|
|
The target language in this series is Mandarin (Putonghua); the official language of the People's Republic of China, is based on the dialect of China's capital, Beijing. The Dragon's Tongue is a valuable source of genuine cultural information about China today.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
These video biographies reveal the lives, careers, times, and literature of twenty five major American and British authors. Illustrations, diary extracts, letters, conversations, music of the time and narration recreate the aura of each, with works carefully placed in biographical context.
check individual tittles for times.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
Toni Morrison was winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize in literature. Her life and work have meant a lot to a whole generation of young African American women. This video reveals a personal portrait of Professor Morrison while analyzing her intentions and techniques of composition. Interwoven are scenes of four students discussing her as a role model.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
A contemporary adaptation of THE TELL-TALE HEART by Edgar Allan Poe.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
Takes us to the Sumerian archaeological sites in present day Iran, Iraq, Syria, and elsewhere, to see the influence of cuneiform, the oldest known writing system in the world. Its development brought about a cultural renaissance,and Sumer's rise in the Mesopotamian region. The influence of these Sumerian wedge characters did not end with the fall of Sumer, but also provided a literary foundation for civilizations that followed. Cuneiform influenced Akkadian, Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian writing, evolving over time from rudimentary pictures to standardized symbols.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
The Endless Challenge focuses on ancient Persia, a vast empire that stretched across western Asia into Europe and Africa. The blending of cultures in ancient Persia left a number of artifacts that show how prolific writing systems came to be. The program centers on how the century-long task of deciphering these writing systems produced a greater understanding of ancient Persia and its influences long after, even on Western civilizations.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
Describes dramatic change brought about by the evolution of writing from simple letters to entire alphabetic systems. This program both examines the reasons the alphabets were developed, and traces how the use of alphabets spread around the world, changing the cultures they touched. Letters of a sphinx discovered on the Sinai Peninsula in 1905 reveal how the characters found there were in a very different style from earlier forms of writing and suggest the beginning of an alphabet.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
By 1940 Paul Robeson was the most recognized African-American in the world. Key events of his life, politics and career are presented. Robeson used his international acclaim to focus world-wide attention on racial injustices suffered by African-Americans in the 1930s, 40s and 50s. <br><br> By 1950, Robeson's battle for freedom cost him his career. Footage of the legendary entertainer discussing his views, along with clips of his memorable Hollywood movie career are presented. A Morehouse College historian analyses Robeson's impact, and the turbulent times he lived in.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
Pamela Travers was the creator of the universally-loved fictional character, Mary Poppins. Yet the whimsical fantasies of the sugar and spice nanny bore no resemblance to her real life childhood.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
Signs of the Times traces the evolution of communication, revealing the developtment and cultural significance of alphabetic and pictographic scripts. From hieroglphics and cuneiform came the first alphabets of Egypt, Phoencia, and Geece, reflecting their world and its values. A thousand years later Gutenberg's printing press and its diffusion of ideas set the stage for the Renaissance, the Reformation, ans the age of revolutions...call for more details.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Written Word investigates the development of ancient writing. Who invented letters, how did they do it, and what was their motivation? The answers to these questions provide a key to understanding the development of civilization itself.
|
|
|
|
View Film Details
|
|
