New Videos - March 2007
On DVD:
Star Wars: Episode V, Empire Strikes Back - DVD TAC-1072
Fleeing the evil Galactic Empire, the rebels abandon their new base on Hoth. Princess Leia, Han Solo, R2-D2 and C-3P0 escape in the damaged Millenium Falcon. Later, on Bespin, they are captured by Lord Darth Vader. Luke Skywalker, meanwhile, follows Ben Kenobi's posthumous command and receives Jedi training by Yoda on Dagobah.
Star Wars: Episode VI, Return of the Jedi - DVD TAC-1073
Darth Vader and the Empire are building a new, indestructible Death Star. Meanwhile, Han Solo has been imprisoned, and Luke Skywalker has sent R2D2 and C3PO to try and free him. Princess Leia, disguised as a bounty hunter, and Chewbacca go along as well. The final battle takes place on the moon of Endor, with its natural inhabitants, the Ewoks, lending a hand to the rebels.
Normal People Scare Me - DVD TAC-1078
17-year old Taylor Cross captures life and living with autism through interviews with over 65 subjects who have either Asperger's syndrome or autism. Originally a 10-minute short made in 2004 for a high school class, Taylor and his co-director (and mom) took his short as a starting point for this longer feature which looks at the attention the short film brought to him and autism, and enlarges on the subject of what living with autism & Asperger's means.
Forbidden Planet/The Invisible Boy - DVD TAC-1080
Leslie Nielsen plays the commander who brings his space cruiser crew, and Robby the Robot, to the green-skied world that's home to Dr. Morbius and his daughter, and to a mysterious terror.
A boy repairs a disused robot (Robby) brought back from the future who becomes his playmate. But an alien intelligence turns the robot hostile in an effort to take over the world.
The Illusionist - DVD TAC-1081
The acclaimed illusionist Eisenheim has not only captured the imaginations of all of Vienna , but also the interest of the ambitious Crown Prince Leopold. When Leopold's new fiancée rekindles a childhood fascination with Eisenheim, the Prince's interest evolves into obsession. Suddenly the city's Chief Inspector finds himself investigating a shocking crime. But even as the Inspector engages him in a dramatic challenge of wills, Eisenheim prepares for the most impressive illusion yet.
Fabulous!: the Story of Queer Cinema - DVD TAC-1082
An overview of the recent history of gay and lesbian cinema, from Kenneth Anger's pioneering Fireworks (1947) to Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain (2005). Where documentaries about earlier times looked at the closeted world, "Fabulous!" celebrates films featuring gay characters and those made by out directors on homosexual themes.
Bram Stoker's Dracula - DVD TAC-1083
Classic horror film of a Transylvanian vampire stalking the foggy streets of London for more victims.
The Al-Qaeda Files - DVD TAC-1084
A compilation of seven Frontline programs centered around activities of the Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda, produced both before and after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Covers: Osama bin Laden; the U.S. "war on terror"; sleeper cells operating in the United States ; al-Qaeda attacks in Europe ; and the FBI's top terrorism expert Special Agent John O'Neill.
The Conformist - DVD TAC-1085
A 30-year-old Italian man is targeted by a Fascist espionage organization to lead a deadly mission in France . He has to arrange an assassination attempt on his former teacher, who is now a political threat. On his journey, his wife will see his troubled past and current moral dilemma violently collide.
The Meth Epidemic - DVD TAC-1086
Investigates the meth rampage in America : the appalling impact on individuals, families and communities, and the difficult of controlling an essential ingredient in meth - ephedrine and pseudoephedrine - sold legally in over-the-counter cold remedies. In 2002, The Oregonian's editors decided to go after the story behind the story: How and why did the meth epidemic get so out of control?
Never So Few - DVD TAC-1087
An O.S.S. commander and his outnumbered Allied guerrilla force must overcome incredible odds as they train the Kachin natives in modern warfare. But jungle combat, particularly against a Japanese army as familiar with the terrain as the Kachin, is more grueling than they had reckoned.
The Road to Guantánamo - DVD TAC-1088
A trio of British Muslims, known as the Tipton Three, were held in Guantánamo Bay for two years until they were released without charge.
