Faces of America with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
[DVD 1039]    2010    PBS
4 3/4" DVD    Color    1 videodisc, 240 mins
The Harvard scholar turns to the latest tools of genealogy and genetics to explore the family histories of 12 renowned Americans — professor and poet Elizabeth Alexander, chef Mario Batali, comedian Stephen Colbert, novelist Louise Erdrich, journalist Malcolm Gladwell, actress Eva Longoria, musician Yo-Yo Ma, director Mike Nichols, Her Majesty Queen Noor, television host/heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz, actress Meryl Streep, and figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi.
Our American Stories – Episode One will explore the dynamic and shifting relationship America had with her new immigrants in the 20th century.
Becoming American – Episode Two explores the many journeys to becoming American that defined the “Century of Immigration” (1820s – 1924) and transformed the United States from a sleepy agrarian country into a booming industrial power.
Making America – Episode Three tells the story of the peopling of the New World, of how land came to define the settling and identity of America, and of how the guests’ ancestors were part of this history.
Know Thyself – Episode Four takes up the search for the guests’ ancestries where the historical record leaves off and links their distinctive family histories to the broader history of “the family of man.” Combining the documented stories of some of the guests’ last known ancestors with DNA evidence, the series travel backward through time to reveal both distant relatives and surprising shared ancestral connections.
Subjects – United States: History ; Genetics and Heredity

