New Videos - April 2007
On DVD:
The Dark Side - DVD TAC-1160
Amid revelations about faulty prewar intelligence and a scandal surrounding the indictment of the vice president's chief of staff and presidential adviser, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Frontline goes behind the headlines to investigate the internal war that was waged between the intelligence community and Richard Bruce Cheney, the most powerful vice president in the nation's history. In "The Dark Side," Frontline tells the story of the vice president's role as the chief architect of the war on terror, and his battle with Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet for control of the "dark side." Drawing on more than 40 interviews and thousands of documents, the film provides a step-by-step examination of what happened inside the councils of war.
McCabe & Mrs. Miller - DVD TAC-1161
Charismatic but dumb John McCabe arrives in a turn-of-the-century Pacific Northwest town to set up a whorehouse/tavern. Shrewd Mrs. Miller, a professional madam, arrives soon after construction begins. She offers to help McCabe run his business and the whorehouse thrives. McCabe and Mrs. Miller draw closer, despite their conflicting intelligences and philosophies. Soon, however, the mining deposits in the town attract the attention of a major corporation, which wants to buy out McCabe along with the rest. His decision has major repercussions for him, Mrs. Miller, and the town.
The Hudsucker Proxy - DVD TAC-1162
Mailroom clerk Norville Barnes is a rube, a schmoe, a grade-A ding-dong -- precisely what Hudsucker Industries is looking for in a president! With him at the top, the stock will hit bottom...and the fat cats on the board can snap up controlling interest.
The Year of Living Dangerously - DVD TAC-1163
Guy Hamilton, an ambitious Australian reporter on his first overseas assignment, is befriended by a Eurasian cameraman, Billy Kwan, with connections in high places. Hamilton soon gains an entree to Indonesian Communist Party leaders, as well as insight into Jakarta 's grim realities on the eve of a major political upheaval.
The Blues, a Musical Journey - DVD TAC-1164 pt. 1-7
The blues is a seven-part documentary film series exploring the evolution of the blues, featuring rare archival performance footage of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Willie Dixon ... et al., also including over 100 newly-filmed performances by contemporary artists such as B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt, Beck ... et al. singing classic blues songs.
Off to War: from Rural Arkansas to Iraq - DVD TAC-1165 pt. 1-4
Tracks the citizen soldiers of the Arkansas National Guard as they come face to face with the horrors of war. Never before has a unit of soldiers been followed from the beginning to the end of their deployment at war.
Prospects of Mankind - DVD TAC-1166 pt. 1-27
From 1959 through 1962, former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt hosted twenty-seven roundtable discussions to tackle critical issues that were important to Americans, as well as to the international community of academics, journalists, philosophers, and politicians. Participants in these forums included some of the most important names of the twentieth century. Mrs. Roosevelt and her panelists address such specific subjects as American capitalism, the development of the Peace Corps, the role of television in American lives, disarmament, foreign aid, democracy abroad, and the status of women. Other programs address the challenges faced by foreign nations including Africa , China , Cuba , East Germany , France , Great Britain , and Russia .
Mutiny on the Bounty - DVD TAC-1167
In 1789, the HMS Bounty sets sail under Captain William Bligh. Bligh is the cruelest taskmaster and his cruelties become more than first mate Christian can bear. After the Captain causes the death of the ship's doctor, the crew stage a mutiny, with Christian in charge. Bligh is set adrift in an open boat with a handful of his loyal officers and limited supplies.
Diverted to Delhi - DVD TAC-1168
The toll-free telephone numbers used to place orders are often answered thousands of miles away by Indians trained to speak and think like Americans, or Brits or Australians. This film follows a group of university graduates through a rigorous 3-week course which they hope will prepare them for prestigious, well paying positions in these call centers. Over 200 of the U.S. Fortune 500 companies now choose to service their clients via Indian call centers where labor and set-up costs are low and the staff highly educated.
Calle 54 - DVD TAC-1169
Introduced to Latin jazz in the 1980s, when he was beginning his career as a director, Fernando Trueba has since become a devoted fan of the music. Noted jazz artists have scored for some of his films and he took his love of the music one step further in which he gathered together a number of his favorite Latin jazz artists for a series of interviews and performances.
