Now Available! - Films for the Humanities and Sciences

Performing 

Arts 

DVD & Video On Demand Catalog 

Fall 2011 

FEATURED NEW RELEASES: 

The World of American 

Indian Dance, page 5 

In Search of Shakespeare 

with Michael Wood, page 15 

Jazz: A Film by Ken Burns, page 44 

OVER 

50 NEW 

PROGRAMS! 

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table of contents 

Dance ....................................................... 3–5 

Drama: Survey ........................................ 6–11 

Classical & Medieval Drama ............... 11–14 

Shakespearean Drama ....................... 14–20 

16th–18th Century Drama .........................21 

19th–20th Century Drama .................. 22–23 

20th Century Drama ........................... 24–25 

Critical Perspectives ..................................25 

Playwriting & Plays ....................................26 

Production & Design ..................................27 

Video content and features vary by product. 

History of Music: Survey ........................ 29–35 

Elements of Music ........................................36 

Performance & Instruction ..................... 36–43 

Music Styles .......................................... 43–45 

World Music .......................................... 45–50 

Music Survey ...............................................50 

Copyright © 2011 Films for the Humanities & Sciences ® • An imprint of Films Media Group, an Infobase Learning company. 

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Due to the large number of programs in this catalog, we cannot be responsible for errors in pricing or for omissions. 

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ON 

DEMAND 

FAVORITE 

Giselle—From the Royal Opera House 

A tale of deception, misplaced love, and supernatural 

vengeance, Giselle reaches into the 

heart of European folklore and the ancient 

connections between dance and spirituality. 

This exquisite production by the Royal Ballet 

features the original choreography of Marius 

Petipa—perhaps the most infl uential ballet 

master and choreographer in the history of 

Western performance, whose Giselle contributions 

enhanced those of Jean Coralli and Jules 

Perrot, great artistic fi gures in their own right. 

Rising-star principals Alina Cojocaru and Johan 

Kobborg appear, respectively, in the title role 

and as Count Albrecht—echoing their off-stage 

partnership with elegant and moving performances. 

(1 hour 49 minutes)) © 2008 

Preview Clip Online 

“Ms. Cojocaru’s ‘Giselle’ was one of the great 

dance renditions of our time, one of those 

moments when the evanescence of live ON 

performance seems unbearably poignant.” 

—The New York Times 

$169.95 QBV42103 • DVD / VOD 

DEMAND 

FAVORITE 

Swan Lake— 

From the Royal Opera House 

This presentation of Swan Lake, fi lmed in 

2009, is a revival of Anthony Dowell’s 1985 

version that restored the choreography 

of Petipa’s 1895 original. The Royal Ballet 

performs Tchaikovsky’s classic amid sets 

inspired by the arts of late Imperial Russia, 

the era when this ballet was fi rst staged. 

Marianela Nuñez and Thiago Soares star in 

the lead roles, with a wonderful turn from 

Laura Morera and Ricardo Cervera dancing 

the Neapolitan pas de deux. The atmospheric 

tragedy of transformation and betrayal ends 

on a hopeful note as two swans fl y away 

together into the night. (2 hours 6 minutes) 

© 2009 Preview Clip Online 

Recommended by The Classical Source. 

$169.95 QBV42119 • DVD / VOD 

VOD Video On Demand: 3-Year Streaming available at www.fi lms.com 

Dance 

Sleeping Beauty— 


Created to celebrate the Royal Ballet’s 75th 

birthday, this is a spectacular performance 

based on the choreography of Marius Petipa. 

Dancers Alina Cojocaru and Federico Bonelli 

enact one of the most beloved of classical 

ballets. The talents of renowned choreographer 

Christopher Wheeldon are also present 

in a specially crafted garlands dance, 

which the London Evening Standard called 

“gorgeous, a dazzling ballet text.” (2 hours 

18 minutes) © 2008 Preview Clip Online 

$169.95 QBV42114 • DVD / VOD 

BEST 

SELLER 

Bill Moyers Journal: 

Choreographer Bill T. Jones 

and the Reimagining of 

Abraham Lincoln 

At the close of Abraham Lincoln’s 

bicentennial year, this edition of the Journal 

takes a different look at America’s 16th president—through 

the eyes of critically acclaimed 

dance artist Bill T. Jones. In a groundbreaking 

work of choreography called Fondly Do We 

Hope...Fervently Do We Pray, Jones reimagines 

the iconic Lincoln. Bill Moyers speaks with 

Jones about his creative process, his insights 

into Lincoln, and how dance can offer a fresh 

perspective on the man who is arguably 

the most-studied president in U.S. history. 

Broadcast dates: December 25, 2009, and 

February 12, 2010. (57 minutes) © 2009 C 

$99.95 QBV41343 • DVD 

BEST 

SELLER 

Bill T. Jones: Still/Here 

What is it like to live with a 

life-threatening illness? Can 

fear, anger, and joy be translated 

into movement? In this 

program, journalist Bill Moyers and fi lmmaker 

David Grubin give viewers a rare glimpse 

into dancer/choreographer Bill T. Jones’s 

highly acclaimed dance, “Still/Here.” At 

workshops around the country, people 

facing life-threatening illnesses are asked 

to remember the highs and lows of their 

lives, and even imagine their own deaths. 

They then transform their feelings into expressive 

movement, which Jones incorporates 

into the dance performed later in the program. 

Jones demonstrates for Moyers the movements 

of his own life story—his fi rst encounter with 

white people, confusion over his sexuality, 

his partner Arnie Zane’s untimely death from 

AIDS, and Jones’s own HIV status. “My job,” 

Jones tells Moyers, “is to evoke the spirit 

of survival.” (57 minutes) © 1997 

Preview Clip Online C 

$99.95 QBV6802 • DVD / VOD 

Films for the Humanities & Sciences ® • Call 1-800-322-8755 • Fax 1-800-678-3633 

3

4 

Dance 

The Nutcracker— 


This perennial favorite draws on E. T. A. 

Hoffmann’s Christmas fantasy, in which a 

young girl fi nds herself caught up in a night 

of magical adventures. Tchaikovsky’s wellknown 

score, the exquisite choreography, 

and entrancing imagery combine to create 

one of the most popular ballets in the world. 

Called “a perfectly executed confection” by 

The Classical Source, the Royal Opera House 

staging features period costume and detailed 

sets evoking a lavish 19th-century holiday 

season. This Christmas 2009 performance 

marks the 25th anniversary of Peter Wright’s 

Royal Opera House production, which 

he based on the 1892 Ivanov original. 

(1 hour 48 minutes) © 2009 Preview Clip Online 

“The production oozes charm...Ballet 

experiences don’t come much better 

than this.”—musicOMH 

“Peter Wright’s 25-year-old production exerts 

a near-infallible charm...” 

—The Guardian (London) 

$169.95 QBV42121 • DVD / VOD 

Acis and Galatea— 


This staging of Handel’s Acis and Galatea—a 

classical story of pastoral love overshadowed 

by menace and despoiled by violence—unites 

the Royal Opera and the Royal Ballet under 

the direction of multi-award-winning choreographer 

Wayne McGregor. McGregor deftly 

fuses music and movement as Danielle de 

Niese sings and Lauren Cuthbertson and Mara 

Galeazzi dance the role of Galatea; Charles 

Workman sings and Rupert Pennefather and 

Edward Watson dance the role of Acis; and 

Matthew Rose sings and Eric Underwood 

dances the role of Polyphemus. Christopher 

Hogwood conducts the Orchestra of the 

Age of Enlightenment. (99 minutes) © 2009 


$169.95 QBV42201 • DVD / VOD 

Sylvia—From the Royal Opera House 

From Darcey Bussell’s backward-leaping fi shdives 

to the beautiful rendering of Léo Delibes’ 

score by the Covent Garden orchestra, this 

revival of Frederick Ashton’s Sylvia (itself a 

re-versioning of the 1876 original) summons 

all the majesty of Britain’s royal ballet tradition. 

Viewers will fi nd here a singular opportunity 

to appreciate Bussell’s virtually unparalleled 

dancing talent—manifested in a rarely seen, 

highly demanding role. (1 hour 36 minutes) 


$169.95 QBV42120 • DVD / VOD 

Japanese Dance: 

Succession of a Kyomai Master 

With a gracefulness equal to its subject, this 

intriguing program goes behind the scenes 

to fi lm for the fi rst time the private world of 

kyomai, Kyoto-style dance. The efforts of the 

95-year-old reigning master, Inoue Yachiyo 

IV, to prepare her 43-year-old granddaughter 

to become her successor are deftly captured 

amidst footage of training sessions and 

performances; rare fi lm clips of Yachiyo IV 

and her predecessor, Yachiyo III, on stage; 

background on the history of kyomai; and 

insights into the education of geisha, chief 

practitioners of this centuries-old form of 

Japanese dance. (53 minutes) © 2000 


$169.95 QBV11726 • DVD / VOD 

Dance, Voodoo, Dance (Benin) 

Among the many ethnic groups of Benin, 

two in particular stand out as practitioners 

of the ancient rites of voodoo. This program 

explains who the voodoo practitioners are 

as well as the mythical origins of their cult; 

it also shows the music and dance of these 

two groups—wild and furious, acrobatic and 

physically demanding, beautiful and harmonious, 

rhythmically infectious. (15 minutes) 

$99.95 QBV3092 • DVD 

Danza Azteca de Anáhuac 

Centuries before Cortéz, their ancestors 

migrated south from what is today Colorado 

and New Mexico; today, united in heritage 

and spirit with their brothers and sisters across 

the political boundary that separates Mexico 

from the United States, they celebrate the past 

and its continuity. In this fascinating program, 

celebrants of this ancient native tradition 

demonstrate their dances and costumes, 

explaining their meaning—and not only 

the literal and symbolic meaning of feathers 

or face paint, but the larger meaning of 

the dance: that you don’t have to be a 

Native American to accept its message. 

(26 minutes) © 1992 

$99.95 QBV5239 • DVD 

c Closed Captioned ‡ Not Available in Canada Preview Clip Online Search on the program title or item number 

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The World of American Indian Dance 

For centuries dancing was part of virtually 

every aspect of Native American life. 

Although outlawed at times by the U.S. 

government and performed out of context 

for Wild West shows, dancing now unifies 

tribal nations and preserves Indian heritage. 

This documentary explores the dynamics 

of competition dancing—its artistry, origins, 

and meanings, as well as the clash between 

progress and tradition that marks the contest 

powwow. Filmed at Crow Fair in Montana, 

the program was produced by the Oneida 

Indian Nation and aired on broadcast television. 

A general history of Native American 

issues is included. (46 minutes) © 2003 


$169.95 QBV43336 • DVD / VOD 

Blank Canvas: Sydney Dance Company 

and the Making of We Unfold 

When Tanja Liedtke, the new artistic director 

of Sydney Dance Company, died in an 

accident, Rafael Bonachela and two other 

internationally renowned choreographers 

were quickly engaged to temporarily fill that 

void by creating one work each during 2008— 

from, as it were, a blank canvas. Bonachela 

subsequently applied for and won the artistic 

director position, and this program maps out 

the making of his first critically acclaimed 

production with the Sydney Dance Company: 

We Unfold, a vivid celebration of the intense 

joy and pain of being a dancer. Poignant. 

(52 minutes) © 2009 Preview Clip Online 

“The music is breathtaking and this insight into 

the production is wonderful.” 

—The Sunday Times (Perth) 

$169.95 QBV42097 • DVD / VOD 

BEST 

SELLER 

Broadway Goes Hollywood: 

Musical Comedy in 

American Cinema 

Beginning with The Jazz 

Singer (1927), this program 

provides a detailed look inside that most 

distinctly American of film traditions, 

the musical comedy. Interviews with dancer 

Cyd Charisse, famous for her roles in MGM 

musicals, and Hermes Pan, renowned choreographer 

and collaborator with Fred Astaire, 

help to illuminate the advent and evolution 

of the genre. Several film excerpts are also 

included. (52 minutes) © 2008 


$169.95 QBV40694 • DVD / VOD 

VOD Video On Demand: 3-Year Streaming available at www.films.com 

Dance 

Strictly 

Bolshoi 

Friendship between London and Moscow 

has always been tenuous—a decade after 

the Cold War, they still make awkward 

dance partners. Invited by Bolshoi Ballet 

artistic director Alexei Ratmansky to 

create and premiere an original work, 

young British choreographer Christopher 

Wheeldon begins enthusiastically, then 

runs smack-dab into a wall of cross- 

cultural differences. This two-part series 

reveals both the fruit of Wheeldon’s 

labor on opening night and his behindthe-scenes 

battle to mount a daring, 

semi-abstract dance piece in a traditionbound 

environment. A must-see for any 

student of ballet or modern dance. 


Christopher Wheeldon’s 

Misericordes/Elsinore 

Created for Russia’s Bolshoi Ballet, perhaps 

the most esteemed dance company in the 

world, the piece known at its premiere as 

Misericordes is an intriguing reinterpretation 

of Hamlet. This recording of its opening night 

performance in Moscow captures both the 

boundary-pushing vision of choreographer 

Christopher Wheeldon and the breathtaking 

artistry of the Bolshoi dancers. (27 minutes) 

$129.95 QBV42117 • DVD / VOD 

Creating a New Ballet—A Documentary 

Produced by former Royal Ballet dancers 

Michael Nunn and William Trevitt, this 

documentary takes viewers inside the creative 

process of British choreographer Christopher 

Wheeldon—and the behind-the-scenes 

challenges he faces in bringing a new 

piece to life for Russia’s Bolshoi Theatre. 

(50 minutes) 

$169.95 QBV42118 • DVD / VOD 

SAVE 15%! 

Purchase the 2-part series today! 

List Price: $299.90 

Special Discount Price: $254.90 

QBV42116 • DVD / VOD 

Films for the Humanities & Sciences ® • Call 1-800-322-8755 • Fax 1-800-678-3633 5

6 

Drama: Survey 

A Search for an American Voice in Theater 

This extraordinary six-part series traces the history of stage drama and the American 

imagination, from pre-Revolutionary days to the late 20th century, through expert interviews 

and a rich trove of archival images. Using theater as a mirror, each program reveals the ongoing 

evolution of American culture and a society’s artistic aspirations. © 1999 Preview Clip Online 

Prelude and First Curtains 

In this program, Brooks McNamara, expert 

on 19th-century theater at New York University; 

theater historian and author Mary Henderson; 

playwright Michael Dinwiddie; and New York 

City historian George Thompson examine the 

efforts at theater-making in America from the 

1750s to the eve of the Civil War. The stage 

careers of Ira Aldridge, Edwin Forrest, William 

Macready, and others are discussed. (52 minutes) 

$99.95 QBV9163 • DVD / VOD 

The Tragedian, the Rebel, and the Prince 

This program focuses on the Booth family 

to evaluate its impact on American theater, 

exploring 19th-century and Victorian American 

culture in the process. Brooks McNamara of New 

York University and theater historian and author 

Mary Henderson delve into the careers of the 

acclaimed tragic actor Junius Brutus Booth, Sr.; 

the notorious assassin John Wilkes Booth; and 

Edwin Booth, America’s first great Hamlet. 

(30 minutes) 

$99.95 QBV9164 • DVD / VOD 

From Apprenticeship to the Academy 

In this program, 19th-century theater expert 

Brooks McNamara and theater historian and 

author Mary Henderson plot out three crucial 

transitions in American culture between 1875 

and 1914: for actors, a shift to academy-oriented 

training; for playwrights, a move from surface 

realism to the earliest form of American naturalism; 

and for America, a progression toward the 

global, technocentric society of the 20th century. 

(30 minutes) 

$99.95 QBV9165 • DVD / VOD 

To receive select series 

pricing, use offer code 

QBV when ordering. 

Village Radicals, 

New Americans, Boom, and Crash 

This program analyzes cultural changes that 

occurred during the early 20th century, the 

golden age of American mainstream theater. 

Playwright Michael Dinwiddie, Shubert Archive 

director Brooks McNamara, and other experts 

address topics such as the impact of immigrant 

voices, the blossoming of ethnic theater; the role 

of the American Laboratory Theater, the works 

of Eugene O’Neill, and more. (30 minutes) 

$99.95 QBV9166 • DVD / VOD 

The Federal Theater, Project 891, 

and the Mercury Theater 

In this program, Ellen Adler of The Stella Adler 

Conservatory and author William Simon appraise 

the impact of drama groups that flourished during 

the Depression—those that were privately operated 

and those that were federally funded—and 

their lasting contributions to theater. The emergence 

of the American Method style of acting, 

and the careers of theatrical greats such as Orson 

Welles and John Houseman, are explored. 

(30 minutes) 

$99.95 QBV9167 • DVD / VOD 

Into the Post-War Era 

This program considers the unique synergy 

between method acting and poetic realism, as 

Ellen Adler and Tom Oppenheim of The Stella 

Adler Conservatory, along with author William 

Simon, track the changes in American theater 

from pre- to post-World War II society. America’s 

new-found place on the world stage is spotlighted, 

along with the careers of Paul Robeson, 

Canada Lee, Marlon Brando, and others. 

(30 minutes) 

$99.95 QBV9168 • DVD / VOD 

SAVE 15%! 






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BEST 

SELLER 

In an age of computerized 

and corporate-driven entertainment, 

theater is more 

important than ever—and so 

is learning the basics of theatri- 

cal production. This three-part series offers 

an excellent primer in the history of drama 

as well as in-depth guidance on the industry’s 

technical side. From ancient Greek 

masks and amphitheaters to 21st-century 

know-how in casting, rehearsal, costumes, 

sets, and lighting, each video will go the 

distance in supporting, instructing, and 

inspiring a new generation of theater 

professionals. Viewable/printable 

instructor’s guides are available online. 

(25–30 minutes each) © 2009 

Preview Clip Online C ‡ 

The History of Theater 

Exploring the evolution of play structure, 

staging techniques, and acting styles, 

this program focuses on the infl uence 

of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides; 

the role of theater in ancient Rome; morality 

and mystery plays in medieval England; 

Commedia dell’Arte; Burbage and 

Shakespeare; Chekhov and Ibsen; 

and method acting. 

$129.95 QBV41998 • DVD / VOD 

The Design of Modern Theatre: 

Adolphe Appia’s Innovations 

This program explores Appia’s innovations: 

replacing the fl at painted scenery and declamatory 

style of the 19th century with plastic 

environments for three-dimensional actors 

and actresses, using mobile lighting, and 

counterpointing visuals with music. His 

designs for Ibsen and Shaw productions 

link 20th-century theater to the freedoms 

of ancient Greek drama and mark Appia 

as the father of modern theatrical design. 


$169.95 QBV3366 • DVD / VOD 

$99.95 QBV1612 • DVD / VOD 


Drama: Survey 

Treading the Boards: 

Theater Fundamentals 

From Page to Stage: 

A Guide to Student Productions 

Staging a successful play takes time, energy, 

and wisely used resources—whether the 

production is on Broadway or at a high 

school. This program shows how to select 

an appropriate script for a student theater 

group and produce the play in an organized, 

effi cient manner. Viewers receive information 

on casting, rehearsals, props, costumes, 

marketing, and publicity. 

$129.95 QBV41999 • DVD / VOD 

Cutting It in Costume: 

Design and Wardrobe Management 

If all eyes are on the actors, the costume 

department can make or break a play. This 

program introduces skills and responsibilities 

essential to theatrical costume design and 

management. Topics include period research 

methods; how various fabrics, colors, patterns, 

and aging effects are used; and presets and 

quick-changes. Costume professionals add 

their expertise. 

$129.95 QBV42000 • DVD / VOD 

SAVE 15%! 





Staging Classical Tragedy 

Understanding Greek tragedy, not through 

post-Ibsenist, post-modernist, post-Method 

eyes but in terms of what the ancient playwright 

may have intended, requires going 

beyond the text to the staging. For the staging 

defi nes the relationship between chorus and 

actors, between actors and audience, and 

between playwright and play. Using the 

theater at Epidauros as an example—it was 

built a century after the heyday of Greek 

classical theater but is well preserved—this 

program identifi es the physical parts of the 

acting space and, with specifi c reference to 

the Oresteia, shows how the plays would 

have been staged in Aeschylus’ time. 



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Drama: Survey 

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Resurrecting long-vanished 

places of performance, 

this two-part series uses 

state-of-the-art graphics 

to conduct vivid interactive 

tours—from the earliest sacred spaces 

to proscenium arch theaters. Numerous 

exemplary sites are explored through 

stunning 3-D computer reconstructions. 

(21 & 23 minutes) © 2005 

Preview Clip Online C A 

Ancient Theatres of Greece and Rome 

Beginning with the most rudimentary of 

theaters—an open plot of ground which 

the Greeks called a theatron or “seeing 

space”—this program illustrates in stunning 

detail how that idea evolved over the centuries. 

Professor Richard Beacham of King’s 

College London guides viewers through 

the theater of Epidaurus and the Lycurgian, 

Hellenistic, and Roman manifestations of 

the theater of Dionysus. The odea of Pericles 

and Agrippa and Rome’s magnifi cent theater 

of Pompey are also featured as living and 

breathing performance sites, clearly demonstrating 

through virtual-reality archaeology the 

sophistication of ancient theatrical productions. 

$149.95 QBV34695 • DVD / VOD 

The Renaissance Theatre ON 

The theater familiar to most modern viewers 

had a lowly medieval birth—in churches, 

on festival platforms, and in the great halls of 

the European nobility. Hosted by Professor 

Richard Beacham of King’s College London, 

this program weaves together elaborate 

visual tours and the latest scholarly research, 

surveying the evolution of Elizabethan and 

Renaissance stage formations and the conventions 

they established. With striking depictions 

of the Globe as Shakespeare would have 

known it, the Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, and 

the Teatro Farnese in Parma, the program also 

studies the importance of Sebastio Serlio and 

Inigo Jones to the history of stage design. 

