Michael Bacon Movies

With its billions of cells linked by trillions of connections, the human brain is the most complex thing in the universe. Within weeks of conception, fetal brain cells develop at the rate of 500,000 per minute. From birth to age one an infant's brain is most easily molded by external influences and experiences. The first hour of "The Baby's Brain," volume one in a series on The Secret Life of the Brain, focuses on the formation of the infant brain, examining such factors as brain organization and the roles of genetics and environment on brain development. ~ Kathryn Tamms, All Movie Guide

This is the final part of a three-video, six-hour program that originally aired February 19-21, 2001, as a presentation of the acclaimed PBS series The American Experience. The program focuses on the marriage of Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln, and is one of the first documentaries to do so. In the third part, a series of tragedies overwhelms Mary. Lincoln's urgent need to manage the war hurts the marriage, leaving Mary feeling isolated, especially in light of the death of their son Willie. Often accused of being a Confederate sympathizer, Mary ultimately loses three brothers in battle against the Union. After the president is assassinated, she's devastated. Six years later, after her son Tad dies young of tuberculosis, she loses her sanity and spends the last 17 years of her life institutionalized. Narrated by David McCullough, the program also features interviews with scholars and readings by actors David Morse and Holly Hunter. Highlights include period photographs. ~ Steve Blackburn, All Movie Guide

Part one of American Experience: The Rockefellers chronicles the rise of John D. Rockefeller from the son of a gambler to the owner of Standard Oil. Born in 1839, Rockefeller gained his mother's prudent disposition, but learned about the value of money from his unreliable father, nicknamed "Devil Bill." When oil was discovered in Pennsylvania in the mid-1800s, the young commodities trader decided to make money by refining it. At 25, he owned one of the largest oil refineries in the world; at 30, he founded Standard Oil. Rockefeller married the progressive-minded Laura Spellman in 1864 and they raised four children on their country estate on Cleveland's millionaire's row. By 1880, Standard Oil controlled 90% of the world's oil refineries while the Rockefeller fortune grew to over a billion dollars. In 1902, however, Ida Tarbell published an expose in McClure's on the predatory practices Rockefeller had utilized against competitors. John Rockefeller Jr. faced even more intense criticism following the deadly coal strike at a family-owned mine in Ludlow, CO, in 1913. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., All Movie Guide

Something about the millennium makes documentarians wax nostalgic. ABC is no exception. With the rollover of the year, decade, and century, summations are in order. The Century: America's Time is one such wrap-up, albeit a mighty ambitious one. Peter Jennings narrates this look back at the last 100 years. From a strictly American point of view, the video starts at the turn of the century, with the birth of the common man, and moves all the way to present-day technology, with the computer leading the way. The presentation is divided onto six tapes. Each program tramples through a dense history with Jennings providing the transitions. Beginning with the great melting pot, a timeline of occurrences highlights each video: the invention of the automobile, the suffrage movement, both world wars, and Vietnam. The video covers the "hippie" movement, the Red Scare, and the undeniable AIDS epidemic. At times, the stories are told by American icons, including Oliver Stone and Eudora Welty. Other moments are described by photographs alone. This collection is an exercise in textbook description with little analysis assigned to the events. However, for the history buff, The Century: America's Time is a gold mine. In Century: America's Time, Vol. 6, unexpected changes dot the landscape of the Reagan era. The end of the Cold War and the emergence of the nouveau riche dominate the '80s. This wrap-up focuses on the pivotal moments of the '90s -- from the Oklahoma Bombing to the Persian Gulf War. The creation of a media-hungry culture is apparent. The program ends with a look to the future. Episodes included are: Century: America's Time - 1981-1989: A New World and Century: America's Time - The '90s and Beyond: Then and Now.