Captains Courageous - DVD TAC-1170
When a rich brat falls overboard at sea, he's rescued by a Portuguese fisherman on a Massachusetts fishing boat bound for the cod fishing off the Grand Banks .
Zui hao de shi guang (Three Times) - DVD TAC-1171
A rapturous and beautiful love story set in three different eras - a pool hall in 1966, a 1911 brothel, and present-day Taipei . The director brings to life the culture of each period as the tales unfold.
The Katrina Experience: the Power of Culture to Heal - DVD TAC-1172 pt. 1-4
Exclusive library release. A special collection of seven documentaries on DVD about the effects of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans and its people; documentaries that approach the tragedy from unusual, often surprising angles. Who would have thought to tell the forlorn tale of a soldier recently returned from Iraq too wrecked by his own memories and disappointments to help his neighbors in pain? Or a community of self-styled hippies who could have gotten out but didn't because they wanted to protect their dogs? And what about the music - from the brass bands of the street to the well-known artists that have established New Orleans 's world-wide reputation - where did they go and would they return? And though many said this wasn't about race, what happens when hundreds of African Americans are relocated to a virtually and, some say, intentionally all white state?
Salud! - DVD TAC-1173
This video looks at the curious case of Cuba , a cash-strapped country with what the BBC calls "one of the world's best health systems." From the shores of Africa to the Americas, the filmmakers travel with some of the 28,000 Cuban health professionals serving in 68 countries, and interviews international medical students in Cuba -- now numbering 30,000, including nearly 100 from the USA. Their stories plus testimony from experts around the world bring home the competing agendas that mark the battle for global health -- and the complex realities confronting the movement to make health care everyone's birth right.
American Patchwork: Songs and Stories of America - DVD TAC-1174 pt. 1-5
Alan Lomax explores America 's diverse cultural heritage through song, dance, story and festival, tracing these creative traditions back to their European and African roots.
In the Land of the War Canoes - DVD TAC-1175
Presents an epic saga of Kwakiutl Indian life on the northwest coast of America as filmed in the summer of 1914 at Kwakiutl villages on Vancouver Island , Canada , by Edward S. Curtis who spent three years with the Kwakiutl to meticulously recreate their way of life before the white man came. In addition to magnificent painted war canoes, the film features native costumes, dancing and rituals -- including a powerful scene of vision quest. Edited and restored with the addition of an authentic sound track of music and chants recorded by the Kwakiutls in 1972.
Legends of Country Blues Guitar - DVD TAC-1176 v. 1-3
Blues music was developed at the beginning of the twentieth century by rural black musicians. They shaped it with brilliant inspiration from disparate elements of black song. By the early 1920s recorded urban performers solidified the standard three-verse, 12 bar meter structure that has identified most blues. The blues revival of the early 1960s brought many of these survivors to the forefront of traditional music. The rare footage presented in this series is a treasure beyond imagining, drawn from a myriad of sources, depicting some of the greatest blues musicians who ever lived.
Beats of the Heart: a Film Series - DVD TAC-1177 pt. 1-14
A 14-part series of music documentaries by noted filmmaker Jeremy Marre that examines from a street-level perspective music from around the world.
100 Greatest Discoveries - DVD TAC-1178 pt. 1-9
Host Bill Nye examines eight major areas of modern science, giving history and current information. From the miniature world of genetics to the vast expanse of space, review the greatest discoveries of all time across eight different scientific categories in this multi-part series. Join Bill Nye as he recounts the 100 most important discoveries -- and explains how each one has had a hand in shaping the modern world. Includes a closer look at the top ten greatest discoveries as voted on by readers of Discover magazine.
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan - DVD TAC-1179
When Kazakh journalist Borat Sagdiyev travels to America to make a documentary, he not only generates strong reactions regarding his extreme prejudices, he also tries to meet and marry Pamela Anderson.
The Last Samurai - DVD TAC-1180
An American military advisor embraces the Samurai culture he was hired to destroy after he is captured in battle.
The Civil War - DVD TAC-1181 pt. 1-5
An epic documentary bringing life to America 's most destructive - and defining - conflict. Here is the saga of celebrated generals and the ordinary soldiers. A heroic and transcendent president and a country that had to divide itself in two in order to become one again.