The Getaway - DVD TAC-1090
A convict leaves jail on a parole arranged by a crooked politician, and promptly joins his wife in planning a bank robbery.
Mrs. Miniver - DVD TAC-1091
The story of a middle-class British family and their struggle to survive during WWII. Mrs. Miniver nobly tends her rose garden while her stalwart husband participates in the evacuation at Dunkirk . She personifies grace under pressure as the Miniver family huddles in their bomb shelter during a Luftwaffe attack, while she is forced to confront a downed Nazi paratrooper in her kitchen, and while she is preparing for her annual flower show - despite the exigencies of bombing raids. Even the vicars climactic call to arms from the pulpit of his ruined church seems to bring out the best in people.
Around the World in Eighty Days - DVD TAC-1092
Adapted from the story by Jules Verne about a man's endeavor to circumnavigate the world in 80 days.
Thank You for Smoking - DVD TAC-1093
Nick Naylor is a sexy, smart and charismatic spin-doctor for Big Tobacco who will fight to protect American's right to smoke. At the same time he is trying to maintain the idea of a perfect role model for his 12-year-old son. When Nick incurs the wrath of a senator bent on snuffing out cigarettes, Nick's powers of "filtering the truth" will be put to the test.
Papillon - DVD TAC-1094
Thrilling adventure of an escape from a French Guiana prison.
Tom Horn - DVD TAC-1095
When he rode into Wyoming in 1900, Tom Horn was already a legend. He was as successful at wiping out rustlers as he had been at everything else he'd tried. But the West was changing, and a free spirit like Horn was a liability to the men who had hired him. Based on the true story, Tom Horn presents a harsher, less romantic vision of the West, but one that remains true to the frontier's raging spirit.
The Adventures of Robin Hood - DVD TAC-1096
Recounts the life and adventures of Robin Hood, who, with his band of followers, lived as an outlaw in Sherwood Forest dedicated to fight against tyranny.
Richard Llewellyn's How Green Was My Valley - DVD TAC-1097
A man looks back on his life as a boy in a small Welsh mining town. His reminiscences reveal the disintegration of his closely knit family, while capturing the sentiments and issues of their time.
Gone With the Wind - DVD TAC-1098
An epic story of the South's fight to maintain its way of life during the Civil War years. Scarlett O'Hara and her family are amongst the ladies and gentlemen at the Twelve Oaks Plantation's ball before the Civil War begins. Scarlett's love for one man keeps her from seeing the love that another man truly has for her. As the South finally crumbles around her, Scarlett devises a way to overcome starvation in order to save herself and her family.
Words of Change - DVD TAC-1099 pt. 1-6
Series examining the literary legacies of Seneca, Plutarch, Machiavelli, Thomas More, John Locke and Adam Smith; six of Western history's most influential writers in the fields of philosophy, political science, and economics.
Cecil B. DeMille's The Greatest Show on Earth - DVD TAC-1100
To ensure a full profitable season, circus manager Brad Braden engages The Great Sebastian, though this moves his girlfriend Holly from her hard-won center trapeze spot. Holly and Sebastian begin a dangerous one-upmanship duel in the ring, while he pursues her on the ground. Subplots involve the secret past of Buttons the Clown and the efforts of racketeers to move in on the game concessions. Let the show begin!
The Straight Story - DVD TAC-1101
Based on a true story about 73-year-old Alvin Straight who embarks on a dangerous and emotional journey to make amends with his 75-year-old brother Lyle before his brother dies. Alvin can no longer drive a car because of his eyesight and has to walk with 2 canes, but he climbs aboard his 1966 John Deere lawnmower and drives the 260-mile course from Laurens , Iowa to Mt. Zion , Wisconsin .
Sayonara - DVD TAC-1102
An American Air Force major on leave in Japan after the Korean War falls in love with a Japanese actress. When they declare their love openly, they find themselves scorned equally by both the Japanese and Americans.