$149.95 QBV34696 • DVD / VOD 

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DEMAND 

FAVORITE 

The Renaissance Stage 

The intermediate step between the modern 

theater and its classical antecedents was 

the Renaissance stage—an obvious, if by 

no means simple, step, for while texts of 

classical plays were more or less readily 

available, there was no knowledge of what 

Roman theater had looked like and how plays 

had been performed. This program traces the 

earliest Renaissance attempts to stage classical 

drama through the application of medieval 

concepts of production; follows the deductions 

made from Vitruvius’ De Architectura 

and the impetus provided by the appearance 

of dramas in Italian; the building of the 

Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza and the theaters 

in Ferrara and Parma; shows the varying 

uses of perspective in scene painting and 

the development of moveable scenery; and 

explains how, when the façade was eliminated 

and the door opened to reveal the 

scenery behind, the proscenium arch and the 

picture frame theater were born. (30 minutes) 


$169.95 QBV2332 • DVD / VOD 

BEST 

SELLER 

The Restoration Theater: 

From Tennis Court 

to Playhouse 

During the English Civil War, 

London’s theaters were closed 

by Parliament, and many were destroyed 

by Cromwell. During the Restoration, new 

playhouses, built to stage the probing social 

comedies of the era, were shaped by changes 

in English drama, politics, and society. We 

learn how the Parisian tennis court theaters, 

attended by the court in exile of Charles II, 

infl uenced the new London theaters, particularly 

Christopher Wren’s Theatre Royal. Other 

Restoration design solutions, some baroque 

and some neoclassical, were responses 

to changes in British drama and society. 

Advanced computer graphics illustrate 

important theater features throughout the 

documentary. The program shows how Wren’s 

work infl uenced Georgian playhouses and is 

once again inspiring modern theater design. 


Highly recommended by MC Journal. 

$169.95 QBV6546 • DVD / VOD 

c Closed Captioned a Audio Description ‡ Not Available in Canada Preview Clip Online Search on the program title or item number 


Acting Through Life: 

ON Insights from ON 

DEMAND Working BEST Actors 

FAVORITE Although SELLER most actors dream 

of celebrity, many fi nd satisfaction 

in modest fi lm and television roles, 

commercials, and regional theater. This 

program shows students that side of the 

profession, interviewing several accomplished 

performers who—although they are far from 

being household names—have found steady 

work on the stage and in Hollywood. Kevin 

Conway (Invincible, Gettysburg), Melissa Leo 

(21 Grams), Peter Maloney (Summer of Sam), 

Jacqueline Knapp (Dominick and Eugene), 

Jim DeMarse (The Sopranos), Kristin Griffi th 

(Interiors), William Wise (In the Bedroom), 

and others share their practical yet inspiring 

views on auditioning, insecurity, disillusionment, 

aging, and the viability of acting as 

a career option today. (34 minutes) © 2007 


Highly recommended by Educational Media 

Reviews Online and Library Journal. 

$99.95 QBV37358 • DVD / VOD 

DEMAND 

FAVORITE 

Class Act: Jay W. Jensen 

ON and the Future of Arts 

DEMAND 

BEST 

Education in America— 

FAVORITE Educator’s SELLER Edition 

From the executive producers 

of Super Size Me and Director Sara Sackner, 

this program examines the deplorable atrophy 

of arts education in America’s classrooms 

by contrasting the crisis with the story of one 

very dedicated, inspiring high school drama 

teacher: Jay W. Jensen, who over a 50-year 

career touched the lives of many with the 

transformational power of the arts. Renowned 

pupils—actor Andy Garcia, fi lm director Brett 

Ratner, songwriter Desmond Child, and sportscaster 

Roy Firestone, to name only four— 

speak out alongside Alfi e Kohn, author of 

The Schools Our Children Deserve; Dana Gioia, 

chairman of the National Endowment for the 

Arts; Robert Lynch, president and CEO of 

Americans for the Arts; Richard Deasy, director 

of the Arts Education Partnership; educators, 

administrators, and school board members; 

and students. A lucid argument for the vital 

importance of arts education in the American 

public school system. A viewable/printable 

instructor’s guide is available online. Bonus 

material consists of celebrity interviews, a 

featurette, educational teaching segments, and 

extended educational interviews (DVD only). 

(88 minutes + 2 hours 32 minutes of bonus 

material) © 2007 Preview Clip Online C 

First Place—Best Documentary, Rhode Island 

International Film Festival, 2006 

$199.95 QBV38704 • DVD / VOD 

BEST 

SELLER 


Drama: Survey 

The Stanislavsky Century 

Here is the defi nitive study 

of Stanislavsky on fi lm: a 

retracing of his life and work 

against the tumultuous backdrop 

of a Russia that variously censored, spied on, 

adulated, and co-opted him, using hitherto 

unknown footage. The program shows how 

one great creative artist interacted with other 

giants of his era, from Lenin to Stalin, 

Meyerhold to Mayakovsky, Isadora Duncan 

to Stella Adler, and includes, in addition to 

the Chekhov plays, scenes from his productions 

of Ibsen, Gogol, Hamlet with Gordon 

Craig as co-director, and Molière’s Le Malade 

Imaginaire with Stanislavsky as Argan, among 

many others. (3 hours, b&w/color) © 1993 

Recommended by 

Video Rating Guide for Libraries. 

$199.95 QBV4048 • DVD 

Chaos and Order: 

ON Making American Theater 

DEMAND 

BEST 

The American Repertory 

FAVORITE 

SELLER 

Theater is one the most 

respected and innovative 

dramatic institutions in the United States. 

Through the prism of the A.R.T., this program 

explores the organizational and creative challenges 

facing today’s theater community and 

describes the fl exibility and resilience arts 

groups must have to survive in today’s cultural 

climate. F. Murray Abraham, Debra Winger, 

and numerous other renowned performers— 

along with groundbreaking directors Andrei 

Serban, Peter Sellars, and Robert Woodruff— 

join A.R.T. technicians and artisans in 

illuminating the precarious condition of 

American theater. Tony Award-winning actress 

Cherry Jones narrates. (68 minutes) © 2005 


Recommended by Library Journal and 

Educational Media Reviews Online. 

$169.95 QBV35650 • DVD / VOD 


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Drama: Survey 

BEST 

SELLER 

Commedia dell’ Arte: 

The Story, the Style 

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 

infl uenced countless other cultures as they 

performed across Europe, thus shaping the 

theatrical sensibility of western society as 

a whole. (75 minutes) © 2007 


“An ebullient, often spirited adventure...a comprehensive 

fi rst learner...every library should 

own this.”—Nella Alba-Calabrese, CO.AS.IT 

(Italian Australian Welfare Association) 

$179.95 QBV37626 • DVD / VOD 

BEST 

SELLER 

Aesthetics: Philosophy 

of the Arts 

What do modern art, a 

symphony, and a documentary 

fi lm have in common? They all 

require aesthetic considerations. This program 

presents the ideas of key fi gures in the shaping 

and understanding of aesthetics—from Plato, 

Francis Hutcheson, and Kant to Leon Battista 

Alberti, Stendhal, and Tolstoy—and addresses 

pivotal writings, including Aristotle’s Poetics 

and Morris Weitz’s “The Role of Theory in 

Aesthetics.” Columbia University’s Arthur 

Danto and Princeton University’s Alexander 

Nehamas offer keen insights into the interactions 

between artist, artwork, and audience 

as they have evolved over the centuries. 

(51 minutes) © 2004 Preview Clip Online C 

“I hope that all public library media collections 

of any size will buy this fi lm.” 

—Counterpoise Magazine 

$169.95 QBV32705 • DVD / VOD 

Theater in Japan: 

ON Yesterday and Today 

DEMAND 

BEST 

Theater has a long history in 

FAVORITE Japan, SELLER 

ranging from traditional 

Kabuki to today’s avant-garde 

performing arts. This program explores the 

cultural debate within Japan regarding traditional 

forms of theater and more contemporary 

variations, including the adaptation of Western 

texts such as Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard 

and street theater. Interviews with many of 

Japan’s leading playwrights such as Tadeshi 

Suzuki and some of the country’s most 

talented performers present an encompassing— 

and engrossing—overview of the modern 

Japanese theater scene. (53 minutes) © 1989 


$99.95 QBV10986 • DVD / VOD 

Portrait of an Onnagata 

Men playing the stage roles of women is as 

old as the history of theater; in the tradition 

of Kabuki, the portrayal of female characters 

has become a tradition of its own. This 

program looks at the history of Kabuki and 

the role of women, and looks particularly at 

the dynastic development of the onnagata— 

the female impersonator—and the intricate 

techniques and details by which a thoroughly 

masculine male transforms himself into a 

man’s dream of the womanly woman: more 

feminine and more perfect than any real 

woman, young lover, geisha, or princess. 


Recommended by Journal of Japanese Studies. 

$99.95 QBV3802 • DVD / VOD 

Bunraku: 

Masters of Japanese Puppet Theater 

Born in Osaka some 300 years ago, Japanese 

puppet theater—Bunraku—is a stunning yet 

refi ned spectacle. This program presents the 

story of Bunraku through two of its greatest 

masters, puppeteer Tamao Yoshida and 

chanter Sumitayu Takemoto. Brought together 

for the last performance of the 20th century, 

these two “Living National Treasures” transform 

ancient tales of old Japan into vibrant 

human drama. Cameras go backstage to 

capture the immense preparations and 

grueling, rarely seen rehearsals for their 

exquisite rendition of the masterpiece 

Shinju Ten no Amijima. (53 minutes) 



Asian Educational Media Service. 

$169.95 QBV30081 • DVD / VOD 



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Romanticism: 

Imagining Freedom 

The rebellious artist, the 

attraction to the dark side, 

love and death, and the primacy 

of nature—all of these are themes that 

suffused the artistic and ideological revolution 

known as Romanticism. This program vividly 

conveys how new ways of thinking and 

seeing reshaped the humanities in the 18th 

and 19th centuries. The writings of Hölderlin, 

Emerson, Poe, Whitman, Byron, Wordsworth, 

and Keats, as well as the paintings of Turner 

and Goya and the music of Beethoven, are 

vibrantly presented. Scholars Susan Wolfson, 

professor of English at Princeton University; 

Rafael Argullol Murgados, director of the 

Institut Universitari de Cultura; Xavier Antich, 

professor of aesthetics at the Universitat de 

Girona; and David Reynolds, distinguished 

professor of English at Baruch College, CUNY, 

discuss the characteristics of this influential 

movement and its impact on contemporary 

culture. (53 minutes) © 2005 



Educational Media Reviews Online 

$149.95 QBV33782 • DVD / VOD 

BEST 

SELLER 

Realism: The Artistic 

Form of the Truth 

It is a creative impulse as old 

as humanity itself: to depict 

life faithfully, accurately, in 

words or images. This program shows how 

that impulse led to Realism—a widespread 

artistic movement, born in the latter half 

of the 19th century, that rejected pretense, 

distortion, and sentimentality. Incorporating 

interviews with art historians and literary 

scholars, the program explores the sociopolitical 

origins of the phenomenon in the 1848 

Revolution in France and the concurrent wave 

of industrialization that swept Europe and 

America. Luminous images by Édouard Manet, 

Gustave Courbet, Jean-François Millet, and 

Honoré Daumier—along with the unflinching 

writings of Honoré de Balzac, Gustave 

Flaubert, Émile Zola, Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor 

Dostoyevsky, Anton Chekhov, August 

Strindberg, and Henrik Ibsen—are analyzed 

and compared with the work of Thomas 

Eakins, George Bellows, Mark Twain, Jack 

London, Stephen Crane, and others. The 

contributions of early photographers and 

filmmakers, as well as the first stirrings of 

feminism, are also examined. (54 minutes) 

© 2007 Preview Clip Online C 

2007 Silver Telly Award—Education 

(for academic use) category 

2007 Silver Telly Award—Cultural category 

Drama: Survey • Classical & Medieval Drama 

The Role of Theatre in 

ON Ancient Greece 

DEMAND 

BEST 

This program looks at the 

FAVORITE theaters SELLER of Herodus Atticus, 

Epidauros, Corinth (where 

Arion is said to have taught the dithyramb), 

and many others to explain the design of 

the ancient theater, the synthesis of art forms 

that was ancient Greek drama, the origins 

of tragedy, the audience in classical times, 

the comparative roles of writer/director and 

actors, and the use of the surrounding landscape 

in many plays. (23 minutes) © 1989 


$99.95 QBV1634 • DVD / VOD 

Women in 

ON Classical Greek Drama 

DEMAND 

BEST 

They gave their names to 

FAVORITE 

SELLER 

some of the most memorable 

plays in Western history, and, 

thousands of years later, they are still very 

much a presence in contemporary culture. 

Who were the women of classical Greek 

drama? In this program, the presentation of 

powerful women in Medea, Antigone, and 

Lysistrata is contrasted with the circumscribed 

role of women in Athenian society by 

Princeton University’s Froma Zeitlin; Helene 

Foley, of Barnard College; Jeffrey Henderson, 

of Boston University; Robin Mitchell-Boyask, 

of Temple University; Mary-Kay Gamel, of the 

University of California, Santa Cruz; and Peter 

Meineck, producing artistic director of the 

critically and academically acclaimed Aquila 

Theatre Company. Film clips from notable 

productions support this in-depth discussion 

of women and their representation in ancient 

Greece. A Films for the Humanities & 

Sciences Production. (38 minutes) © 2003 


Highly recommended by 


$169.95 QBV31128 • DVD / VOD 

$169.95 QBV35428 • DVD / VOD 



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Classical & Medieval Drama 

BEST 

SELLER 

Greek Drama: From Ritual to Theater 

Why do plays well over two millennia old still speak to audiences today? This 

program traces Greek theater from ancient harvest rites to the golden age of 

Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, and Aristophanes. Key scenes from Antigone, 

Oedipus Tyrannus, Medea, and Lysistrata show how these works remain relevant 

by exploring the timeless themes of honor, class, gender, sexuality, and politics. Essential concepts 

such as catharsis, hamartia, and the use of masks and a chorus are discussed. Scholarly commentary 

by Helene Foley of Barnard College, Jeffrey Henderson of Boston University, Princeton 

University’s Robert Fagles, and Peter Meineck of NYU’s Aquila Theatre Company emphasizes 

the vitality of classical drama and the essential role it played in the everyday lives of the 

ancient Greeks. A Films for the Humanities & Sciences Production. (57 minutes) © 2001 


Recommended by Video Librarian and Educational Media Reviews Online. 

$169.95 QBV11790 • DVD / VOD 

BEST 

SELLER 

Sophocles’ three Theban 

plays tell the story of 

Oedipus and his family: 

of how the great King of 

Thebes was destroyed 

after he learned his true identity, of his 

mysterious death years later at Colonus, 

and how his daughter Antigone, inheritor 

of his destiny, defied the power of the 

state embodied in her mother’s brother, 

King Creon. This superb contemporary 

translation set in a non-specific, not-toodistant 

past dispenses with the masks 

while remaining true to the text as the 

finest classical British actors bring the 

tragedies to life. (2 hours each) © 1986 

Preview Clip Online C a 

“This compelling production...will give senior 

high school and college classes and specialinterest 

viewers a wonderful sense of the 

intensity of classic drama.”—Booklist 

Oedipus the King 

Sophocles often won the leading prize at 

the Dionysia, the principal dramatic festival 

of Athens; but Oedipus the King was a runnerup, 

winner of the second prize. Posterity, 

however, considers the play second to none. 

The play tells the beginning of the Oedipus 

saga, setting the stage and creating the 

characters who will continue the story to 

its conclusion in Antigone. With Michael 

Pennington, John Gielgud, and Claire Bloom. 

$179.95 QBV1318 • DVD / VOD 

Oedipus at Colonus 

Bearer of an almost unspeakable, immutable 

fate, Oedipus yet feels himself a man chosen— 

that is, favored—by the gods. Now an old 

man, blind and outcast, Oedipus wanders 

through Greece guided by his daughter 

Antigone until he comes to Colonus, where 

he knows he will die. Protected by the ruler 

of Thebes against the armies of Creon who 

have come in pursuit, he curses his son 

Polynices for indifference and ingratitude. 

Oedipus in this play is old and rails against 

the indignities of old age. Sophocles, nearly 

90 at the time of its composition, apparently 

wrote the play to prove he was of sound 

mind; his son, it seems, was trying to claim 

Sophocles’ estate by accusing his father of 

senility. With Anthony Quayle as Oedipus, 

John Shrapnel as Creon, Juliet Stevenson as 

Antigone, and Kenneth Haigh as Polynices. 

$179.95 QBV1319 • DVD / VOD 

Antigone 

Antigone is perhaps the most easily accessible 

of all the great classical tragedies, its theme 

clear and up-to-date: the conflict between 

moral and political law. Now the tale of 

Oedipus and his family comes to its end— 

he, his wife Jocasta, his sons, and now, at 

the last, his daughter, all dead. Antigone is 

not the only victim in the play; Creon too 

comes to a tragic downfall—although he 

repents in time, bureaucratic ritual results in 

the deaths of Creon’s son and wife, burdening 

him with guilt as well as grief. With Juliet 

Stevenson, John Shrapnel, and John Gielgud. 

$179.95 QBV1320 • DVD / VOD 

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Euripides: Medea 

This is the stunning Kennedy 

Center production of Euripides’ 

great classic about a woman 

driven by emotion beyond the 

brink of rationality. With Zoe Caldwell as 

Medea and Judith Anderson as the nurse. 

The English text is by Robinson Jeffers. 


“A powerful portrait of madness born of 

injustice...Highly recommended.” 

—Video Librarian 

$99.95 QBV748 • DVD / VOD 

ON 

DEMAND 

FAVORITE 

The Gods Are Laughing: 

Aristophanes, His Life and Theatre 

As irreverent and bawdy as Aristophanes, 

but with more accessible humor, this pseudobiography 

juxtaposes elements of Aristophanic 

plays with the activities of contemporaneous 

people to show how Aristophanes became the 

father of political satire and why his theatrical 

innovations are still staples of the contemporary 

theater. Aristophanes is shown as an artist 

living on the edge, who uses comedy to mock 

his enemies and wages a one-man campaign 

against those Athenians who revel in war and 

death; he is set off against his son, who wants 

to write to entertain; a coldly rational Socrates; 

Cephisophon, the Laurence Olivier of ancient 

Greece; the dictator, Cleon; and Aristophanes’ 

skeptical mother, who prefers tragedy to 

comedy. Caution: contains sexual situations. 


$169.95 QBV6125 • DVD / VOD 

The Odyssey 

In this program, translator Robert Fagles, 

Librarian of Congress Emeritus Daniel 

Boorstin, classicist Bernard Knox, archaeologist 

Sarantis Symeonoglou, art historian Diana 

Buitron-Oliver, and Steven Tracy, of The Ohio 

State University, retrace Odysseus’ journey, 

link it to modern experience, and show 

how the images and events portrayed in the 

epic poem continue to resonate in literature, 

philosophy, and the visual arts. The themes 

of ego, temptation, survival, and homecoming 

are emphasized. Clips from the 1955 classic 

fi lm Ulysses are featured. A Discovery 

University Production. (51 minutes) 


$99.95 QBV32886 • DVD / VOD 


Classical & Medieval Drama 

BEST 

SELLER 

Medieval Drama: 

From Sanctuary to Stage 

This defi nitive program traces 

the development of medieval 

drama, from Hildegard von 

Bingen’s musical morality play Ordo Virtutum 

(The Ritual of the Virtues) to the seminal 

Everyman. Featuring extended excerpts from 

these infl uential works, as well as from The 

Second Shepherd’s Play and the 1998 staging 

of the Mystery Cycle in York, England, the 

video also establishes the genre’s socioreligious 

context. Expert commentary from a 

variety of scholars, including Meg Twycross of 

Lancaster University and Alexandra Johnston of 

the University of Toronto, as well as interviews 

with theater staff help to capture the vitality of 

an art form that bridges dramatic history from 

the Classical Age to Shakespeare. A Films for 

the Humanities & Sciences Production. 



$169.95 QBV10819 • DVD / VOD 

The Summoning 

ON of Everyman 

DEMAND 

BEST 

In this adaptation of The 

FAVORITE 

SELLER 

Summoning of Everyman 

by Douglas Morse, a cast of 

classically trained actors, period music, opulent 

costumes, and captivating cinematography 

breathe new life into an enduring 15th-century 

morality play. A bittersweet story of the human 

condition performed with a moving earnestness. 

A commendable resource for courses 

in medieval studies, drama, and literature. 


$169.95 QBV39549 • DVD / VOD 

Highlights of the York Mystery Plays 

This enchanting program revives the drama 

and pageantry of the medieval mystery play 

as performed by the venerable guilds of York, 

England. Perched atop pageant wagons in the 

streets of their home city, guild members and 

townspeople in period costumes enact scenes 

from eleven plays of the Corpus Christi Cycle: 

Creation to the Fifth Day, The Creation of 

Adam and Eve, The Fall of Adam and Eve, The 

Flight into Egypt, The Temptation, The Agony 

in the Garden and the Betrayal of Christ, The 

Death of Christ, The Harrowing of Hell, The 

Incredulity of Thomas, The Ascension of Jesus 

Christ, and The Last Judgment. An introductory 

segment sets the stage. (57 minutes) © 1999 



$169.95 QBV11321 • DVD / VOD 


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Classical & Medieval Drama • Shakespearean Drama 

ON 

DEMAND 

FAVORITE 

Dante: 

Visions of the Inferno 

BEST 

Drawing upon the insights 

SELLER 

of numerous international 

scholars—and illustrating 

crucial passages with stunning animation 

sequences—this program guides viewers 

through the Inferno of Dante’s Divine Comedy. 

With detailed analysis of the poet’s descent 

into hell and navigation through its various 

levels, the program interprets Dante’s motives 

for embarking on such a journey, explains his 

relationship and interaction with both Virgil 

and Beatrice, and describes the complex 

mixture of morality and humanism within the 

work—embodied in Dante’s attitude toward 

those who inhabit the realms of the dead. 

(Portions in Italian and French with English 

subtitles, 74 minutes) © 2006 


$169.95 QBV35994 • DVD / VOD 

Dante’s Inferno 

This ambitious program, produced by the 

award-winning fi lm director Peter Greenaway 

and internationally known artist Tom Phillips, 

brings to life the fi rst eight cantos of Dante’s 

Inferno. Featuring a cast that includes Sir John 

Gielgud as Virgil, the cantos are not conventionally 

dramatized. Instead, the feeling of 

Dante’s poem is conveyed through juxtaposed 

imagery that conjures up a contemporary 

vision of hell, and its meaning is deciphered 

by eminent scholars in visual sidebars who 

interpret Dante’s metaphors and symbolism. 

Caution to viewers: program contains nudity. 

(8 segments, 11 minutes each) © 1993 


Winner, Prix Italia Special Prize 

Finalist Award, New York International 

Film & TV Festival 

“Nothing quite like it has been seen on television 

before. The extraordinary, multi-layered 

images on the screen are not so much stateof-the-art 

video but the state after that...” 