Dazed and Confused - DVD TAC-1182
America , 1976. The last day of school. Bongs blaze, bell-bottoms ring, and rock and roll rocks. Eavesdrop on a group of seniors-to-be and incoming freshman.
Extreme Oil - DVD TAC-1183 v. 1-3
Portrays the challenges that face the oil industries and the consumers of the infinite products of oil. "The pipeline" follows the route of a pipeline linking the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean Sea and thus the global market. "The oil curse" contrasts the cases of Ecuador and western Africa , and looks at how the discovery of oil has affected the local population. "The wilderness" explores the tension between the world's desire for oil and existing and proposed environmental restraints.
Time Bandits - DVD TAC-1184
A young boy escapes his gadget-obsessed parents to join a band of time-traveling dwarves. Armed with a map stolen from the Supreme Being, they plunder treasure from Napoleon and Agamemnon, but the Evil Genius is watching their every move!
Surrealist Film: the Stuff of Dreams - DVD TAC-1185
Surrealist cinema sought to break with the conventional linear narrative style in favor of chance events and a world of the subconscious. This program analyzes the origin, evolution and legacy of this cinematic movement whose stylistic artifacts can still be found in today's mass culture. Key figures of Dadaism and Surrealism are highlighted including Germaine Dulac, Luis Bunuel and Man Ray with excerpts from their works and other films of the genre.
The Ringworm's Children - DVD TAC-1186
In the early 1950's, approximately 100,000 immigrant children, primarily from North Africa , received x-ray radiation treatment for ringworm upon their arrival in Israel . It was later discovered that these treatments caused high rates of infertility, cancer and death.
Louisiana Story - DVD TAC-1187
A semi-documentary, the last film made by Robert Flaherty, "Louisiana story" shows how the lives of a charming Cajun backwoods youth and his family are changed when his father leases his land in the beautiful marshes of the Petit Anse Bayou in Louisiana to an oil company.
The Devil's Miner - DVD TAC-1188
The story of 14 year-old Basilio Vargas and his 12 year-old brother Bernardino who work in the ancient Bolivian silver mines of Cerro Rico (Potosí). Cerro Rico miners believe that Satan, as represented by hundreds of statues constructed in the mines, determines whether they live or die there.
Chasing Amy - DVD TAC-1189
Holden thinks Alyssa is the woman of his dreams but she has someone a little different in mind--another woman. They share the kind of relationship they've been looking for all along and discover the confusing ups and downs of love, sex and friendship in the '90s.
The Naked Kiss - DVD TAC-1190
In small town America , a prostitute seeks redemption.
The Defiant Ones - DVD TAC-1191
Two men escaping from a Southern work gang discover that they are bound together by an unbreakable iron chain.
The Star - DVD TAC-1192
A fading movie star is convinced that she needs only one good picture to reestablish her popularity and fortune.
Gardien de buffles - DVD TAC-1193
Set in the lowlands of southern Vietnam , this coming of age tale presents a stunning visual reflection on the rhythms of daily life and culture. When young Kim, out of necessity, joins the nomadic life of the buffalo herders, he is exposed to a complex, brutal way of existence. He must find his own way and sense of self in this male world of endurance, betrayal, and uncertainty, which can also offer friendship and independence.
Harlan County U.S.A. - DVD TAC-1194
Chronicles the 1973 Harlan County, Kentucky coal miners' strike against the operators of the Brookside mine and the Duke Power Company, which resulted from the company's refusal to honor the national contract of the United Mine Workers of America when the miners joined the union.
Naked - DVD TAC-1195
A charming, eloquent, and vicious drifter on the lam in London rejects those who would care for him and hurls himself into a nocturnal odyssey through the city, colliding with a succession of desperate and dispossessed people and scorching everyone in his path.
The Maysles Brothers' Salesman -DVD TAC-1196
A landmark documentary ... Captures in vivid detail the bygone era of the door-to-door salesman. While laboring to sell a gold-embossed version of the Holy Word, Paul Brennan and his colleagues target the beleaguered masses, then face the demands of quotas and the frustrations of life on the road. Following Brennan on his daily rounds, the Maysles discover a real-life Willy Loman, walking the line from hype to despair.
