New Videos - October 2008
On DVD:
Persepolis - DVD TAC-1937
In 1970s Iran, Marjane 'Marji' Statrapi watches events through her young eyes and her idealistic family. Their long dream is realized when the hated Shah is defeated in the Iranian Revolution of 1979. Now ruled by Islamic fundamentalists, Marji grows up to witnesses firsthand how the new Iran has become a repressive tyranny on its own. With Marji dangerously refusing to remain silent at this injustice, her parents send her abroad to Vienna to study. This change proves an equally difficult trial for Marji, and she finds herself in a different culture loaded with abrasive characters and profound disappointments that deeply trouble her. Even when she returns home, Marji finds that both she and her homeland have changed too much and the young woman and her loving family must decide where she truly belongs.
Revolution '67 - DVD TAC-1939
"Focuses on the explosive urban rebellion which erupted in Newark, New Jersey, in July 1967; a tragedy caused by similar problems that sparked race riots across America... Takes viewers on a daily chronicle of events, including the calling-in of the State Police and National Guard, their occupation of the city and use of unnecessary firepower. Final toll : 26 dead" - Container
5 factories - DVD TAC-1940
"Presents 5 case studies of [Venezuelan] factories producing aluminum, textiles, ketchup, cocoa and paper. Each of these factories has been transformed into cooperative partnerships between the worker and the state. Internally, the companies' decision-making structures are characterized by a lack of hierarchy. Teams of managers are elected by the workers, and the work is organized from the bottom-up (rather than the top-down) by management" - Container
The executioner's song - DVD TAC-1941
Based on the true story of Gary Gilmore and the tragic chain of events which led him to commit two cruel and senseless murders. These crimes would eventually cause him to become the first person in over ten years to be executed in the electric chair. This "director's cut" combines elements from the 97-minute European theatrical release with the original 157-minute U.S. TV miniseries.
Stop-loss - DVD TAC-1942
Decorated Iraq war hero Sgt. Brandon King makes a celebrated return to his small Texas hometown following his tour of duty. He tries to resume the life he left behind with the help and support of his family and his best friend, Steve Shriver, who served with him in Iraq. Along with their other war buddies, Brandon and Steve try to make peace with civilian life. Then, against Brandon's will, the Army orders him back to duty in Iraq, which upends his world. The conflict tests everything he believes in - the bond of family, the loyalty of friendship, the limits of love and the value of honor.
Spiritual literacy: reading the sacred in everyday life - DVD TAC-1943
Reading of "passages by teachers of all spiritual traditions that reveal the sacred meanings in today's world"--Container label
v. 1. Attention - Beauty - Compassion - Devotion
v. 2. Enthusiasm - Forgiveness - Gratitude - Hospitality
v. 3. Imagination - Justness - Kindness - Love - Meaning
v. 4. Nurturing - Openness - Play - Questing
v. 5. Reverence - Shadow - Transformation - Unity
v. 6. Vision - Wonder - X--the mystery - You - Zeal
The people and the power game - DVD TAC-1944
Hedrick Smith leads viewers into the shadows of American government, casting light on the influence of mainstream media and the lobbies, the power showdowns between the White House and Congress, and how their colliding agendas often produce gridlock.
v. 1. Unelected: the media (40 min.)
v. 2. Unelected: the lobbies (42 min.)
v. 3. Elected: the Presidency and Congress (78 min.)
Crossing the line - DVD TAC-1945
James Joseph Dresnok, a US Army private, stunned the world in 1962 by walking across the violently contested DMZ that cuts Korea in two and defected to the communist North. Combines historical footage with contemporary interviews to both uncover the Kim-Jong II regime and end 44 years of secrecy and rumor by allowing Dresnok to tell his own story.
Morning sun - DVD TAC-1946
This film attempts in the space of a two-hour documentary to create an inner history of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution (c.1964-1976). It provides a multi-perspective view of a tumultuous period as seen through the eyes--and reflected in the hearts and minds--of members of the high-school generation that was born around the time of the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, and that came of age in the 1960s. Others join them in creating in the film's conversation about the period and the psycho-emotional topography of high-Maoist China, as well as the enduring legacy of that period.
Discounted dreams : high hopes and harsh realities at America's community colleges - DVD TAC-1947
Community colleges are the fastest growing segment of American higher education. With low tuition and flexible scheduling, community colleges provide an array of classes and job training to 12 million students nationwide. But today community colleges are facing greater challenges than ever: more students with more needs, chronic underfunding, and an open-door admission policy that too often becomes a revolving door. John Merrow explores the contradictions of these colorful institutions.