Faces Of Culture
[VHS 2062-2074]   1983     Coast Community College District/PBS
1/2" video              Color    13 cass., 30 min. each part
[VHS 2062] #1  The Nature Of Anthropology  An introduction to the field of anthropology in general and the entire series in particular. Emphasizes a holistic approach to the discipline, focusing on scientific techniques and the value of each society studied. Explores how the field developed and how it has changed over time. Introduces the student to some of the main theorists involved in anthropology from its inception, including Charles Darwin, Franz Boas and Margaret Mead. Concepts central to the study of anthropology, such as cultural relativism and ethnocentrism, are introduced through an exploration of the native cultures of the Turkana tribe, the Kwakiutl Indians, Tasmanian Aborigines, and the Omaha tribe.
[VHS 2062] #2.  The Nature Of Culture   Focuses on culture in societies. Defines culture as a unique set of values, beliefs and practices those enables us together to reap the benefits from the locality in which we live. Begins to answer such questions as: How does culture develop? How does it change and adapt to the world around it? Delves deeper into the meaning of concepts such as ethnocentrism and cultural relativism to emphasize their importance in the field of anthropology. The need to understand how differing values and beliefs meet the needs of specific cultures is seen in contrasting examples from other cultures. The Txukarrame Indians and the Boran tribes of Kenya are examined to illustrate the degree of variety, as well as the parallels between and among cultures. Concludes by showing the devastating results of one culture's inability to adapt, demonstrating that the loss affects us all.
[VHS 2063] #3.  How Cultures Are Studied  Provides a case study of how anthropologists conduct field surveys of other cultures. Contains the case study of Napoleon Chagnon, an anthropologist who carried out an extensive study of the Yanamamö Indians of Venezuela. Over a period of several years, Dr. Chagnon spent several months living with the Yanamamö in order to obtain a complete ethnographic understanding of their culture. He explains the meaning of many anthropological terms, and the methods and techniques he used to conduct his studies, while stressing that in order to conduct a successful field study, an anthropologist must shed his or her cultural prejudices.
[VHS 2063] #4.  Language And Communication  Introduces students to the nature of the relationship between language and culture, and the importance of language in anthropological study. Several linguists address such issues as how language develops and evolves; how it is learned; and how it is transmitted within and between cultures. Terms such as linguistics, phonetics, morphemes, and syntax are explained. Case studies such as the development of Black English in the United States, and the revival of a nearly extinct language in Canada are included to illustrate the importance of language in cultural identity. Explores the significance of other forms of communication, including non-verbal communication and symbolism. Finally, the program focuses on the way language is interpreted through a social context and the values of the host society. For example, does our language change our perception, or does our perception change our language?
[VHS 2064] #5. Psychological Anthropology   Begins with a definition of enculturation. Describes Margaret Mead's landmark efforts to document the influence of culture on individual personality by studying patterns of child rearing in several cultures, including Samoa. Next, explores the link between personality and culture and the concept of national character as it was studied by anthropologist Ruth Benedict and psychologist Eric Erikson. National character studies of Japan and Nazi Germany during the 1940's are described, along with criticisms of these efforts. Examines how societies have ways of treating illness and individuals who deviate from accepted norms. Shamans in several societies are shown including ones from the Melemchi in Nepal, Bali, Laos and from the Yanamamö Indians of Brazil. The narrator describes how, through their treatments and rituals, shamans address the social ills of the group as a whole.
[VHS 2064] #6.  Alejandro MamaniA case study of Alejandro Mamani, an elder Aymara Indian whose village is located in the mountains of Bolivia. Focuses on Alejandro's experiences with an unexplained mental illness diagnosed as spiritual possession by Alejandro, his family and the members of his village. Ethnographers trace the man's suffering as he and his family try to cope with the unpredictability of the illness and the inevitability of death. The filmmakers are challenged to move from acting as observers to actively participating in the study, offering medicine to the suffering man. They describe, in detail, the effects Alejandro's illness has on him personally, as well as the effects his death will have on his property and family. The student is able to observe the progression of illness as Alejandro deteriorates from a respected leader in his community, to one whom is totally dependent on his family for survival. Offers insights into the methods different cultures use to cope with both illness and death.
[VHS 2065] #7. Patterns of Subsistence: Food Foragers and Pastoralists   Describes food foraging and pastoral societies, and explores several ancient patterns of subsistence, some of which are still followed today. Describes how many societies adapt to their environment. For example, the African !Kung gather nuts, fruits, berries and roots in their arid climate [cf., The Hunters], and the Mbuti pygmy hunt large game in the African rainforest. Another segment shows the Netsilik Eskimos as they hunt seals in their harsh Arctic environment. Other segments include the Nepali sherpas as they herd zomo, a hybrid of a yak and a milk cow, and the Iranian Basseris as they search for fertile grazing land for sheep and goats. Features a modern forager as he searches among the discards of an urban area.
[VHS 2065] #8.  Patterns Of Subsistence: Food Producers   Examines several different models of food production and various features of food-producing societies. First shown are the Yucatec Maya employing the "slash-and-burn" technique of soil preparation. Rituals associated with food production are illustrated with film of Melanesian farmers practicing the hazardous land-diving ritual originally intended to ensure a good yam harvest. Also looks at several examples of intensive agriculture, including that practiced by the Khmer in Angkor and by North Americans on the Great Plains. Other societies featured in the program are the Taiwanese and wet rice cultivation and the Balinese.
[VHS 2066] #9.  Economic Anthropology   From the generalized reciprocity among the !Kung [cf., The Hunters] to the balanced reciprocity of the Yanamamö and the Trobriand Islanders, this program explains that the economies of many non-Western societies are based on principles other than currency. In the highlands of New Guinea, the Mendi are shown engaging both in balanced reciprocity when they barter a bride price in pearl shells, and in redistribution when they engage in a cassowary contest in which they give away their holdings to gain prestige [cf., Dead Birds]. A third system of distribution — the marketplace — is illustrated with scenes of Assante women in Ghana and of nomads in Afghanistan.
[VHS 2066] #10. The Highland Maya: A Case Study In Economic Anthropology   Explores the complicated "cargo system" of the Mayan Indian populations of Southern Mexico and Northern Guatemala. The cargo system has evolved over time into an amalgamation [syncretism] of ancient Mayan Indian pagan culture and Catholicism present since Spanish involvement in the region in the seventeenth century. The social system involves a series of four levels each man is expected to pass through in his life during which he is obligated to a period of service to his community. At each step he pays his village a certain percentage of his earned income. In return, as a man progresses through each level, he attains a greater degree of responsibility and gains greater prestige in his community.
[VHS 2067] #111. Sex And Marriage   Examines the complex custom of marriage in various societies and cultures throughout the world. In addition, it explores the place that sex and sexuality play in determining the marriage contract. Among the societies featured are the Turkana tribe of Kenya, Zaire pygmies, the Asante tribe of Ghana, the Mien of Laos, and the Berbers of Morocco. Concepts such as endogamy, exogamy, patrilineal, polygamy, and bride price [bride wealth] are introduced and defined. In addition, the impact some of these customs have on the societies that practice them is explored. Shows that in most non-western societies romantic love plays a lesser role in determining a marriage contract.
[VHS 2067] #12. Family and Household   Focuses on the organization of the family as it exists and is defined in different cultures throughout the world. Cultural differences such as marriage and naming customs, inheritance lines and the differences between the nuclear and extended family are discussed. The impact of patrilineal versus matrilineal descent, polygamy and female heads of household is explored, as well as the impact these customs have on children and future generations. The Mbuti tribe of Zaire is used to illustrate division of labor between the sexes and the methods by which traditions and responsibilities are passed down from mother to daughter and father to son. Also shows examples of problems within the Yanamamö and !Kung culture when their traditional families come in contact with the elements of modern societies. Guns, industrialization, access to education and the loss of historical land all have lasting effects on families and entire societies. A family in India is used to illustrate the problems that can arise in a large extended family where the group is dependent on all its members for labor and wealth. In this case, one member of the family chooses a non-traditional role for himself.
VHS 2068] #13. The Yucatec Maya: A Case Study In Marriage And The Family   The lives of two extended Yucatec Maya are the subjects of this program. Film footage and commentary by Hubert L. Smith, whose field research spanned many years in the Maya community, follow the family of Prudencio Colli Canche, a traditional extended-family group as its members share the daily chores, teaching the youngsters in a never-ending cycle. The second family, that of Reymundo Colli, is experiencing change and stress because two sons want to break out of the farming lifestyle, seek more schooling, and move to the city. The "dependency" training of extended families is revealed by this challenge, and one of the sons, unable to cope with a new environment, returns home.
[VHS 2068] #14. Kinship And Descent (pt. 1)   Begins with a brief examination of kinship and descent considerations in the United States, including inheritance patterns, children's names, married names, and important family names in business and government. The main focus of the program is on ways in which other cultures are organized around descent patterns. These include the matrilineal pattern of the Trobriand Islanders and the economic and religious importance of the Mendi clans. Methods of determining descent are illustrated in ethnographic film footage and with the use of interesting graphics.
[VHS 2069] #15. Kinship And Descent (pt. 2)   Begins by defining "kindred" and looking at the role of kindred in food-foraging societies. Examines the various types of kinship and descent groups in horticultural societies and how such groups handle larger political and economic functions and domestic and social activities. Next, the program describes how societies based on intensive agriculture or industrialization have developed such institutions as centralized government to assume the organizing functions handled by kinship and descent groups in other societies. Illustrative examples in the program include the kinship terms of the Baruya, the Navajo matrilineal villages organization and terminology, and the social patterns in Greek villages that reflect both patrilineal and matrilineal descent practices. Some of the six major systems of classifying kin are diagrammed and illustrated in this program.
[VHS 2069] #16. Age, Common Interest And Stratification  Human beings require interaction with one another. It is for this reason that in most large societies, people form groups and relationships with other people. Looks at the existence of groups in society based on age, common-interest association and social stratification. Examines the role these groups play in helping to organize and structure the larger culture, as well as how they help to preserve or change the existing society. It also looks at the value set the group operates within and how these values do or do not reflect the values of the larger society. Among the groups the program looks at are the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, a group of African-Americans formed around a common-interest.
[VHS 2070] #17. The Aymara: A Case Study In Social Stratification   Through footage made in northern Bolivia, where the heterogeneous population is socially and economically stratified, this program provides a close look at the inequities of a sharp class division between the Spanish-speaking mestizos and the subordinate Aymara Indians. The class system depicted, typical of much of Latin America, is apparent not only in the fields, but in religious practices, the celebratory fiestas, and even in the classroom. The economic subordination of the peasantry is battled by the mestizo teacher who, in one scene, seeks medical help for a child of an impoverished family. Although a revolution in 1952 brought some changes in Bolivia, this program show that the Aymara are still bound by many of the economic and social patterns that existed before the revolution.
[VHS 2070] #18. Political Organization     All societies need a system of leadership, authority and cooperation in order to operate successfully and survive. These systems are called political organization. Explores the four major types of political organization that exist in the world today: bands, tribes, chiefdoms and states. It describes the how these systems developed; the types of societies for which they are most well suited; the characteristics that form each type of political organization; and, the ways they differ from one another. Explores the cultures of the !Kung, the Mendi, and the Kpelle as examples of the band, the tribe and the chiefdom respectively. Finally, it traces the development of the state as a political entity characterized by centralized power, a code of law and the authority to use coercion to impose that law. In addition, explores the concept of legitimacy and coercion as they apply to the state. Through an examination of the theocratic government of Tibet, it describes some of the complications inherent in the survival of the modern state.
[VHS 2071] #19. Social Control<    Describes the processes and methods societies use to establish and maintain social control. It mainly emphasizes interaction among members of the same group, but some attention is given to disputes between societies. Describes the differences between internal control (i.e., religious dictates) and external control (i.e., code of law), methods of enforcement and why one type of social control might best serve the society's needs. It explores the various functions law might serve in different cultures, as well as the concepts of formal and informal dispute settlement, negotiation, adjudication and mediation. Explores the phenomenon of war and explains how the concept of world view is integral to explaining why and how war occurs.
[VHS 2071] #20. Religion And Magic    All societies incorporate some way to provide meaning and explain the unknown into their culture. These structures are called religion. Illustrates and describes various examples of religion around the world and defines the difference between religion and magic. It includes footage of American Indians practicing animism, demonstrating their belief in the Great Spirit and attempting to restore the balance between good and evil by the ritualistic carvings of a medicine mask. Also shown are scenes of religious practices among the Highland Maya, who have combined ancient beliefs and Roman Catholicism; the ritual of the Eka Dasa Tudra, a complicated ceremony celebrated by the Balinese that links the worlds of gods, people and demons; and modern Hare Krishnas in Los Angeles. Revitalization movements, such as those of the Mormons, also are depicted. Concludes with a look at modern industrial nations where religious practices have been separated from the secular aspects of life and culture. Finally, there is a brief discussion of the role science plays in modern societies and its relationship to religion.
[VHS 2072] #21. The Asmat of New Guinea ("Tree People"): A Case Study in Religion and Magic   This detailed study of the Asmat, a cannibalistic society of western New Guinea, shows their use of religion and magic as tools for survival in a world they perceive as hostile and threatening. The centrality of trees in their religion is shown by scenes in which the Asmat carve a sacred bis pole from a mangrove tree to release spirits of the dead, and butcher and skin a sago palm as if it were human to release the starch that is the mainstay of their diet. Explores many facets of the Asmat society linked to religious beliefs. Games the children play are designed to teach them skills of headhunting; during a feast, the coconut is consumed to symbolize eating the brains of one's enemy. Concluding segments of the program consider how economic development and modernization, including the government's ban on headhunting, will affect the Asmats' religious beliefs and practices, which are such an integral part of their total culture.
[VHS 2072] #22. The Arts   Focuses on different forms of artistic expression as they exist in all cultures. Presents the many kinds of art and explores the variety of functions served by the arts: fulfillment of the need for individual creative expression; expression of peoples' conceptions of the unknown or spiritual world; and reflection of cultural values and ideas. Among the arts and cultures featured in the program are body painting among the tribes of the Amazon River basin in Brazil; the link between arts and religion as shown in the monuments of the Egyptian Empire; the sand painting of Buddhist monks in Tibet; and the music of Mexican-Americans in the southwestern United States as an expression of ethnic heritage. Also shown in the program are several contemporary Western artists and various artistic creations, including a performance artist, the AIDS quilt, and Christo's "Running Fence."
[VHS 2073] #23. New Orleans Black Indians: A Case Study in the Arts   Examines the Black Indian tribes of New Orleans and their Mardi Gras celebration which began in the 1880's. Describes the origins of the tribes as well as Mardi Gras, and focuses on the distinctive folk art features of the celebration — including the songs, dances and particularly the elaborate costumes — which hold great social significance are a form of artistic expression for the Black Indians. Includes comments by several of the participants in which they express the historic symbolism and intense relationships expressed in the celebration.
[VHS 2073] #24. Culture Change  Explores the impact of culture change on various indigenous people and cultures. It describes the various ways culture changes, specifically through innovation, diffusion, and colonialism. The student is introduced to several anthropologists who have studied the effects of culture change on various groups. The dramatic effect of modern agricultural techniques on the traditional horticultural economy of Mali illustrates some consequences of poor planning. Uses the struggles of the !Kung in Africa to illustrate the idea of culture loss. Here, conservation and modernization have had a serious impact on the native populations of people and wildlife. In the northern regions of the Brazilian Amazon, the program shows that mining has had a tremendous influence on the native Yanamamö Indians. Finally, some of the positive effects of modern technology and culture change are discussed through a look at the Mayan Indians of Mexico. For example, while roads, electricity and running water have reached the native populations, many traditional agricultural ways still survive.
[VHS 2074] #25. Cricket The Trobriand Way: A Case Study In Cultural Change    Focuses on "syncretism," the anthropological concept which describes the process by which people borrow elements of a foreign culture and combine them with native customs, forming a unique amalgamation of cultures. As an example of this phenomenon, the program uses the game of cricket as it exists in a modified version in the Trobriand Islands. The program first traces the history of the sport and describes how the sport was first introduced to the native population by the British in the 19th century. Since then, the island people have integrated the game into their own culture, modifying rules and combining it with native customs including magic, dance and chanting. Includes footage of many practices of the game in its modified form.
[VHS 2074] #26. The Future Of Humanity    The final program addresses the compelling problem of preserving the diversity of human cultures in a world that often appears to be rushing toward a one-world culture. Includes several examples of how indigenous peoples are making the future their own by taking back the past. A Kwakiutl woman describes how her people negotiated the return of masks and other artifacts from Canada's National Museum of Man and built a Box of Treasures to house the items and serve as a center for preserving and renewing their cultural traditions, The Yanamamö are featured in another segment, which show how they are learning to defend their lands against outsiders and includes comments by Napoleon Chagnon on his concerns for the Yanamamös survival and on the Venezuelan governments experiment with a biosphere reserve encompassing the Yanamamö territory. Throughout the program, many representatives of indigenous people express their concerns and desire for protecting their societies.
Subjects - Anthropology