The Supreme Court - DVD TAC-1197 v. 1-4
An unprecedented series exploring the history, impact and drama of America 's highest court. ... By fusing history with biography, The Supreme Court humanizes the enigmatic black-robed figures, revealing their temperaments, passions, deeply held personal beliefs and life stories.
The Chances of the World Changing - DVD TAC-1198
The film begins in a penthouse apartment high above the urban frenzy of New York City , where writer Richard Ogust lives among 1200 turtles and tortoises. For years, Richard has rescued these endangered turtles from the food markets in Southeast Asia, where an unregulated and flourishing trade keeps many turtles and tortoises at the top of the world's endangered species lists. Overwhelmed by the demands of managing his personal ark, Richard decides to create the country's largest turtle and tortoise conservation institute.
No Umbrella - DVD TAC-1199
An unblinking look at the 2004 U.S. election-day failures in one of Ohio 's poorest neighborhoods. In the most hotly contested state in the country, gridlock at inner city polls ignites tempers and sets of charges of conspiracy. No Umbrella drops us squarely into the chaos as we watch the irascible octogenarian councilwoman (Ms. Fannie Lewis) take on poling place breakdowns, an unresponsive bureaucracy and an increasingly agitated electorate.
Sacred Steel - DVD TAC-1200
In the late 1930's musicians of the House of God Keith Dominion Holiness-Pentacostal Church began playing their worship music on electric steel guitars. Taking the words from Psalm 150:4 "praise Him with stringed instruments" and Psalm 149:3 "let them praise His name in the dance," the guitarists developed unique styles, tunings, repertoires, and techniques. Filmed on location in several House of God, Which is the Church of the Living God, the Pillar and Ground of the Truth Without Controversy, Inc., Keith Dominion churches.
Repercussions: a Celebration of African-American Music - DVD TAC-1201 pt. 1-7
This series celebrates the musical legacy of America , telling the story of the musical traditions that arose from old world and African roots to today's sounds.
Face of the World - DVD TAC-1202 pt. 1-3
This three-part series tells the story of map-making, from ancient times to the 20th century, demonstrating with dramatizations and scholarship the human quest to know and possess the world.
Matir Moina (The Clay Bird) - DVD TAC-1203
Set against the backdrop of Pakistan during the turbulent 1960s, a family is ripped apart by religious beliefs and civil war. A young boy from Bangladesh is sent away by his Muslim father to a Madrasah. He struggles to adapt to a harsh monastic life.
Rape Is - DVD TAC-1204
This documentary looks at rape from a global and historical perspective, but focuses mainly on the domestic cultural conditions of this human rights violation.
Chocolat - DVD TAC-1205
A young woman returns to Cameroon to trace her past. Soon the sights, sounds and smells sweep her back to her childhood and memories of the people who populated her youth.
The Big Lebowski - DVD TAC-1206
A stoner who loves bowling gets mistaken for a millionaire with the same name. He's beat up by men looking for money from the rich man's wife, and this hapless loser gets drawn into a kidnapping.
Sisters in Law - DVD TAC-1207
A documentary record of a courtroom in Kumba , Cameroon , where a female prosecutor and judge work to put an end to their community's tacit acceptance of child abuse, wife beating and rape.
Nuclear Energy - DVD TAC-1208
Program looks inside a modern nuclear reactor, explores its functions in detail and discusses nuclear safety.
Killer Hurricane: Anatomy of Katrina - DVD TAC-1209
Taking viewers inside the worst natural disaster in recent American history, this program reconstructs major events that unfolded prior to, during, and in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina's landfall. Beginning with the National Hurricane Center 's efforts to track the storm, the video illustrates Katrina's merciless path across the Gulf Coast region in chilling detail. Compelling, on-the-scene accounts from survivors in the hardest-hit areas - an exclusive interviews with federal and state authorities, including FEMA officials - create a comprehensive picture of Katrina's tragic effects on infrastructure, economic conditions, and human lives.
Inside an Earthquake -DVD TAC-1210
Examines the earthquake that struck Izmit , Turkey in 1999.
Cruel Schools: Bullying and Violence - DVD TAC-1211
Bullying is the first step in a continuum of school violence that can escalate to murder. This program explores bullying and violence, how to get help and be a part of the solution.