—The Times of London 

$99.95 QBV6276 • DVD / VOD 

Shakespeare’s Globe 

ON An intimate look inside a 

DEMAND 

BEST 

living time capsule, this 

FAVORITE 

SELLER 

program explores the planning 

and reconstruction of 

Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, presenting a 

day in the working life of the unique artistic 

institution. The video guides viewers through 

the facility, painstakingly designed and built 

to resemble the original Elizabethan playhouse, 

and offers commentary from the 

actors, artisans, and educators who practice 

their craft there. Illustrating how the Globe’s 

productions breathe life into the works of 

Shakespeare and his contemporaries, the 

program features thrilling performances from 

Romeo and Juliet, including the balcony scene 

and the death of Mercutio. (50 minutes) 




$169.95 QBV35522 • DVD / VOD 

Shakespeare and His Theatre: The Globe 

A fi fth of London’s population in the year 

1600 were regular playgoers. Examination of 

the Globe Theatre shows where they stood, 

how the stage was constructed, and how the 

special effects so beloved by the audience 

were achieved, from thunder and lightning 

to fairies fl ying through the air and ghosts 

emerging from the earth. Rehearsals were 

minimal and there was no producer or 

director—just the play, the actors, and the 

audience of two to three thousand, which 

could be kept under control only by the 

interest of the play itself. The program points 

out that Shakespeare himself wrote the plays 

to be adaptable to different theaters when 

the company was on tour, and to different 

audiences. (28 minutes) © 1993 


$149.95 QBV3973 • DVD / VOD 

A Muse of Fire 

ON As the landscape of the New 

DEMAND 

BEST 

World awakened England’s 

FAVORITE imagination, SELLER 

so did a new 

landscape of words—in 

the English of William Shakespeare and the 

King James Bible. This classic PBS program 

describes the spread of English to North 

America and explains how Shakespeare’s 

prodigious vocabulary altered the language. 

The program also describes the making 

of the Authorized Version of the Bible— 

the only great work of literature ever 

created by committee. (60 minutes) © 1986 


$149.95 QBV36925 • DVD / VOD 




A Time of Revolution 

This program begins during the reign of Queen 

Elizabeth I and the start of a cultural revolution. 

Through historic documents we discover that, 

contrary to popular belief, William Shakespeare 

was born to a wealthy family and as a child 

received a privileged education. But as a teenager 

his world is turned upside down when his 

family is persecuted for their religious beliefs. At 

18, Shakespeare becomes a father and a husband 

and we fi nd that a love poem to his wife would 

become his fi rst known work. 

$169.95 QBV44324 • VOD 

The Lost Years 

In this program, Michael Wood explores 

confl icting theories of how Shakespeare spent the 

ten years between his marriage to Anne Hathaway 

and his emergence as a star writer in London. 

Other than the birth of his three children, there is 

no factual detail available, but as this fi lm reveals, 

there are some very intriguing clues. Wood uses 

Tudor maps, guidebooks, parish records, and 

recently rediscovered Victorian photos to pinpoint 

the street where Shakespeare fi rst lived, the inns 

where he fi rst drank, and the “winding lane” he 

walked down each day. 

$169.95 QBV44325 • VOD 

$129.95 QBV42126 • DVD / VOD 


Shakespearean Drama 

In Search of Shakespeare, 

with Michael Wood 

The details of William Shakespeare’s life are often shrouded in obscurity. In this 4-part series, 

Michael Wood takes the viewer on an adventurous journey through Elizabethan England as he 

uncovers the life story of the most iconic fi gure in literary history. Through a mixture of travel 

sequences, scholarly interviews, and re-created adventure, we see “The Bard’s” life, set 

against the backdrop of his turbulent era of militarism, domestic surveillance, and foreign 

wars. Distributed by PBS Distribution. (60 minutes each) © 2005 Preview Clip Online C 




The Duty of Poets 

In this program, Michael Wood uncovers 

Shakespeare’s rise to fame and fortune in 

Elizabethan London, and the disasters in life and 

love that marked his path to greatness. We meet 

Queen Elizabeth’s public enemy number one: the 

missionary and poet, Robert Southwell, who had 

challenged poets to return to God. But rejecting 

the plea to write religious poetry, Shakespeare 

pens “Romeo and Juliet” and “A Midsummer 

Night’s Dream,” cementing his place as England’s 

greatest popular playwright. 

$169.95 QBV44326 • VOD 

For All Time 

In this program, Michael Wood uncovers the story 

of Shakespeare’s life in the “New Age” of King 

James I. It is a riveting exploration of the circumstances 

that led to the penning of “Macbeth” and 

“The Tempest”—a play often seen as his farewell 

to the stage. However, we discover his true fi nal 

play “King Henry VIII” is inspired by his own 

times, the story of the split that shook up his 

parents’ lives and shaped his own. Even in his 

death, Shakespeare remains mysterious as his will 

is riddled with a strange bequest to his wife. 

$169.95 QBV44327 • VOD 

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QBV44323 • VOD 

In the Steps of William Shakespeare: London and Stratford 

An aromatic stew of biography and local color, this program will give viewers a sense of the London 

and Stratford of Shakespeare’s time. The section on London visits 18 major sites associated with the Bard 

and his plays, including the Tower of London, St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Middle Temple for law students, 

George Tavern, Southwark Cathedral, and the Globe Theatre site. The section on Stratford conjures up 

the presence of young Will through a journey around Warwickshire, featuring Shakespeare’s birthplace, 

the baptismal font and tomb at Trinity Church, the King Edward VI Grammar School, Anne Hathaway’s 

cottage, Shottery, Wilmcote, Kenilworth Castle, the Mary Arden Farm, and many other signifi cant 

locations. (42 minutes) © 2004 Preview Clip Online 


16 



Training for 

Shakespeare: 

Young Actors’ 

Workshops 

at the Globe 

Theatre 

Filmed at the Globe Theatre in London, this 

16-part series spotlights teen and young-adult 

performers from British drama schools as they 

enact—with passion, guts, intellect, and physicality—specific 

scenes from Shakespeare’s 

plays. Each episode condenses a session of 

rigorous, mentored technical training designed 

to prepare students for the highest levels 

of film and stage performance. Original title: 

A Taste of Shakespeare. (15 minutes each) 


Antony Cleopatra 

Perhaps the most sweepingly romantic of 

Shakespeare’s tragedies, Antony and Cleopatra 

portrays two leaders of the ancient world at the 

mercy of their very human desires. Filmed at the 

Globe Theatre, this program spotlights young 

actors from first-rate London drama schools as 

they workshop Act II, Scene 3, from the play. 

$49.95 QBV43356 • DVD / VOD 

Hamlet 

Why does Hamlet resonate so deeply with 

modern audiences? This video helps viewers 

contemplate that subject, recording students from 

top London drama schools as they work on Act 

III, Scene 1, in which the Danish prince must 

decide whether to be or not to be. Rehearsals 

and a performance are followed by discussion 

among the young actors. 

$49.95 QBV43357 • DVD / VOD 

Henry VIII 

A group of gifted young British actors takes on 

Act II, Scene 4, from Shakespeare’s Henry VIII. 

Queen Catherine’s desperate plea for reason and 

compassion from her recalcitrant husband and 

the cunning Wolsey takes shape through expertly 

guided rehearsals and a polished performance, 

followed by a heady discussion. 

$49.95 QBV43358 • DVD / VOD 

Henry V 

Its kingly speeches are as stirring as any battle 

cry—offering inspiration not only to budding 

actors but to anyone who wants to move a 

crowd, Shakespeare-style. This program focuses 

on Act II, Scene 2, from Henry V, following 

young British performers who have been 

invited to the Globe Theatre to perform the 

suspenseful passage. 

$49.95 QBV43359 • DVD / VOD 

Julius Caesar 

Loyalty and betrayal—Shakespeare’s body of 

work is shot through with both subjects, and 

Julius Caesar stands as a prime example. This 

program puts young British actors in the spotlight 

as they perform Act IV, Scene 3, from the play 

at London’s Globe Theatre. Subsequently, the 

players hash over the dramatic and very human 

implications of the scene. 

$49.95 QBV43360 • DVD / VOD 

King John 

Welcome to Shakespeare’s King John, a 

power-struggle narrative with several fascinating 

characters. Viewers follow young acting students 

as they rehearse and perform Scene 2 from 

Act V. Shakespeare may not have intended 

a commentary on the futility of warfare, but 

a post-performance discussion does touch on 

that possibility. 

$49.95 QBV43361 • DVD / VOD 

King Lear 

There are few happy moments in King Lear, 

perhaps the most bleak of all Shakespeare’s 

plays. This program presents an enactment 

of Act IV, Scene 7, among Lear’s more lyrical 

and less ominous passages. A group of young 

British actors rehearses and performs a splendid 

rendition of the King’s reunion with his 

daughter, Cordelia. 

$49.95 QBV43362 • DVD / VOD 



Macbeth 

The climate of evil in Macbeth is as potent as 

any 21st-century psychological thriller—perhaps 

even more so. Can an ensemble of youthful 

actors even come close to tackling Shakespeare’s 

exploration of a murderous lust for power? This 

program follows British drama students as they 

take on the project, rehearsing and performing 

Act II, Scene 2. 

$49.95 QBV43363 • DVD / VOD 

The Merchant of Venice 

Scholars the world over have tried to dissect 

Shakespeare’s attitude toward Shylock. But it may 

be better to give The Merchant of Venice breath 

and movement, rather than textual analysis, 

to arrive at an honest reading of its soul. This 

program presents such an effort, featuring drama 

students working on Scene 1 from Act IV at the 

Globe Theatre. 

$49.95 QBV43364 • DVD / VOD 

A Midsummer Night’s Dream 

Shakespeare’s tale of mischief and enchantment 

is, in a sense, the prototype of today’s giddy 

big-screen romances. At any rate, that’s one 

comparison emerging from a handful of young 

actors invited to the Globe Theatre to rehearse 

and perform Midsummer’s Act III, Scene 2. This 

program documents their work and the discussion 

that follows. 

$49.95 QBV43365 • DVD / VOD 

Othello 

It might be seen as racist, anti-feminist, perhaps 

even militaristic, depending on one’s ideology. 

But Othello remains one of the most agonizing 

studies of jealousy in the whole of English literature. 

This program accompanies young drama 

students as they rehearse, perform, and discuss 

Act IV, Scene 3—a foreboding segment near the 

end of the play. 

$49.95 QBV43366 • DVD / VOD 

Pericles 

“I am great with woe, and shall deliver weeping,” 

says the Prince of Tyre, hero of Shakespeare’s 

wide-ranging drama. Act V, Scene 1, in which 

Pericles realizes he stands face-to-face with his 

daughter, Marina, is the poignant heart of this 

roll-up-your-sleeves acting lesson. Students from 

leading London drama schools rehearse and 

perform the scene. 

$49.95 QBV43367 • DVD / VOD 



Richard II 

Chronologically speaking, Richard II is the play 

that kick-starts Shakespeare’s cycle of royal histories. 

It’s also notable for its powerful, introspective 

speeches, that resonate almost like arias, melancholy 

and autumnal. This program highlights 

the dissection, rehearsal, and performance of 

just such a passage—Act IV, Scene 1—by young 

British actors. 

$49.95 QBV43368 • DVD / VOD 

Richard III 

Recounting the brief rule of England’s last 

Plantagenet monarch, Shakespeare created a 

despicable anti-hero with surprising appeal. 

This program follows work on Act IV, Scene 2, 

in which the would-be king plots the murder of 

his nephews. As they perform and discuss the 

scene, young drama students note Richard’s 

magnetism as well as his malice. 

$49.95 QBV43369 • DVD / VOD 

Romeo and Juliet 

Although it shares many of the qualities of tragedy 

in the classical sense, Romeo and Juliet features 

protagonists who are doomed not because of 

inherent faults but because their love is too good 

for their world. This video follows young drama 

students who prepare, perform, and share their 

thoughts on Act II, Scene 2—the legendary 

balcony scene. 

$49.95 QBV43370 • DVD / VOD 

The Taming of the Shrew 

It’s fascinating to watch high-school and 

college-age performers work on The Taming 

of the Shrew—to see how they tackle issues of 

male dominance and female independence, if 

at all. This program records just such a process, 

highlighting the rehearsal and performance of 

Act IV, Scene 3, by young actors at London’s 

Globe Theatre. 

$49.95 QBV43371 • DVD / VOD 

SAVE 15%! 





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BEST 

SELLER 

Romeo and Juliet: Live from 

Shakespeare’s Globe 

“But, soft! what light through 

yonder window breaks? It is 

the east, and Juliet is the sun.” 

Performed at Shakespeare’s Globe, London’s 

faithful reconstruction of the open-air playhouse 

designed in 1599, Romeo and Juliet 

is arguably the best-loved of all love stories 

in Western literature. The play’s masterful 

combination of lyricism, suspense, and 

dramatic changes of mood is dramatized 

by an energetic cast that stars Adetomiwa 

Edun—called “a Romeo to die for” by The 

Independent (London)—and, in her stage 

debut as Juliet, Ellie Kendrick. Directed by 

Dominic Dromgoole. (2 hours 51 minutes) 


$169.95 QBV41373 • DVD / VOD 

As You Like It: Live from 

ON Shakespeare’s Globe 

DEMAND 

BEST 

As You Like It runs the glorious 

FAVORITE 

SELLER 

gamut of pastoral romance: 

disguises and love notes, 

poetry and brilliant conversation, gentle satire 

and full-on slapstick, and running throughout 

it all, passion! This staging—performed at 

Shakespeare’s Globe, London’s faithful reconstruction 

of the open-air playhouse designed 

in 1599—spotlights Naomi Frederick, Jack 

Laskey, Laura Rogers, Jamie Parker, and 

Dominic Rowan in the roles of Rosalind, 

Orlando, Celia, Oliver, and the irrepressible 

Touchstone. “This is an As You Like It bursting 

with youth and vigour,” says The Independent 

(London), a “boisterous, rambunctious new 

production.” Directed by Thea Sharrock. 

(2 hours 15 minutes) © 2009 


$169.95 QBV41374 • DVD / VOD 

Love’s Labour’s Lost: 

Live from Shakespeare’s Globe 

Philip Cumbus is the King of Navarre and 

Michelle Terry is the Princess of France 

in this performance of Love’s Labour’s Lost 

at Shakespeare’s Globe, London’s faithful 

reconstruction of the open-air playhouse 

designed in 1599. True to the play’s original 

Renaissance staging and costume, this 

production is a festive parade of every 

weapon in the youthful Shakespeare’s comic 

arsenal—excruciating cross-purposes, silly 

impersonations, drunkenness, bust-ups, and 

pratfalls—and a joyful banquet of language, 

groaning with puns, rhymes, bizarre syntax, 

grotesque coinages, and parody. Directed 

by Dominic Dromgoole. (2 hours 25 minutes) 


$169.95 QBV41375 • DVD / VOD 

King Lear 

ON This 2008 PBS telecast marks 

DEMAND 

BEST 

the return of Sir Ian McKellen 

FAVORITE to the SELLER Royal Shakespeare 

Company, a reunion that 

features his tour-de-force performance as the 

abused and tormented King Lear. After a world 

tour that included New York, Los Angeles, and 

Melbourne, the triumphant RSC production 

concluded in London’s West End, then went 

straight to Pinewood Studios for this special 

recording. Distributed by PBS Distribution. 


“Strongly recommended for those studying 

Shakespeare or for those with even a passing 

interest in the Bard’s works.”—Library Journal 

$299.95 QBV40944 • VOD 

This Is Macbeth 

ON A hilarious and insightful 

DEMAND 

BEST 

introduction to Shakespeare’s 

FAVORITE Scottish SELLER 

play, This Is Macbeth 

consists of amusing talk 

show-style interviews with the main characters 

interspersed with scenes from the play 

itself, performed in deadly earnestness by 

professional Shakespearean actors. Musical 

summaries, an on-screen ticker, and ridiculous 

medieval “commercial breaks” round out 

the faux-TV experience. This Is Macbeth was 

created for Stanford University’s Program in 

Structured Liberal Education. (99 minutes) 


Recommended by Library Journal. 

$199.95 QBV40500 • DVD / VOD 

The Merchant of Venice: 

A New Perspective 

This adaptation of The Merchant of Venice, 

directed by University of Cambridge visiting 

scholar Douglas Morse, focuses on Portia’s 

story as well as the play’s essential humor— 

aspects frequently given short shrift in other 

productions. The DVD version offers a 

quick-access menu to important scenes and 

monologues and a 44-minute conversation 

with Shakespeare scholar Dr. Phyllis Rackin. 

(133 minutes + 44 minutes of bonus material) 




$349.95 QBV40054 • DVD / VOD 



ND 

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The Winter’s Tale 

Half tragedy and half romance, The Winter’s 

Tale is arguably one of Shakespeare’s most 

captivating dramas. This highly acclaimed 

production by The Royal Shakespeare 

Company was performed at the Barbican 

Theatre in London. Interviews with key 

members of both the cast and the RSC production 

team offer insights into the play and its 

staging. (2 parts, 62 minutes each) © 1999 


“A masterful version of one of the very greatest 

plays...not to be missed.”—Daily Mail 

“Powerfully affecting theatre...that sets the 

stage ablaze.”—The Daily Telegraph 

$169.95 QBV33353 • DVD / VOD 

Othello 

ON “John Kani’s Othello is a 

DEMAND 

BEST 

fi ne and masterful perfor- 

FAVORITE 

SELLER 

mance that should make 

every white actor think twice 

before blacking up for the Moor,” wrote The 

Guardian of this raw and powerful interpretation 

of the play. The production marked the 

fi rst time an African actor had been cast in the 

title role opposite a white Desdemona before 

a multiracial audience in Johannesburg, South 

Africa. With Tony Award-winner John Kani as 

Othello, Joanna Weinberg as Desdemona, and 

a contextual introduction by director Janet 

Suzman. (3 hours 7 minutes) © 1988 

Preview Clip Online C A 

Recommended by Library Journal and 

Video Rating Guide for Libraries. 

$99.95 QBV3030 • DVD / VOD 

BEST 

SELLER 

Hamlet: The Royal 

Shakespeare Company 

Production Starring 

David Tennant 

Hailed as “the greatest Hamlet 

of his generation,” actor David Tennant 

headlines this edgy fi lm version of the 2008 

RSC stage production. Evoking 21st-century 

anxieties, the fi lm features modern attire, 

a recurring motif of high-tech surveillance, 

and inspired supporting work by Patrick 

Stewart as Claudius and Oliver Ford Davies 

as Polonius. Original broadcast title: Hamlet. 

An Illuminations/Royal Shakespeare Company 

Production. (2 parts, 88 minutes and 

94 minutes) © 2009 Preview Clip Online C ‡ 

$169.95 QBV41685 • DVD / VOD 



Kenneth Branagh’s 

ON Twelfth Night 

DEMAND 

BEST 

Kenneth Branagh takes on 

FAVORITE Shakespeare’s SELLER Twelfth Night 

with the Renaissance Theatre 

Company. The exemplary cast includes 

Richard Briers as Malvolio, Frances Barber as 

Viola, Caroline Langrishe as Olivia, Christopher 

Ravenscroft as Orsino, and James Saxon as 

Sir Toby Belch. The original music for this 

production is by Paul McCartney and Pat 

Doyle. (2 hours 40 minutes) © 1988 


Recommended by School Library Journal. 

$99.95 QBV2746 • DVD / VOD 

A Waste of Shame: 

ON The Mystery of 

DEMAND 

BEST 

Shakespeare and 

FAVORITE His SELLER 

Sonnets 

At the center of Shakespeare’s 

sonnet sequence lies a mystery that has 

endured for centuries. Who are “the young 

man” and “the dark lady”? This moving 

performance brings to life the reality of 

17th-century England, bits of the Bard’s 

works, and the consummate poet and dramatist 

himself. Contains mature themes and 

explicit language. Some content may be 

objectionable. Produced by the Open 

University. (86 minutes) © 2005 


$169.95 QBV36206 • DVD / VOD 

Theater Games: Workshopping Body 

Language in Shakespeare 

In the world of Shakespeare, body language 

is as much a form of expression as the spoken 

word. In this program, dramatist Clive Barker, 

author of Theatre Games; award-winning 

actress Fiona Shaw; and Cicely Berry, voice 

director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, 

demonstrate the value of theater games as 

a method of improving physical engagement 

with Shakespeare’s works. Activities designed 

to sharpen concentration and deepen expression 

are enthusiastically carried out by 

workshop participants, leading to spirited 

renderings of Sonnet 57 and scenes from 

A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hamlet, 

Macbeth, and King Lear. Produced by 

the Open University. (92 minutes) © 1999 

$169.95 QBV29433 • DVD 


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Now Available! My Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet for a New Generation, 

with Baz Luhrmann 

This documentary follows twenty non-actors as they put on a production at the Royal Academy 

of Dramatic Arts (RADA) in London’s West End. The performers will have four weeks to explore 

Shakespeare’s great play of love and loss, Romeo and Juliet. The novice cast—under the direction 

of British actor Paterson Joseph and mentored by celebrated Australian film director Baz Luhrmann— 

revitalizes the classic with their raw performance. The play’s enduring message has an unexpected 

resonance with the cast. Through a hybrid of drama and documentary, the directors will explore 

the themes and history behind Shakespeare’s most famous theatrical production. Distributed by 

PBS Distribution. (90 minutes) © 2006 Preview Clip Online C 

$169.95 QBV44329 • VOD 

ShakespeaRe-Told 

Shakespeare’s appeal is often said to be timeless; these contemporary adaptations 

of four of his plays prove the description apt. Each program puts a modern gloss on a 

Shakespearean classic, further highlighting the core strength and attraction of the Bard’s 

perennial themes. Produced by BBC Northern Ireland and Horsebridge Productions. 

(86–90 minutes each) © 2005 Preview Clip Online C ‡ 

Much Ado about Nothing 

Amorous sparks fly alongside barbed repartee 

in this hip adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic 

romantic comedy. A modern television news 

studio provides the setting, transforming 

Beatrice and Benedick—played by Sarah 

Parish and Damian Lewis—into bickering 

co-anchors. Meanwhile, Don, a jealous studio 

tech, tries to sabotage the budding love affair 

between Claude the sports guy and Hero the 

weather girl. Screenplay writer David Nicholls 

cleverly weaves Sonnet 116 (“Let me not to 

the marriage of true minds / Admit impediments.”) 

into the dialogue. 

Brian Percival, Best Director, British Academy of 

Film and Television Arts Awards (BAFTA) 2006 

$179.95 QBV41151 • DVD / VOD 

Macbeth 

Renowned restaurateur Duncan Docherty 

has built a gastronomic empire, but his souschef 

and mâitre d’ are cooking up treachery. 