Faces of Slavery
[VHS 1017]   1994   CNN video
1/2" video    Color    1 cass., 45 min.
Examines the exploitation and abuse of bonded labor in the United States, England, India, and Thailand. The segment on agricultural workers in the United States shows how some migrant workers are falsely recruited into agricultural work and a life of debt, squalid living conditions, and hazardous work that results in peonage, a form of slavery that holds people against their will while they attempt to pay of their debts.
Subjects -- Labor and Trade Unions ; Agriculture ; Latinos/Hispanic Americans

Facing Hate With Elie Wiesel and Bill Moyers
[VHS 732]     1991    Mystic Fire/Public Affairs TV
1/2" video     Color     1 cass., 57 min.
Elie Wiesel and Bill Moyers examine the logic of hatred as expressed in books, religion, history, and personal experience. Wiesel's family perished in the Nazi death camps. Since then, he has struggled to understand hatred and its role in world affairs.
Subjects -- Psychology, Race Relations

Faith Ringgold: The Last Story Quilt
[VHS 1303]     1998    L&S Video
1/2" video     Color     1 cass., 28 min.
A profile of the life and work of Faith Ringgold, noted Afro-American woman artist who has moved from painting on canvass to painting on quilted fabric.
Subjects -- African Americans

Fallacies of Hope
see title Civilization, #12: Fallacies of Hope

Family Across the Sea
[VHS 464]     1991    California Newsreel
1/2" video     Color     1 cass., 56 min.
Shows how scholars have uncovered the remarkable connections between the Gullah people of South Carolina and the people of Sierra Leone. Portrays how African-Americans have preserved their ties with their homeland through centuries of oppression.
Subjects -- Africa ; African Americans

Family Preparedness For The Year 2001
[VHS 1465]    1999    Washington State
1/2" Video    Color    1 cass., 24 min.
Part of a four part series prepared by the Washington State Y2K Office. Titles in the series include the following: Washington State's approach, Electricity & the Year 2000, Family preparedness for the Year 2000, Financial institutions & the Year 2000 challenge.
Subjects -- Washington State and Seattle

Famous African Americans
[VHS 1521]    199-    Educational Distributors of America
1/2" video    Color    1 cass., 21 min.
Presents the contributions to American history of such figures as Benjamin Banneker, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, Thurgood Marshall, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X.
Subjects -- African Americans

The Fast Runner
[DVD 127]    2001   National Film Board of Canada
4 3/4" DVD   Color    1 videodisc, 161 min.
A small nomadic community is cursed by an unknown shaman. When Atanarjuat falls in love with a woman already promised to the son of the clan's leader, he has to fight for her. She is won by Atanarjuat and the leader plots to attack him in his sleep. Escaping, he sets off running across the ice, embarking on a harrowing adventure of survival in the brutal wilderness. He returns stronger and wiser to reclaim his life and stop the curse that has divided his people. Cast: Paul Apak Angilirq, Norman Cohn, Zacharias Kunuk. 
Subjects -- Movies and Plays ; Indians of North America

FDR, #1: The Center Of The World, 1882-1921
[VHS 1236]     199?    WGBH/DVS Home video
1/2" video     Color     1 cass., 60 min.
Explores Franklin D. Roosevelt's family background and education. Follows FDR from his first run for political office through his years in Washington as Assistant Secretary of the Navy. Chronicles his courtship of Eleanor Roosevelt and their troubled marriage, including his love affair with Lucy Mercer. (The American Experience series)
Subjects -- Presidents: United States

FDR, #2: Fear Itself, 1921-1933
[VHS 1237]     199?    WGBH/DVS Home video
1/2" video     Color     1 cass., 60 min.
Begins with FDR's paralysis from polio at age 39 and his struggle to rehabilitate. Eleanor develops her own political skills and keeps her husband's name before the public through her involvement in reform causes. A remarkable sequence of events revives FDR's political career and catapults him into the White House to lead a country crippled by the Great Depression. (The American Experience series)
Subjects -- Presidents: United States