~ Sarah Ing, All Movie Guide

Something about the millennium makes documentarians wax nostalgic. ABC is no exception. With the rollover of the year, decade, and century, summations are in order. The Century: America's Time is one such wrap-up, albeit a mighty ambitious one. Peter Jennings narrates this look back at the last 100 years. From a strictly American point of view, the video starts at the turn of the century, with the birth of the common man, and moves all the way to present-day technology, with the computer leading the way. The presentation is divided onto six tapes. Each program tramples through a dense history with Jennings providing the transitions. Beginning with the great melting pot, a timeline of occurrences highlights each video: the invention of the automobile, the suffrage movement, both world wars, and Vietnam. The video covers the "hippie" movement, the Red Scare, and the undeniable AIDS epidemic. At times, the stories are told by American icons, including Oliver Stone and Eudora Welty. Other moments are described by photographs alone. This collection is an exercise in textbook description with little analysis assigned to the events. However, for the history buff, The Century: America's Time is a gold mine. In Century: America's Time, Vol. 4, the focus is on the "Happy Daze." On the surface, most Americans seemed content. But the nation teemed with anger. McCarthy riled up the public, while civil rights leaders were jailed. This period stands as one of the most tension-filled in history. Later, with John F. Kennedy at the helm, America's potential was never so great. This program traces the fall of Camelot and the rise of communist resentments. At home, a race war heats up as America enters a perilous time with the unending Vietnam War and the end of segregation. Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy are killed and the future seems bleak. Episodes included are: Century: America's Time - 1953-1960: Happy Daze, Century: America's Time - 1960-1964: Poisoned Dreams, and Century: America's Time -1965-1970: Unpinned .



~ Sarah Ing, All Movie Guide

Something about the millennium makes documentarians wax nostalgic. ABC is no exception. With the rollover of the year, decade, and century, summations are in order. The Century: America's Time is one such wrap-up, albeit a mighty ambitious one. Peter Jennings narrates this look back at the last 100 years. From a strictly American point of view, the video starts at the turn of the century, with the birth of the common man, and moves all the way to present-day technology, with the computer leading the way. The presentation is divided onto six tapes. Each program tramples through a dense history with Jennings providing the transitions. Beginning with the great melting pot, a timeline of occurrences highlights each video: the invention of the automobile, the suffrage movement, both world wars, and Vietnam. The video covers the "hippie" movement, the Red Scare, and the undeniable AIDS epidemic. At times, the stories are told by American icons, including Oliver Stone and Eudora Welty. Other moments are described by photographs alone. This collection is an exercise in textbook description with little analysis assigned to the events. However, for the history buff, The Century: America's Time is a gold mine. Century: America's Time, Vol. 2 focuses on the Great Depression. Prosperity is almost unattainable for a quarter of the population. Next, the build-up to World War II captivates America's attention; as the nation struggles to remain uninvolved, Europe falls into greater strife. Episodes included are: Century: America's Time - 1929-1936 Stormy Weather and Century: AMerica's Time -1936-1941 Over the Edge. ~ Sarah Ing, All Movie Guide

The 19th century saw technological, industrial, and cultural advancements in America beyond the imagination. This four-part program documents America in the year 1900 where a series of tragic events would test the richness and optimism symbolic of its time: a deadly explosion in a coal mine in Utah; a devastating hurricane in Texas; two brutal wars overseas; and all year, assassins would plot to murder the president of the United States. It was a year of dichotomy, where inventions and expansion brought material and industrial richness while at the same time, the struggle for racial justice, worker's rights, and a growing immigrant population created shifts in power structures and change in our cultural landscape. From President William McKinley's fight for reelection and the sensation of his running mate Theodore Roosevelt to social campaigns on the environment and public morality, America struggled with its national identity as well as positioning itself as a world power. It was at the turn of the 20th century that America's prosperity and optimism seemed unstoppable. ~ Brooke Hodess, All Movie Guide

The Richest Man In the World is a thoughtful portrait of one of history's most complicated men. Andrew Carnegie was a study in contrasts, a walking contradiction. He was a great philanthropist who endowed nearly 3,000 libraries, but he was also a ruthless businessman who dealt savagely with employee and competitor alike. This video deals with all facets of his puzzling personality in probing and careful fashion, relying both on original sources and testimony from historians and Carnegie's leading biographers. The major events of Carnegie's life are given close attention, from the Homestead Strike to his eventual sell-out to J.P. Morgan. A man such as Carnegie is inseparable from his age, and this volume of the American Experience puts the events of Carnegie's life in proper context. Its sober delivery and balanced tone make it appropriate for the college classroom though its length may preclude its use in this context. ~ Rob Ferrier, All Movie Guide