In this modern retelling of Shakespeare’s 

tragedy, screenwriter Peter Moffat sets the 

action in a 3-star London restaurant with a 

kitchen full of flashing blades and bloody 

business. James McAvoy plays Joe Macbeth, 

revered by his staff and relied on by 

Duncan—even to groom his son, Malcolm, 

to take over the operation. Keeley Hawes 

plays Macbeth’s wife, Ella, the charming, 

scheming hostess. Vincent Regan is Duncan 

and Richard Armitage is Peter Macduff, 

the avenging headwaiter. 

$179.95 QBV41152 • DVD / VOD 

The Taming of the Shrew 

Meet Katherine Minola, member of Parliament 

and aspiring prime minister. When her advisers 

suggest that she marry, she reacts with the 

same fury she brings to everything—and 

everyone. But one man is going to change 

her outlook: enter Petruchio. Screenwriter Sally 

Wainwright updates Shakespeare’s romantic 

farce, with Shirley Henderson as the irascible 

Katherine; Jaime Murray as her supermodel 

sister, Bianca; and Rufus Sewell as Petruchio, 

the spendthrift with a heart of gold. 

$179.95 QBV41153 • DVD / VOD 

A Midsummer Night’s Dream 

Theo and Polly host a party in Dream Park to 

celebrate their daughter Hermia’s engagement 

to James, but when Xander, Hermia’s true 

love, shows up to dispute the betrothal, it 

takes magical intervention to set things right. 

Peter Bowker adapts Shakespeare’s unusual 

romantic comedy where the problems of 

mortal love are mirrored in interlocking 

plots between Fairyland and the modern 

world. Bill Patterson plays Theo, Imelda 

Staunton is Polly, and the sly Puck is 

portrayed by Dean Lennox Kelly. 

$179.95 QBV41154 • DVD / VOD 

SAVE 15%! 







ON 

DEMAND 

FAVORITE 

Ben Jonson 

As arrogant and brash as he was talented 

and innovative, Ben Jonson lived a life as rife 

with drama as any of his many plays. He was 

jailed more than once for staging dramas that 

satirized the powers that be, and nearly had 

his ears and nose mutilated after collaborating 

on a play that lampooned King James I. Friend 

and colleague of Shakespeare, he is considered 

by many to have been the fi rst poet 

laureate of England. This program examines 

how Jonson’s poetry, masques, and plays 

brought a level of humor, intellect, and 

formal discipline to English letters that had 

rarely been seen before. Excerpts from The 

Alchemist; Every Man in His Humor; Volpone, 

or the Fox; and Jonson’s poetry are included. 




$169.95 QBV33391 • DVD / VOD 

Pedro Calderón de la Barca 

The Spanish code of honor and the mystery 

of holy rituals are at the forefront of Pedro 

Calderón de la Barca’s poetic dramas. This 

program surveys Calderón’s achievements 

in the secular and religious theater of 

17th-century Spain, highlighting his renown 

as an innovator. Recounting his family background 

and the infl uence of Lope de Vega on 

his choice of themes and subject matter, the 

video illustrates the importance of the auto 

sacramental in Calderón’s oeuvre and the 

complexity of the honor tragedies and comedies 

he perfected. Additional material on his 

military and priesthood service complete this 

biography of the man who came to be known 

as Spain’s Shakespeare. (20 minutes) © 2006 


$99.95 QBV34764 • DVD / VOD 

BEST 

SELLER 


16th –18th Century Drama 

’Tis Pity She’s a Whore: 

The First Women on the 

London Stage 

Women appeared on London’s 

stages for the fi rst time in 1660; 

before that, female roles were played by boys. 

When the fi rst woman stepped onto the public 

stage, she was assumed to be a whore; men 

had free access to their dressing rooms and at 

least two, Moll Davis and Nell Gwynn, were 

mistresses to King Charles II. This program 

looks at the background and training of these 

fi rst actresses, at their infl uence on plays 

written at the time, at their lives and the roles 

they played, and at how their sexuality and 

availability became the central feature of their 

professional identity. (26 minutes) © 1994 


$169.95 QBV4802 • DVD / VOD 

ON 

DEMAND 

FAVORITE 

The Rivals 

Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s 

BEST 

witty comedy of manners The 

SELLER 

Rivals is one of only a small 

handful of 18th-century plays 

that continues to be produced—and studied— 

to this day. This classic BBC fi lm adaptation 

from 1986 launches Captain Absolute, Lydia 

Languish, Mrs. Malaprop, Sir Lucius O’Trigger, 

and the rest of the audacious cast into action 

once again as they pursue their confl icting 

agendas against a backdrop of romantic 

rivalry. A BBCW Production. (113 minutes) 

© 1986 Preview Clip Online C ‡ 

$199.95 QBV38691 • DVD / VOD 

She Stoops to Conquer 

An ambitious stepmother, a pragmatic 

father, impassioned sweethearts, and starryeyed 

suitors are all sent spinning in Oliver 

Goldsmith’s classic comedy of manners—and 

errors. Directed by Max Stafford-Clark and 

recorded at The Theatre Royal in Bath, this 

production of She Stoops to Conquer played to 

rave reviews. Staged with authentic costumes 

and sets, the commonly anthologized play 

makes an excellent introduction to 18thcentury 

theater. (2 parts, 74 minutes and 

65 minutes) © 2003 Preview Clip Online C 

“Supremely well acted.”—The Wall 

Street Journal 

$169.95 QBV33355 • DVD / VOD 


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19th–20th Century Drama 

Ibsen: Hedda Gabler 

ON Diana Rigg is the manipulative 

DEMAND 

BEST 

Hedda, who will not or cannot 

FAVORITE conform SELLER to what society 

considers “normal” for a 

woman. The arrival of an ex-lover on the 

scene gives her the opportunity to determine 

someone else’s fate—but of course that is not 

what Ibsen was writing about. With Denis Lill 

and Philip Bond, in the adaptation by John 

Osborne. (78 minutes) © 1980 


Recommended by School Library Journal, 

Booklist, and Video Rating Guide for Libraries. 

$149.95 QBV4053 • DVD / VOD 

Immortal Ibsen 

ON Second only to Shakespeare, 

DEMAND 

BEST 

Henrik Ibsen is the most- 

FAVORITE 

SELLER 

performed playwright in 

the world. This program, as 

much a tribute to the art of theater as to the 

immortal Ibsen, reveals a perennial fascination 

with Norway’s master playwright. 

Excerpts from A Doll’s House, Peer Gynt, 

and other productions captured on film in 

the United States, Canada, Britain, Norway, 

Denmark, Germany, Serbia, Iran, China, 

Argentina, and Venezuela are included, 

as well as interviews with renowned actor 

Earl Hyman and other notable interpreters 

of Ibsen’s plays. (51 minutes) © 2001 


“Exciting…and valuable documentary… 

showing why Henrik Ibsen is such a great 

playwright.”—Verdens Gang (Oslo), 

Norway’s largest newspaper 

“Fascinating...Artists from many countries 

explain why Ibsen still provokes the entire 

world.”—Aftenposten (Oslo) 

“The documentary has a global perspective… 

outstanding directors and actors express 

their passion for Ibsen.” 

—Adresseavisen (Trondheim) 

$169.95 QBV11789 • DVD / VOD 

Anton Chekhov: The Three Sisters 

The key scenes excerpted from this famous 

four-act drama portray the social aspirations 

of the Prozorov sisters as they struggle to eke 

out their dull existence in a small garrison 

town, forever hoping for a better future. The 

characters are gems of Chekhovian boredom, 

longing, and listlessness, beautifully exemplifying 

Russian middle-class pretension and 

despair. Produced by the Open University. 

(51 minutes) © 1976 

$169.95 QBV8674 • DVD 

Mark Twain 

A Film Directed by Ken Burns 

Considered by many the funniest man 

of his time, Mark Twain was a critic of 

human nature who used humor to attack 

hypocrisy, greed, and racism. As one 

of America’s most beloved authors, he 

created some of our most memorable 

characters, stories, and quotable sayings. 

In this two-part documentary series, 

director Ken Burns digs beneath the 

legend to discover the true Samuel 

Clemens—revealing an extraordinary 

life filled with adventure, comedy, literary 

success and failure, and more than its 

share of tragedy. A wealth of archival 

photos and material enriches both 

programs. Distributed by PBS Distribution. 

(112 minutes each) © 2001 


Part 1 

Covering both biographical and literary 

ground, this documentary by Ken Burns 

profiles author Samuel Clemens from birth 

to age 50. Viewers gain an understanding 

of Clemens’ disparate interests and priorities, 

the historical period in which he rose to 

prominence, and the impact of Huckleberry 

Finn on the American sensibility. Novelist 

Russell Banks and playwright Arthur Miller 

provide commentary. 

$169.95 QBV41031 • VOD 

Part 2 

Revealing the latter part of the life of 

Samuel Clemens, this documentary examines 

the realities behind the author’s enormous 

popularity: his diminishing success in 

publishing, his volatile finances, and the 

tragic losses he experienced as a husband 

and father. Clemens’ darker writings are 

studied along with his increasingly radical 

politics, which included a vehemently 

anti-imperialist stance. Numerous archival 

photos and materials enliven the program. 

$169.95 QBV41032 • VOD 

SAVE 15%! 







Federico García Lorca 

Initially trained as a classical pianist, Lorca 

became one of Spain’s greatest poets and 

dramatists. This program weaves archival 

footage with dozens of photos and manuscripts 

to examine his work, his infl uences, 

and his friendships with other luminaries, 

including Luis Buñuel, Salvador Dalí, and 

Pablo Neruda. Such poetic works as Llanto 

por Ignacio Sanchez Mejias, Poema del Cante 

Jondo, and Romancero Gitano are discussed 

in the context of their creation, as well as 

the plays La Zapatera Prodigiosa, Bodas de 

Sangre, Yerma, and La Casa de Bernarda 

Alba. The roles of Yerma and Bernarda are 

closely examined, as well as Lorca’s tragic 

muse Margarita Xirgu, for whom these parts 

were written. The program concludes with 

his murder by the Nationalists in his native 

Granada. (Spanish with English subtitles, 


Recommended by Críticas. 

$169.95 QBV29793 • DVD / VOD 

Luigi Pirandello: In Search of an Author 

In 1925 Luigi Pirandello brought his troupe 

to England as part of a worldwide tour. This 

program re-creates one day in London as 

“The Einstein of the Theater” watches his plays 

and, away from the footlights, confronts the 

paradoxical nature of his life. Portions of Six 

Characters in Search of an Author; Henry IV; 

Right You Are, If You Think You Are; and The 

Rules of the Game are meticulously staged, 

using actors’ accounts, period descriptions, and 

Pirandello’s own comments. Plus, biographical 

notes written by Pirandello himself provide a 

new angle on the inner torment that animates 

his work, while playwright Julian Mitchell and 

novelist Leonardo Sciascia critically analyze 

the action as it unfolds. (60 minutes) © 1988 


$99.95 QBV10037 • DVD / VOD 

Willa Cather: The Road Is All 

Her contribution to American letters is astonishing, 

including O Pioneers!, My Antonia, 

Death Comes for the Archbishop, and the 

Pulitzer Prize-winning One of Ours. This 

edition of American Masters profi les Willa 

Cather, one of the most unique and powerful 

voices in literary history. Distributed by PBS 

Distribution. (90 minutes) © 2005 


$129.95 QBV41094 • VOD 


19th–20th Century Drama 

Eugene O’Neill: A Documentary Film 

Presenting the story of America’s fi rst Nobel 

Prize-winning playwright, this episode of 

American Experience details the family dramas 

and personal upheavals that shaped Eugene 

O’Neill’s art. Viewers are introduced to The 

Iceman Cometh and Long Day’s Journey into 

Night through scenes staged especially for 

the program and performed by Al Pacino, 

Christopher Plummer, Vanessa Redgrave, 

and others. Distributed by PBS Distribution. 


$169.95 QBV40939 • VOD 

Eugene O’Neill: Long Day’s 

ON Journey into Night 

DEMAND 

BEST 

This critically acclaimed 

FAVORITE 

SELLER 

production of Eugene O’Neill’s 

autobiographical, Pulitzer 

Prize-winning drama unfolds over the course 

of a single day as the Tyrone family unfl inchingly 

confronts its oldest, most haunting 

secrets. At the center of that maelstrom of 

blame, anger, and self-deception are moments 

of incredible compassion, pity, and love—and, 

behind it all, the profound tragedy that binds 

the family together. This paean to great theater 

and the classics translates to the screen with 

luminous warmth and inspired skill, resulting 

in a production that ranks high among screen 

adaptations of major stage works. (3 hours) 


Gold Award, Worldfest, Houston International 

Film Festival 

“An engrossing fi lm that allows the O’Neill 

classic to soar as high as it ever did on stage.” 

—The Toronto Sun 

$199.95 QBV9046 • DVD / VOD 

Ernest Hemingway: 

ON Rivers to the Sea 

DEMAND 

BEST 

It is the art of Ernest 

FAVORITE Hemingway’s SELLER 

storytelling that 

forms the heart of this program 

from the American Masters series, the point of 

departure from which Hemingway’s life and 

writing are explored. His distinctive prose style 

and profound infl uence on the novel are indisputable, 

and his larger-than-life persona is still 

the stuff of speculation and debate. Distributed 

by PBS Distribution. (90 minutes) © 2005 


$169.95 QBV41087 • VOD 


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24 

20th Century Drama 

Tennessee Williams and 

ON the American South 

DEMAND 

BEST 

This outstanding program 

FAVORITE traces SELLER 

the life of Tennessee 

Williams, revisiting the locations 

in the southern states that were his 

inspiration. Scenes from Williams’ most memorable 

works, including The Glass Menagerie 

and A Streetcar Named Desire, evoke the 

atmosphere, characters, and confl icts of the 

Deep South, while footage of a rare television 

interview and a dramatic reenactment of the 

life of the young Tennessee provide new 

insights into one of America’s greatest playwrights. 


$169.95 QBV9215 • DVD / VOD 

BEST 

SELLER 

Arthur Miller 

and The Crucible 

In the 1950s, the House 

Un-American Activities 

Committee was set up to combat 

the growing “threat” of communism in the 

U.S. Playwright Arthur Miller was one of many 

writers summoned to testify at this political 

witch-hunt. Miller, who was nearly ruined, said 

that until that time he had not understood the 

“inexplicable darkness” that prevented people 

from seeing evil and denouncing it—the 

central theme in The Crucible, based on the 

Salem witch trials. Interweaving rarely seen 

excerpts from the BBC production of the play 

with dramatizations of congressional hearing 

testimony, this powerful documentary highlights 

fundamental themes in common with 

both, and their infl uence on the playwright’s 

development. A BBC Production. (29 minutes) 

© 1981 Preview Clip Online ‡ 

$99.95 QBV7294 • DVD / VOD 

BEST 

SELLER 

August Wilson: 

The American Dream, 

in Black and White 

In this incisive program, 

two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning 

playwright August Wilson returns home to the 

Hill District of Pittsburgh in 1990 to review his 

life and career. Archival footage and interviews 

with Wilson, former New York Times theater 

critic Frank Rich, fellow writers, and others 

provide insights into the African-American 

experience, from the Great Black Migration 

to more recent times. Scenes from Jitney, Ma 

Rainey’s Black Bottom, Fences, Joe Turner’s 

Come and Gone, and Two Trains Running 

reveal the impact of the oral tradition and the 

blues on Wilson’s poetic prose, a skillful blend 

of art and authenticity. (52 minutes) © 1990 


$169.95 QBV10089 • DVD / VOD 

Bertolt Brecht 

The German poet, playwright, and theatrical 

reformer who developed the drama as a 

social and ideological forum is the subject 

of this program, in which those who knew 

him discuss his life and many works. Excerpts 

from plays such as Mother Courage and 

Her Children, The Life of Galileo, The Good 

Woman of Setzuan, and Antigone highlight 

the development of Brecht’s austere form of 

irregular verse. A later work, A Little Orgnum 

for the Theater, is the embodiment of Brecht’s 

idea of true Marxist drama. It also showcases 

his theory of Epic Theater, which encourages 

spectators to view performances as scientifi c 

analyses of human behavior, rather than 

illusions of reality. A BBC Production. 

(53 minutes) © 1996 Preview Clip Online ‡ 

$99.95 QBV7772 • DVD / VOD 

Edward Albee 

This program looks back and explores the 

work of Edward Albee, from 1962’s Who’s 

Afraid of Virginia Woolf? to 1994’s Pulitzer 

Prize-winning drama Three Tall Women. 

Albee himself talks about the infl uence of his 

unusual childhood upon his work, his years 

in Greenwich Village, and his method of 

writing. In particular, he discusses a central 

theme in his work, the essential stripping 

away of illusion and self-delusion in order to 

live the extraordinary experience of life to the 

full. Fellow playwright John Guare and New 

York Times critic Frank Rich discuss Albee’s 

particular style and legacy. The program also 

contains extracts from the stage version of 

Three Tall Women; from the fi lm versions of 

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, with Richard 

Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, and A Delicate 

Balance, with Katherine Hepburn; and 

specially staged readings from A Zoo Story 

and The American Dream. (52 minutes) 

© 1995 


$169.95 QBV6277 • DVD 



What I Want My Words 

ON to Do to You 

DEMAND 

BEST 

In this classic program 

FAVORITE from SELLER the POV series, playwright 

Eve Ensler (The Vagina 

Monologues) leads 15 female inmates—most 

convicted of murder—through a series of 

exercises and intimate discussions, enabling 

them to expose their most terrifying realities 

as they grapple with the nature of their 

crimes and their own culpability. The documentary 

culminates in an emotionally charged 

prison performance of the inmates’ writings 

by acclaimed actors. Distributed by PBS 

Distribution. (80 minutes) © 2003 


“A remarkable documentary.” 

—Patricia Bosworth, Vanity Fair 

“Watch it and see the monsters you imagine ON 

turn into the mothers, daughters, wives DEMAND and 

friends they once were.” 

—Joan Gelman, O Magazine 

$169.95 QBV40949 • VOD 

Working with Pinter: 

A Master Class for the Stage 

In this program, produced two years before 

Harold Pinter’s death, the Nobel laureate 

advises a group of actors as they read scenes 

from his plays. In addition, Pinter grants 

a detailed interview, accompanied by his 

longtime collaborator, director Henry Woolf. 

Pinter shares thoughts on rewrites, blocking, 

pauses, staying true to the text, the role of the 

audience, the value of “liver and lights” over 

technical prowess, and more. (58 minutes) 




$169.95 QBV39917 • DVD / VOD 

Under a Coloured Cap: 

Sean O’Casey, His Life and Work 

This program paints an intimate and fascinating 

portrait of Sean O’Casey: a controversial 

playwright, a prolific memoirist, and one of the 

great figures of the Irish literary renaissance. 

Narrated and directed by Shivaun O’Casey, his 

daughter, the program profiles the renowned 

writer’s life of hardship and triumph, idealism 

and disenchantment. Topics under discussion 

include O’Casey’s grim formative years; his 

activities in various socialist movements and 

in the movements for Irish independence; his 

satiric and often violent tragicomedies The 

Shadow of a Gunman, Juno and the Paycock, 

and The Plough and the Stars; and his later 

years in self-imposed exile in Britain. 


$169.95 QBV34861 • DVD / VOD 

20th Century Drama • Critical Perspectives 

FAVORITE 


Our Town: Character 

ON Studies Conversations 

DEMAND 

BEST 

Thornton Wilder’s Our Town is 

FAVORITE not SELLER the sentimental nostalgia 

piece most people perceive. 

This program hosted by Eli Wallach offers 

wide-ranging and extraordinarily deep insights 

into the play from those who arguably know 

it best: Our Town alumni who over the years 

have brought the play to life on stage and 

screen. A viewable/printable instructor’s guide 

is available online. A Films for the Humanities 

& Sciences Production. (68 minutes) 



$169.95 QBV37235 • DVD / VOD 

BEST 

SELLER 

A Raisin in the Sun: 

Character Studies 

Conversations 

Hosted by Eli Wallach, 

this program dissects Lorraine 

Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun through the 

sharp insights of Joe Morton (Walter Lee 

Younger); Kim Yancey (Beneatha Younger); 

Phylicia Rashad (Lena Younger); Ruby Dee, 

Audra McDonald, Starletta DuPois, and 

Ernestine Jackson (Ruth Younger); Ralph 

Carter (Travis Younger); John Fiedler (Carl 

Lindner); directors Lloyd Richards and Jack 

Hofsiss; Broadway producer Philip Rose; and 

Hansberry expert Lynn Domina, author of 

Understanding A Raisin in the Sun: A Student 

Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historical 

Documents. The first play to realistically 

portray the daily lives of a contemporary 

African-American family, Raisin—a revolutionary 

work about race written during 

the civil rights era—makes the universal 

statement that dreams of a better future are 

important to everyone. A viewable/printable 

instructor’s guide is available online. A Films 

for the Humanities & Sciences Production. 


Winner of a 2009 Library Media Connection 

“Editor’s Choice” award 

$169.95 QBV38813 • DVD / VOD 

The Glass Menagerie: 

ON Character Studies 

DEMAND Conversations BEST 

FAVORITE In this SELLER 

program, former cast 

members and directors of 

The Glass Menagerie discuss plot, theme, 

characterization, and the era in which the 

play was written. A viewable/printable 

instructor’s guide is available online. A Films 

for the Humanities & Sciences Production. 


$169.95 QBV37648 • DVD / VOD 


26 

Playwriting & Plays 


Musical Comedy in American Cinema 

Beginning with the release of The Jazz Singer 

in 1927, this program provides a detailed look 

inside that most distinctly American of film 

traditions, the musical comedy. Interviews 

with dancer Cyd Charisse, famous for her 

starring roles in MGM musicals, and Hermes 

Pan, renowned choreographer and collaborator 

with Fred Astaire, help to illuminate the 

advent and evolution of the genre. Excerpts 

and behind-the-scenes accounts from Singin’ 

in the Rain, 42nd Street, Second Chorus, 

Flying Down to Rio, The Wizard of Oz, and 

many other films are included. Specific topics 

include the impact of the Hays Code, the 

influence of African-American dance styles, 

and the decline of the musical during the 

1960s. (52 minutes) © 2008 Preview Clip Online 

$169.95 QBV40694 • DVD / VOD 

How to Write and Produce Your Own 

High School Musical 

Geared specifically to educators and 

produced by a working drama teacher, this 

program offers practical, hands-on guidance 

for creating an original high school musical. 