Under the Influence: a Big Deal - DVD TAC-1214
This program examines the consequences often related to teenage alcohol use and the damage alcohol can do to a teen's brain.
Smoking: Smoke Signals - DVD TAC-1215
This program discusses the health risks of tobacco use and profiles a youth-organized anti-tobacco campaign.
Sexual Pressures: Sexual Dangers - DVD TAC-1216
This program discusses issues of interest to teens and pre-teens about sexuality.
Deadly Desires: Sex - DVD TAC-1217
Program seeks to understand why so many people engage in unprotected sex, and examines the social and emotional complexities of sexual relationships, catalogues different STDs, reinforces the importance of being tested for STDs, and gives advice on dialogue with parents, by drawing on the knowledge of health experts and the input of teenagers. Emphasizes self-respect and responsibility.
Sports: High Performance - DVD TAC-1218
This program focuses on the popularity of sports among kids, parents, and schools, and the pressure kids feel to be involved in sports. It details both the benefits of sports and the risk factors involved in taking sports to extremes.
Risky Business: Taking Chances - DVD TAC-1219
With adolescence comes independence and the temptation to break the rules. When teenagers get a driver's license it opens the door to risk-taking. This program will look at some results that occur when kids take risks without considering the consequences. Some risky choices teens will be faced with are whether to drive safely, finish high school, lie or cheat, or treat others with consideration.
Taking Care of Me: Character - DVD TAC-1220
Helping adolescents make the shift to adulthood involves good emotional health. This film provides ways to help students cope with stressors in their daily lives through efforts such as journaling, talking and through poetry, music and the arts. Features interviews with students and experts in adolescent psychology.
Dead End - DVD TAC-1221
On the mean streets on New York 's Lower East Side , Drina hopes to save her brother from a life of crime. But notorious hoodlum Baby Face Martin has come back to his old haunts looking for trouble and threatening to drag the boy down with him. Drina turns to her childhood friend Dave for help. But can he stop Martin without becoming just like him?
Koko, a Talking Gorilla - DVD TAC-1222
Koko, a six-year-old gorilla, is the subject of a controversial Stanford University research project conducted by Penny Patterson. A perceptive simian who communicates with humans via sign language, Koko knows more than 300 signs and can combine them to make new hybrid descriptions. Director Schroeder and cinematographer Almendros present a visual argument exposing the contradictions that arise when scientific experiments are used to graph human behavior onto animals.
Tora! Tora! Tora! - DVD TAC-1223
A dramatization which chronicles the bombing of Pearl Harbor from both the Japanese and American points of view.
Sólo con tu pareja - DVD TAC-1224
Don Juan-ish yuppie Tomás Tomás spends his nights juggling so many beautiful women that he can't keep their names straight. That is until one spurned nurse gives him a taste of his own medicine.
Touchez pas au grisbi - DVD TAC-1225
Having pulled off the heist of a lifetime, Max looks forward to spending his remaining days relaxing with his beautiful young girlfriend. But when Riton, Max's hapless partner and best friend, lets word of the loot slip to loose-lipped, two-timing Josy, Max is reluctantly drawn back into the underworld. Riton gets kidnapped by a mob boss in the hopes that there will be an exchange for the money, but nothing turns out as anyone has it planned.
Platoon - DVD TAC-1226
Follows young Chris Taylor who arrives in Vietnam and quickly discovers that his worst enemies are not just the Viet Cong, but gnawing fear, physical exhaustion, and the anger growing within himself.
Wizard of Oz - DVD TAC-1227
When a nasty neighbor tries to have her dog put to sleep, Dorothy takes her dog, Toto, and starts to run away. A tornado appears and carries her to the magical land of Oz. Wishing to return home, she begins to travel to the city of Oz where a great wizard lives. On her way she meets a Scarecrow who needs a brain, a Tin Man who wants a heart, and a Cowardly Lion who desperately needs courage. They all hope the all-mighty Wizard of Oz will help them, but they have to get to the Emerald City before the Wicked Witch of the West catches up with them.
Mississippi Burning - DVD TAC-1228
Set in Mississippi in 1964, this is a fictionalized version of the case of the murder of three young civil rights workers, the FBI's attempts to find the missing boys and the clash between the authorities and the locals in a Klan-dominated town.
