael Murphy, Clark Gregg, David Suchet. In 1990, CNN was a 24-hour news network in search of a 24-hour story. They were about to find it in Baghdad. Up against the three big networks, Robert Wiener, a veteran producer, along with his longtime producing partner and their team of rebels with a cause, take the biggest risks to get the biggest stories - unlike their rivals - live at a moment's notice. 108 min. DVD 1642
Director, Michael Mann. Cast: Al Pacino, Russell Crowe, Christopher Plummer, Diane Venora, Philip Baker Hall, Lindsay Crouse, Debi Mazar, Stephen Tobolowsky, Colm Feore, Bruce McGill, Gina Gershon, Michael Gambon, Rip Torn. Based on true events, this is the story of executive Jeffrey Wigand who was fired by his employer, one of the largest tobacco companies in America, when he expressed reservations about the tobacco industry's manipulation of the truth regarding the severe health consequences of tobacco use. He agreed to become a paid consultant for a story by 60 Minutes producer Lowell Bergman, regarding alleged unethical practices within the tobacco industry. But what began as a temporary alliance led to a lengthy battle for both men to save their reputations and more. Based on the Vanity fair article: The man who knew too much. by Marie Brenner. 158 min. DVD 890
Hewitt, Don. "Insider Views The Insider." Columbia Journalism Review July 2000 v39 i2 p8 (1456 words)
[Wilde, Oscar] Wilde (UK / Germany / Japan, 1997)
Directed by Brian Gilbert. Cast: Stephen Fry, Jude Law, Vanessa Redgrave, Tom Wilkinson, Jennifer Ehle, Gemma Jones, Judy Parfitt. Notorious poet and playwright Oscar Wilde devours all that life has to offer, but there's only so much that late Victorian England will tolerate. As Wilde delves into a taboo world of unrealized homosexual desire, his life rapidly becomes a turbulent charade. He cannot escape the repercussions wrought by a "pure" society, nor will he hide in shame for being true to his nature. 116 min. 999:3056
The importance of reinventing Oscar : versions of Wilde during the last 100 years / edited by Uwe Boker, Richard Corballis, ... Amsterdam ; New York : Rodopi, 2002. (Main Stack PR5824.I466 2002)
Holland, Merlin. "The Film Wilde: A Wasted Opportunity?." Wildean: The Journal of the Oscar Wilde Society. 12: 30-33. 1998 Jan.
Waldrep, Shelton. "The Uses and Misuses of Oscar Wilde." In: Victorian afterlife : postmodern culture rewrites the nineteenth century / John Kucich and Dianne F. Sadoff, editors. pp:49-63. Minneapolis : University of Minnesota Press, c2000.
(Main Stack PR461.V5 2000)
[Wilde, Oscar] Indecent Acts(1995)
Director, William Parry. In 1895, Oscar Wilde, the most famous writer of the victorian age, was found guilty of homosexual crimes and sentenced to two years hard labor. This film, through readings and reconstruction of the courtroom scene, contrasts the treatment that Wilde suffered with that of contemporary gay sex offenders. 54 min. Video/C 6337
The importance of reinventing Oscar : versions of Wilde during the last 100 years / edited by Uwe Boker, Richard Corballis, ... Amsterdam ; New York : Rodopi, 2002. (Main Stack PR5824.I466 2002)
Waldrep, Shelton. "The Uses and Misuses of Oscar Wilde." In: Victorian afterlife : postmodern culture rewrites the nineteenth century / John Kucich and Dianne F. Sadoff, editors. pp:49-63.
Minneapolis : University of Minnesota Press, c2000. (Main Stack PR461.V5 2000)
[Williams, Stanley "Tookie"] Redemption . (2003)
Directed by Vondie Curtis Hall. Cast: Jamie Foxx, Lynn Whitfield, Lee Thompson Young, Brenden Richard Jefferson, Brenda Bazinet, Wes "Maestro" Williams, Greg Ellwand, CCH Pounder. Tells the true life story of Stan 'Tookie' Williams, founder of the L.A. Crips street gang, who denounced the lifestyle that landed him behind bars. While awaiting execution in prison, he became determined to stop violence, and began writing anti-gang books for children, earning him critical acclaim - and four Nobel Peace Prize nominations. 93 min. DVD 4746
Directed by Derek Jarman. A surreal and fanciful biography of the Viennese philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, who strove to define and teach insights on communication and the powers and limits of language. "Wittgenstein is shown as a boy living a repressive youth, demonstrated by his family appearing in Roman togas. When Wittgenstein leaves to study under Bertrand Russell at Cambridge, he begins to investigate language and apply the strictures and constructs of language to philosophical study. The subject of Wittgenstein's homosexuality is depicted when, after World War I, he falls in love with a poor philosophy student, Johnny (Kevin Collins). Also portrayed is Wittgenstein's death at an early age from prostate cancer." -- Paul Brenner [All-Movie Guide]. 75 min. DVD X59; vhs 999:1155
Directed by Tim Burton. Cast: Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette, Jeffrey Jones, Bill Murray. A stranger-than-fiction true story of the early career of Edward D. Wood, Jr., the undisputed worst movie director of all time. Wood was the auteur behind Glen or Glenda? and Plan 9 from outer space, and it is during the making of these two no-budget flicks that Wood is profiled. 127 min. DVD 3933
Directed by Alan Pakula. Featuring Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford, Jack Warden, Martin Balsam, Hal Holbrook, Jason Robards, Jane Alexander. A dramatic reconstruction of the true story of the discovery of the White House link with the Watergate affair by two young reporters from the Washington Post. 127 min. DVD 1045; vhs 999:451
Written and directed by Patty Jenkins. Cast: Charlize Theron, Christina Ricci, Bruce Dern, Lee Tergesen, Annie Corley, Marco St. John, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Scott Wilson. Based on the true story of Aileen Wuornos, a prostitute who was executed in 2002 for the brutal murders of at least 6 men in Florida. Homeless in Florida, down to her last five dollars and pondering suicide, she stopped into a bar for a beer where she meets Selby, who becomes her lesbian lover. One night, after a man attacks her, Aileen pulls a gun and kills the man. Aileen's loathing for the men who pay her for sex becomes so extreme that she begins killing her customers regardless of their behavior. 109 min. DVD 2752
"The Making of a Monster." Journal of Feminist Family Therapy; 2004, Vol. 16 Issue 1, p83-85, 3p
Miller, Jody. "Monster? Portraits of a Female 'Serial Killer.'" PsycCRITIQUES, Vol 49 (Suppl 7), 2004
UC users only
Quart, Leonard. "Monster."