Viewers learn six essential components 

and ten key steps to writing and staging 

a production that entertains, engages, and 

boosts ticket sales! The DVD version contains 

bonus features, including additional tips and 

video excerpts. (38 minutes + 10 minutes of 

bonus material) © 2008 Preview Clip Online C 

$149.95 QBV40509 • DVD / VOD 

Joe Chaikin and 

American Experimental Theater 

The story of Joe Chaikin’s professional life 

is also the story of experimental theater in 

America. In this intimate program, footage 

of Chaikin in action as well as interviews 

with playwrights Edward Albee, Sam Shepard, 

Jean-Claude van Itallie, and John Belluso; 

writer Susan Sontag; and many others reveal 

Chaiken’s devotion to the stage—a love that 

even severe aphasia, the result of a stroke, 

could not diminish. A variety of clips spanning 

Chaikin’s acting/directing career— 

from his early days, with the Open Theatre 

and the Living Theatre, to later, post-stroke 

work, most notably with actors with disabilities—are 

featured. (43 minutes) © 2003 


$169.95 QBV33253 • DVD / VOD 

Bill Moyers Journal: Actress-Playwright 

Anna Deavere Smith / Poets House 

While politicians and the media war over 

aspects of health care reform, award-winning 

actress-playwright Anna Deavere Smith gives 

voice to questions of life and death, sickness 

and medical treatment, through her onewoman 

play Let Me Down Easy. In this edition 

of the Journal, Bill Moyers speaks with Smith 

about her acclaimed play. Afterward, the 

Journal profiles New York City’s Poets House, 

a national poetry library and literary center. 

Broadcast date: November 13, 2009. 

(57 minutes) © 2009 C 

$99.95 QBV41298 • DVD 

The Drama of Creation: 

ON Writers on Writing 

DEMAND 

BEST 

How can a handful of words, 

FAVORITE 

SELLER 

scribbled on a napkin or 

a train schedule, grow into 

a timeless play? How does a storyteller create 

characters with lives and intentions of their 

own? Is writing a miraculous act, impossible 

to explain or describe, or is it 90 percent 

perspiration? In this program, a chorus of 

famous authors discuss creative strategies 

that lead to emotionally charged stories 

and dramatic narratives. The video weaves 

together rarely seen interviews featuring nutsand-bolts 

commentary from Neil Simon, 

August Wilson, Arthur Miller, Edward Albee, 

Peter Shaffer, Tina Howe, and other artists 

whose work profoundly moves readers 

and audiences. Exploring the writer’s craft 

from several different angles—the roller 

coaster of inspiration, the pros and cons of 

collaboration, the importance of listening to 

a character’s voice, and more—this luminous 

compendium of literary wisdom is an indispensable 

resource for any aspiring author or 

writing instructor. A Films for the Humanities 

& Sciences Production. (48 minutes) © 2006 


“The authors, some of the best known of our 

time, provide fascinating and useful insights 

into the creative process.”—Library Journal 

$169.95 QBV34866 • DVD / VOD 



Behind the Scenes 

at the 

Royal Shakespeare 

Company 

This indispensable two-part series— 

guaranteed to generate enthusiasm— 

allows theater and drama students a 

glimpse of the world behind the theater 

curtain. (25 minutes each) © 1998 

Preview Clip Online ‡ 

“Informative and interesting.”—Booklist 


The Stage: Set Design and Construction 

It can take more than 100 specialists working 

8,000 hours to create the set for a single stage 

production. How is it done? In this extraordinary 

program, the dynamic process of set 

design for RSC productions of Much Ado 

About Nothing, The Tempest, and Measure 

for Measure is described by the people 

who make it all happen. From creating a fullsize 

tree for Benedick to climb that can be 

removed quickly between acts to fabricating 

a giant conch shell for Caliban to inhabit, no 

creative or engineering challenge is beyond 

the abilities of this talented team of prop 

makers and set builders. 

$169.95 QBV8992 • DVD / VOD 

The Players: Costumes and Makeup 

Over the course of a single year at the RSC, 

150 actors play 500 different roles, each 

requiring authentic period costuming and 

makeup. In this remarkable program, master 

costumers and makeup artists demonstrate 

their crafts as expressed in productions of The 

Tempest, Measure for Measure, and Thomas 

Kyd’s The Spanish Tragedy. How does cleverly 

designed clothing help make Pompey 

more arrogant and Isabella look both chaste 

and alluring? How is Caliban’s speckled hide 

created, and how does Hieronimo seem to 

actually bite off his tongue? With subtlety and 

fi nesse, this powerhouse team works miracles 

of stage magic. 

$169.95 QBV8993 • DVD / VOD 

SAVE 15%! 





ON 

DEMAND 

FAVORITE 

BEST 

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Production & Design 

A complete theater workshop 

on video, this two-part 

series covers all aspects of 

the art of stage performance 

and production. (2 hours each) 


“Filled with practical tips and tricks, this British 

production is suggested for community-theater 

groups and theater buffs...Contains valuable 

information.”—Booklist 

Also recommended by 


Onstage 

A play’s ultimate success depends upon the 

energy of the performers and their ability to 

engage a live audience. This program focuses 

on what makes that interaction successful, 

featuring segments on character interpretation, 

timing, underplaying, movement, 

positioning, dialects and accents, portraying 

pain and drunkenness, and other principles 

and elements of acting. Sections covering 

mime performance and stage management 

are also included. 

$169.95 QBV35550 • DVD / VOD 

Backstage 

This program takes viewers inside the 

technical process of mounting a stage play. 

Focusing on a theater company’s major 

production departments, the video shows 

how the knowledge and labor of artisans, 

designers, and theater technicians comes to 

life. Information about model fabrication, 

painting techniques, fl ats and bracing, scene 

changes, hand props, furniture, statues and 

masks, period suits and dresses, light rigging, 

and mic placement is provided. 

$169.95 QBV35551 • DVD / VOD 

SAVE 15%! 






pricing, use offer code QBV 

when ordering. 


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Production & Design 

BEST 

SELLER 

Speaking Essentials 

Does giving a typical business 

presentation put a person in 

mortal danger? Of course not, 

but statistics suggest that many 

people dread public speaking more than they 

fear death. This program shows students ways 

to overcome that kind of paralysis and transform 

it into positive energy. These include 

thorough preparation (from learning the 

wants and needs of the audience to scoping 

out the location at which the speech will 

take place) as well as starting with a strong 

opener, fi nding the right pace, using nonverbal 

communication, and more. Viewable/printable 

discussion questions are available online. 

A Films for the Humanities & Sciences 

Production. Part of the series Communication 

Essentials. (25 minutes) © 2010 


$99.95 QBV40423 • DVD / VOD 

The Power of Speech 

ON As Maya Angelou points out 

DEMAND 

BEST 

in The Power of Speech, “If 

FAVORITE 

SELLER 

the words and delivery are 

powerful, they echo down the 

centuries.” To emphasize the point, Angelou 

and other writers and orators examine the 

moving oratory of 14th-century tax protester 

John Ball, 19th-century slave Sojourner Truth, 

and Martin Luther King, Jr. Each speaker’s 

technique is examined within the context 

of why the speech is being delivered, and 

to whom. Examples of how great orators 

throughout history have used their skills 

for good and evil drive home the immense 

power of the spoken word. A BBC Production. 

(30 minutes) © 1994 Preview Clip Online ‡ 

$99.95 QBV7483 • DVD / VOD 

The Silver Screen Revolution: 

American Cinema 1960–1980 

Rejecting Hollywood’s traditions, young 

American fi lmmakers in the 1960s forged a 

new cinema that held sway for two decades. 

This program revisits that period through 

detailed interviews with directors Martin 

Scorsese (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull) and 

Lee Schatzberg (The Panic in Needle Park) 

and production designer Dean Tavoularis 

(The Godfather trilogy, Apocolypse Now). 


$169.95 QBV39921 • DVD / VOD 

Offstage, Onstage: 

Inside the Stratford Festival 

Filmed entirely on location, this kaleidoscopic 

program takes an intimate look at stagecraft 

at the Stratford Festival, Canada’s preeminent 

drama venue. Rehearsal and acting workshop 

footage spotlight a variety of specialties, 

including voice coaching, fi ght choreography, 

wardrobe, makeup, props, lighting, and 

music. In addition, clips from the Festival’s 

2001 season showcase esteemed veterans 

such as William Hutt as well as talented 

newcomers in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of 

Venice, Henry V, Twelfth Night, and Henry IV, 

Part I; Chekhov’s The Seagull; Albee’s Who’s 

Afraid of Virginia Woolf?; and Lawrence and 

Lee’s Inherit the Wind. (84 minutes) © 2002 


$169.95 QBV31794 • DVD 

Talk Fast: 

Pitching a Screenplay in Two Minutes 

What if an aspiring screenwriter could get 

just two minutes of face time with a major 

Hollywood exec? Welcome to Pitchmart. In 

this reality-based program, fi ve people with 

fi ve big ideas express their passions and frustrations 

as they polish and then make their 

presentations to the decision-makers who 

could transform their scripts into box offi ce 

bonanzas. An honest and insightful scrutiny 

of parlaying a script into a movie deal. 


“Talk Fast does an incredible job in detailing the 

desire, dedication and heartbreak that go with 

pursuing a dream. It also shows that some do 

indeed fi nd success in chasing their dreams.” 

—Philadelphia Daily News 

$169.95 QBV35429 • DVD / VOD 

The Vocabulary of Film and TV 

Motion pictures have a language all their 

own, and media students need to become 

fl uent in it. This video is the ideal primer, 

using an entertaining story line to teach basic 

fi lm vocabulary. Set in an actual movie studio, 

the program explores the stylistic conventions 

of action, horror, and other genres, and 

demonstrates principles of camera placement, 

mise-en-scène, lighting, sound, shot size, and 

editing. The spine-tingling (but not too scary) 

horror plot keeps viewers focused on fi lm 

language and how it is manipulated to tell 

a story with a logical fl ow that builds to an 

emotional conclusion. Viewable/printable 

educational resources are available online. 


$99.95 QBV35314 • DVD / VOD 




Give My Regards to Broadway 

(1893–1927) 

In 1893, the intersection of Broadway and 

42nd was nobody’s idea of “the crossroads 

of the world.” But by 1913, Flo Ziegfeld had 

transformed the area into an entertainment 

mecca. This program tells Ziegfeld’s story, 

introduces many of the era’s key fi gures— 

such as Irving Berlin, Fanny Brice, and 

George M. Cohan—and culminates with 

a look at Ziegfeld’s 1927 production of 

Show Boat. 

$169.95 QBV43733 • VOD 

Syncopated City (1919–1933) 

Taking viewers back to the Roaring Twenties, 

this program examines the Broadway of the 

Jazz Age—the era of Runnin’ Wild, George 

White Scandals, and Shuffl e Along, which 

helped reopen Broadway’s doors to African- 

American artists. The fi lm also features unique 

talents like the Marx Brothers, Al Jolson, the 

Gershwin brothers, and the songwriting team 

of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. 

$169.95 QBV43734 • VOD 

I Got Plenty O’ Nuttin’ (1930–1942) 

The Great Depression proved to be a period 

of creative growth on Broadway. This program 

explores a dichotomy that emerged in the 

musical theatre during that time, with social 

and political concerns on one hand and 

escapism on the other—from Cole Porter’s 

glamorous Anything Goes to the WPA 

production of The Cradle Will Rock to George 

Gershwin’s epic masterpiece, Porgy and Bess. 

$169.95 QBV43735 • VOD 


History of Music: Survey 

Exploring the evolution of a uniquely American art form, this six-part series chronicles the 

Broadway musical throughout the 20th century and beyond. The series draws on a wealth 

of archival news footage, original cast recordings, and on-camera interviews with artists 

and producers such as Stephen Sondheim, Julie Taymor, Hal Prince, Ben Vereen, and many 

others. Distributed by PBS Distribution. (60 minutes each) © 2004 Preview Clip Online C ‡ 




Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’ 

(1943–1960) 

Rodgers and Hammerstein changed the face 

of Broadway forever. This program looks at 

their partnership, beginning with Oklahoma! 

on through Carousel and South Pacifi c, which 

set the standard for decades to come. Other 

mid-century contributions are also profi led, 

such as Leonard Bernstein’s On the Town, 

Irving Berlin’s Annie Get Your Gun, Frank 

Loesser’s Guys and Dolls, and more. 

$169.95 QBV43736 • VOD 

Tradition (1957–1979) 

West Side Story ushered in a new breed 

of director-choreographer and a need for 

performers who could sing, dance, and act. 

But by the time Fiddler on the Roof closed in 

1972, the world of Broadway had changed 

even more radically, thanks to rock ’n’ roll, 

civil rights, and the Vietnam War. This 

program follows that evolutionary 

(and revolutionary) process. 

$169.95 QBV43737 • VOD 

Putting It Together (1980–2004) 

In 1981, David Merrick conquered Broadway 

with 42nd Street. But soon the biggest hits 

were arriving from an unexpected source— 

London. This program depicts the reshaping 

of the Broadway musical as the curtain fell on 

the 20th century and reopened on the 21st, 

from Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park 

with George to blockbusters like Cats and 

Les Misérables to Julie Taymor’s reimagining 

of The Lion King. 

$169.95 QBV43738 • VOD 

SAVE 15%! 


List Price: $1,019.70 



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The CLEARVUE/eav 

Art & Music Series 

BEST 

SELLER 

Whether created for the eye or 

the ear, the masterpieces of 

every age serve as windows 

into the cultural paradigm 

that gave them birth. This 

critically acclaimed, eight-part series 

guides students through the painting, 

sculpture, architecture, and music of major 

historical periods. Each program begins 

with a helpful introduction, proceeds with 

a visually dynamic, thoroughly researched 

account of the era’s cultural highlights, and 

concludes with a recap of key concepts. 

Instructors in search of visual aids to 

help introduce a period, highlight facts, 

or propose research topics will fi nd this 

series to be an invaluable tool. A Discovery 

Channel Production. (34–56 minutes each) 


Medieval Art and Music 

From the decline of the Roman Empire to 

the rise of secular monarchies, this program 

traces the evolution of medieval art, architecture, 

and musical styles. 

$99.95 QBV39719 • DVD / VOD 

Renaissance Art and Music 

Highlighting the 15th-century rediscovery of 

Greco-Roman culture, this program focuses 

on the Italian Renaissance and the fl owering 

of humanist and secular art forms in Europe. 

$99.95 QBV39720 • DVD / VOD 

Baroque Art and Music 

This program studies the artistic idioms of the 

Baroque period, from the ongoing importance 

of Italian painters and sculptors to the creation 

of opera, the oratorio, and organ works. 

$99.95 QBV39721 • DVD / VOD 

Eighteenth-Century Art and Music 

With studies of the Rococo and Neoclassical 

movements, this program examines artistic 

and musical voices emerging during the 18th 

century and the Enlightenment. 

$99.95 QBV39722 • DVD / VOD 

Romanticism in Art and Music 

This program helps students understand the 

Romantic movement by analyzing numerous 

paintings, drawings, orchestral works, and 

compositions for piano. 

$99.95 QBV39723 • DVD / VOD 

Impressionism in Art and Music 

Examining a wide range of works and cultural 

infl uences, this program studies Impressionist 

developments in painting and music. 

$99.95 QBV39724 • DVD / VOD 

Surrealism in Art and Music 

Sifting through movements that grew out 

of WWI-era turmoil, this program studies 

the exploration of chance, uncertainty, and 

the subconscious in painting and music. 

$99.95 QBV39725 • DVD / VOD 

Twentieth-Century Artistic Revolutions 

Conveying the importance of artistic 

communities in Paris, Vienna, and other 

cities, this program looks at Fauvism, 

Cubism, Expressionism, and corresponding 

musical landmarks. 

$99.95 QBV39726 • DVD / VOD 

SAVE 15%! 







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Origins and Overview 

When and where did music begin? And how did 

early European music get its start? This program 

sheds light on those and other questions as it 

discusses the multiplicity of roles of music in 

different societies. The program also introduces 

the distinctive characteristics of music and instruments 

from sub-Saharan Africa, China, Japan, 

Indonesia, India, the Middle East, Latin America, 

and the Mediterranean region. 

$99.95 QBV39880 • DVD / VOD 

The Middle Ages and the Renaissance 

This program describes the development of music 

in Europe between the 2nd and 16th centuries, 

from the plainchant of the early Christians to the 

polyphony of the late Renaissance. Key figures 

including Guillaume de Machaut, Francesco 

Landini, John Dunstable, Guillaume Dufay, Gilles 

Binchois, Johannes Ockeghem, Josquin des Prez, 

Claudio Monteverdi, and Giovanni Pierluigi da 

Palestrina are introduced. 

$99.95 QBV39881 • DVD / VOD 

The Baroque Era 

Baroque music, which flourished between the 

years 1600 and 1750, expanded the size, range, 

and complexity of instrumental performance while 

also firmly establishing opera as a musical genre. 

In this program, pivotal figures such as Claudio 

Monteverdi, Giovanni Gabrieli, Jean-Baptiste Lully, 

Domenico Scarlatti, Antonio Vivaldi, George 

Frideric Handel, and Johann Sebastian Bach 

are singled out. 

$99.95 QBV39882 • DVD / VOD 

Into the Classical Period 

This program studies the birth of Classical music, 

which occurred during the final decades of the 

Baroque Era, and its maturation up to about 1800. 

Differences between Baroque and Classical music 

are identified, as a growing middle class and the 

Age of Enlightenment ushered Johann Stamitz, 

Franz Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, 

and Ludwig van Beethoven—a transitional 

figure—into prominence. 

$99.95 QBV39883 • DVD / VOD 



Using period music, magnificent works of art, and colorful diagrams, this updated 

eight-part series thoroughly examines the Western music tradition: its roots, 

its major eras and movements, and many of its most significant composers. 

A Discovery Channel Production. (22–27 minutes each) © 2005 


Early Romanticism 

While Classical composers relied on form and 

structure, Romantic composers gave priority 

to emotional expression. This program surveys 

the 19th century as it notes the contributions of 

Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, Hector 

Berlioz, Franz Liszt, Niccolò Paganini, Frédéric 

Chopin, Robert and Clara Schumann, and 

Giuseppe Verdi to the Romantic movement. 

$99.95 QBV39884 • DVD / VOD 

Later Romanticism 

This program adds the achievements of Richard 

Wagner, Johannes Brahms, Modest Mussorgsky, 

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Antonín Dvorák, Edvard 

Grieg, Georges Bizet, Giacomo Puccini, Gustav 

Mahler, and Richard Strauss to the history of 

Romanticism. In addition, the dual influences of 

nationalist zeal and Freudian ideas on the music 

of the latter part of the 19th century are explored. 

$99.95 QBV39885 • DVD / VOD 

The Early 20th Century 

This program examines how Claude Debussy, 

Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg, Anton von 

Webern, and Igor Stravinsky pushed the limits of 

music to the point where audiences rejected and 

even rioted against it. The avant-garde nationalistic 

music of Jean Sibelius, Sir Edward Elgar, 

Ralph Vaughan Williams, Béla Bartók, Ernest 

Bloch, and Charles Ives is showcased as well. 

$99.95 QBV39886 • DVD / VOD 

Modern Times 

This program studies the contributions of Edgard 

Varèse, Henry Cowell, John Cage, Harry Partch, 

George Gershwin, Aaron Copland, Leonard 

Bernstein, Samuel Barber, Dmitry Shostakovich, 

George Rochberg, György Ligeti, John Corigliano, 

Philip Glass, Steve Reich, John Adams, Astor 

Piazzolla, Henryk Górecki, and Arvo Pärt. 

$99.95 QBV39887 • DVD / VOD 

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BEST 

SELLER 

From pre-Gregorian to post-Modern, this series examines the major periods, 

styles, forms, composers, and works in the entire span of Western music. 

Generous excerpts and complete compositions are presented by worldacclaimed 

artists, orchestras, conductors, operas, and ballet companies. 

James Galway is the series host. (60 minutes each) © 1982 Preview Clip Online 

Recommended by Booklist and Music Educators Journal. 

Vibrations and Pagan Rites 

Highlighting the ageless human impulse to 

make music, this program proceeds backward 

from Ligeti to Gregorian chant as it outlines the 

development of Western music. Contents include 

excerpts from Britten’s War Requiem, Mahler’s 

Symphony No. 10, Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht, 

back through Wagner, Beethoven, Mozart, past 

Monteverdi and Dufay, to ancient composers. 

Most of these extracts appear in fuller form in 

subsequent episodes. 

$99.95 QBV715 • DVD 

The First Secular Music 

This program proceeds from the early music 

of the Eastern churches to the establishment of 

music as part of the Christian liturgy. Viewers will 

learn about the influence of Pope Gregory and 

medieval Christian composers, Notre-Dame de 

Paris and other religious centers, and the birth 

of secular song. Contents include excerpts from 

traditional Gregorian, Hebrew, and Greek chants. 

$99.95 QBV716 • DVD 

The Renaissance 

Examining the patronage of dukes and kings 

and the continued influence of the Church, this 

program shows how music, like philosophy, 

moved away from the elaborate formality of 

the Gothic and, like architecture, sought new 

and purer forms. Contents include excerpts 

from Dufay’s Ce Moys de Mai, Binchois’ Deuill 

Angoisseurs, Andrea Gabrieli’s Ricercare, 

Tromboncino’s Ite in Pace, Sospir Fieri, 

and many other pieces. 

$99.95 QBV717 • DVD 

The Golden Age 

This program covers the wealth of music during 

the age of Elizabeth I in England, its spread from 

the Church and the courts to the middle classes, 

and the emergence of opera in Italy and France. 

Contents include excerpts from Morley’s Fire Fire 

My Heart, Holburn’s The Honeysuckle, Byrd’s 

Gaudeamus Omnes, Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, 


$99.95 QBV718 • DVD 

Luther and the Reformation 

This program covers the impact of the 

Reformation on the history of music; the work 

of Johann Sebastian Bach; and the importance 

of church organs and choral singing. Contents 

include excerpts from Luther’s Ein’ Feste Burg; 

Isaac’s Innsbruck, ich muss dich lassen; Schütz’s 

The Lord Jesus Christ, the same night He was 

betrayed; Buxtehude’s Toccata and Fugue in F; 

and many other works. 

