Mischa Scorer Movies
The six-part made-for-television Artists' Specials Series is an entertaining and educational collection of children's films. Programs focus on a significant segment of an artist's life. Biographical information is mixed with fiction to create compelling stories reflecting turning points in the lives of revered art world figures. In Degas and the Dancer, children are introduced to one of the undisputed masters of the late 19th century, the Parisian realist/impressionist, painter, and sculptor Edgar Degas. Born into an aristocratic family in 1834, Degas became best-known for his paintings featuring ballet dancers. In this program, the artist becomes acquainted with a young ballerina Marie von Goetham and is inspired by her deep commitment to her art form. Through this relationship, the two make important discoveries true to all artists. Other videos in the series include Mary Cassatt: American Impressionist, Rembrandt: Fathers and Sons, and Monet: Shadow and Light. The highly acclaimed series is suitable for youngsters age eight and older. ~ Sally Barber, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Thomas Jay Ryan, Alison Pill, (more)
- 1998
The personal and professional lives of famed French choreographer Roland Petit and his wife, prima ballerina Zizi Jeanmaire, are affectionately scrutinized in this half-hour documentary. Best remembered by American audiences for her performance in the 1952 Danny Kaye musical Hans Christian Andersen, Jeanmaire was a star in Europe as far back as the late 1940s--as vividly evidenced by clips from the 1949 ballet Carmen, staged by Petit. Though the ride hasn't always been easy for these two highly talented, highly strung artists, the results of collaborations have never been less than brillliant. An expanded, 60-minute version of Zizi Je T'Aime was first broadcast October 14, 1998, on PBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Zizi Jeanmaire, Roland Petit, (more)
The changing political climate of China is illustrated in this program, a look at three women who live through the turbulence and upheavals of the times. Wild Swans: Jung Chang is based on a book written by Jung Chang, describing her life and the lives of her mother and grandmother. Their efforts to survive the frequently brutal existence of their eras give a sense of China's troubled history for the past hundred years. Her grandmother endured the torture of bound feet, and her mother suffered in the communist labor camps. ~ Alice Day, All Movie Guide