FDR, #3: The Grandest Job In The World, 1933-1940
[VHS 1238]     199?    WGBH/DVS Home video
1/2" video     Color     1 cass., 60 min.
The central irony of FDR's presidency was that a man of privilege became a hero to ordinary Americans and a villain to members of his own social class. Shows FDR's response to the massive problems of the Great Depression and how he restored hope to Americans who had lost hope. (The American Experience series)
Subjects -- Presidents: United States

FDR, #4: The Juggler, 1940-1945
[VHS 1239]     199?    WGBH/DVS Home video
1/2" video     Color     1 cass., 60 min.
Discusses the wartime years. Traces FDR's growing personal ties to Churchill and his relationship with Stalin. Elected to a fourth term, FDR struggled to maintain his buoyant persona while masking his failing health. When he died on April 12, 1945, Americans reacted with shock to the news of the death of the man who had become both friend and father figure. (The American Experience series)
Subjects -- Presidents: United States

Feedback Control (ITTP2, #1)
[VHS 926]     1991    Instrument Society of America
1/2" video     Color     1 cass., 30 min.
Explains the fundamental principles that apply to the control of most process systems. Describes the function of instrument control systems and the basic steps in process control, identifies major components, and explains their functions in terms of a typical feedback control loop.
Subjects -- Electricity and Electronics

Female Circumcision: Human Rites
[VHS 1569]    1998    Films for the Humanities & Sciences
1/2" video    Color    1 cass., 41 min.
Documents the ritual of female genital mutilation, also known as female circumcision, practiced among some African groups. Explores its roots in myth. Discusses movements under way to ban the practice. Interviews with anti-circumcision activists. Describes the health ramifications, including hemorrhage, infection, and painful sex. Victims discuss both the physical and emotional pain of circumcision, and both males and females discuss why they support or reject circumcision as a valid cultural practice. Graphic scenes of an actual female circumcision are shown.
Subjects -- Women's Studies ; Africa

Femme/Woman, a Tapestry by Joan Miro
[VHS 400]     1980    National Gallery of Art
1/2" video     Color     1 cass., 15 min.
Focuses on one of the works commissioned for the new East Building of the National Gallery of Art, Joan Miro's tapestry entitled Femme. Documents the project from initial stages through the weaving on an oversized loom in Tarragona, Spain, to its completion and installation in the East Building's central court.
Subjects -- Artists

A Few Good Men
[DVD 869]     1992    Columbia Pictures
4 3/4" DVD   Color    1 videodisc, 138 mins
At Guantanamo Bay, Gitmo, a marine is assaulted in the middle of the night and dies shortly thereafter of respiratory complications. The defense counsel for the two accused marines believes they were just following orders, as part of the marine's unofficial "code red" where there is self policing within the ranks, and that there was no intent of murder. In a dramatic courtroom thriller, the Navy lawyer who has never seen the inside of the courtroom, defends two stubborn Marines who have been accused of murdering a colleague. Cast : Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson.
Subjects – Movies and Plays ; Law

Fiddler On The Roof
[DVD 197]    1971   MGM
4 3/4" DVD    Color    1 videodisc, 179 min.
Musical about Tevye, a poor Jewish milkman with five unmarried daughters to support in a village in Czarist Russia. With a sharp tongued wife at home and growing anti-Semitism in the village, Tevye talks to God about his troubles. His people's traditions keep him strong when his existence is as precariously balanced as a fiddler on the roof. Adapted from the stories of Sholem Aleichem. Cast: Topol, Norma Crane. Produced and directed by Norman Jewison.
Subjects -- Movies and Plays

Fidel Castro: Maximum Leader
[DVD 167]     2004      Films for the Humanities & Sciences
4 3/4" DVD     Color     1 videodisc, 53 min.
Forty years after his emergence as the Robin Hood of Cuba, Fidel Castro has found himself on the wrong side of history. Using compelling archival footage, this program critically examines the single-minded idealism of a lifelong rebel. All of the milestones that have shaped Castro’s Cuba are documented—from his ousting of Batista, to his policy of brinkmanship with the U.S., to his ruinous economic reforms in the face of decades of embargo and the loss of Russian rubles. But as times continue to change, Cuba is experiencing a thaw, with a revival of tourism and a renewed tolerance of the Catholic faith. Isolated and aging, will Castro finally lower the flag of his revolution?
Subjects -- Latin America and Caribbean

Fidelio
[DVD 586]     2000     Deutsche Grammophon
4 3/4" DVD    Color    1 videodisc, 123 min.
Music by Ludwig van Beethoven ; libretto by Joseph von Sonnleithner with revisions by Stephan von Breuning and Georg Friedrich Treitschke. It is Beethoven's only opera. The opera tells how Leonore, disguised as a prison guard named "Fidelio", rescues her husband Florestan from death in a political prison. Cast: Karita Mattila ; Jennifer Welch-Babidge ; Ben Heppner ; Matthew Polenzani ; Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus ; James Levine, conductor. In German with optional subtitles.
Subjects – Music

Fifth Of July By Lanford Wilson
[VHS 1836]     1983     Broadway Theatre Archive
1/2" video     Color     1 cass., 117 min.
In Lanford Wilson's acclaimed Broadway play, college friends who agitated for what they hoped would be a better world, find themselves looking for a way to revive their dreams. Cast: Richard Thomas, Swoosie Kurtz, Jeff Daniels. PBS television broadcast for Great Performances, Theater in America
Subjects -- Movies and Plays

Fight Club
[DVD 668] 1999 20th Century Fox
4 3/4" DVD Color 2 videodisc, 139 min.
The narrator suffers from insomnia. He tries different ways to cure this, but he does not succeed. He does get some sleep, but his conditions rebounds back into it's original state when he meets a lovely young woman, whose name is Marla. He soon meets an enigmatic young man named Tyler and after a short conversation both become fast friends. Both like to relieve their inner tensions by hitting each other. Soon word gets around about their fights, and lots of young people also get interested, then a club is formed. Cast: Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Helena Bonham Carter, Meat Loaf, Zach Grenier.
Subjects – Movies and Plays

Filipino Americans: Discovering Their Past for the Future
[VHS 246]     1994    Filipino American Nat. Hist.
1/2" video    Color     1 cass., 54 min.
From the California coast in 1587 and Louisiana bayous in 1763, unsung Filipino American men and women in universities and colleges, Hawaiian plantations, California migrant farms, Alaskan fish canneries, labor organizations, U.S. Navy and Army, and family, social, cultural affairs significantly have contributed to the American way of life. This is their story.
Subjects -- Asian Americans

The Final Cut
[DVD 520]     2004      Lions Gate Films
4 3/4" DVD   Color      1 videodisc, 96 min.
The story is set in a world where implanted microchips can record all moments of an individual's life. The chips are removed upon death so the images can be edited into something of a highlight reel for loved ones who want to remember the deceased. Robin Williams plays a cutter, someone with the power of final edit over people's recorded histories. His latest assignment is one that puts him in danger. Cast: Robin Williams, Mira Sorvino, Jim Caviezel.
Subjects – Movies and Plays

Finding Forrester
[DVD 288]       2000      Sony Pictures
4 3/4" DVD     Color      1 videodisc, 180 min.
Because of scoring exceptionally high on a state wide standardized exam and being an exceptionally good basketball player Jamal Wallace, an African American teen writing prodigy, is sent to a prestigious prep school in Manhattan. He soon befriends the reclusive writer, William Forrester. The friendship leads William to overcome his reclusivness and for Jamal to overcome the racial prejudices and pursue his true dream - writing. Cast: Sean Connery ; Rob Brown.
Subjects -- Movies and Plays ; African Americans