$99.95 QBV719 • DVD 

The Advent of Fashion 

Public performance in concert halls and theaters 

required composers to keep abreast of popular 

styles. This program’s contents include excerpts 

from Handel’s Zadok the Priest, Music for the 

Royal Fireworks, Concerto for Organ in D Minor, 

Orlando, and Messiah; Rameau’s Nais; Couperin’s 

Deuxième Ordre; Telemann’s Sonata in E Minor; 


$99.95 QBV720 • DVD 

The Seasons and the Symphony 

This program covers innovations by Vivaldi and 

Haydn, Gluck’s transformation of opera into a 

dramatic experience, and groundbreaking 

symphonic composition at Mannheim. Contents 

include excerpts from Vivaldi’s L’Estro Armonico 

and The Four Seasons; Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice; 

J.C. Bach’s Overture No. 2; Stamitz’s Symphony in 

D Major; and Haydn’s String Quartet Op. 77, 

Piano Trio, Symphony No. 100, and other works. 

$99.95 QBV721 • DVD 

Vienna 

This program covers Mozart in Salzburg, Mozart 

in Vienna, Mozart’s operas examined by Sir 

Peter Hall, the great Mozart symphonies and the 

Requiem Mass, as well as Schubert’s piano works, 

chamber music, and lieder. Contents include 

excerpts from Mozart’s Requiem, Andante in C 

Major, Piano Concerto K414, Haffner Serenade, 

and Don Giovanni; Schubert’s Seeligkeit, 

Frühlingslaube, German Dances, and Impromptus; 


$99.95 QBV722 • DVD 



The Revolutionary 

This program covers Beethoven, the man who 

changed the course of music and aligned himself 

with the forces that changed the course of history. 

Movements or extracts from the Third, Sixth, and 

Ninth Symphonies, Quartets Opus 18 and 135, 

Fidelio, and Appassionata are performed by the 

Los Angeles, Berlin, and Vienna Philharmonics 

under Giulini, von Karajan, and Böhm. Contents 

include excerpts from Quartet Opus 18 No. 1, 

Symphony No. 3, Fidelio, Symphony No. 6, 

Quartet Opus 135, and Symphony No. 9. 

$99.95 QBV723 • DVD 

The Romantics 

The Romantic movement—a reaction against 

the orderliness of 18th-century classicism and 

19th-century industrialization—strove above all 

for self-expression. Contents of this program 

include excerpts from Chopin’s Polonaise in 

A-Flat, Mendelssohn’s “Italian” Symphony, 

Schumann’s Symphony No. 3, Brahms’ Lullaby, 


$99.95 QBV724 • DVD 

Nationalism and Revolution 

As political turmoil in Europe ushered in a 

century of nationalism and political change, 

composers identified with causes and expressed 

them in music. Contents of this program include 

excerpts from Berlioz’ Requiem, Liszt’s Fantasia 

on Hungarian Folk Themes, Verdi’s “Va pensiero” 

and portions of Aida, and sections of several 

works by Wagner. 

$99.95 QBV725 • DVD 

Land of Our Fathers 

Nationalism led to a recognition of the classical 

value of folksong, and attempts to express in 

music the language, landscape, and musical 

traditions of the composer’s own country. 

Contents include excerpts from Smetana’s 

Ma Vlast, Dvorák’s New World Symphony, 

Janacek’s Katya Kabanova, Grieg’s Peer Gynt 

Suite, Vaughan Williams’ London Symphony, 


$99.95 QBV726 • DVD 






The Mighty Fistful 

Until the 19th century, Russian audiences 

preferred Western music. But, as this program 

illustrates, the creation of a distinctly Russian 

musical style was inevitable. Contents include 

excerpts from Glinka’s Russlan and Ludmilla, 

Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov, Borodin’s Quartet 

No. 2 in D Major, Rimsky-Korsakov’s Flight of the 

Bumblebee, and many other works. 

$99.95 QBV727 • DVD 

The Turn of the Century 

Moving to 20th century music, this program 

examines transitions from Romanticism to 

Modernism and from self-expression to 

Realism—as well as escapist returns to bygone 

eras. Contents include excerpts from Puccini’s 

Madama Butterfly, Debussy’s Syrinx and La Mer, 

Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde, Schoenberg’s 

Verklärte Nacht, and many other pieces. 

$99.95 QBV728 • DVD 

War and Peace 

Between the two World Wars, many composers 

sought to express the sense that civilization was 

giving way to barbarism. During the same time, 

jazz burst upon the international musical scene. 

Contents of this program include excerpts from 

Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, Satie’s Three Waltzes 

of the Fastidious Dandy, Joplin’s Maple Leaf Rag, 

Milhaud’s La Création du monde, Britten’s War 

Requiem, and many other pieces. 

$99.95 QBV729 • DVD 

Today and Tomorrow 

Reminding viewers that today’s war-horses were 

once shockingly modern, this program presents 

a broad cross-section of emerging music and 

musical trends. Contents include excerpts from 

The Beatles’ When I’m 64, Varèse’s Ionization, 

Copland’s El Salón México, Messiaen’s Pentecostal 

Mass, Henze’s El Cimarrón, Cage’s Improvisations, 


$99.95 QBV730 • DVD 

SAVE 15%! 



Special Discount Price: $1,359.35 

QBV714 • DVD 

33 


D 

ITE 

34 


Howard Goodall’s 

Big Bangs: 

Turning Points 

in Music History 

BEST 

SELLER 

Armed with wit and charm, 

composer and pianist 

Howard Goodall charts the 

“Big Bangs” that forever 

changed the course of Western 

music. From the inspired invention of the 

thin red line in musical notation a thousand 

years ago to the modern electronically 

delivered music that surrounds us each 

day, this captivating fi ve-part series examines 

in detail aspects of the musical world 

without which Western music, both classical 

and popular, might not exist 

as we know it. (51 minutes each) © 1999 


International Emmy Award Nominee, 

Best Arts Documentary 

Recommended by MC Journal. 

Notation: The Thin Red Line 

Early musical notation was much like a road 

map that lacked names or places. The use of 

neumes gave the basic shape of the tune and 

a primitive notion of rhythm, but could not 

tell the performer what note to start on. This 

program shows how all of that changed 

around the year 1030, when the choirmaster 

Guido of Arezzo came up with the simple 

device of a thin red line: a dot directly on it 

would always represent the note “F”; a dot 

above it, G; a dot below it, E; and so on. 

This system of Western musical notation 

paved the way for harmony—and composers. 

$169.95 QBV10877 • DVD / VOD 

The Birth and Life of Opera 

Opera is unique among musical forms in that 

it developed over a relatively short period 

of time, unlike the concerto or symphony. 

From the birth of opera in Florence with the 

Camerata to the genius of Monteverdi and 

beyond, this program looks at how opera 

grew into both a form of entertainment and a 

vehicle for delivering incisive social, political, 

and cultural messages. The operettas of 

Offenbach and of Gilbert and Sullivan are 

also considered, as is opera’s maturation 

into a worldwide phenomenon. 

$169.95 QBV10878 • DVD / VOD 

Equal Temperament 

Pythagoras believed that music originates in 

nature and that natural harmonies express very 

distinct mathematical relationships between 

their notes. From Pythagoras’ fi rst scales and 

the advent of harmony to the standardization 

of all instruments to equal temperament, this 

program traces the evolution of the system of 

tuning that revolutionized Western music. Few 

musical cultures have escaped its infl uence, 

and without it, much of the world’s most 

beautiful music could not exist. 

$169.95 QBV10879 • DVD / VOD 

The Piano: King of Instruments 

No other instrument has been as important 

to the history of Western music as the piano. 

Since its invention in Florence three hundred 

years ago, the piano has become many things 

to many people—a bridge between the worlds 

of classical and popular music and the ultimate 

composer’s companion. This program traces 

the ancestry of the instrument and the history 

of those composers who championed its use. 

From the concert hall to nightclubs and living 

rooms, the piano has become the instrument 

of choice throughout the Western world. 

$169.95 QBV10880 • DVD / VOD 

Recorded Sound: 

The Dream Becomes a Reality 

For centuries people dreamed of being able 

to record and play back sound. In 1877 

Thomas Edison invented the phonograph 

and the whole course of music was forever 

changed. From the jukeboxes of the 1880s 

to contemporary composers blending live 

and recorded music, this program examines 

the effects, both positive and negative, 

that resulted from the birth of the phonograph 

and the subsequent development 

of electronic and computerized musicmaking 

devices. 

$169.95 QBV10881 • DVD / VOD 

SAVE 15%! 







The Song of Roland 

Compiled in the 11th century, The Song of 

Roland is perhaps the world’s most famous 

portrait of early European chivalry, piousness, 

and militarism. This beautifully produced 

program offers an abridged English version of 

the battlefi eld epic, combining richly textured 

medieval and Renaissance art images with 

scholarly summaries and interpretations of 

the work’s major sections. Acknowledging the 

poem’s historical inaccuracies, the video 

nevertheless underscores its importance for 

later European listeners: specifi cally, as a 

rallying cry mobilizing Christian forces to 

embark on the Crusades. An Old French 

recital of the song’s fi rst six lines begins the 

program. (73 minutes) © 2005 C 

$169.95 QBV35688 • DVD 

Voices from Heaven: The Religious Music 

of Europe in the Middle Ages 

Filmed in several of northern Italy’s most 

magnifi cent churches and beautiful villages, 

this documentary illuminates the medieval 

origins of Christian music through vocal and 

instrumental performances by the Gothic 

Voices of London, the Ensemble Venance 

Fortunat of Paris, the Orthodox Chorus of 

Moscow, and the Giovanna Marini Ensemble 

Micrologus of Assisi, Italy. The Timna Brauer 

Ensemble & Elias Meiri of Vienna perform 

songs based on the ancient Cabala. Expert 

commentary on the cultural and religious 

context of these authentically rendered melodies, 

combined with outstanding footage of 

the art and architecture of the Middle Ages, 

rounds out the program. (57 minutes) 

© 1997Preview Clip Online C 

$169.95 QBV10329 • DVD / VOD 

For a Thousand Tongues to Sing! 

The Life and Hymns of Charles Wesley 

Between 1738 and 1788, Charles Wesley wrote 

more than 9,000 hymns and sacred poems, 

work that earned him the title “The Sweet 

Bard of Methodism.” This program recounts 

Wesley’s life and life’s work, with special attention 

to his better-known songs, such as “Hark! 

The Herald Angels Sing.” Scholars of music 

and theology speak about Wesley’s childhood, 

education, and missionary work; explore the 

roots of his passion for hymn-writing; and 

demonstrate how Wesley’s impressive body of 

work consistently embraced astute references 

to Scripture, poetic language, and personal 

experience. (55 minutes) © 2007 


$169.95 QBV41275 • DVD / VOD 



Singing Paris: The City of Lights in 

20th-Century French Music 

A potent catalyst for musical, cultural, 

and sociological studies, this program uses 

20th-century French songs to explore the 

modern development of Paris. Juxtaposing 

remarks from French scholars, performers, and 

business leaders with classic recordings by 

Edith Piaf, Brigitte Bardot, Maurice Chevalier, 

and other artists, the fi lm also examines the 

special qualities that make Paris a hub of 

art and fashion. Contains brief nudity. DVD 

version contains optional English subtitles. 


$169.95 QBV41395 • DVD / VOD 

Olivier Messiaen: The Music of Faith 

Olivier Messiaen played a leading role in 

the evolution of 20th-century music. In this 

classic interview, the late composer talks 

on topics such as his love of nature and 

his fervent Christian faith, two themes that 

profoundly shaped his work; his views on 

rhythm and tonal color; his relationship with 

his mother, the poet Cécile Sauvage; and his 

professorship at the Paris Conservatoire. Film 

clips of Messiaen improvising on the organ 

and notating birdsong for his compositions— 

plus excerpts of his music, some of which are 

performed by his wife, the celebrated pianist 

Yvonne Loriod—provide a deeper appreciation 

of his special genius. (79 minutes) 


Gold Medal, New York International 

Film and TV Festival 

$169.95 QBV10323 • DVD / VOD 

Too Close to Heaven: 

The History of Gospel Music 

Deeply rooted in African rhythms, the 

fi rst gospel music, as sung on southern 

plantations, expressed the collective sorrow 

of American slaves, and the history of their 

diaspora. Using narration and thrilling performance 

footage, these programs trace the 

200-year history of gospel music from black 

churches, to the civil rights movement, to its 

infl uence on modern jazz, blues, and rock 

and roll. Its revolutionary sounds and joyful 

vocal styles are featured in several live performances 

by noted singers. Interviews with key 

fi gures provide insights into the cultural and 

artistic importance of this uniquely American 

art form. (3 parts, 51 minutes each) © 1996 


“A documentary series of major importance.” 

—Ethnomusicology 

Recommended by Library Journal, Booklist, 

and MC Journal. 

$349.95 QBV6974 • DVD / VOD 


36 

Elements of Music • Performance & Instruction 


Soundtrack for a Revolution: 

Freedom Songs from the Civil Rights Era 

On picket lines, in organizational meetings, 

even in police wagons and jail cells, songs of 

protest and inspiration helped drive the civil 

rights movement. Showcasing many of those 

songs, this stirring documentary explores the 

history of the era through archival footage, 

interviews with key civil rights activists, and 

performances by contemporary artists assembled 

specifi cally for the fi lm. Congressman 

John Lewis (D-GA), former Atlanta mayor 

Andrew Young, former NAACP chairman 

Julian Bond, freedom rider Hank Thomas, 

civil rights organizer Jim Lawson, former 

King aide Dorothy Cotton, and musical 

legend Harry Belafonte are among those 

interviewed. On-camera performers include 

John Legend, Joss Stone, Wyclef Jean, and 

The Roots. Featured songs: Wade in the 

Water, This May Be the Last Time, Ain’t Gonna 

Let Nobody Turn Me ’Round, We Shall Not Be 

Moved, and more. (82 minutes) © 2009 


$179.95 QBV43792 • DVD / VOD 

Notations: A Composer’s 

ON Response to Crisis 

DEMAND 

BEST 

In 1802, Beethoven faced the 

FAVORITE prospect SELLER 

of becoming deaf. 

But instead of causing defeat, 

that crisis triggered a season of transcendent 

creativity that changed the course of music 

history. In this program, pianist Mia Chung 

explores the innovations of Beethoven’s 

genius in the face of enormous obstacles 

as she performs, deconstructs, and discusses 

two of Beethoven’s most signifi cant solo 

piano works: Piano Sonata no. 21 in C Major, 

Op. 53 (“Waldstein”), composed in 1803–04, 

and Sonata no. 31 in A-fl at Major, Op. 110, 

composed in 1821. Ms. Chung has been 

called “uncommonly insightful, individualistic, 

lively” and “technically dazzling” by The New 

York Times. (2 hours 24 minutes) © 2008 


$199.95 QBV40452 • DVD / VOD 

How to Write and Produce Your Own 

High School Musical 

Geared specifi cally to educators and 

produced by a working drama teacher, this 

program offers practical, hands-on guidance 

for creating an original high school musical. 

Viewers learn six essential components 

and ten key steps to writing and staging 

a production that entertains, engages, and 

boosts ticket sales! The DVD version contains 

bonus features, including additional tips and 

video excerpts. (38 minutes + 10 minutes of 

bonus material) © 2008 Preview Clip Online C 

$149.95 QBV40509 • DVD / VOD 

An Introduction to Composing 

Rap: Looking for the Perfect Beat 

Rap music has articulated a black aesthetic that 

is infl uencing pop culture around the world. 

But does it also promote violence, misogyny, 

and crime? This program featuring rap-master 

Melle Mel describes the history of rap and 

How do musicians fi nd the inspiration to 

hip-hop from its roots in earlier oral and 

create? Do most songwriters come up with musical traditions to its full fl owering in the 

lyrics fi rst, or music? What does it mean to be mid-1990s. Commentary by Grandmaster Flash 

a composer in today’s high-tech world? This and Afrika Bambaataa, rap’s early innovators; 

program addresses questions young people music critic Nelson George, author of hiphopa- 

may have about embarking on a career in merica; radical jazz poet Gil Scott-Heron; 

music or musical composition. Focusing on movie star and rapper Ice Cube; former 

current styles like rock, techno, and hip-hop, gangsta rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg; members 

the video includes interviews with a classi- of Public Enemy, Arrested Development, and 

cally trained composer as well as artists in the jazz/hip-hop fusion group UFO; and others 

other genres. Subjects include pitch, tempo, speak out about the urban African-American 

notation, lyric sheets, theme and variation, experience, civil rights, social responsibility, 

melody, harmony, texture, song structure, the and other pressing topics. Clips from music 

use of computers, collaboration, and working videos provide a visual perspective on the 

as a solo artist. Viewable/printable educa- genre. Some images and lyrics may be 

tional resources are available online. 

objectionable. (53 minutes) © 1994 

(26 minutes) © 2008 Preview Clip Online C ‡ Preview Clip Online 

$129.95 QBV40222 • DVD / VOD 

$99.95 QBV10526 • DVD / VOD 




A Conversation with Igor Stravinsky— 

From NBC’s Wisdom Series 

Famous for music that often bewildered the 

public, Igor Stravinsky was nonetheless a 

sincere communicator regarding his work. 

This 1957 NBC program opens with the 

composer at his piano; it then records a 

detailed conversation between Stravinsky 

and his protégé, American musicologist and 

conductor Robert Craft. The Russian émigré 

discusses his childhood, his time in Paris, 

his reasons for conducting, and other topics. 


$129.95 QBV43383 • DVD / VOD 

Bloomsday Cabaret: 

A Celebration of James Joyce 

To understand the lyricism and rhythmic 

quality of James Joyce’s work, take a stroll 

through the music-fi lled streets of Dublin— 

made possible by this charming and 

informative program. Set on “Bloomsday 

2004,” the 100th anniversary of Leopold 

Bloom’s fi ctional excursion, the video 

immerses viewers in turn-of-the-century 

Dublin, popular Irish tunes of the era, and 

the various ways in which Joyce incorporated 

them into his works. (49 minutes) © 2004 



Educational Media Reviews Online.e 

$149.95 QBV35670 • DVD / VOD 


Wigmore Hall / Kohn Foundation 

International Song Competition 

“Those people who just sing the notes… 

leave you cold,” says Sir John Tusa, Chairman 

of the Wigmore Hall Trust. “There may be 

singers who are less than perfect, but character 

is what the art song is about.” The Lied 

(or “art song”) tradition springs from every 

scene in this inspiring documentary on the 

2009 International Song Competition. Held 

annually at one of the world’s most prestigious 

chamber music venues, the contest 

brings together young vocalists from dozens 

of countries and all walks of life. Each artist 

is required to perform Lieder—not simply 

in German, but in at least three different 

languages, and although only one will 

emerge victorious, all of them enjoy the 

musical challenge of a lifetime. (English and 

various other languages, 2 hours 17 minutes) 


$199.95 QBV42124 • DVD / VOD 


Performance & Instruction 

Pure Pete Seeger 

The wit, wisdom, and song of one of 

America’s best-known bards comes to life in 

this program, which offers a rousing musical 

portrait of the beloved and often controversial 

folk singer, songwriter, storyteller, and activist. 

On the eve of Seeger’s 75th birthday, Bill 

Moyers visited him at his home in New York’s 

Hudson Valley for a warm and often wryly 

funny conversation about his life and times, 

and the music that has both refl ected and 

impacted them. Throughout the program, 

Seeger’s guitar and banjo are never far from 

his hands, and he strums and sings his way 

through some of the songs that have meant 

the most to him in his life. (60 minutes) 


$99.95 QBV4920 • DVD / VOD 

Making Music: 

Conversations with Composer/Musicians 

Between the two of them, Wynton Marsalis 

and B.B. King have jazz, classical music, and 

the blues covered. What are these towering 

composer/musicians like as writers and 

performers—and as people? This NewsHour 

program shares a few moments of their lives 

to look deeper. (20 minutes) © 2005 


$99.95 QBV37581 • DVD / VOD 

Bach to the Future: 

ON An Interactive Music 

DEMAND Experience BEST 

FAVORITE J. S. SELLER 

Bach’s Brandenburg 

Concerto No. 4 takes on 

new life in this Emmy-nominated Discovery 

Concert. Conductor George Marriner Maull 

and the New Jersey Philharmonic Orchestra 

create an interactive experience through which 

spectators become intimate with the concerto. 

A listening guide accompanies the program— 

providing a visual means with which to follow 

the music—as well as a helpful study guide. 

Both guides are available online. (58 minutes) 


Regional Emmy Award Winner 

Recommended by Booklist. 

$169.95 QBV34807 • DVD / VOD 


38 


JOAQUÍN ACHÚCARRO 

Introduce students to a master pianist with this luminous two-part series. The fi rst episode 

spotlights Joaquín Achúcarro’s prowess in live performance, while the second explores his 

life and career—through his own words, through demonstrations of his approach to the 

instrument, and through engaging commentary from Zubin Mehta, Plácido Domingo, and 

other renowned musical fi gures. (42 & 52 minutes) © 2009 Preview Clip Online 

Joaquín Achúcarro in Concert 

Filmed in the beautiful setting of Jerwood 

Hall at St. Luke’s, London, this program 

features pianist Joaquín Achúcarro as he 

delivers a consummate performance of 

Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-fl at 

major, Op. 83. Achúcarro renders the concerto’s 

four movements in his sensitive, spirited 

style, accompanied by the London Symphony 

Orchestra under the baton of Sir Colin Davis. 

Skillful camera movement and placement 

(including an aerial view of Achúcarro as 

he plays) help make this an ideal visual aid— 

one that not only exemplifi es the discipline 

and passion of a great pianist but also shows 

how the collaborative symphonic environment 

enriches the work of a soloist. 

$169.95 QBV42094 • DVD / VOD 

Voices of Doo-Wop 

In the early 1950s, before rock-and-roll dominated 

youth and urban culture, an innovative 

form of music appeared on the streets of 

America’s cities. It was a mix of strange new 

harmonies and nonsense syllables that came 

to be known as doo-wop. This program traces 

the development of doo-wop music and the 

accomplishments of musicians who made the 

style their own. Viewers also meet a group of 

enthusiasts determined to keep the doo-wop 

spirit alive, meeting once a month to experience 

the sounds, nuances, and emotions of 

the genre. (25 minutes) © 1996 

Preview Clip Online ‡ 

$129.95 QBV40856 • DVD / VOD 

Joaquín Achúcarro: 50 Years On 

In 1959, an unassuming Spanish pianist 

won the Liverpool Philharmonic International 

Competition—and, soon after, astounded 

the music world in a debut with the London 

Symphony Orchestra. This documentary 

celebrates and assesses Joaquín Achúcarro’s 

half-century career. It features interviews with 

Plácido Domingo, Zubin Mehta, Simon Rattle, 

Lucille Chung—and, last but far from least, 

the pianist himself. With great candidness and 

a display of charm and sentiment that echoes 

his musical approach, Achúcarro discusses his 

youth, infl uences, and playing style. “The 

piano, our friend and enemy, is capable of 

infi nite sounds,” he says, providing several 

demonstrations of that capability interwoven 

with archival footage of past performances. 

