Summary: The futility and madness of the First World War was the spur for some of the most moving poetry ever written, but the young men who brought the voice of reason to the Great War were themselves part of a long tradition of war poetry. This program traces the development of the art of war poetry from Anglo-Saxon times to the early 20th century and the works of Brooke, Owen, and Sassoon. Using...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
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Summary: In a reaction against Elizabethan-period poetry, 17th-century English poets such as John Donne, George Herbert, Richard Crashaw, and Andrew Marvell began writing in a new style. Although derisively dubbed "metaphysical" because of its unseemly-that is, intellectual-nature, metaphysical poetry soon became appreciated for its remarkable blend of emotion and erudition, as evidenced by complex...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
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Summary: Tucked away in arguably the most lovely corner of Great Britain, a poetic revolution took place around the turn of the 19th century that did much to define the nature of modern poetry. Using the atmospheric scenery of the Lake District as a backdrop, this program focuses on the literary development of William Wordsworth and Samuel Coleridge. Expert commentary is provided by some of the greatest...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
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Summary: The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as best I could, but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge. So speaks Montresor in this faithful rendition of Edgar Allan Poe's chilling story of a murderous trap irresistibly baited with fine wine and flattery. Strong performances and outstanding cinematography make this classic program-an object of considerable critical acclaim at film...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
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Summary: “Madness, but will you say that I am mad? Murder, perhaps you judge too soon. For when you hear my story, you will certainly understand why, very gradually - I made up my mind to take the life of the old man.” True to the words of master storyteller Edgar Allan Poe, this stunning adaptation brings to life what is perhaps Poe’s best-known short story. Murder, madness, and betrayal from within...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2000
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Summary: In this riveting and painfully honest documentary, poet and performance artist Eric Trules explores his multifaceted relationship with his uncle Harvey, an alcoholic mobster and confessed murderer. The program examines surprising parallels between the two men, revealing how artist and outlaw share a deep-rooted resistance to social and moral conventions-a notion of particular relevance when...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
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Summary: If "The Raven" is not the best-known American poem, then "Annabel Lee" is. Both have endured because they successfully illustrate Poe's esthetic theories of poetics; they use natural, comprehensible language whose music weaves a spell that underscores and heightens the language. These two poems and "The Dream within a Dream" are performed (not merely read!) as Poe himself might have recited...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
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Summary: This video examines THC and the cannabinoids marijuana, hashish, and hash oil. Expert commentary is presented by former NFL player Charles Hunt, a pharmacist, a police officer, addiction counselors, a historian, a pastor, recovering addicts, and others. Together, they explain the history and biological effects of THC, investigating its use, abuse, and hazards, and its reputation as a gateway drug.
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
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Summary: The U.S. Poet Laureate has a unique opportunity to shape America's literary terrain-by fostering public appreciation of poetry and by continuing to produce his or her own work. This NewsHour collection profiles six such honorees at the onset of their terms. Each author reflects on experiences that have influenced his writing and describes what he hopes to accomplish during his tenure. In...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
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Summary: When I die, without a country or a master, I want a bouquet of flowers and a flag placed on my grave. A tireless proponent of freedom from Spanish rule, Jose Marti is known as "The Apostle of Cuban Independence. Combining documentary material with dramatizations, this program celebrates the selfless life of the freedom fighter, which was marked by imprisonment, exile, and, ironically, death in...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
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Summary: Ernesto "Che" Guevara was both a romantic and a rebel, honored by many for his commitment to liberation yet vilified by others as a rogue. This compelling program traces the life of a man whose idealism and determination gripped the imagination of an era. Interviews with family members, partisans, enemies, and others-including the photographer who immortalized him-share their recollections and...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
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Summary: Three-time American Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky has labored on many fronts for the advancement of his art. This program offers an in-depth look into three main areas of Pinsky's efforts: his translation of Dante's Inferno, featuring extended excerpts of his lecture on rendering the classic into English, as well as readings from it; his own highly accomplished poetry; and his initiative as Poet...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
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Summary: Filmed on location in Stratford-on-Avon, celebrated Shakespearean actor Alan Howard presents some of the Bard’s best-known works. Poems include… “All the world’s a stage” “To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow” “Hark, hark! the lark” “O, for a Muse of fire” St. Crispin’s Day speech “Wilt thou be gone? it is not yet near day” Queen Mab speech “What mean you, Caesar? Think you for walk...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 1997
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Summary: Despite the dampening effects of the Inquisition and the Counter-Reformation, the Renaissance gave a powerful impetus to learning and experimentation-and in the process ensconced Castilian as the language of choice for both poetry and prose. In this program, renowned experts place the masters of the Renaissance within the context of their times. Dramatic readings include excerpts from Fernando...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
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Summary: The Poetry Hall of Fame showcases more than 130 of the world’s best-known poems cleverly performed and artistically interpreted by The First Poetry Quartet and celebrity guests. Simply an incredible collection of great writers and a wonderful journey through great poems. Within these words one may find all the love, joy, hope, fear, enchantment, and humor that is the human spirit.