Finzan = [A Dance for the Heroes]
[VHS 640]     1990    California Newsreel/Kora Films
1/2" video     Color     1 cass., 107 min.
Two women rebel against traditional African customs. Nanyuma, a young widow, refuses her brother-in-law when he asserts his right to inherit her. Fili is brutally circumcised by the village women who are scandalized that she resist the age-old custom.
Subjects -- Africa ; Women's Studies

Fire
[DVD 935]    1997    Zeitgeist Films
4 3/4" DVD  Color    1 videodisc, 108 min.
Two women, Radha and Sita are married to two brothers, Ashok and Jatin. Ashok decides to become an aesthetic and celibate, and Jatin ignores Sita, to whom his marriage was arranged, for other women. Alone and ignored, it is only a matter of time before Radha and Sita look to one another for comfort and to satisfy their own passions. Banned in India. Cast: Karishma Jhalani, Ramanjeet Kaur Director: Deepa Mehta. In Hindi with English subtitles.
Subjects – Movies and Plays ; Asia: India ; Homosexuality

Fire Mountain The Eruption And Rebirth Of Mount St. Helens
[DVD 768]     1997     Total-Content
4 3/4" DVD    Color    1 videodisc, 60 min.
In 1980, the eruption of Mount St. Helens leveled 230 square miles, sent 540 million tons of ash and volcanic rock twelve miles into the air, and blasted one cubic mile of earth from the crest of the Cascade Mountain Range. Illustrates the terrifying fury of the most destructive volcanic disaster in American history through aerial photography and survivors’ own words. Shows examples of nature’s plant and animal recovery seventeen years later. The visitor’s center version includes footage shot in 2004. Includes special 20 min. Visitor Center version.
Subjects – Earth Sciences ; Washington State and Seattle

Fires in the Mirror: Crown Heights, Brooklyn and Other Identities
[VHS 582]    1993    PBS/American Playhouse
1/2" video     Color     1 cass., 82 min.
Anna Deavere Smith uses interwoven monologues and assumes the personalities of nearly 30 characters caught in the racial turmoil that erupted in the Crown Heights area of Brooklyn following the death of an African American child and the stabbing of a 29-year-old rabbinical student. Closed captioned.
Subjects -- African Americans ; Drama and Theater ; Movies and Plays

The First Year; And Teach
[DVD 57]   2001    Teachers Documentary Project
4 3/4" DVD   Color   1 videodisc, 35 min.
Documents the challenges and rewards of 5 first year teachers in the Los Angeles school district. A "recruitment" film, created to attract talented and passionate people into the teaching profession.Closed captioned.
Subjects -- Education

A Florida Enchantment
[VHS 1974]    1914    Mad Phat Enterprises
1/2" video    Color    1 cass., 63 min.
Frustrated by her fiancé's affairs with hotel maids, a New York heiress pops one of the magic seeds that change women into men and men into women. But after shaving "her" morning mustache, she forgets vengeance under newfound pleasure in embracing other women at the Ft. Lauderdale resort. Director: Sidney Drew. Cast: Edith Storey, Rosa Rio. Release of the 1914 silent motion picture.
Subjects -- Movies and Plays; Women’s Studies ; Homosexuality

Flyboys
[DVD 874]   2006    MGM
4 3/4" DVD  Color    1 videodisc, 140 min.
Inspired by the true story of the legendary Lafayette Escadrille, this action-packed epic tells the tale of America's first fighter pilots. These courageous young men distinguish themselves in a manner that none before them had dared, becoming true heroes who experience triumph, tragedy, love, and loss amid the chaos of World War I. Hang on for the ride of your life! Cast: James Franco, Jennifer Decker.
Subjects – Movies and Plays ; World War, 1914-1918

The Flying Dutchman = Der fliegende Holla¨nder
[DVD 588]      2008      Deutsche Grammophon
4 3/4" DVD     Color     1 videodisc, 117 min.
Music and libretto by Richard Wagner. The story comes from the legend of the Flying Dutchman, about a ship captain condemned to sail until Judgment Day. Cast: Catarina Ligendza; Ruth Hesse; Hermann Winkler; Harald Ek; Donald McIntyre; Bengt Rundgren; Bayerischer Staatsopernchor; Bayerisches Staatsorchester; Wolfgang Sawallisch, conductor; Va´clav Kas?li´k, director. In German with optional subtitles.
Subjects – Music

Fobias: El Mundo Del Terror
[VHS 1995]     1998    Discovery Channel
1/2" video    Color     1 cass., 52 min.
Spanish language edition of “Phobia: Living In Terror”. Phobias are equal opportunity destroyers, robbing the peace of mind from millions of Americans across all segments of society. Examining case studies and experiments involving agoraphobia, arachnophobia, and fears of public speaking, snakes, trains, heights, driving, and social situations, this insightful program provides an excellent overview of phobias.
Subjects -- Language: Spanish

The Fog Of War: Eleven Lessons From The Life Of Robert S. McNamara
[DVD 177]    2003    Sony Pictures Classics
4 3/4" DVD    Color    1 videodisc, 107 min. each
The story of American politics and military policies as seen through the eyes of the former Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara. McNamara is a controversial and influential political figure. He discusses his experiences and lessons learned during his tenure as Secretary of Defense under John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson. He talks about his work as a bombing statistician during World War II, his brief tenure as president of Ford Motor Company, and the Kennedy administration's triumph during the Cuban Missile Crisis. However, the film focuses primarily on his failures in Vietnam. The theme of the film are his "eleven lessons" learned during this time. Some of these include improving military efficiency, understanding your enemy, and the frustrations of trying to deal with (and unsuccessfully trying to change) human nature.
Subjects -- Vietnamese Conflict ; United States: History

Follow the Fleet
[DVD 244]      1936     RKO Radio Pictures Inc.
4 3/4" DVD     B&W    1 videodisc, 110 min.
When the fleet puts in at San Francisco, sailor Bake Baker tries to rekindle the flame with his old dancing partner, Sherry Martin, while Bake's buddy Bilge Smith romances Sherry's sister Connie. But it's not all smooth sailing: Bake has a habit of losing Sherry's jobs for her; and despite Connie's dreams, Bilge is not ready to settle down. Cast: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers.
Subjects -- Movies and Plays

Food, Inc.
[DVD 1032]   2008   Magnolia Pictures
4 3/4" DVD   Color   1 videodisc, 91 mins.
Lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing how our nation's food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profits ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. Examines the costs of putting value and convenience over nutrition and environmental impact. The filmmaker takes his camera into slaughterhouses and factory farms where chickens grow too fast to walk properly, cows eat feed pumped with toxic chemicals, and illegal immigrants risk life and limb to bring these products to market at an affordable cost.
Subjects – Food and Nutrition ; Environmental Sciences ; Business

Food or Famine?
[VHS 1014-15]     1997    Filmmakers Library
1/2" video     Color     2 cass., 49 min. each
Examines the worldwide imbalance between food consumption and production. Looks at projects which reflect a return to agricultural methods based on sound ecological principles. However, there is a continuing challenge that as the world population increases, new crops with higher yields will have to be developed.
Subjects -- Agriculture ; Economics ; Environmental Sciences

Foot Soldier: The Vikings
[VHS 1728]    1998    A&E
1/2" video    Color    1 cass., 50 min.
Trace the missions that took the Vikings throughout the known world and beyond. Discover how not all their victories were military, for these fearsome warriors were also active traders. Extensive re-enactments capture not only their legendary prowess in battle, but also the hardships of their long voyages and daily life. Visit their homes and battlegrounds with the archaeologists who are uncovering their secrets, and explore their colorful and captivating myths, which offer countless insights into the world of the Vikings.
Subjects -- Europe: Scandinavia