$169.95 QBV42095 • DVD / VOD 

SAVE 15%! 





Inside a Recording Studio 

Singers and band members get all the attention, 

but the technicians and producers who 

work inside a recording studio are just as 

important to the creation of a great song. This 

program introduces viewers to the experts 

and equipment at the heart of a sound studio. 

Topics include acoustics, soundproofi ng, pitch 

and frequency, microphones, the mixing 

console, multi-track recording, and the overall 

signifi cance of the control room. Interviews 

with professional sound recordists, mixers, 

and musicians include material on ProTools 

and other sound design software, the transition 

from valve to solid state circuits, and 

other subjects familiar to industry insiders. 

Viewable/printable educational resources 

are available online. (26 minutes) © 2008 


$129.95 QBV40224 • DVD / VOD 



An eye-opening journey 

ON through the cradle of 

DEMAND 

BEST 

Southern culture—and 

FAVORITE 

SELLER 

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. Each episode 

presents a provocative chapter in the saga 

of the mountain people, examining their 

ties to the nation’s cycles of boom and 

bust, war and peace, and hope and 

despair. Interweaving comments from historians, 

political leaders, and artists such 

as Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, and a host 

of others, the series shows viewers how 

the raw materials of America coalesced 

along its “fi rst frontier.” Viewable/printable 

instructor’s guides are available online. 

(53 minutes each) © 2005 Preview Clip Online 

“The Appalachians is an elegant fi lm about a 

people and a region that are rarely examined 

beyond stereotypes.”—The New York Times 

The Appalachians: The First Frontier 

This program examines the fi rst waves of 

settlement in the Appalachian mountains, 

beginning with the Native Americans. 

Illustrating how this indigenous population 

was eventually overwhelmed by the arrival 

of Europeans, the video focuses on the infl ux 

of Scots-Irish immigrants. The Appalachian 

origins of country music are also examined. 

$169.95 QBV35761 • DVD / VOD 


The Queen Family: Appalachian Tradition 

and Back Porch Music 

The mountains of Appalachia are home to 

a folk music tradition that traces its roots to 

England, Scotland, and Ireland. Picking up 

the African banjo and other infl uences in its 

evolution, this tradition gave rise to gospel, 

bluegrass, and country music. The recipients 

of the North Carolina Folk Heritage Award, 

the Brown-Hudson Folklore Award, and 

others, the Queen family of Western North 

Carolina and their back porch music have 

become icons of Southern Appalachian 

culture. Distributed by PBS Distribution. 


$169.95 QBV44391 • VOD 



The Appalachians: 

The Fight for Land and Work 

This program explores a century of confl ict 

and tragedy in the Appalachians, beginning 

with the forced exodus of the Cherokee. 

Documenting Appalachia’s role in racial 

and ideological tensions before the Civil War, 

the video examines the prevalence of 

slavery outside plantation culture and 

the divisions among mountain communities 

that followed secession. 

$169.95 QBV35762 • DVD / VOD 

The Appalachians: A Culture of Survival 

This program examines the 20th-century 

history of Appalachia through the prisms of 

economic hardship, spiritual perseverance, 

and the region’s rich musical heritage. The 

rise of modern country music, the resonance 

of long-standing church traditions, and 

the Appalachian experience in connection 

with major historical events and forces 

are documented. 

$169.95 QBV35763 • DVD / VOD 

SAVE 15%! 








What Is Music? 

Whenever the pressure of air is changed 

rapidly—by the beating of a drum, rattling 

a stick in a can, plucking a string stretched 

across a box—the ear-brain system detects 

the pressure changes as sound, which travels 

from source to listener as sound waves. This 

program examines sound waves: why some 

sounds are musical and others just noise, and 

the relationship of regularity or irregularity 

of vibration to the perception of musicality, 

as well as such nonscientifi c questions as 

the cultural content of musical perception. 


Recommended by Video Rating Guide for 

Libraries and School Library Journal. 

$99.95 QBV2310 • DVD / VOD 


40 


Romeo et Juliette— 


Shakespeare’s famous play was adapted 

for opera in 1867 by “Ave Maria” composer 

Charles Gounod, who found the tragic 

romance well suited to his musical style. 

Filmed at the Royal Opera House in 1994, 

this staging features Roberto Alagna as Roméo 

in a performance that made him an international 

star, with Leontina Vaduva as Juliette 

and François Le Roux as Mercutio. The Nicolas 

Joël production showcases Gounod’s faithful 

rendering of the Bard’s heartbreaking tale. 

Directed by Brian Large and conducted by 

Sir Charles Mackerras. (French, 2 hours 


“Leontina Vaduva is a captivating Juliette, 

capturing a real sense of youthful excitement 

and fear in the balcony scene, 

and demonstrating a brilliant upper 

register.”—musicOMH 

$199.95 QBV42112 • DVD / VOD 

Aida—From the Royal Opera House 

Aida was acclaimed at its fi rst performance 

in 1871 and has grown in stature ever since 

to become one of the best-loved and mostperformed 

grand operas of all time. Filmed 

at the Royal Opera House, Elijah Moshinsky’s 

1994 production of Giuseppe Verdi’s extravagant 

and magnifi cent Egyptian opera features 

Cheryl Studer in the title role and a cast that 

includes Dennis O’Neill and Luciana D’Intino. 

One of the 20 most-performed operas in 

North America, as cited by OPERA America! 

(Italian, 2 hours 31 minutes) © 1994 


$199.95 QBV42096 • DVD / VOD 

Georges Bizet’s Carmen— 


An introduction by conductor Antonio 

Pappano sets the stage for this Francesca 

Zambello production of Carmen, one of the 

world’s best-loved operas—a tale of passion, 

betrayal, and revenge featuring the perennially 

popular and dramatic music of Georges 

Bizet. Anna Caterina Antonacci and Jonas 

Kaufmann in the roles of Carmen and Don 

José head a cast of more than 140 supported 

by the Royal Opera House Orchestra and 

the Royal Opera Chorus. The performance 

is followed by a documentary that goes 

behind the scenes to interview the cast and 

conductor. (Opera in French with English 

subtitles, documentary in English, 2 hours 


$199.95 QBV42098 • DVD / VOD 

Dido and Aeneas 

—From the Royal Opera House 

Based on Book IV of Virgil’s Aeneid, Henry 

Purcell’s opera Dido and Aeneas contrasts both 

musically and dramatically the supernatural 

with personal tragedy. This performance—a 

collaboration between the Royal Opera and 

the Royal Ballet—spotlights Sarah Connolly 

and Lucas Meachem, who play out the epic 

story of love and despair between Dido, 

Queen of Carthage, and the Trojan demigod 

Aeneas. The onstage action is directed and 

choreographed by Wayne McGregor, and 

Christopher Hogwood conducts the Orchestra 

of the Age of Enlightenment. (61 minutes) 


$169.95 QBV42100 • DVD / VOD 

Don Carlo— 


Peace has been declared between Spain 

and France, and to seal the treaty, King 

Philip II weds Elisabeth of Valois—who is 

passionately in love with the king’s son, 

Don Carlo. Nicholas Hytner (2010 recipient of 

ISPA’s Distinguished Artist Award) directs this 

Royal Opera House co-production of Verdi’s 

1886 Italian rendition, while acclaimed stage 

designer Bob Crowley contributes stylized 

sets alongside period costumes. With Antonio 

Pappano conducting, and an international 

cast that includes Rolando Villazón, Ferruccio 

Furlanetto, Simon Keenlyside, and Marina 

Poplavskaya, Don Carlo remains a drama 

of power and psychology on an epic scale. 



$199.95 QBV42101 • DVD / VOD 



Don Giovanni— 


Staged by acclaimed director Francesca 

Zambello and conducted by legendary Mozart 

authority Sir Charles Mackerras, this 2008 

production of Don Giovanni never shies from 

the work’s inherent passion and spectacle. 

Shadows infuse the set through much of the 

performance (while a massive Madonna, 

fastened to a central urban façade, presides 

overhead), but the ominous chiaroscuro eventually 

gives way to the full force of the 

ensemble and an unforgettable pyrotechnic 

climax. The international cast includes 

renowned British baritone Simon Keenlyside 

in the title role, as well as Russian soprano 

Marina Poplavskaya as Donna Anna and 

Mexican tenor Ramón Vargas as Don Ottavio. 



$199.95 QBV42102 • DVD / VOD 

Hänsel und Gretel: Opera in Three Acts 

This modern retelling of Humperdinck’s fairy 

tale opera—described by Richard Strauss as “a 

masterpiece of the highest quality”—combines 

Romanticism, lyricism, and exuberant playfulness 

in a rich orchestration. Director Laurent 

Pelly places the siblings in a cardboard shack, 

and the iconic gingerbread house has been 

re-envisioned as shelves of child-enticing junk 

food. This popular Glyndebourne production 

of Hänsel und Gretel featuring guest conductor 

Kazushi Ono presents its themes, consumerism 

and environmental degradation, with lightness 

and charm in a shadowy milieu of menace. 

(German with English subtitles, 1 hour 




$199.95 QBV42104 • DVD / VOD 

L’Elisir d’Amore 

A love elixir, while intoxicating, does more 

harm than good before country bumpkin 

Nemorino wins the heart of wealthy, flirtatious 

Adina. Set in a rural Italian village, this 

Glyndebourne revival features comically 

crossed signals along with some of Donizetti’s 

most famous arias—including “Una Furtiva 

Lagrima,” a song that has crossed over into 

popular culture and appears in movies as 

dissimilar as Catch-22, Woody Allen’s Match 

Point, and The Goonies. Starring Peter Auty 

and Ekaterina Siurina, and conducted by 

Maurizio Benini. (Italian, 2 hours 3 minutes) 

© 2009 

“A sparkling production. Recommended.” 

—Educational Media Reviews Online 

$199.95 QBV42107 • DVD 



La Bohème— 


The Royal Opera House has been staging 

La Bohème—one of the most frequently 

performed operas in the world—for more than 

30 years. This production marks the return of 

veteran director John Copley to Covent Garden 

to oversee the 23rd revival of Puccini’s classic 

work, in which the carefree attitude of youth 

and the harsh realities of life are contrasted 

through the affair of Mimì and Rodolfo. Teodor 

Ilincai and Hibla Gerzmava star, with musical 

direction by Andris Nelsons and with historically 

accurate sets by Julia Trevelyan Oman 

that bring the Parisian bohemian subculture 

to life. (Italian, 1 hour 45 minutes) © 2009 


$169.95 QBV42105 • DVD / VOD 

La Fille du Regiment— 


This 2007 Laurent Pelly production of 

Donizetti’s La Fille du Régiment made the 

reputation of stars Natalie Dessay and Juan 

Diego Flórez—dubbed “King of the High 

Cs” for his ability to hit the famously rapid 

succession of nine top notes in the aria “Ah 

Mes Amis.” Conducted by Bruno Campanella, 

and with a cameo role by comedian Dawn 

French. (French, 2 hours 15 minutes) © 2007 


“The outstanding singing of the two stars, who 

supply moments of languid pathos amid their 

flamboyant vocalism, makes this a memorable 

evening.”—The Stage 

$199.95 QBV42106 • DVD / VOD 

Le Nozze di Figaro— 


Known for daring interpretations of other 

Mozart operas, director David McVicar offers 

viewers a fresh and energetic version of Le 

Nozze di Figaro in this 2006 ROH production. 

The cast includes Erwin Schrott, a bass- 

baritone previously celebrated for his work 

in Don Giovanni, as well as the gifted Miah 

Persson and Gerald Finley. Tanya McCallin’s 

departure from traditional 18th-century period 

design is also noteworthy. (Italian, 3 hours) 


“Few stagings in the Royal Opera’s current 

repertory are directed with so much detail 

in terms of the physical acting of the singers... 

Indeed, there’s so much poignant humour in 

this production that one wonders why McVicar 

doesn’t tackle more comedy.” 

—MusicalCriticism.com 

$199.95 QBV42108 • DVD / VOD 


42 


Mitridate, Re di Ponto— 

From the Royal Opera Hous 

Based on a play by Jean Racine, Mozart’s 

fourth opera—written when he was only 14 

years old—displays all the hallmarks of the 

fresh, inventive writing that was to fl ourish 

into extraordinary genius in Mozart’s later 

works. This 1993 production takes Mitridate, 

a story of jealous love and political intrigue, 

to the highest levels of operatic achievement 

with a cast starring Bruce Ford, Jochen 

Kowalski, Ann Murray, Luba Orgonasova, 

and Lillian Watson. Paul Daniel conducts the 

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. (Italian, 2 

hours 57 minutes) © 1993 Preview Clip Online 

$199.95 QBV42110 • DVD / VOD 

Otello—From the Royal Opera House 

In what many believe to be the fi nest production 

of Verdi’s Otello in modern times, Plácido 

Domingo and Kiri Te Kanawa lead a worldclass 

cast under the forceful and sensitive 

musical direction of Sir Georg Solti. This is 

an outstanding performance of the fi rst of 

the composer’s two late Shakespearean operas, 

widely regarded as masterpieces of the form. 

The production is helmed by Elijah Moshinsky, 

a director with undeniably fi ne-tuned instincts 

for interpreting Verdi, as evidenced here and in 

his staging of Stiffelio. For instructors of music 

and music appreciation, this is the ideal media 

tool for exploring the capabilities of Domingo, 

Dame Kiri, and several other artists. 



Recommended by MusicalCriticism.com. 

$199.95 QBV42111 • DVD / VOD 

Salome—From the Royal Opera House 

Peter Hall’s magnifi cent production of Strauss’s 

opera Salome features sensational acting from 

Maria Ewing—who, as the sinister and ruthless 

heroine named in the title, ultimately leaves 

nothing to the imagination in her Dance of the 

Seven Veils. She leads a fi ne cast, including 

Michael Devlin as a strong-voiced Jokanaan, 

Kenneth Riegel as a devilish Herod, Gillian 

Knight as the depraved Herodias, and Robin 

Leggate as the infatuated Narraboth. The 

orchestra, in excellent form, is conducted by 

Sir Edward Downes, whose memorable and 

rewarding career with the Royal Opera House 

will no doubt be appreciated by the classical 

music community for decades to come. 

(German, 1 hour 52 minutes) © 1992 



$169.95 QBV42113 • DVD 

Stiffelio—From the Royal Opera House 

Once regarded as a “lost” opera because of 

early censorship and controversy, Stiffelio 

has now established its rightful place in the 

Verdi canon. In this ROH recording, José 

Carreras delivers a stirring performance as 

the Protestant minister whose faith is shattered 

by his wife’s adultery. The production 

was created by Elijah Moshinsky, a director 

with widely recognized gifts for interpreting 

Verdi, as shown here and in his staging of 

Otello. (Italian, 2 hours) © 1993 


Recommended by Gramophone. 

$199.95 QBV42115 • DVD / VOD 

Tristan und Isolde 

Recorded at the 2009 Bayreuth Festival, 

this production of Tristan und Isolde was 

directed by Christoph Marthaler, who has 

staked a claim among the most challenging 

and innovative theatrical artists working today. 

The international cast is led by Robert Dean 

Smith as Tristan and Iréne Theorin as Isolde, 

and includes Robert Holl, Jukka Rasilainen, 

Ralf Lukas, and others with the Bayreuth 

Festival Chorus and Orchestra. (German, 

4 hours 14 minutes) © 2009 Preview Clip Online 


$199.95 QBV42122 • DVD / VOD 

The Tsarina’s Slippers— 


This production of Tchaikovsky’s rarely 

performed work, with its nod to Ukrainian 

folk culture and sets inspired by the gorgeous 

hues of Russian Orthodox icons, was deemed 

“delightful” by The Opera Critic. The Royal 

Ballet joins the Royal Opera Orchestra for 

a comic-fantastic romp as Oxana (Olga 

Guryakova) tests the love of her beau Vakula 

(Vsevolod Grivnov) by requesting he fetch her 

the footwear of Tsarina Catherine the Great. 

Tchaikovsky himself considered this opera— 

based on “Christmas Eve,” a story by Gogol 

that he’d loved as a child—to be his fi nest 

creation. (Russian, 2 hours 23 minutes) © 2009 



$199.95 QBV42099 • DVD 



The Essence of an Instrument 

This program is devoted to analyzing the 

essential features required in any instrument 

if a usable musical sound is to be produced. 

The fi rst requirement is for a device that 

will produce regularity of pressure change, 

whether a vibration or wobble, a rotation 

(like the wheel of a siren), vibration of air 

in pipes, or tightly stretched strings, or more 

or less fl at plates, or hollow vessels like bells. 

The program examines how energy can be 

provided to produce a continuous note, how 

sound can be amplifi ed, how amplifi cation 

changes the quality of sound, and the consequences 

for music produced by synthesizers 

and computers. (60 minutes) © 1989 


Recommended by Science Books & Films. 

$99.95 QBV2311 • DVD / VOD 

Genres in Music: 

From Handel to Hip-Hop 

Throughout history, musicians and musical 

works have refl ected the fashion, culture, 

and social attitudes of their times. Music 

today is more diversifi ed than ever, from 

the megahits of teen pop stars to the depth 

and emotionality of gospel choirs to the tones 

and textures produced by large-scale orchestras. 

Add to this the unstoppable forces of 

MySpace, YouTube, the iPod, and a rapidly 

expanding community of independent labels 

and producers, and the result is a kaleidoscope 

of styles, movements, and voices. 

This program gives students an overview of 

musical genres, including forms of classical 

music, rock and pop, musical theater, 20thand 

21st-century fi lm music, heavy metal, and 

rap. Viewable/printable educational resources 

are available online. (22 minutes) © 2008 


$129.95 QBV40223 • DVD / VOD 

Performance & Instruction • Music Styles 


If opera is the crowning achievement of 

music and drama, the aria—a virtuoso’s 

showcase for passionate expression— 

is the jewel in the crown. Gathering 

outstanding performances from the 1980s 

and ’90s, this two-part series is both an 

exhilarating introduction to opera and 

a valuable opportunity to see and hear 

operatic stars in roles for which they are 

renowned. Each segment is preceded by 

a concise contextual introduction by the 

featured soloist or the conductor. 

(60 minutes each) © 1999 

Great Arias: Collection 1 

Linking three centuries of music, this collection 

spotlights performances of famous arias. 

Yvonne Kenny introduces Purcell’s The Fairy 

Queen and sings Titania’s aria “O weep for 

me.” Ann Murray introduces Handel’s Xerxes 

and sings “If you worship the man who has 

spurned you.” Christine Schäfer introduces 

Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail 

and sings “Martern aller Arten.” Dame Joan 

Sutherland introduces Bellini’s Norma and 

sings “Casta diva” from Act I. Several other 

phenomenal performances are also featured. 

$169.95 QBV10321 • DVD 

Great Arias: Collection 2 

In this collection, compositions from the 

19th and 20th centuries span 100 years of 

European opera. Waltraud Meier introduces 

Wagner’s Tannhäuser and sings a selection 

from Act I. Galina Gorchakova introduces 

Verdi’s La forza del destino and sings “Son 

giunta, grazie oh Dio!” Yuri Marusin introduces 

and sings selections from Tchaikovsky’s 

Pique Dame. Eva Marton introduces Puccini’s 

Tosca and sings “Vissi d’arte.” Several other 

outstanding performances are also presented. 

$169.95 QBV10322 • DVD 

SAVE 15%! 






44 

Music Styles 


Jazz 

A Film by Ken Burns 

A study and celebration of America’s greatest 

original art form, Ken Burns’ 10-part documentary 

series opens at the dawn of the 

20th century and crosses the decades with 

the exuberance and expressive power of jazz 

itself. Each episode sheds light on cultural and 

historical milestones as it introduces viewers 

to the unforgettable names and accomplishments 

of the music. From the cradle of 

New Orleans to the crucibles of Chicago and 

New York City...from the Harlem Renaissance 

to the Great Depression to World War II and 

beyond...Jazz paints an astonishing portrait 

of a nation and the sound that both captured 

and set free its spirit. Distributed by PBS 

Distribution. (110 minutes each) © 2000 


Gumbo: Part 1 

The story of jazz begins in New Orleans, 

19th-century America’s most cosmopolitan city. 

Pioneers include Buddy Bolden, Jelly Roll Morton, 

Sidney Bechet, Freddie Keppard, and others. 

$169.95 QBV43713 • VOD 

The Gift: Part 2 

The fl owering of the Jazz Age is a tale of two 

great cities, Chicago and New York, and two 

artists whose achievements spanned threequarters 

of a century—Louis Armstrong and 

Duke Ellington. 

$169.95 QBV43714 • VOD 

Our Language: Part 3 

It was the 1920s, and jazz was everywhere 

in America. Featured artists include Bessie Smith, 

Bix Beiderbecke, and two brilliant sons of Jewish 

immigrants, Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw. 

$169.95 QBV43715 • VOD 

The True Welcome: Part 4 

The Great Depression loomed, but jazz was 

poised for growth—Louis Armstrong revolutionized 

Broadway song craft and Chick Webb forged 

his big-band sound. Enter Fats Waller, Art Tatum, 

and Fletcher Henderson. 

$169.95 QBV43716 • VOD 

Swing—Pure Pleasure: Part 5 

As the Depression dragged on, jazz came 

as close as it ever would to being America’s 

popular music. Now it was often called 

swing, and it became the defi ning music 

of a generation. 

$169.95 QBV43717 • VOD 

Swing—The Velocity of Celebration: Part 6 

As the 1930s closed, swing-mania was still 

going strong, but fans were turning to new 

artistry—such as the Kansas City sound of 

Count Basie and Billie Holiday’s anti-lynching 

ballad, “Strange Fruit.” 

$169.95 QBV43718 • VOD 

Dedicated to Chaos: Part 7 

Glenn Miller and Artie Shaw entertained troops 

overseas during WWII, while Duke Ellington sold 

war bonds and premiered Black, Brown, and 

Beige for war relief. Then came Dizzy Gillespie, 

Charlie Parker, and bebop. 