Dances with Wolves - DVD TAC-1229
Rewarded for his heroism in the Civil War, Lt. John Dunbar wants to see the American frontier before it is gone. Assigned to an abandoned fort with a Sioux tribe as his only neighbor, he overcomes the language barrier and mutual fear and distrust to become a friend of the tribe. But his knowledge of their ultimate fate forces him to make a crucial decision.
Rocky - DVD TAC-1230
Rocky Balboa gets his million-to-one shot at love, self-respect and the world heavyweight boxing crown.
The Message - DVD TAC-1231
Tells of the beginnings of the Muslim religion. A compelling drama about an ancient and venerable culture.
Seven Wonders of Ancient Egypt - DVD TAC-1232
Discusses seven spectacular monuments of ancient Egypt --the Great Pyramid, the royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings , Hatshepsut's tomb, the Great Sphinx, the Karnac temple complex, the temple of Rameses , and Mount Sinai .
Seven Wonders of Ancient Greece - DVD TAC-1233
Dr. Clairy Palyvou, from the University of Thessalouki, Greece, and Dr. Anton Powell, from the University of Wales, UK among other scholars, analyze the designs of the Palace of Knossos, the oracle of Delphi, the Theatre of Epidaurus, the Colossus of Rhodes, the original Olympic sports complex, the alleged lost city of Atlantis, and the Parthenon.
Seven Wonders of Ancient Rome - DVD TAC-1234
Describes the construction and history of the most prominent Roman antiquities, including the Circus Maximus, the Roman roads and aqueducts, and the Colosseum.
Jazz: a Film by Ken Burns - DVD TAC-1235 pt. 1-10
10 episodes tracing the history of jazz from its roots in the African-American community of New Orleans to its heights and continuing presence.
Cracking the Code of Life - DVD TAC-1236
This documentary examines the complex race to decode the human genome. Examines the work of, and contains interviews with: Francis Collins, director of the National Center for Human Genome Research; J. Craig Venter, head of its rival, the private Celera Genomics; and the Whitehead Institute's Eric Lander, one of the leaders of the Human Genome Project.
The Other Side of Burka - DVD TAC-1237
On the southern Iranian island of Qeshm in the Persian Gulf , women wear a headscarf and a "burka," a pinching mask of black bands that presses against the eyebrows and nose ending in a point just above the mouth. The interviewed women do not remove this outward sign of oppression, but against the strict religious rules, they talk openly into the camera about their lives.
Rebel Without a Cause - DVD TAC-1238
Jim Stark, the teenage son of a well-to-do family, is overcome by loneliness, frustration and anger, which leads to violence when he seeks approval of a gang of high-school hoodlums.
The African Queen - DVD TAC-1239
A hard-drinking river trader and a prim missionary become unlikely travel companions on a river expedition in the war-torn African jungle in 1914 as they battle nature, a German gunboat, and each other.
Slam - DVD TAC-1240
Trapped in Dodge City , a drug-infested war zone in southeast Washington D.C. , Ray Joshua gets caught up in a drug deal gone bad and is sucked into the criminal justice system. In jail he finds truth in himself and his craft through Lauren Bell, a beautiful and charismatic writing teacher who leads him to the path of salvation. Using his talent for poetic rap, Ray learns to survive and rise above the pain of his lost generation.
Me and You and Everyone We Know - DVD TAC-1241
A lonely shoe salesman and an eccentric performance artist struggle to connect in this unique take on contemporary life.
9/11 - DVD TAC-1242
On the morning of September 11, 2001 , brothers Jules and Gedeon Naudet were working on a documentary about a rookie New York City firefighter. Hearing a roar in the sky, Jules turned his camera upward--just in time to film the only existing image of the first plane crashing into the World Trade Center Tower 1. With cameras rolling, the Naudets follow NYC firefighters into the heart of what would be known as Ground Zero. A striking tribute to real-life heroes who rose to extraordinary acts of courage and compassion.