The Forgetting: A Portrait of Alzheimer's
[DVD 273]      2003      PBS
4 3/4" DVD    Color       1 videodisc, 90 min.
Follows the trials and triumphs of researchers battling Alzheimer's Disease. Dr. Steven DeKosky's team conducts breakthrough scientific tests, while Dr. Rudy Tanzi, pioneer in genetics, tells of discoveries that may help pinpoint the cause of Alzheimer's. The experts make the research palpable and real, explaining in down-to-earth terms how the disease dismantles the day-to-day lives of Gladys, Fran, and Isabelle. Based on David Shenk's critically-acclaimed book, weaves together powerful portrayals of families with the science of this awesome disease, its imprint on human history, and the current race to fine a cure.
Subjects -- Diseases ; Sociology

Forrest Gump 
[DVD 15]    1994    Paramount
4 3/4" DVD    Color    2 videodiscs, 141 min.
The story follows the life of low I.Q. Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) and his meeting with the love of his life Jenny. The film chronicles his accidental experiences with some of the most important people and events in America from the late 1950's through the 1970's including a meeting with Elvis Presley, JFK, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, fighting in Vietnam, etc. The problem is, he doesn't realize the significance of his actions. Cast: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson, Sally Field. Closed captioned.
Subjects -- Movies and Plays

Four By Ailey
see title Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: Four By Ailey

The Four P’s: Marketing Strategies
[DVD 1041]    2009    Video Education America
4 3/4" DVD    Color    1 videodisc, 25 mins.
Focuses on how businesses apply effective marketing strategies through employment of the four "P's": product, price, promotion and place.
Subjects – Advertising

Fractals: The Colors Of Infinity
[VHS 1244]     1997    Newbridge Communications
1/2" video     Color     1 cass., 52 min.
Presents an explanation of the Mandelbrot set, what it means, its internal consistency, and the revolutions on thought resulting from its discovery.
Subjects -- Mathematics and Statistics

Franz Boaz, 1858-1942
[VHS 975]     1983    Public Broadcasting Association
1/2" video     Color    1 cass., 59 min.
The story of Boaz whose impact extended far beyond his own life; to that of the Kwakiutl Indians who were the subject of Boaz' fieldwork; and the story of anthropology itself.
Subjects -- Anthropology ; Indians of North America

Free Your Mind: Return to the Source, African Origins
[VHS 657]     1987    Wa'set Educational Productions
1/2" video     Color     1 cass., 107 min.
Dr. Asa G. Hilliard talks about his perceptions on the origins and damage done by racism. The world's first civilization was founded by African black people who were invaded by other cultures who contributed little but took much from this rich heritage.
Subjects -- Africa

Freedom, A History Of US: #1. Independence
[VHS 1794]    2003    PBS
1/2" video    Color    1 cass., 30 min.
Begins in the summer of 1776, as the original 13 colonies stake everything on independence from England--and America's chance for a new kind of freedom. The American Revolution, the Continental Congress, and Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence begin the history of the United States. Closed captioned.
Subjects - United States: History ; Citizenship

Freedom, A History Of US: #2. Revolution  
[VHS 1794]    2003    PBS
1/2" video    Color    1 cass., 30 min.
Colonial Americans fight to defeat the world's greatest military power and strive to create a new kind of government that will live up to their high ideals. George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson take their turns as president; Lewis and Clark undertake their great expedition, and the American dream is born. Closed captioned.
Subjects - United States: History ; Citizenship

Freedom, A History Of US: #3. Liberty For All?
[VHS 1795]    2003    PBS
1/2" video    Color    1 cass., 30 min.
America is now a "free" land, although at a terrible cost to Native Americans. In a look back to colonial days, we see the Pilgrims and the Puritans laying the groundwork for religious freedom, while the Salem witch trials recall superstition and intolerance. We follow the nation's population westward in the early 19^th century, from the Wilderness Trail to the Trail of Tears; and, finally, the Gold Rush! Closed captioned.
Subjects - United States: History ; Citizenship

Freedom, A History Of US: #4. Wake Up, America
[VHS 1795]    2003    PBS
1/2" video    Color    1 cass., 30 min.
The young nation is in love with progress. Innovations include steamboats, the Erie Canal, and the very first railroads. The industrial revolution brings some Americans leisure and personal freedom--but there is a dark side to the story for factory workers and women. Reformers begin to protest horrendous conditions, while women like Sojourner Truth and Elizabeth Cady Stanton rally for equal rights. Closed captioned.
Subjects - United States: History ; Citizenship

Freedom, A History Of US: #5. A Fatal Contradiction
[VHS 1796]    2003    PBS
1/2" video    Color    1 cass., 30 min.
While the Declaration of Independence states that "all men are created equal," the nation's slaves are a glaring exception. The colonial slave trade and brutal life for slaves on southern plantations spark the abolition movement and the Underground Railroad. This pivotal episode explores the role of Frederick Douglass, the Lincoln-Douglas debates over the meaning of the Declaration of Independence, and Abraham Lincoln's election to the presidency. Closed captioned.
Subjects - United States: History ; Citizenship

Freedom, A History Of US: #6. A War To End Slavery
[VHS 1796]    2003    PBS
1/2" video    Color    1 cass., 30 min.
Heroic soldiers in blue and gray endure the bloodiest battles ever fought on American soil, as the country fights a civil war over the Union and slavery's place in it. Grim battles unfold: Bull Run, Antietam, and Gettysburg. Famous generals including Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee lead the war between the North and the South. Lincoln speaks eloquently at Gettysburg and just a year and a half later is brutally assassinated at Ford's Theatre. Closed captioned.
Subjects - United States: History ; Citizenship

Freedom, A History Of US: #7. What Is Freedom?
[VHS 1797]    2003    PBS
1/2" video    Color    1 cass., 30 min.
After the Civil War, the Reconstruction era brings hope to the devastated South. But political turmoil continues, Reconstruction efforts fail, and a new era of segregation begins. With the Supreme Court decision, Plessy v. Ferguson, "separate but equal" becomes the law of the land. Closed captioned.
Subjects - United States: History ; Citizenship

Freedom, A History Of US: #8. Whose Land Is This?
[VHS 1797]    2003    PBS
1/2" video    Color   1 cass., 30 min.
The nation seethes with racial conflict as immigrants increasingly become targets of prejudice, and settlers and soldiers massacre and force western Indians onto reservations. As European freedom-seekers continue to pour into America, the Supreme Court rules, in an important but little case, that non-citizens are due equal protection under the law. Closed captioned.
Subjects - United States: History ; Citizenship

Freedom, A History Of US: #9. Working For Freedom
[VHS 1798]    2003    PBS
1/2" video    Color    1 cass., 30 min.
As industrial progress continues and the gap between the rich and the poor widens, a new labor movement emerges to advocate for workers' rights. The strike at Lawrence, Massachusetts is a victory for workers; Samuel Gompers emerges as an influential labor leader, and Susan B. Anthony paves the way for women's right to vote. Closed captioned.
Subjects - United States: History ; Citizenship

Freedom, A History Of US: #10. Yearning To Breathe Free
[VHS 1798]    2003   PBS
1/2" video    Color    1 cass., 30 min.
The newly unveiled Statue of Liberty is a symbol of all that is best in America, inspiring a time of reform and compassion. Mother Jones brings the child labor issue to the forefront of the nation's consciousness, and Jane Addams, America's first social worker, creates Hull House. Ida Tarbell exposes the abuses of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company. Closed captioned.
Subjects - United States: History ; Citizenship

