John Crowley Movies
- 1995
This three-hour long documentary attempts to shed light on the violent confrontation between student protesters and the Chinese government at Tianamen Square in June, 1989. Filmmakers Richard Gordon and Carma Hinton first look into the Square's illustrious history, explaining how it became an important symbolic place for demonstrations of dissent. The documentary also gives a detailed account of the actual 1989 rebellion using archival footage, narration and interviews with those involved. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1988
Harold Clurman: A Life of Theatre profiles the career of celebrated director/producer Harold Clurman. A man known for his passionate commitment to working with actors, Clurman devoted his life to the theatrical arts, serving not only as a director and producer, but as a respected critic as well. The program features footage of Clurman on the job delivering thought-provoking lectures and helping actors construct roles. Meryl Streep narrates. Stella Adler, Karl Malden, and Julie Harris are interviewed. ~ Betsy Boyd, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Director Barbara Margolis spent five years researching the background and creation of Cold War mythology, beginning before the war began. Scenes that propagandize and promote the alliance between the U.S.A. and U.S.S.R. during World War II are eye-opening. People like Noam Chomsky provide great detail as to how and where the Cold War began, and this leads to President Harry S. Truman's statements about containing Communism wherever it arose. Next follows the air raid shelters that took over America, the McCarthy era, and U.S. government films like The Red Nightmare. Margolis interviewed celebrities such as Fred Friendly, who notes that many people working for CBS lost their jobs in the 1950s because of McCarthy's accusations that they were affiliated with the Communist Party in the '30s. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- 1984
The World of Tomorrow is a delightful, lovingly assembled documentary of the 1939 New York World's Fair. Much of the footage is culled from promotional films made exclusively for the exhibition; one of these features a "typical" midwestern family, soaking in the fair's many wonders. Other sequences are lifted from home movies, given the events of six decades' past a surprising immediacy. Most of the film is devoted to the famous "World of Tomorrow" exhibit, which theorized as to what life would be like in 1960; some of this is quaint and naïve, but a lot of it is surprisingly accurate. Alternating gracefully between color and black and white, The World of Tomorrow occasionally leans towards condescension, but Jason Robards' dead-on narration sidesteps cuteness. For its many PBS showings, the 83-minute World of Tomorrow was pared down to an hour. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1984
Forgotten photography pioneer Lewis Hine, 1874-1940) is the subject of this fascinating documentary on a man who ironically died in poverty after spending his life chronicling its American manifestation. In 1905, Hine began photographing immigrants as they came off Ellis Island, a high-point in his career that continued with views of child labor in the mines and elsewhere (1907-1909), and followed workers at their jobs in mills, factories, slums, tenant farms, and wherever people worked long and hard hours for bare survival. In 1932, Hine finished his photographs on the construction of the Empire State Building, taking great chances to get the best shots. His eventual collection of over 15,000 black-and-white photos slowed down when he went to work for Roosevelt's government in the 1930s and was stymied by red tape and internal disagreements. Hines' oeuvre and life are covered by examples of his photos, historical footage, and interviews with his contemporaries. This is not only a valuable film for its historical record, but is also dramatic, evocative, and never boring. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- 1980
This historical documentary traces the events that led to the stock market crash of 1929 and the impact it had in the aftermath of the economic disaster. Voices emerging from the Great Depression include Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt, Thomas Edison, Huey P. Long, Al Smith, and Henry Ford. Pat Hingle provides informative narration to this feature that chronicles one of America's most desperate times of the 20th century. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