Commedia dell' arte : the story, the style - DVD TAC-1948
"Journeying back to the dawn of Italian theater, this program unmasks the intriguing and often underappreciated tradition known as commedia dell' arte. Viewers will discover the history of Italian masked theater, the origins of commedia dell' arte and its various iterations, and the nature of its performers' improvised style. The program explains how the tradition's inspired characters - Pantalone, Colombina, Pulchinella, and many others - evolved and rose to prominence in the hearts and minds of 16th, 17th, and 18th-century audiences. It also illustrates how Italian masked troupes influenced countless other cultures as they performed across Europe, thus shaping the theatrical sensibility of western society as a whole." - Container.
The 11th hour - DVD TAC-1949
Explores the indelible footprint that humans have left on this planet, and the catastrophic effects of environmental neglect and abuse, and calls for restorative action through a reshaping of human activity.
Mishima: a life in four chapters - DVD TAC-1950 + supplement
A look at acclaimed Japanese author and playwright Yukio Mishima, the impossible harmony he created between self, art, and society, and his famously committed public seppuku (ritual suicide). Includes interviews, commentary, documentary, and more.
Trafic - DVD TAC-1951
The bumbling Monsieur Hulot, outfitted with tan raincoat, beaten brown hat, and umbrella, takes to Paris's highways and byways.
Caramel - DVD TAC-1952
A romantic comedy centered on a Beirut beauty salon and the daily lives of five Lebanese women who meet there, all with their own quirks and comedic problems they must deal with.
De-Lovely - DVD TAC-1953
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.
Autism, the musical - DVD TAC-1954
Profiles five children with autism, their parents, and acting coach Elaine Hill as they take on the enterprise of a full-length stage production.
Yukoku (Patriotism, or the rite of love and death) - DVD TAC-1955 + supplement
Depicts the ritual suicide of a naval officer.
The naked prey - DVD TAC-1956
When a safari hunting ivory offends an African tribe, they are captured and tortured. One man is released without weapons or clothing, to be hunted in a life or death race. Includes essay booklet; interviews; and more.
Cocalero - DVD TAC-1957
"Born out of the U.S. war on drugs, an Aymara Indian coca leaf grower ('cocalero') named Evo Morales travels through the Andes and Amazon in jeans and sneakers, leading an historic bid to become Bolivia's first indigenous president.." - Container.
The heart is a lonely hunter - DVD TAC-1958
When deaf-mute John Singer moves to a sleepy Southern town to be near his hospitalized friend, a brain-damaged man-child, Singer's silent kindness draws to him others broken in body and spirit.
"John Singer, who is deaf . . . moves from a small town in order to be close to his institutionalized friend Antonapoulos, who is deaf and mentally impaired. Singer rents a room with a family whose father, Mr. Kelly, is unable to earn a living due to a serious injury. His teen-aged daughter Mick is at first resentful of Singer's presence, but he ingratiates himself by introducing her to classical music (which he can "feel," if not hear). Singer likewise tries to brighten the lives of such unfortunates as alcoholic Blount, dying black doctor Copeland, and Copeland's poverty-stricken daughter." - Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide.
Cría cuervos - DVD TAC-1959
Eight-year-old Ana lives in Madrid with her two sisters. They are mourning the death of her mother, whom Ana conjures as a ghost. Evokes both the complex feelings of childhood and the struggles of a nation emerging from the shadows of Fascism.
Merton: a film biography of Thomas Merton - DVD TAC-1960
Presents a study of the life of Thomas Merton, Trappist monk, author, philosopher, and activist, drawing upon archival film, still photographs, interviews, and readings from Merton's writings.
Roses in December: the story of Jean Donovan - DVD TAC-1961
Chronicles Jean Donovan's life, from her affluent childhood in Connecticut, to her decision to volunteer with the Maryknolls in El Salvador, to her tragic death.
American Carny: true tales from the circus sideshow - DVD TAC-1962
"A journey into a world of circus freaks, fire eaters, human blockheads, magicians, contortionists, professional lunatics, and more." - Container.
Daibosatsutoge (The sword of doom) - DVD TAC-1963
Ryunosuke is a sciopathic samurai. When he is scheduled for an exhibition match at his fencing school, the wife of his opponent begs Ryunosuke to throw the match, offering her own virtue in trade.
The day after - DVD TAC-1964
Following a nuclear strike against the United States, families in small-town Kansas try to survive as radiation slowly kills everything around them.
Kamp Katrina - DVD TAC-1966
Starting a month after Hurricane Katrina struck, follows residents of several different neighborhoods over the course of 150 days, until the first post-Hurricane Mardi Gras.
The Outsider: a film about James Toback - DVD TAC-1967
An inside look at what it means to be a filmmaker. The film follows writer/director James Toback through the making of his thriller When will I be loved, starring Neve Campbell. Includes interviews with Woody Allen, Robert Downey Jr., Mike Tyson, Harvey Keitel, Brook Shields, Norman Mailer, Barry Levinson, Jim Brown, Bijou Phillips, Robert Towne.