Freedom, A History Of US: #11. Safe For Democracy
[VHS 1799]    2003    PBS
1/2" video    Color    1 cass., 30 min.
With help from the Wright brothers' introduction of the airplane, the country begins to soar. Woodrow Wilson and America reluctantly join the fight in World War I, while on the home front, women at last get the right to vote. Even in the midst of Prohibition, the Twenties roar with personal freedom. Closed captioned.
Subjects - United States: History ; Citizenship

Freedom, A History Of US: #12. Depression And War
[VHS 1799]    2003    PBS
1/2" video    Color    1 cass., 30 min.
With the crash of the stock market, America enters the Great Depression. Franklin Roosevelt builds a New Deal, while overseas Adolf Hitler comes to power. After Pearl Harbor, the U.S. enters WWII. Closed captioned.
Subjects - United States: History ; Citizenship

Freedom, A History Of US: #13. Democracy And Struggles
[VHS 1800]    2003    PBS
1/2" video    Color    1 cass., 30 min.
In the postwar "free world," America becomes the acknowledged leader, striving to rebuild democracies abroad. The Iron Curtain falls and the Cold War begins, Fear of communism spreads, and Senator Joseph McCarthy begins his communist witch-hunts at home. The U.S. finally faces up to racial separatism when the groundbreaking Supreme Court decision, Brown v. Board of Education, outlaws segregation. Closed captioned.
Subjects - United States: History ; Citizenship

Freedom, A History Of US: #14. Let Freedom Ring
[VHS 1800]    2003    PBS
1/2" video    Color    1 cass., 30 min.
Civil rights becomes the most effective social movement in U.S. history. During this ear, Martin Luther King, Jr. marches on Washington, and Little Rock's high school is integrated, John F. Kennedy is inaugurated as president of the United States. Cesar Chavez founds the National Farm Workers Association. Closed captioned.
Subjects - United States: History ; Citizenship

Freedom, A History Of US: #15. Marching To Freedom Land
[VHS 1801]    2003    PBS
1/2" video    Color    1 cass., 30 min.
While the 1960's bring progress in the quest for freedom, this is an explosive decade that threatens to tear apart the fabric of society. President Kennedy is assassinated, and Lyndon B. Johnson pursues the war in Vietnam. Martin Luther King is assassinated, leaving behind a legacy of successful non-violent civil rights resistance. Closed captioned.
Subjects - United States: History ; Citizenship

Freedom, A History Of US: #16. Becoming Free
[VHS 1801]    2003    PBS
1/2" video    Color    1 cass., 30 min.
America continues to make tremendous strides through the prosperity of the 1980's, 1990's, and into the new millennium. But few pay attention as poverty increases at home and anti-Americanism spreads abroad. The nation's mettle is severely tested by the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, but Americans rally together. American freedom becomes more important than ever before. Closed captioned.
Subjects - United States: History ; Citizenship

Freedom Writers
[DVD 407]       2003        Paramount Pictures
4 3/4" DVD     Color        1 videodisc, 122 min.
A true story about a teacher in a racially divided school who gives her students what they’ve always needed, a voice. Erin Gruwell comes to a southern California high school bubbling over with naive optimism. She quickly discovers that her unruly classroom is not easily won over by her good intentions. After a few floundering attempts to connect with her students, Gruwell gives them the assignment of keeping journals about their own lives, This assignment is something that the class can bite into with relish. This eventually bonds them together and pushes racial rivalries aside. Draws heavily from the published journals of the real students themselves. Cast: Hilary Swank, Patrick Dempsey.
Subjects – Movies and Plays ; Literature and Writing ; Race Relations

The Freedom You Will Take 1985-The Present
see title I'll Make Me A World: The Freedom You Will Take 1985-The Present

Freizeit
[VHS 1476]    1998    Educational Video Network
1/2" Video    Color    1 cass., 12 min.
Was tust du während deiner Freizeit? Learn what Germans do with their "Freizeit," or free time, while you expand your German vocabulary.
Subjects -- Language: German

The French Connection
[DVD 503]      1971     20th Century Fox
4 3/4" DVD     Color    1 videodisc, 104 min.
Popeye Doyle and Buddy Russo get wind of a big shipment of Heroin and begin a tail of the suspects, and their French Connection, two French nationals who are the European link. As money troubles begin for the hoods they decide to kill Popeye and Buddy to give them enough room to bring in the Heroin. During the surveillance and eventual bust is one of the most gripping and memorable car chase sequences ever filmed. Cast: Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider.
Subjects – Movies and Plays