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 1993
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Summary: This program was filmed at the Biennial Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival, where poets gather every two years to read and discuss their work with large audiences of students and fellow poets. In this program, poets Robert Bly, Galway Kinnell, Sharon Olds, Octavio Paz, and William Stafford read and discuss their work. As Robert Bly observes: "Suppose you only knew 15 words. You could still make...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
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Summary: Synonymous with metaphysical poetry, John Donne combined wit with passion, startling diction with curious contrasts. This program chronicles his extraordinary life as lawyer, lover, sailor, father, preacher, and poet. Manuscripts and paintings are combined with readings from many of Donne's most famous writings, including "The Flea," "Elegy XX," "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning," "The Calm,"...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
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Summary: After the horrors of World War I, Latin American writing turned away from what many saw as ornamental and frivolous experimentation. This program studies the so-called "criticism of Modernismo within Modernismo" in which language reached back to a simpler, more intimate, less urban-centered framework. Investigating the work of several poets and authors of the period-including Enrique Gonzalez...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
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Summary: Filmed at the Biennial Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival, this program features the poets Robert Bly, Lucille Clifton, and W. S. Merwin, reading their works and discussing them. Robert Bly often uses music to emphasize the spiritual nature of poetry. He believes that the aim of poetry is to "drop us into the moist, nurturing underworld where the soul lives. Lucille Clifton's work often focuses...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
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Summary: This program features poets James Autry and Quincy Troupe, both of whom work with the oral tradition to lift poetry off the page and bring it into the community. James Autry, a businessman and publisher, writes poetry about the business world and the Southern culture of his youth. His work includes such poems as "Thoughts on Firing a Salesman. In this program, Autry reads his poetry at a...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008
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Summary: After the horrors of World War I, Latin American writing turned away from what many saw as ornamental and frivolous experimentation. This program studies the so-called "criticism of Modernismo within Modernismo" in which language reached back to a simpler, more intimate, less urban-centered framework. Investigating the work of several poets and authors of the period-including Enrique Gonzalez...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
View online at AVOD
Summary: This program features the poems of Louis Jenkins, Hal Sirowitz, Philip Levine, Joy Harjo, Robert Creeley, Brenda Hillman, Robert Hass, and others. In addition, several poets discuss poetry as work and what it's like to share a life of poetry with fellow writers; young winners of a statewide poetry contest read several of their poems; and advice for fledgling poets is offered. Filmed at the...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: As the 1970s progressed, the political climate in Latin America became increasingly dark, with no end in sight to the proliferation of brutal dictatorships. This program analyzes the cultural impact of those developments and the tensions which gave Latin American literature of the period its energy and resonance. With insight into the challenges of writing in the face of tyranny, the program...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008
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Summary: Rainer Maria Rilke's supreme mastery of the German language, which he manipulated with an unprecedented subtlety and plasticity, forms the bedrock upon which his reputation as one of the 20th century's finest and most influential poets is built. This program interweaves biographical details of Rilke's restless and emotionally troubled life, extracts from his letters, and readings from the Duino...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005