Cineaste 29:2 (Spring 2004)
UC users only
Steele, Bruce C. "The making of a Monster." (cover story) Advocate; 3/2/2004 Issue 909, p34-45, 9p UC users only
[Wozniak, Steve] Pirates of Silicon Valley (1999)
Directed by Martyn Burke Cast: Noah Wyle, Anthony Michael Hall, Joey Slotnick, John DiMaggio, Josh Hopkins.
This film is a semi-humorous docudrama about the men who pioneered an industry that literally transformed the entire world: Apple Computer founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak and Microsoft's Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer. Looks at their struggles during college, the founding of their companies, and the ingenious actions they took to build up their global corporate personal computer empires. Based on the book: Fire in the Valley by Paul Freiberger and Michael Swaine. 96 min. DVD X38
Directed by Philip Kaufman. Cast: Scott Glenn, Ed Harris, Barbara Hershey, Dennis Quaid, Pamela Reed, Sam Shepard, Kim Stanley, Fred Ward, Veronica Cartwright, David Clennon, Scott Wilson, Donald Moffat, Levon Helm, Jeff Goldblum, Harry Shearer, Charles Frank, Royal Dano. A dramatization of the intrepid test pilot Chuck Yeager and the seven pioneering astronauts chosen for the first manned space flight program in the United States. A thrilling retelling of the true story of Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom, John Glenn, Scott Carpenter, Walter Schirra, Gordon Cooper, and Deke Slayton-- the seven men chosen for Project Mercury. Special features: Biographical profile of John Glenn "American hero: the journey and the mission," scene-specific commentaries with director/screenwriter, cast and crew members ; 3 documentaries "Realizing the right stuff," "T-20 years and counting," "The real men with the right stuff," 13 additional scenes ; interactive timeline to space incorporating vintage NASA footage ; theatrical trailer. 193 min. DVD 6119
Directed by Howard Hawks. Cast: Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan, Joan Leslie, George Tobias, Stanley Ridges. A dramatization of the life of Alvin C. York, a man from Tennessee who was torn between his religious pacifism and his patriotic duty during Workd War I, who went on to become the most famous hero of the war after capturing 132 German soldiers during the battle of Argonne. Based on the diary of Sergeant York as edited by Tom Skeyhill. Special DVD features: Commentary by film historian Jeanine Basinger; 2 insightful documentaries; classic cartoon "Porky's preview"; vintage short "Lions for sale"; Gary Cooper movies trailer gallery. 134 min. DVD X550; vhs 999:3310
Directed by Elia Kazan. Featuring Marlon Brando, Jean Peters, Anthony Quinn. Emiliano Zapata, an ally of Pancho Villa, leads the Mexican peasants in a bloody revolt to overthrow a cruel dictator, Diaz. His revolt triumphs, but each successive leader is no better than Diaz. Even Zapata himself ultimately fails as he tragically experiences the corruption of power and the deceit of politicians. 999:776
Directed by William Dieterle. Featuring Paul Muni, Gale Sondergaard, Joseph Schildkraut, Gloria Holden, Donald Crisp, Erin O'Brien Moore, Henry O'Neill, Morris Carnovsky, Louis Calhern. Explores the career of the novelist who championed the cause of France's oppressed. History knows Emile Zola as the lone man who cried out, "I accuse!," in the famous Dreyfus Case where the French army deliberately persecuted an innocent Jew. 117 min. DVD 6805; vhs 999:2864
Biopic Films [from filmsite.org]
Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
Movie Review Query Engine
Julian Schnabel (Indepependent View) - interview about the making of this film. Video/C MM100
UC users only