The Ten Commandments - DVD TAC-1103 pt. 1 & 2
To escape the edict that condemned all first-born Hebrew males by Egypt 's Pharoah, Rameses I, the infant Moses is set adrift on the Nile in a reed basket. Saved by the pharaoh's daughter Bithiah, he is adopted by her and brought up in the court of her brother, Pharaoh Seti. Moses gains Seti's favor and the love of the throne princess Nefertiri. He also gains the hatred of Seti's son, Rameses. When his Hebrew heritage is revealed, Moses is cast out of Egypt , and makes his way across the desert where he marries, has a son and is commanded by God to return to Egypt to free the Hebrews from slavery. In Egypt , Moses's fiercest enemy proves to be not Rameses, but someone near to him.
Mario Puzo's The Godfather Part II - DVD TAC-1104
In the early 1900s, the young Vito flees Sicily for America after the local Mafia kills his family. Vito struggles to make a living, legally or illegally, for his wife and growing brood in Little Italy. There he kills the local Black Hand Fanucci after he demands his customary cut of the tyro's business. With Fanucci gone, Vito's stature grows. The family legacy is upended by Michael's business expansion in the 1950s. Now based in Lake Tahoe , Michael conspires to make inroads in the Las Vegas and Havana pleasure industries by any means necessary. As he realizes that even his allies are trying to kill him, the increasingly paranoid Michael also discovers that his ambition has crippled his marriage to Kay and turned his brother Fredo against him. Barely escaping a federal indictment, Michael decides to turn his attention to dealing with his enemies, completing his own corruption.
Sweet Bird of Youth - DVD TAC-1105
Chance Wayne returns to his southern home with faded, alcoholic movie star Alexandra Del Lago. He hopes to capitalize on her fame but is regarded by others as a cheap hustler who is not welcome back in town, especially by the father of his previous girlfriend.
The Night of the Iguana - DVD TAC-1106
A defrocked, alcoholic, American minister becomes a tour guide, and while traveling in Mexico with a bus-load of school teachers and their 18-year old charge, becomes entangled with the girl, with a woman of eloquence and wisdom, and with an earthy and beautiful former love.
The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone - DVD TAC-1107
Karen Stone, a lonely, aging actress, lives in a luxurious apartment in Rome where she has a romantic fling with a young gigolo.
Tennessee Williams' South - DVD TAC-1108
Williams is front and center for this exploration, reading from his works, placing them in the context of his life, and serving as guide in visits to his career-shaping refuge in New Orleans and his latter-day writing quarters in Key West . Also, dramatizations by distinguished actors.
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof - DVD TAC-1109
Brick, an alcoholic ex-football player, drinks his days away and resists the affections of his wife, Maggie. His reunion with his father, Big Daddy, who is dying of cancer, jogs a host of memories and revelations for both father and son.
A Streetcar Named Desire - DVD TAC-1110
Set in the French Quarter of New Orleans during the restless years following WWII, this is a story of Blanche DuBois, a fragile and neurotic woman on a desperate prowl for someplace in the world to call her own. An uncensored version of the story of a repressed widow who visits her sister in New Orleans and is raped and driven mad by her brother-in-law.
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Television Program) - DVD TAC-1111
Dramatization of Tennessee Williams' play about a troubled southern family. Maggie tries desperately to entice her tortured alcoholic husband into bed while fighting his brother and sister-in-law for dying Big Daddy's inheritance.
Mario Puzo's The Godfather -DVD TAC-1112
The Corleone Family nearly falls from power in America but rises to observe the passage of rites from father to son. There is a balance between family life and the ugly business of crime in which they are engaged.
A Man For All Seasons - DVD TAC-1113
Henry VIII wants to divorce his wife, and seeks the approval of the aristocracy. Sir Thomas More is a man of principle and reason, and is thus placed in a difficult position: should he stand up for his principles, risking the wrath of a corrupt King fond of executing people for treason? Or should he bow to the seemingly unstoppable corruption of Henry VIII, who has no qualms about bending the law to suit his own needs?
Boyz n the Hood - DVD TAC-1114
Three friends struggle to survive in South Central Los Angeles where friendship, pain, danger and love form a true picture of life in the 'hood in this critically acclaimed, action-filled story.
The Science of Sleep - DVD TAC-1115
A playful romantic fantasy set inside the topsy-turvey brain of Stephane, an eccentric young man whose dreams constantly invade his waking life. Unable to find the secret to his neighbor's heart while awake, he searches for the answer in his dreams.