$169.95 QBV43719 • VOD 

Risk: Part 8 

“Bird” demonstrated an ability as stunning as 

Louis Armstrong’s had been a quarter-century 

before. Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonius Monk 

were also important fi gures. So, eventually, 

was one-time Parker sideman Miles Davis. 

$169.95 QBV43720 • VOD 

The Adventure: Part 9 

Even during the Elvis years, Duke Ellington and 

Louis Armstrong were still going strong—but Miles 

Davis was carrying jazz forward. A few years later, 

so were John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman. 

$169.95 QBV43721 • VOD 

A Masterpiece by Midnight: Part 10 

During the Civil Rights era jazz became a voice 

of protest, while John Coltrane and Miles Davis 

continued to innovate. In our own time, Wynton 

Marsalis and a host of others have ensured that 

jazz is still vibrant and swinging. 

$169.95 QBV43722 • VOD 

SAVE 15%! 



Special Discount Price: $1,444.60 








Musical Comedy in American Cinema 

Beginning with the release of The Jazz Singer 

in 1927, this program provides a detailed look 

inside that most distinctly American of fi lm 

traditions, the musical comedy. Interviews 

with dancer Cyd Charisse, famous for her 

starring roles in MGM musicals, and Hermes 

Pan, renowned choreographer and collaborator 

with Fred Astaire, help to illuminate the 

advent and evolution of the genre. Excerpts 

and behind-the-scenes accounts from Singin’ 

in the Rain, 42nd Street, Second Chorus, 

Flying Down to Rio, The Wizard of Oz, and 

many other fi lms are included. Specifi c topics 

include the impact of the Hays Code, the 

infl uence of African-American dance styles, 

and the decline of the musical during the 

1960s. (52 minutes) © 2008 Preview Clip Online 

$169.95 QBV40694 • DVD / VOD 

Sacred Sounds: 

Music of the World, Songs of the Soul 

To comprehend the holy and inspire the 

believer, the world’s religions have always 

incorporated music as a form of prayer. 

This award-winning documentary takes an 

ecumenical look at a diverse selection of these 

traditions as performed at the Festival of World 

Sacred Music held in Fez, Morocco. Along with 

commentary from festival director Dr. Faouzi 

Skali and music anthropologist David Lynch, 

the program features dynamic performances 

from the Christian, Islamic, and Jewish traditions, 

including medieval chants, Sufi blessing 

songs, American gospel, and Israeli popular 

ballads. (58 minutes) © 2000 


“It’s like running across a really cool tent at the 

New Orleans jazz and Heritage Festival.” 

—Chicago Tribune 

“Great performance footage and fascinating 

images.”—Chicago Reader 

$169.95 QBV30999 • DVD / VOD 


Music Styles • World Music 

Music Moves the World: 

ON The Power and Passion of 

DEMAND Rhythm, BEST Melody, 

FAVORITE and SELLER 

Dance 

This program travels to both 

developing and industrialized countries to 

capture culture-defi ning rhythms and melodies 

and explain the important roles they play in 

human society. With stops in Africa, Asia, Latin 

America, the Caribbean, and Europe, the video 

observes how music is used by gauchos and 

Cossacks, Sufi s and Buddhist monks, Papuan 

warriors and Western soldiers, Senufo weavers 

and fl amenco dancers, marching protesters 

and singing soccer fans, and many others. 

Harmony and polyphony, music as an organizing 

principle, the spiritual qualities of 

sound, and how the brain processes music 

are touched upon as well. (52 minutes) © 2004 


$169.95 QBV35053 • DVD / VOD 

Fine Rain: 

Politics and Folk Songs in China 

Whether they were crafted to spread Mao’s 

message of class struggle or spun from the 

fabric of everyday life, Chinese folk songs 

carry with them immense historical and 

cultural importance. This program examines 

a wide range of songs and melodies from the 

country’s pre-Communist era to the Cultural 

Revolution, energized by a rich progression 

of archival footage, photographs, interviews, 

and present-day renditions sung in homes 

and on street corners. The origins, meanings, 

and political impact of several well-known 

songs are described, along with an illustration 

of jianpu, the traditional Chinese system of 

musical notation, and the distinction between 

haozi, or workmen’s songs, and the urban 

style known as xiaodiao. (58 minutes) 

© 2007Preview Clip Online C 

$169.95 QBV39001 • DVD / VOD 

El Corrido Mexicano: 

Música y Cuernos de Chivo 

In existence for more than a century, the 

Mexican corrido continues to be met with 

enthusiasm on both sides of the Mexico/U.S. 

border. Filmed on location in Mexico and 

San Diego, this program showcases performances 

of “Terrible Cuerno de Chivo,” by 

Los Sierreños; “Contrabando y Traición,” by 

Los Tigres del Norte; and other songs. Some 

theme-related lyrics may be objectionable. 

An RTVE Production. (Spanish 

with English subtitles, 57 minutes) 


$169.95 QBV39529 • DVD / VOD 


46 

World Music 


Latin Music 

U.S.A. 

Latin music today has deeper roots and broader reach than most people realize, owing 

to fusions of Latin sounds with jazz, rock, country, and rhythm & blues. This 4-part documentary 

invites viewers into the vibrant musical conversation between the Latinos and 

non-Latinos that have helped shape the history of the United States. It’s a fresh take on 

the origins of one of America’s most popular music genres, told by an extraordinary range 

of artists, including Marc Anthony, Carlos Santana, Gloria and Emilio Estafan, Ricky Martin, 

Linda Ronstadt, and more. The program reaches across five decades to portray the rich 

mix of sounds created by Latinos and embraced by all. Narrated by acclaimed actor 

Jimmy Smits. Distributed by PBS Distribution. (60 minutes each) © 2009 Preview Clip Online C 

Bridges 

Through inspiring interviews and rare historical 

footage, episode 1, Bridges, features 

Latin musical pioneers themselves, tracing the 

rise in popularity of Latin culture in America 

and its vibrant array of music and dance. The 

film includes the great Machito and his Afro- 

Cubans, and Cuban bandleader Pérez Prado, 

who reflects on the mambo and cha cha 

dance styles that swept like wildfire across 

mid-century America. It’s a high-energy 

journey that takes the viewer all the way 

through the 1960s as Latin music begins to 

infiltrate the world of R&B and rock, from 

the Drifters to Santana, and beyond. 

$169.95 QBV44301 • VOD 

The Salsa Revolution 

In episode 2, The Salsa Revolution, the melting 

pot of music is stirred into an entirely new 

genre. As told by the artists themselves, Puerto 

Ricans and other Latinos in New York combine 

the Cuban son (sound) with the Puerto Rican 

plena beat. By taking a fiery Latino vibe and 

adding elements from soul and jazz they create 

the sound—now renowned worldwide—of 

salsa music. This vibrant and distinct style 

became a defining rhythm for Latinos the 

world over for many years to come. 

$169.95 QBV44302 • VOD 




The Chicano Wave 

Episode 3, The Chicano Wave, continues 

the story of the rise of Latino music told by a 

new generation of Mexican-American entertainers, 

raised on rock and rhythm & blues, 

including Ritchie Valens, Freddy Fender, Linda 

Ronstadt, Selena, and more. Through interviews 

and historical footage, this documentary 

illustrates how Mexican-Americans across the 

Southwest created their own distinct musical 

voices during the second half of the 20th 

century. Their music would play an important 

role in the struggle for Chicano civil rights 

and ultimately propel them from the streets 

of the barrio to the national stage. 

$169.95 QBV44303 • VOD 

Divas and Superstars 

The final episode, Divas and Superstars, is 

an exciting backstage look at the Latin-pop 

explosion into the English-language market. 

At the turn of century, artists like Ricky Martin, 

Gloria Estefan, and Shakira became overnight 

sensations. But as music studios concentrated 

on star-driven pop, Latino youth gravitated 

toward a more urban-driven fusion, following 

Spanish-speaking rappers like Pitbull, and 

rockers like Colombian-born Juanes, a 

Grammy Award-winning musician who has 

become a global phenomenon. It’s a rare 

look at the rise of an enduring musical 

and cultural sensation. 

$169.95 QBV44304 • VOD 

SAVE 15%! 







Now Available! Chicano Rock! 

The Sounds of East Los Angeles 

This documentary tells the story of generations 

of young Mexican-Americans who 

proudly expressed their identity through 

music. The program is fi lled with intimate 

fi rst-person storytelling, rare fi lm and photos, 

and exuberant music from artists such as 

Lalo Guerrero, the legendary Ritchie Valens, 

and classic bands such as Cannibal and the 

Headhunters, Thee Midniters of “Whittier 

Blvd.” fame, El Chicano, Tierra and Los 

Lobos. Distributed by PBS Distribution. 


$169.95 QBV44113 • VOD 

Sing and Don’t Cry: The Mariachis 

The mariachi sound is the heart and soul 

of Mexico—and a form of music that today 

is enjoyed throughout the world. In this 

down-to-earth program, mariachi afi cionado 

Cornélio Garcia introduces viewers to the 

music, history, and cultural importance of 

mariachi bands in Mexico and elsewhere. 

Whether they are marching in a parade, 

performing onstage in a restaurant or at a 

fi esta, or even serenading mourners at a 

funeral, mariachis bring pleasure to all who 

hear them. The renowned Mariachi Vargas de 

Tecalitlán is spotlighted. (Spanish with English 

subtitles, 58 minutes) © 2005 


$99.95 QBV37554 • DVD / VOD 

Rebel Music: Americas 

From Tierra del Fuego to the Rio Grande, 

musicians are lending their voices to dynamic 

political movements. This program features 

several defi ant artists in performances that 

are interwoven with social commentary on 

displaced or disadvantaged communities. 

Through their music, these groups take 

viewers inside major grassroots movements 

shaping the Americas of today. (Portions in 

Spanish with English subtitles, 80 minutes) 


$179.95 QBV38819 • DVD / VOD 


World Music 

Rhythms to Nirvana: 

ON An Introduction to Indian 

DEMAND Classical BEST Music 

FAVORITE Since SELLER India’s ancient times, 

music has been considered a 

potent vehicle for attaining nirvana, spiritual 

salvation. This intriguing program provides 

an overview of the history of Indian classical 

music, from its divine origins to the present 

day, showcasing popular stringed, wind, 

and percussion instruments such as the sitar, 

sarangi, veena, tambora, and sarod; the fl ute, 

shehnai, and harmonium; and the mridang, 

tabla, and bayan. The Indian approach to 

teaching music is also discussed. (30 minutes) 


$149.95 QBV9036 • DVD / VOD 

La Paloma: The History 

ON and Mystery of the World’s 

DEMAND 

BEST 

Most Popular Song 

FAVORITE 

SELLER 

In Zanzibar they play it at 

the end of weddings, in 

Romania at the end of funerals, in Mexico as 

a protest song, and in Germany as a sailor’s 

lament. Written a century and a half ago by 

Sebastián Iradier and fi rst performed in Cuba, 

“La Paloma”—the most frequently played 

song in the world—has circled the globe like 

a dove to touch listeners’ hearts with longing. 

Drawing upon insightful expert commentary, 

moving personal anecdotes, and snippets 

from dozens of versions of “La Paloma,” 

this program follows the song’s trail in an 

effort to understand its power to enchant so 

very many people. A mix of music history 

and ethnomusicology. (Portions in other 

languages with English subtitles, 52 minutes) 


$169.95 QBV40164 • DVD / VOD 

Caribbean Crucible 

This program analyzes the diverse forms 

of Caribbean popular music, tracking their 

roots to the traditional music of island 

nations such as Jamaica and the Dominican 

Republic. Recordings of music from Maroon 

communities and ecstatic Kumina sects, 

plus examples of mento and urban reggae, 

provide a sampler of the region’s exciting 

musical hybrids—each a unique blend of 

African and European infl uences. Performers 

include Big Youth, Louise Bennett-Coverley, 

The Mummies of San Pedro de Macoris, 

The Congos of the Holy Spirit, Sarandunga 

Group of Bani, Talisman, and Mama Zeela 

and the Kumina of Spring Garden. 

(56 minutes) © 1984 

$99.95 QBV10514 • DVD 


48 

World Music 

Indian Classical Music 

This program features some of the fi nest 

musicians of India: Ali Akbar Khan, Alla 

Rakha, Amjad Khan, Hariprasad Chaurasia, 

and Ravi Shankar. Each a supreme virtuoso 

of his instrument, the artists perform ragas 

that illustrate the range, scope, and texture 

of Indian classical music. (85 minutes) © 1989 

$169.95 QBV5066 • DVD 

Tsugaru Shamisen: 

The World of Michihiro Sato 

Michihiro Sato is considered the fi nest player 

of the Tsugaru shamisen, a traditional threestringed 

instrument of the Tsugaru province 

integral to Japanese folk music. This program 

combines live performances by Sato at the 

Otsu Traditional Performing Arts Center with 

the musician’s commentary on the history and 

role of the shamisen player, a door-to-door 

minstrel of a bygone era. Sato also discusses 

the future of Tsugaru shamisen, such as his 

work with jazz and avant-garde musicians in 

America and Europe. (48 minutes) © 2000 


$169.95 QBV30226 • DVD / VOD 

Shozan Tanabe: The Sound of Silence 

The shakuhachi, a kind of wooden fl ute, was 

introduced to Japan sometime between the 

8th and 12th centuries and was used in court 

music as well as in Buddhist monasteries as 

a vehicle for enlightenment. This program 

features performances and discussion by 

Shozan Tanabe, one of Japan’s most recognized 

players of the shakuhachi. Along with 

recordings of his music, Tanabe talks about 

the history of this instrument so often associated 

with the “sound of Japan.” (48 minutes) 


$169.95 QBV30227 • DVD / VOD 

Koto: Praise on Strings 

Hideaki Kuribayashi was a disciple of 

koto legend Tadao Sawai and is considered 

the fi nest living player of this traditional 

Japanese stringed instrument. In this program, 

interviews with Kuribayashi are intercut with 

performances from his concerts in Nagano 

and Kyoto in 2000. Kuribayashi comments 

on the history and art of koto music and 

discusses the creation of his own original 

musical compositions. (48 minutes) © 2002 



Yearbook for Traditional Music. 

$169.95 QBV30228 • DVD / VOD 

Koto: The Music of Tadao 

Tadao Sawai was Japan’s greatest modern 

koto player, enjoying immense popularity and 

infl uencing a whole generation of musicians. 

His widow, Kazue Sawai, has become heir to 

his musical legacy and is one of the foremost 

players of this traditional instrument. In this 

program, Kazue discusses Tadao’s playing 

and how she has integrated modern music 

into her own repertoire. In addition to highlighting 

several of Kazue’s performances, the 

program also contains archival footage of 

Tadao playing his koto. (48 minutes) 


Highlighted by Music Educators Journal. 

$169.95 QBV30229 • DVD / VOD 



No continent’s music refl ects people’s 

culture, religion, and politics more than 

the music of Africa. This two-part series 

from the BBC examines Zimbabwe and 

Mali’s diverse music to discover its origin, 

signifi cance, and effects on modern 

African music. (60 minutes each) © 1989 ‡ 

Mali: The Music of Life 

This program features the music of Mali, 

where every musician is a poet who uses 

a fusion of traditional Mandika style and 

modern rhythm and blues to tell a story. 

Traditional instruments, such as the balafon, 

are combined with modern instruments to 

produce songs in praise of guests at family 

celebrations, and songs urging young people 

to develop good values and to stand up to 

oppression. From rural villages to modern 

nightclubs, from folk songs to sophisticated 

African jazz, all of the music is discussed 

as an extension of traditional Mali rhythms, 

melodies, and themes. Two prominent 

women singers discuss their careers. 

$99.95 QBV7376 • DVD 

Zimbabwe: Music with a Past 

The music presented comes from Zimbabwe’s 

regional melting pot. It combines traditional 

rhythms with a modern African sound. 

Musicians Biggie Tembo and Ephat Mujuru 

explain the musical style of Ngorimba—a 

musical genre whose songs refl ect Zimbabwe’s 

troubled history of colonialism, liberation, and 

political upheaval. Live performances highlight 

the use of traditional instruments, including the 

ngoma (drums), hosho (rattles), and mbira. 

Lyrics to many songs, translated into English, 

provide insights into Zimbabwean culture— 

past and present. 

$99.95 QBV7377 • DVD 

SAVE 15%! 






World Music 

The Seven Ages of Music 

This program traces the development of 

African music, particularly South African 

music, from early tribal songs to the modern 

pop sounds of groups like Ladysmith Black 

Mambazo and Hugh Masekela. The program 

covers seven phases of development which 

mirror the history of an entire people. The 

relationship between African music and 

American jazz is also covered. The program 

includes performances by traditional tribal 

singers and dancers as well as modern pop 

and jazz performers. (52 minutes) 

Recommended by Booklist. 

$169.95 QBV4007 • DVD 

Listening to the Silence: 

ON African Cross Rhythms 

DEMAND 

BEST 

“Africans listen to the silence 

FAVORITE 

SELLER 

and use it as a dimension in 

which they can improvise,” 

observes John Collins, an English musician 

and host of this program. Taking off from 

the peace of nature, the singing cicadas, 

and the simple routines of the workday, this 

program explores a kaleidoscope of musical 

examples from Ghana: children’s games and 

their musical bands; traditional drums; sensual 

dances; trance dances; animated funeral music; 

and many other examples from the Ewe, 

Ashanti, Ga, and Frafra peoples of Ghana. 

Throughout the program, the leitmotif is 

social participation and the strikingly 

complex rhythmic sensibilities of the people. 


$99.95 QBV6434 • DVD / VOD 


ND 

ITE 

50 

World Music • Music Survey 

New! The Young Composers Challenge 

Witness the drama of a spelling bee combined 

with the spectacle of concert music! This film 

features five teenaged composers racing the 

calendar for the chance to have their original 

work performed by the Orlando Philharmonic 

Orchestra. Each artist faces personal obstacles—from 

relationship dilemmas to visual 

disability to distractions from other art forms— 

as they transform their ideas into professionally 

scored music over a six-month period. 


$129.95 QBV42305 • DVD / VOD 


Musical Minds, with Dr. Oliver Sacks 

This program from NOVA presents author and 

neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks and his explora- ON 

DEMAND 

tion of the link between music and the brain. 

While working with patients who struggle to 

cope with a number of debilitating medical 

conditions, including autism and Tourrette 

syndrome, Dr. Sacks found that the therapeutic 

effects of music help many. Four 

remarkable case studies from Dr. Sacks’ 

book, Musicophilia, are examined, including 

a man who uses drumming to relieve 

his severe Tourette syndrome symptoms. 

Distributed by PBS Distribution. 


$169.95 QBV44149 • VOD 

BEST 

SELLER 

FAVORITE 

Music of the Brain 

As many non-Western cultures 

have always known, music 

affects human development 

and may have specific health 

benefits. This documentary examines the 

role music plays in shaping our brains and 

improving our well-being. Starting with the 

effect of musical vibrations on premature 

infants in neonatal intensive care, the film 

moves on to study music in childhood 

learning, music therapy in hospitals, and 

the ways in which music can help the elderly. 


$169.95 QBV41327 • DVD / VOD 

World Music: Stories 

ON Behind the Songs 

DEMAND 

BEST 

Produced in conjunction 

FAVORITE with SELLER legendary singer Peter 

Gabriel, this program takes 

viewers to a stage outside London as it documents 

the work of artists appearing at the 

World of Music, Arts and Dance Festival 

(WOMAD). In addition to engaging and 

powerful on-stage numbers, the film captures 

intimate, behind-the-scenes moments with 

world music stars, tracing each performer’s 

origins and artistic journey. (54 minutes) 


$169.95 QBV40865 • DVD / VOD 

BEST 

SELLER 

Amazing Grace: The Story 

of a Song That Makes 

a Difference 

Why is “Amazing Grace” the 

most-performed hymn in the 

English language? In this program, Bill Moyers 

seeks to understand the enduring power that 

has carried this song across continents and 

through time—and the compelling story of 

the slaver-turned-preacher who wrote it. 

This documentary includes a special video 

introduction by Mr. Moyers and segments 

that spotlight the history of the hymn and 

some of its notable singers as they reflect 

on what “Amazing Grace” means to them. 

Country singer Johnny Cash, opera singer 

Jessye Norman, folksingers Judy Collins and 

Jean Ritchie, gospel singer Marion Williams, 

shape-note singers from Georgia and 

Alabama, and the Boys Choir of Harlem 

are featured. (80 minutes plus introduction) 


$99.95 QBV30863 • DVD / VOD 

The Online Music 

ON Revolution 

DEMAND 

BEST 

An industry once dominated 

FAVORITE by SELLER 

four giant companies— 

Sony BMG, Warner Music, 

Universal, and EMI—has undergone a radical 

transformation. This program examines the 

explosion of legal music downloading and 

viral marketing, which have enabled enterprising 

bands and singers to distribute their 

own work rather than signing with major 

labels. Focusing on the success of Nizlopi, 

Arctic Monkeys, Internet marketing pioneer 

Simply Red, and other artists, the program 

also features commentary from John Kennedy, 

chairman of the International Federation of 

the Phonographic Industry—who outlines the 

potential benefits that big corporations may 

one day reap from consumer downloading. 

Produced by the Open University. (30 minutes) 


$149.95 QBV37076 • DVD / VOD 



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Performing 

Arts 

DVD & Video On Demand Catalog • Fall 2011 

New! Speaking for Myself: 

Voices of the Arts in New York City 

Eight performing artists living in New York City 

discuss their work in this intimate and illuminating 

program. The eight—actors, musicians, 

a choreographer, and a poet—give voice to 

the rich transformative process of creativity as 

they explain how they started, what motivates 

them, and why they chose to work in what 

is probably the most artistically competitive 

city in the world. Although diverse in cultural 

background, age, and medium of expression, 

the eight share a dedication to their craft and 

to the city that inspires them. Clips of street 

and stage performances open each interview 

segment, capturing the vitality and color of 

the NYC art scene. (75 minutes) © 2010 C 

$179.95 QBV43916 • DVD 

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The Queen Family: Appalachian Tradition 

and Back Porch Music 

The mountains of Appalachia are home to 

a folk music tradition that traces its roots to 

England, Scotland, and Ireland. Picking up 

the African banjo and other infl uences in its 

evolution, this tradition gave rise to gospel, 

bluegrass, and country music. The recipients 

of the North Carolina Folk Heritage Award, 

the Brown-Hudson Folklore Award, and 

others, the Queen family of Western North 

Carolina and their back porch music have 

become icons of Southern Appalachian 

culture. Distributed by PBS Distribution. 


$169.95 QBV44391 • VOD

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