Banished - DVD TAC-1968
"Recounts the forgotten history of racial cleansing in America, when thousands of African Americans were driven from their homes and communities by violent racist mobs in the late 19th and early 20th centuries... The film places these events in the context of present day race relations, by following three concrete cases of towns that remain all-white to this day: Forsyth County, Georgia; Pierce City, Missouri; & Harrison, Arkansas" - Container.
Tesla: master of lightning - DVD TAC-1969
Recount the life of scientist, inventor, and visionary Nikola Tesla, often remembered as more of an eccentric cult figure than an electrical engineering genius. Tesla's surprising inventions are revealed in his autobiographical and scientific writings.
Die Fälscher - DVD TAC-1970
Germany, 1936. Salomon "Sally" Sorowitsch is the king of counterfeiters. He lives a life of cards, booze, and women. Suddenly his luck runs dry when he is arrested by Superintendent Friedrich Herzog. He is immediately thrown into the Mauthausen concentration camp. There, Salomon exhibits exceptional skills and is soon transferred to the upgraded camp of Sachsenhausen. Upon his arrival, he once again comes face to face with Herzog, who is there on a secret mission. Hand-picked for his unique skill, Salomon and a group of professionals are forced to produce fake foreign currency under the program Operation Berhard. The team, which also includes detainee Adolf Burger, is given luxury barracks for their assistance. Salomon attempts to weaken the economy of Germany's opponents. But, Adolf refuses to use his skills for Nazi profit and would like to do something to stop the operation. Now faced with a moral dilemma, Salomon must decide whether his actions are ultimately the right ones.
The red shoes - DVD TAC-1971
Centers on the dilemma of a young ballerina torn between the composer who loves her and the impresario determined to fashion her into a great dancer.
Bikur ha-Tizmoret - DVD TAC-1972
The Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra arrives in Israel from Egypt for a cultural event. Once there, they find the expected delegation is not there to meet them. Arrangements to get to their destination of Petah Tiqva have not been taken care of either. They find their own ride and arrive instead at the remote town of Beit Hatikva. Stuck there until the next morning's bus, the band, lead by the repressed Tawfiq Zacharaya, gets help from the worldly lunch owner, Dina, who offers to put them up for the night. As the band settles in the best it can, each of the members attempts to get along with the natives in their own way. What follows is a special night of quiet happenings and confessions as the band makes its own impact on the town and the town on them.
The small back room - DVD TAC-1973
Details the professional and personal travails of a troubled, alcoholic research scientist and military bomb-disposal expert who, while struggling through a relationship with his girlfriend, is hired by the government to advise on a German weapon.
The Ross McElwee DVD Collection - DVD TAC-1974
A DVD collection by independent filmmaker Ross McElwee.
disc 1. Backyard - Charleen, or, how long has this been going on - special features. Split screen, episode 42 : Ross McElwee 101 - Additional scenes from Sherman's march - Patients - Additional scenes from Bright leaves - Whatever happened to some of the smokers from "Bright leaves"?
disc 2. Sherman's march : Meditation on the possibility of romantic love in the South during an era of nuclear weapons proliferation - special features. Interview with Ross McElwee - Photo gallery - Biography of Ross McElwee - General Sherman's personal letters & biography
disc 3. Time indefinite
disc 4. Six o'clock news
disc 5. Bright leaves - special features. Director's statement - Film notes by Godfrey Cheshire - About Michael Curtiz's "Bright leaf" - Biographies - Additional music by Paula Larke.
The red badge of courage - DVD TAC-1975
The story of Henry Fleming and his grappling with fear and courage as a Union Army recruit during the Civil War.
Les amants - DVD TAC-1976
A restless bourgeois wife finds her eye wandering from both her husband and her lover to an attractive passing stranger.
Catch-22 - DVD TAC-1977
The story of a group of fliers in the Mediterranean during World War II.
German theater of protest: 1918-1938, the art of expressionism - DVD TAC-1978
"German theater of the years between the two world wars, often considered part of the European "Expressionist" movement, was, in its most inventive aspects, a theater of opposition. It was a theater of protest against the values of the society that had prosecuted World War One, against bourgeois smugness, and then against the Germans' acceptance of the authoritatianism of National Socialism. The plays from which scenes are presented here are "Gas" by Georg Kaiser, "Hoopla! Such is Life!" by Ernst Toller, and "The Private Life of the Master Race" by Bertolt Brecht. " - Container.
The war on democracy - DVD TAC-1979
Journalist John Pilger examines the role of Washington in America's manipulation of Latin American politics during the last 50 years focusing on the struggle by ordinary people to free themselves from poverty and racism.
