Melvyn Bragg Movies

Director Gerald Fox's documentary Leaving Home Coming Home: A Portrait of Robert Frank features intimate interviews with the filmmaker and photographer. The artist discusses his feelings about how his adopted hometown of New York City has changed over the course of his 50 years living there. The director showcases Frank's work, including clips of some of his films including Pull My Daisy, Me and My Brother, and the little-seen Rolling Stones documentary Cocksucker Blues. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Part one of this program investigates the position of the church and its faith in a world where science has replaced faith as the arbiter of reason. Many of the church's fundamental positions, such as Creationism, seem at odds with contemporary knowledge. Part two deals with the social challenges the church faces in the new millennium, including the issue of homosexuality and the idea of female clergy. Also considered are the roles played by New Age religion and the Pentecostal movement as the church tries to meet the challenge of its third millennium. Serious in tone and well documented, this video is appropriate for use in the college classroom. ~ Rob Ferrier, All Movie Guide

The first part of this two-tape set highlights the events of the Great Schism, the Church's move toward political independence. The Renaissance and the encroach of secular humanism are dealt with in some detail, as well as internal resistance to new papal policies. Part two traces the outrage that led to the Protestant Reformation, including brief looks at some of the major figures including Martin Luther and John Calvin. The arrival of faith in the New World is also explored, including the consequences for native peoples. Serious in tone and well documented, this video is appropriate for use in the college classroom. ~ Rob Ferrier, All Movie Guide

Part one of this two-tape set investigates the growing authority of the Pope and the reforms that led to a schism between the church and several of Rome's wealthiest dynastic families. The growing divide between East and West is investigated in detail, including the events that led to the final break of Rome with Constantinople. Part two of the set covers the events of the first four crusades, including the capture of Jerusalem and the sacking of Byzantium by Western forces. The intellectual influence of Islam is highlighted as well. Serious in tone and well documented, this video is appropriate for use in the college classroom. ~ Rob Ferrier, All Movie Guide

The first part of this two-tape set presents Jesus in his historical context. At the time, Judea was a Jewish land under Roman occupation. The implications of who or what Jesus was and his message are considered within this frame of reference. The second tape follows the career of Paul after the Resurrection and his efforts on behalf of the early church. Also chronicled is the spread of the church and its eventual conflict with Roman authority. Events leading to the creation of the New Testament are briefly investigated as well. Serious in tone and well documented, this video is appropriate for use in the college classroom. ~ Rob Ferrier, All Movie Guide

The first tape of this two-tape set contrasts the natures of Eastern and Western Christianity. Eastern reliance on iconography and incense is held against Western reliance on the printed word. The constant Islamic attacks on Constantinople are covered as well. The second tape describes the chaos that followed Charlemagne's death and the fear that gripped a continent as the millennium approached. Serious in tone and well documented, this video is appropriate for use in the college classroom. ~ Rob Ferrier, All Movie Guide

The first tape of this program features the sacking of Rome and the dawn of a new Christian era. The musings of Augustine are examined in detail, as this great thinker grapples with the duality of human frailty and the ideal of piety. The second tape covers the spread of the religion to the British Isles, beginning with Saint Patrick in Ireland. Though similar, the Irish strain of Christianity would come to be supplanted by Roman ideas. Serious in tone and well documented, this video is appropriate for use in the college classroom. ~ Rob Ferrier, All Movie Guide

Leaving Home: Orchestral Music in the 20th Century features conductor Sir Simon Rattle leading the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra through pieces by such legendary composers as Richard Wagner, Richard Strauss, Gustav Mahler, and Arnold Schonberg. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

This four-part British miniseries was based on the second of the three Johnny Maxwell books by children's author Terry Pratchett (who also wrote the teleplay). This time around, young Johnny (Andrew Falvey) came to the rescue of several restless ghosts. This required the hero to prevent a local cemetery from being plowed over by the usual evil land developers. More whimsical than weird, Johnny and the Dead originally aired from April 4 to 25, 1995. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

British writer Dennis Potter, author of The Singing Detective and Pennies From Heaven, has been called the "authentic wild man of British television" and his works are known for being filled with complicated characters and challenging subjects. After receiving a diagnosis of advanced pancreatic cancer and knowing he had only several months to live, Potter discussed his life and controversial work in this intriguing interview with Melvyn Bragg of the BBC. ~ Alice Duncan, All Movie Guide

Jackson Pollock's use of the drip technique established him as one of the most influential painters of the 20th century. His experiments in style led to a freedom in the abstract expressionist movement that has been unparalleled since. This program explores the turbulent life and work of this controversial figure. After studying formally with artist Thomas Hart Benton, Pollock began to break free of the academic form. His interests in rhythm and unusual sequence can be traced to painters El Greco and Diego Rivera. In the late '40s, Pollock introduced the drips, smears, and circular motions that were to cement his reputation. His later career, though distinguished, was also filled with emotional turmoil and sorrow. Pollock died in a car accident at the age of 44, but his legacy as one of the first celebrity modernists lives on. ~ Sarah Ing, All Movie Guide

Filmed on location in Yorkshire, the three-part British miniseries A Time to Dance related the melancholy tale of a retired banker who inaugurated a romance with an 18-year-old Irish girl. The romance inexorably led to disaster for both the old man and the young girl. Ronald Pickup played the banker, while Dervla Kirwan ascended to stardom in the role of Bernadette Kennedy (thanks in great part to a brief nude scene in the first episode). Adapted by Melvyn Bragg from his own novel, A Time to Dance aired over BBC1 in 1991. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Dexter King (Jeff Goldblum) is an actor who spends his nights on-stage in London's West End as a comedic punching bag for obnoxiously self-centered comedian Ron Anderson (Rowan Atkinson). He gets hit in the head with hammers, he trips, and he stands by dumbly as Anderson gets all the laughs. His home life is little different. His roommate, Carmen (Geraldine James), is a nymphomaniac, so he's always surprised by naked men parading through the kitchen in the morning. A chance meeting with lovely nurse Kate Lemon (Emma Thompson) and a tryout for the lead in a new Andrew Lloyd Webber-ish musical based on The Elephant Man (called, not surprisingly, "Elephant!") jolt Dexter from his torpor. Not that it makes him much less of a loser, which is the quality the show's producers are looking for. "You're a victim," they tell him. His attempts to seduce Kate are equally jarring. She asks him if he is a big believer in having sex on the first date. "Why, no," he tells her, trying to impress her with his sensitivity. Too bad, she replies -- she doesn't believe in getting serious with someone if they're sexually incompatible. Romance and showbiz go on, with the show a hit, though Dexter's romance hits a temporary snag: his backstage romance with a co-star (Kim Thomson) gets found out. ~ Nick Sambides, Jr., All Movie Guide