The Manchurian Candidate - DVD TAC-1243
When his army unit is ambushed during the first Gulf War, Sergeant Raymond Shaw saves his fellow soldiers just as his commanding officer, Major Ben Marco, is knocked unconscious. Using the incident for political gain, Shaw eventually becomes a vice-presidential nominee, but Marco is haunted by dreams of what really happened in Iraq . As Marco investigates, the story begins to unravel. He begins to figure that the entire unit was kidnapped and brainwashed as part of a plot to get Shaw into the White House. Now the Manchurian Global corporation appears desperate to stop him from finding out.
Powaqqatsi: Life in Transformation - DVD TAC-1244
This film calls into question everything we think we know about contemporary society. By juxtaposing images of ancient cultures with those of modern life, Powaqqatsi masterfully portrays the human cost of progress.
Koyaanisqatsi - DVD TAC-1245
Koyaanisqatsi is a Hopi Indian word meaning variously: crazy life, life in turmoil, life disintegrating, life out of balance (the subtitle for this film), and a state of life that calls for another way of life. This film presents a concert of visual images set to the music of Philip Glass that progesses from purely natural environments to nature as affected by man, and finally to man's own manmade environment that is devoid of nature.
Unforgivable Blackness: the Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson - DVD TAC-1246
The in-depth and intimate story of one of the most important African Americans to live in the first half of the 20th century. Tells the story of Jack Johnson, who was the first African American boxer to win the most coveted title in all of sports - Heavyweight Campion of the World. Includes his struggles in and out of the ring and his desire to live his life as a free man.
Mark Twain - DVD TAC-1247
Recounts Mark Twain's life told primarily through his own words. Includes interviews with Hal Holbrook, Arthur Miller, William Styron and many others.
Frank Lloyd Wright - DVD TAC-1248
Uses interviews and archival footage to tell the story of the melodramatic life and stunning architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright.
The Appalachians -DVD TAC-1249 pt. 1-3
A journey through the cradle of Southern culture -- and much of the American way of life in general -- this three-part series illustrates the political, economic, musical, and spiritual history of the Appalachian region.
Social Classes - DVD TAC-1250
From the communal hunter/gatherers and agrarian cultures; to ancient empires and medieval fiefdoms; to the technocrats, executives, laborers, and others of the stratified modern world, this program examines how each era has organized its members into social classes. Although the opportunistic meritocracy of the global marketplace has displaced earlier societal models, do older patterns of privilege still linger?
Rebel Frontier - DVD TAC-1251
A documentary on immigrant labor and anti-war politics in 1917 Butte , Montana . The labor struggles involving the Irish and Finnish miners, the Wobblies and America's emerging industrial-military complex are presented using archival footage, dramatizations, interviews with historical experts and the personal recollections of Butte's residents.
The Death of Distance - DVD TAC-1252
More than two million jobs have been outsourced from the U.S. to India since 2000. This documentary explores factors that encourage the outsourcing ( U.S. laws, special training and cheap wages in India , ...) and the impact the outsourcing has on both the U.S. and Indian workers. Analysts consider possible U.S. policy and natural economic responses to the outsourcing.
On the Edge: America 's Working Poor - DVD TAC-1253
Presents an examination of the working poor in the United States . Several families describe their lives as members of the working poor community where one unexpected expense, sudden illness, or a missed payment could mean financial ruin. The genesis of the show was a book by David Shipler, "The Working Poor".
After the Gold Rush: the Great Divide - DVD TAC-1254
As the American economy surges ahead, the gap between rich and poor continues to widen. Examines the moral and ethical questions that accompany national prosperity.
Piñero - DVD TAC-1255
The story of the life of a Latino icon, the poet-playwright-actor Miguel Piñero, 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, Piñero's prison experiences developed into the 1974 Tony-nominated play Short Eyes.
Walk the Line - DVD TAC-1256
Traces Johnny Cash's childhood, including his distant father to his early attempts at a music career. At this point in his life he marries his girlfriend Vivian. During a tour with singer/musicians Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis, he encounters singer June Carter, and his love for her, and her rejection of him through the years, spurs him into drugs, drinking, and depression. June is both a sassy spitfire singer whose charm breaks hearts and eventually becomes a sympathetic friend who tries to help Johnny get over her. A true love story of two country music stars.
Sex, Lies, and Videotape - DVD TAC-1257
Erotic comedy about a long lost college friend who drifts back into town and into the lives of a self-involved philanderer, his angelic wife, and her saucy sister.