French in Action
[VHS 283-308]    1987   Yale University/WGBH-TV
1/2" video     Color    26 cass., 60 min. @
52 half hour programs organized around topics that reflect major aspects of life in contemporary French culture. Each program is composed of an episode of the story followed by a variety of vignettes that illustrate and explain its contents. Available free online from Annenberg Media at: <http://learner.org/resources/series83.html>
[VHS 283] 1. Orientation: How to learn French, what the course is, what it does, and how it works (in English).
[VHS 283] 2. Genesis I: In Paris, Mireille Belleau is hurrying to class at the Sorbonne. On her way, she exchanges greetings with several friends and acquaintances.
[VHS 284] 3. Genesis II: In a French class in the U.S., teacher and students collaborate on a story to learn French. It will be a story about two young people, an American boy and a French girl, their friends and adventures.
[VHS 284] 4. Genesis III:  In a preview of things to come, our American hero arrives in France and goes through customs.
[VHS 285] 5. Families: Our two characters get names: Mireille and Robert. Mireille has two sisters. Robert is an only child; his mother is French. His parents are divorced.
[VHS 285] 6. Portraits I: Mireille is petite, but healthy, athletic, strong, with long blond hair, and blue eyes. She's quick and has a certain fondness for poking fun.
[VHS 286] 7. Portraits II: Robert is slim, well-built, athletic and maybe just a bit less quick than Mireille. What will happen when these two meet?
[VHS 286] 8. Genealogy: An impromptu visit to the family's country house, where we meet many of Mireille's relatives, including a 10-year old sister who has a mind of her own.
[VHS 287] 9. Vacation in Brittany I: Mireille, her sisters, and cousins are playing a game of portraits when their game is interrupted by snack time, and by a minor accident.
[VHS 287] 10. Vacation in Brittany II: On a rainy day, Mireille, her sisters, and cousins are passing the time. As they check to see what's playing at the movies, Cecile gets a surprise invitation for a sail.
[VHS 288] 11.  Encounters I: On a beautiful spring morning, Robert sets off to explore the Latin quarter. It's his first day in Paris. Mireille, relaxing in the Luxembourg Garden, has an unwelcome encounter.
[VHS 288] 12. Encounters II: Robert follows some student strikers into the courtyard of Sorbonne. Mireille, on her way to school, ends up by pure chance in the same place.
[VHS 289] 13. Encounters III: In the courtyard of the Sorbonne, Robert and Mireille have caught each other's eye. Meanwhile, on an upper floor, Jean-Pierre, the pick-up artist, reveals the tricks of his trade to a not-very appreciative audience.
[VHS 289] 14. Getting Underway I: In the courtyard of the Sorbonne. Robert and Mireille finally meet. Just as they are getting to know each other, Mireille rushes off, leaving Robert to contemplate the spring day and write a postcard to his mother.
[VHS 290] 15. Getting Underway II: In the Latin Quarter. Mireille runs into Robert at a cafe, and they walk again to the Luxembourg Garden. They discover they have an acquaintance in common, and Robert makes another interesting discovery: Mireille has a younger sister.
[VHS 290] 16. Getting Underway III: Mireille and Robert are talking in the Luxembourg Garden. Robert wants Mireille to join him in calling on their common acquaintance, but she has already planned a trip to Chartres. Robert has a brainstorm: could he join her?
[VHS 291] 17. In All Labor There is Profit I: In the Luxembourg Garden, Mireille and Robert are talking about family names and compare notes about their childhood ambitions.
[VHS 291] 18. In All Labor There is Profit II: Mireille and Robert are sharing stories about people who ended up doing something different from what they had planned. Mireille wants to know what Robert intends to do. Invite her for a drink, for starters.
[VHS 292] 19. Entering School Zone I: Mireille and Robert are having an aperitif at the Closerie des Lilas and discussing their school days. Mireille is enthusiastic about one of her art history teachers. Robert is not amused.
[VHS 292] 20. Entering School Zone II: Trying to impress Mireille, Robert criticizes the educational system. He has taken a leave of absence from college to "find himself." "Poor thing," says Mireille, "were you lost?"
[VHS 293] 21. Entering School Zone III: Over their third aperitif, Robert and Mireille are discussing education. Neither notices that a strange man in black has taken an interest in their conversation.
[VHS 293] 22. Fishing for an Invitation I: Robert manages to place a telephone call to Madame Courtois. She is a great talker, and Robert can't get a word in edgewise, but he does get a dinner invitation.
[VHS 294] 23. Fishing for an Invitation II: Robert has been invited to dinner by Madame Courtois. He tries to convince Mireille to get herself invited, too, but she won't commit herself. He then has trouble finding the Courtois's apartment.
[VHS 294] 24. Bills of Fare I: At the Courtois's. Robert is a little irritated by Monsieur Courtois's fixation on gastronomy. He'd love to take Mireille home, but all he gets a chance to do is ask for her phone number.
[VHS 295] 25. Bills of Fare II: It's morning and Robert gets up, orders breakfast, and sets out to explore Paris. He ends up at a restaurant where he's distracted by a scene between a fussy customer and a hapless waiter.
[VHS 295] 26. Bills of Fare III: In a restaurant, a young couple order Sunday dinner. Robert, seated nearby, notices the woman is a blonde, and thinks she may be Mireille, but he can't tell.
[VHS 296] 27. All Manner of Transportation I: Mireille is going to Chartres, and Robert invites himself along. They decide to take the train. Robert almost gets lost in the metro on his way to meet Mireille at the station.
[VHS 296] 28. All Manner of Transportation II: At Chartres, Robert is deeply moved by the beauty of the cathedral and of his companion. When she leaves briefly, to visit a nearby museum, he imagines he's being betrayed.
[VHS 297] 29. All Manners of Transportation III: Returning to Paris from Chartres, Robert and Mireille get seats on a crowded train. They are unaware they are sharing the compartment with a mysterious man in black.
[VHS 297] 30. All Manners of Transportation IV: Mireille has gone to visit a friend in Provins, and Robert, a little jealous, has rented a car to follow her. He ends up lost in the wine country of Burgundy.
[VHS 298] 31. All Manners of Transportation V: Mireille has borrowed a car from her uncle to visit her friend in Provins. When it won't start, the garage loans her a real lemon, and she has every mishap imaginable.
[VHS 298] 32. Residences I: Mireille's parents have invited Robert for dinner. He finds their apartment with a little help from someone who turns out to be a TV weatherman.
[VHS 299] 33. Residences II: At the Belleaus's dinner table, the aristocratic Hubert de Pinot-Chambrun is belittling low-cost housing for workers. The egalitarian Robert gets hot under the collar.
[VHS 299] 34. Residences III: At the Belleaus's dinner, there is more table talk about real estate. The doorbell rings, and Marie-Laure returns to say it was a fake nun with a big moustache selling raffle tickets.
[VHS 300] 35. Residences IV: The Belleaus's doorbell rings again. Marie-Laure reports that it was a man in black asking if she had a sister who looked like an actress. Robert tries in vain to arrange room and board at the Belleaus's.
[VHS 300] 36. Entertainment I: After dinner, everyone says goodnight except Mireille and Robert. They decide to see a movie the following day, and arrange to meet in Montparnasse, at a cafe near the movie theater.
[VHS 301] 37. Entertainment II: Waiting for Robert at La Coupole, Mireille notices an odd man in black behaving strangely nearby. Robert arrives almost on time, and they go to the movies to see Love in the Afternoon.
[VHS 301] 38. Entertainment III: Robert and Mireille leave the cinema and wander toward the Champs-Elysees. Robert thinks he has lost his passport. A rude soldier on furlough falls, in a way, for Mireille.
[VHS 302] 39. Entertainment IV: At Fouquet's on the Champs-Elysees, Mireille and Robert, joined by Hubert and Jean-Pierre, talk about theatre in Paris. And the man in black is seen behaving strangely again.
[VHS 302] 40. Entertainment V: At Fouquet's, our four characters are discussing entertainment while the man in black sends signals in Morse Code with his eyes. Jean-Pierre argues the merits of the circus, and a strange nun replaces the strange man.
[VHS 303] 41. A Matter of Chance I: Robert gets stuck with the cafe tab. As he is paying, the waiter's tray drops and Robert learns that in France broken glass can bring good luck. He and Mireille buy a lottery ticket that is sure to be a winner.
[VHS 303] 42. A Matter of Chance II: Mireille and Robert have won the lottery. Now, how to spend their winnings? Robert wants to look at camping equipment for a trip around France, and they hail a taxi. The man in black, already inside. tries to pull Mireille in.
[VHS 304] 43. Think Vacation I: Robert and Mireille look at camping gear. Mireille rushes off to have lunch with Hubert and runs into the incorrigible Jean-Pierre. They talk about broken glass, ladders. spilled salt, and other superstitions.
[VHS 304] 44. Think Vacation II: Mireille tells Hubert she's won the lottery. Hubert strongly disapproves (although he has been known to play the horses). Robert tries to buy shoes. And Aunt Georgette tells about the one that got away.
[VHS 305] 45. Think Vacation III: Uncle Guillaume advises Mireille to spend her lottery money on memorable meals. Robert, meanwhile, continues to have misunderstandings with salesmen, and he takes a hair-raising taxi ride.
[VHS 305] 46. Getting Away: Hubert offers his little car and himself for the trip around France. After a lot of fast talking, Mireille persuades her friends Collette and Jean-Michel to come along, too.
[VHS 306] 47. What Variety!: Our five travelers are discussing where to go and what to see in France. Sparks begin to fly between the right-wing Hubert and the radical Jean-Michel.
[VHS 306] 48. What Riches!: Our travelers are discussing whether to tour France by boat. As Hubert and Jean-Michel disagree, the man in black comes to the door with an odd story about returning Marie-Laure's gum drops.
[VHS 307] 49. What a Nightmare!: Marie-Laure has gone out and not returned. Mireille panics and Robert rushes over to help. Marie-Laure finally turns up with a wild tale about following the man in black into the Catacombs of Paris.
[VHS 307] 50.  More Variety, More Riches: In the garden next to Saint-Germain-des-Pres, our travelers are looking for a theme for their trip. They can't agree, but mention of the cider of Normandy awakens their thirst, and they adjourn to the nearby Cafe des Deux Magots.
[VHS 308] 51. Parade and Review: All the bit players say farewell, from Uncle Guillaume, who has won a pile in the lottery and is off to the Taj Mahal with the one that got away. The man in black leaves some tantalizing notes about Mireille.
[VHS 308] 52. All's Well That Ends Well:  The five travelers start off at last, but the man in black is right on their heels. Mireille and Robert leave their friends and try, in vain, to lose him. Robert is hurt in a fall and Mireille endangered by fire. The identity of the man in black is finally revealed.
Subjects - Language: French