La Strada - DVD TAC-1116
Directed by Federico Fellini, the story of a fragile girl who falls in love with the brutal circus performer she was sold to by her mother.
Richard III - DVD TAC-1117
Begins by recapitulating the final scene of Henry IV, Part III with Edward IV being crowned king. In the background of the celebration, Richard jealously views the proceedings. Soon afterwards, Edward IV is murdered, drowned in a vat of wine. Richard becomes king and, after proceeding with a succession of intrigues and duplicities, he finds his kingdom in dire peril, set upon by Henry Tudor and mustering a final defense for his realm at the Battle of Bosworth. An immortal tale of lust, murder, treachery and the ruthless pursuit of power.
Romeo and Juliet - DVD TAC-1118
Shakespeare's tragedy about two teenagers who fall in love, encounter opposition from their families, and take their lives.
A Raisin in the Sun - DVD TAC-1119
Film of the award-winning play about a struggling black family living on Chicago 's South Side and the impact of an unexpected insurance bequest. Each family member sees the bequest as the means of realizing dreams and of escape from grinding frustrations.
La Cage aux Folles - DVD TAC-1120
A gender-bending farce about the owner of a drag-revue nightclub, his high-strung transvestite "companion," and a wedding that defies all odds.
Last Tango in Paris - DVD TAC-1121
An American widower in Paris , desolate at the unexplained suicide of his wife, plunges into a torrid sexual relationship with a stranger, a young French girl half his age.
Some Like it Hot - DVD TAC-1122
Two unemployed musicians accidentally witness the St. Valentine's Day Massacre and flee to Miami disguised as female musicians in an all-girl band.
A Soldier's Story - DVD TAC-1123
A black army attorney is sent to Fort Neal , Louisiana , near the end of World War II to investigate the murder of Sgt. Waters, a black man who despised his own roots.
The Cincinnati Kid - DVD TAC-1124
The Kid thinks he's the best 5-card stud player in town, but The Man has never been beaten. It is therefore inevitable that they go head-on, and what a game it will be: a non-stop, stud poker duel-to-the-death to decide who will be the reigning king of the New Orleans gambling world.
The Great Ziegfeld - DVD TAC-1125
Ziegfeld is a theatrical impresario, whose show business empire begins when he stage-manages a tour for a strongman. With almost no money in the bank, he charms European stage star Anna Held to headline his "Follies". From 1907, Ziegfeld stages annual editions of Broadway's most fabulous revue. Eventually, Ziegfeld abandons Anna in favor of other beauties. Ziegfeld comes to realize that his new romance with Follies-girl Audrey Dane, is all wrong, settling instead for good-natured actress Billie Burke. Bankrupted by the Depression, Ziegfeld dies as he plans a spectacular comeback.
Silver Streak - DVD TAC-1126
A wild action comedy about a murder mystery aboard a cross-country train.
Der Fall Gleiwitz - DVD TAC-1127
Dramatization of a successful assault by Nazis, posing as Poles, on a German border radio station so that Hitler could "justify" his invasion of Poland. The film reflects on the possibilities and techniques of provocation. It shows how facts and opinions can be manipulated and how people are made to accept lies, murder, and war.
Man of Aran - DVD TAC-1128
Documents the life of a family in a small fishing village in the Aran Islands, Ireland, as it struggles to win the daily battle against its magnificent opponent--the sea.
Mr. Skeffington - DVD TAC-1129
Dealing openly with anti-Semitism and Nazi atrocities, the story spans World War I, Prohibition and the preliminary volley of World War II. Fanny (Bette Davis) thrives on the adulation of countless suitors before and after she marries Job Skeffington (Claude Rains). Ravaged by age and illness, Fanny clings to Job's promise that "a woman is beautiful only when she is loved."
Now, Voyager - DVD TAC-1130
A young woman escapes the smothering influence of her wealthy and very conservative mother through the help of a psychiatrist and an ocean cruise, where she finds love, which helps her to become her own person.
Sierra Leone 's Refugee All Stars - DVD TAC-1131
Six Sierra Leonean refugees living in the Sernbakounya Refugee Camp in Guinea form a band to share their belief in the healing power of music.