Sexual Encounters of the Floral Kind - DVD TAC-1258
Describes various methods of plant pollination.
Volver - DVD TAC-1259
Raimunda lives in Madrid with her daughter Paula and her drunk husband Paco. Her sister, Sole, is separated and works clandestinely as a hairstylist for women. Years ago, in the sisters' birth village, they lost their parents in a fire in La Mancha . Their aunt, Paula, still lives in the village and continues to speak about her sister Irene, mother of the two sisters, as if she were still alive. When the old aunt dies the situation changes and the past returns (volver).
Factotum - DVD TAC-1261
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.
The War Game; Culloden - DVD TAC-1262
War game: A dramatization of the possible effects of nuclear warfare on Great Britain . Explores the physical damage effects, the psychological effects on the survivors, the societal logic for the existence of nuclear arms, and the attempts to understand how the balance of power keeps atomic weapons in check.
Culloden: In 1746 Scots fighting for Bonnie Prince Charlie lose to English forces in Scotland at the brutal battle of Culloden.
The Departed - DVD TAC-1267
In South Boston , the state police force is waging a war on Irish-American organized crime. Undercover cop Billy Costigan is assigned to infiltrate the mob syndicate, which is run by gangland chief Frank Costello. Billy quickly gains Costello's confidence. Colin Sullivan is a hardened young criminal who has infiltrated the police department as an informer for the syndicate. Colin is rising to a position of power within the Special Investigation Unit. Each man becomes deeply consumed by his double life, gathering information about the plans and counter-plans of the operations he has penetrated. But when it becomes clear to both the mob and the police that there's a mole in their midst, Billy and Colin are suddenly thrust into danger. Afraid of being caught and exposed to the enemy, they each must race to uncover the identity of the other man in time to save themselves.
Little Miss Sunshine - DVD TAC-1268
Olive is a little girl who dreams of winning the Little Miss Sunshine contest. Her family wants her dream to come true, but they are so dysfunctional that they can barely make it through a day without some disaster befalling them. Olive's father, Richard, is unsuccessful as a motivational speaker. He is barely on speaking terms with Olive's mother. Her uncle Frank has attempted suicide following an unsuccessful romance with a male graduate student. Her brother Dwayne, a fanatical follower of Nietzsche, has taken a vow of silence. And Olive's grandfather is a loser with a drug habit, but at least he enthusiastically coaches Olive in her contest talent routine. Circumstances conspire to put the entire family on the road together with the goal of getting Olive to the Little Miss Sunshine contest in California .
The Good Shepherd - DVD TAC-1269
Edward is the only witness to his father's suicide and is a member of the Skull and Bones Society while a student at Yale, is a morally upright young man who values honor and discretion. These are the qualities that help him become recruited for a career in the newly founded Office of Strategic Services (CIA). While working there, his ideals gradually turn to suspicion influenced by the Cold War paranoia present within the office. Eventually, he becomes an influential veteran operative, while his distrust of everyone around him increases. His dedication to his work does not come without a price though, leading him to sacrifice his ideals and eventually his family.
Game Over - DVD TAC-1273
Discusses the controversial topic of video game violence. Encourages critical thinking about video games rather than dismissing the technology as harmless.
On VHS:
Double the Trouble, Twice the Fun - Videorecord TAC-1914
A rare and lively examination of disability and homosexuality as it affects both women and men, [the film] advocates for acceptance rather than pity for the participants in this video. Interviews with a wide range of disabled lesbian and gay people are intercut with dramatic recreations and performances. [The film] dispels the myth that all disabled people are unhappy or have no sexual identity. It also looks at the difficulties of enduring prejudice as both a disabled and gay person.
Power of Place: World Regional Geography - Videorecord TAC-1915 v. 1-13
This telecourse introduces the theory and concepts involved in the discipline of geography. It then explores the world's diverse geographical reals and discusses their economic, political, social and geographical issues.
Big Mama - Videorecord TAC-1916
Depicts Viola Dees, a devoted, elderly grandmother, in her struggle to raise her orphaned grandson in South Central Los Angeles. She must contend with her own declining health and a bureaucratic and legal system that continually threatens to force them apart.