Madame de- - DVD TAC-1980 + supplement
The wife of a 19th century General sells the earrings her husband gave her on their wedding day to pay off debts, which sets off a chain reaction of deceit that includes her husband, his mistress, and her lover.
Profit motive and the whispering wind - DVD TAC-1981
Filmed across the United States over three summers, between 2004-2006, this film is visual meditation on the progressive history of the country as seen through its cemeteries, historical markers and landscape. Gianvito captures this history in the hope that it will help us as a society to understand where we are today, and, hopefully be a moral guide toward our future.
Blood and oil: the dangers and consequences of America's growing dependence on foreign petroleum - DVD TAC-1982
"The film unearths declassified documents and highlights forgotten passages in prominent presidential doctrines to show how concerns about oil have been at the core of American foreign policy for more than 60 years -- rendering our contemporary energy and military policies virtually indistinguishable." - Container.
Without the king - DVD TAC-1983
Tells the story of Africa's last absolute monarch, the Kingdom of Swaziland. King Mswati III, perceived by many to be out of touch with his country, lives in luxury with his 13 wives, while his subjects suffer from crushing poverty and the world's highest HIV rate. Meet headstrong first wife Queen LaMbikiza; eldest child and teen rapper, Princess Pashu; and the king himself. Includes comments by those who are plotting the King's downfall. Witness the birth of a nation's revolution, as well as the dawning awareness of a young Swazi princess.
High school - DVD TAC-1984
A documentary study of Northeast High School in Philadelphia in 1968; deals with the ideology and values of a large urban high school as seen through encounters between students, teachers, and parents in guidance sessions, college counseling, discipline, faculty meetings, corridor patrol, gymnasium, and classroom activities.
Bigger, stronger, faster: the side effects of being American - DVD TAC-1985
A look at how Americans see themselves as having to be the best in the world, and what some people will do in order to achieve that title.
On VHS:
The Brothers Quay - VHS TAC-1956, pt. 1 & 2
The Brothers Quay create puppet animation, where decaying dolls, primitive machinery, and other found objects interact in an expressionist world of ultra-reality.
vol. 1. Street of crocodiles (21 min.) (1986) - The cabinet of Jan Svankmajer (13 min.) (1984)
vol. 2. Epic of Gilgamesh (11 min.) (1981) - Rehearsals for extinct anatomies (14 min.) (1988) - Nocturna artificiala (30 min.) (1979).
A Desert sea - VHS TAC-1957
A Desert sea reveals the mysteries of Utah's Great Salt Lake. From prehistoric Lake Bonneville to one of America's last shorebird sanctuaries, the program contrasts stark desert landscapes with a wealth of teeming wildlife and natural resources.
On CD:
Psychocandy - Jesus & Mary Chain - Compact disc TAC-416
Flip your wig - Hüsker Dü - Compact disc TAC-417
Unplugged - Alice in Chains - Compact disc TAC-418
In your honor - Foo Fighters - Compact disc TAC-419
Hibernaculum - Earth - Compact disc TAC-420
Earth 2 - Earth - Compact disc TAC-421
Since we've become translucent - Mudhoney - Compact disc TAC-422
Piano works (Klavierwerke) - Debussy, Claude - Compact disc TAC-423
Piano music - Ravel, Maurice - Compact disc TAC-424
Wind quintets - Perle, George - Compact disc TAC-425
Sonata no. 2: "Concord, Mass. 1840-1860" - Ives, Charles - Compact disc TAC-426
Set of five - Abel-Steinberg-Winant Trio - Compact disc TAC-427
Hindemith, Liegeti, Nielsen - Quintett, Wien - Compact disc TAC-428
Kammermusik 1-7 - Hindemith, Paul - Compact disc TAC-429
Mantra: für 2 Pianisten - Stockhausen, Karlheinz - Compact disc TAC-430
Horowitz plays Scriabin - Scriabin, Aleksandr Nikolayevich - Compact disc TAC-431
Sonatas and interludes for prepared piano - Cage, John - Compact disc TAC-432
Vladimir Horowitz plays Debussy, Kabalevsky, Moszkowski, Prokofiev - Horowitz, Vladimir - Compact disc TAC-433
Cello concerto - Schumann, Robert - Compact disc TAC-434
Piano quintet ; Kanon in memoriam Igor Strawinsky ; Piano quartet ; String trio - Schnittke, Alfred - Compact disc TAC-435
Quartet for the end of time - Messiaen, Olivier - Compact disc TAC-436
Sinfonia concertante - Davies, Peter Maxwell - Compact disc TAC-437
Complete piano works - Klein, Elisabeth - Compact disc TAC-438
Here are the Sonics - Sonics - Compact disc TAC-439