Maquilapolis - DVD TAC-1132
Explores the environmental devastation and urban chaos of Tijuana 's assembly factories and the female laborers who have organized themselves for social action. Maquiladora workers produce televisions, electrical cables, toys, clothes, batteries and IV tubes, they weave the very fabric of life for consumer nations. They also confront labor violations, environmental devastation and urban chaos -- life on the frontier of the global economy. Carmen and her colleague Lourdes reach beyond the daily struggle for survival to organize for change: Carmen takes a major television manufacturer to task for violating her labor rights. Lourdes pressures the government to clean up a toxic waste dump left behind by a departing factory. Incorporates video diaries by the women.
Jezebel - DVD TAC-1133
Julie Marsden is a Southern belle in pre-Civil War New Orleans with a knack for manipulating the men in her life. Scorned by the man she loves, she lashes out in revenge and destroys lives in the process.
The Letter - DVD TAC-1134
Set on a rubber plantation in Malaya , this story centers on a woman's reasons for killing a man who was a close family friend.
Old Acquaintance - DVD TAC-1135
Bette Davis plays established writer Kit Marlowe, whose friend Millie, a melodramatic writer of trashy novels, has the husband Kit loves and the child Kit yearns to call her own. The 20-year friendship endures until Kit meets an exciting new man, and their friendship is put to the test.
The Man Who Came to Dinner - DVD TAC-1136
Famed author Sheridan Whiteside possesses a tongue dipped in venom and a brain that can crack The New York Times crossword in four minutes. On a lecture tour in Ohio , he slips on the ice and is confined to the home of a bourgeois couple. He proceeds to plunge the household into chaos, ruling the place like a czar and meddling in everyone's love life.
Stardust - DVD TAC-1137
Soon after arriving in Hollywood in 1930, Bette Davis rose to the pinnacle of the film world, winning two Best Actress Oscars and 10 nominations, becoming a powerhouse nicknamed the Fourth Warner Brother, and surviving career and personal highs and lows that would crush a mere mortal. This in-depth documentary tells the whole dynamic story with film clips, interviews, newsreels, stills and reminiscences from the people who knew Davis best.
Double Indemnity - DVD TAC-1138
Walter Neff is a smooth talking insurance salesman who meets the very attractive Phyllis Dietrichson when he calls to renew her husband's automobile policy. The couple are immediately drawn to each other and have an affair. They scheme together to murder Phyllis' husband for life insurance money with a double indemnity clause. Unfortunately, all does not go as planned. Barton Keyes is the wily insurance investigator who must sort things out.
L'Avventura - DVD TAC-1139
Story about the search for a girl lost on an island; gradually the searchers become preoccupied with their own problems, and the girl is never found.
The Pawnbroker - DVD TAC-1140
Sol Nazerman is a WWII Nazi death camp survivor. Now, he runs a pawnshop and takes refuge in misery and a bitter condemnation of humanity.
Raising Arizona - DVD TAC-1141
An ex-con and a police officer decide to get married and start a family. To their dismay, they discover that they can neither have nor adopt children. Desperate, they resort to kidnapping one of the newborn quintuplets of the wealthy Arizona family. However, their attempt at living a normal life is complicated by neurotic co-workers, two fugitives, and a mysterious bounty hunter.
La Notte - DVD TAC-1142
An emotionally estranged couple faces heartache, desperation, and personal loss all in the course of one night.
Il Grido - DVD TAC-1143
A man is bereft when his married lover of seven years decides suddenly to leave him when her husband dies. He takes their child and wanders for a year, but realizes he can love only her.
The Last Detail - DVD TAC-1144
Two Navy Petty officers are detailed to take a prisoner from Washington to jail in New Hampshire and decide to give the prisoner one last good time.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind - DVD TAC-1145
Roy Neary witnesses the arrival of flying saucer from an alien world. Thus begins an incredible series of events, culminating in the ultimate encounter with other-worlders as Neary is led aboard the awesome Mothership. This edition is the definitive director's cut, remastered from the original.
Andy Warhol: a Documentary Film - DVD TAC-1146
A portrait of the most famous and controversial artist of the second half of the twentieth century.
The Seventh Seal - DVD TAC-1147
In medieval Sweden a knight returns from war only to find a ravaged homeland. He meets up with a group of traveling players and eventually confronts the embodiment of death with whom he engages in a game of chess for his life. The knight and Death play as the cultural turmoil envelopes the people around them as they try, in different ways, to deal with the upheaval the plague has caused.
Rosemary's Baby - DVD TAC-1148
A young New York couple moves into an apartment house with a bad reputation. When Rosemary becomes pregnant she begins to suspect that her elderly neighbors have special plans for her child, unaware they are a coven of witches and that her husband has made a pact with the devil to send his career skyward.
The Lady Vanishes - DVD TAC-1149
A young woman on a train, enroute back to England from Switzerland , meets a charming older lady who promptly disappears. The other passengers deny ever having seen her, leading the young woman into a complex web of mystery and high adventure.
MASH - DVD TAC-1150
During the Korean War, three U.S. Army surgeons defy military authority when they are not performing their duties.
Miller's Crossing - DVD TAC-1151
The control of the gangster-political boss of an eastern city is slipping. The situation is complicated by a woman- both the boss and his trusted lieutenant are in love with her. Then the boss's control is challenged by an upstart Italian underboss and his ruthless henchman.
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - DVD TAC-1152
The story of a man who becomes an important political figure after being acclaimed as the man who shot a ruthless gunman.
Barton Fink - DVD TAC-1153
A trendy playwright is trying to write a simple movie script, but to his misfortune has a bit of writer's block.
The Man Who Fell to Earth - DVD TAC-1154
Thomas Jerome Newton is a humanoid alien who comes to Earth to get water for his dying planet. He starts a high technology company to get the billions of dollars he needs to build a return spacecraft, and meets Mary-Lou, a girl who falls in love with him. He does not count on the greed and ruthlessness of business here on Earth, however.
Pandora's Box - DVD TAC-1155 & supplement
Follows the downward spiral of the fiery, brash, yet innocent showgirl Lulu, whose sexual vivacity has a devastating effect on everyone with whom she comes in contact.
Babel - DVD TAC-1156
A wealthy American is touring Morocco with his wife. The two become the focus of an international incident also involving a poor Moroccan farmer who is struggling to keep his two young sons in line and his family together. A San Diego nanny, with her employers absent, makes the disastrous decision to take her charges with her to a wedding in Mexico . A deaf-mute Japanese teen tries to deal with a relationship with her father and the world in general that has been upended by the death of her mother. It's about a gun. It's about communication - or the lack of it - both intercultural and intracultural. Raises issues like terrorism and immigration, and is as basic as husbands talking to their wives and parents understanding their children.
The Wobblies - DVD TAC-1157
A look at the forgotten American history of radical unions, paying tribute to workers who took ideals of equality and free speech seriously enough to die for what they believed in. The Industrial Workers of the World were one of the few unions to be racially & sexually integrated, and often met with imprisonment, violence, and the privations of prolonged strikes. The film uses interviews, archival photographs and footage and music from the IWW songbook to tell their story.
Screaming Queens - DVD TAC-1158
Screaming queens tells the little-known story of the first known act of collective, violent resistance to the social oppression of queer people in the United States --a 1966 riot in San Francisco 's impoverished Tenderloin neighborhood, three years before the famous gay riot at New York 's Stonewall Inn.
Soldiers in the Army of God - DVD TAC-1159
Examines the Army of God, an anti-abortion group that advocates violence. Includes interviews with group members (one of whom sits on death row) as well as abortion providers.
On VHS:
Power and the Land: Four Documentary Portraits of the Great Depression - Videorecord TAC-1913
"The River" is a documentary of the Mississippi River tracing the history of the river while emphasizing the need for conservation and reclamation. "The Plow That Broke the Plains" details the ravages of drought and dust storms in the Great Plains which precipitated the migration of farmers to the Pacific Coast . "The New Frontier" offers a glimpse into an experimental "rural community" sponsored by the Federal Emergency Relief Administration. "Power and the Land" observes the daily activities of a dairy farming family in Ohio before and after electrification of their farm.
