New DVDs: TV Series, Nonfiction and Feature Length Films – September 2009

Air Group 16: We Came to Remember

This PBS video looks at Air Group 16, including the pilots, radiomen and gunners as they travel to a reunion and the dedication of the National World War II Memorial in Washington D.C. The members of Air Group 16 served on the aircraft carrier USS Lexington in the Pacific during World War II. Features veterans: Paul Bonilla, Tom Bronn, T. Earl “Dupe” Dupree, Ralph Weymouth and family members.

The Alzheimer’s Project

From HBO, this Momentum in Science documentary features 25 leading scientists, a primetime state-of-the-science report revealing the most cutting-edge research advances. Three additional specials (The Memory Loss Tapes; Grandpa, Will You Remember Me? with Maria Shriver; and Caregivers) capture what it means to experience the disease, to be a child or grandchild of one who suffers, and to care for those who are affected. Rated TV-PG

Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna

Until the day she died in 1984, Anna Anderson claimed she was truly Grand Duchess Anastasia, the sole surviving child of Russian Czar Nicolas II. Many believed her. Even for those who did not, her story of royalty, flight from execution and years of struggle to reclaim her heritage was a great dramatic mystery. Cast: Amy Irving, Olivia De Havilland, Jan Niklas, Nicolas Surovy, Susan Lucci, Elke Sommer, Edward Fox, Claire Bloom, Omar Sharif, Rex Harrison. Based on the book  Anastasia: The Riddle of Anna Anderson by Peter Kurth. (1986) Not Rated

Annie

The story of the comic strip character Little Orphan Annie, who is adopted by billionaire “Daddy” Warbucks. Cast: Albert Finney, Carol Burnett, Bernadette Peters, Ann Reinking, Tim Curry, Geoffrey Holder, Edward Herrmann, Aileen Quinn. (1981) Rated PG

The Art of Vinyasa Flow: Power Sweat & Connect

Lisa Kapantais of Yogatopia leads this 60 minute routine, immersing your entire body into the rhythmic pattern of your breathe  This dynamic and vigorus practice for all levels is a complete yoga routine that melts away tension and toxins.

Black Narcissus

Plagued by uncertainties and worldly desires, five Protestant missionary nuns, led by Sister Clodagh, struggle to establish a school in the desolate Himalayas. Cast: Deborah Kerr, Sabu, David Farrar, Flora Robson, Esmond Knight, Jean Simmons, Kathleen Byron. Adapted from the novel by Rumer Godden. (1947) Not Rated

Breaker Morant

Three Australian lieutenants are court martialed for executing prisoners as a way of deflecting attention from war crimes committed by their superior officers. Based on a play and true story. Cast: Edward Woodward, Jack Thompson, John Waters, Bryan Brown, Rod Mullinar, Charles Tingwell. (1979) Rated PG

A Canterbury Tale

Follow three modern-day incarnations of Chaucer’s pilgrims – a landgirl, an American GI, and a British sergeant waylaid in the English countryside, forced to solve a bizarre village crime en route to a mythical town. Cast: Eric Portman, Sheila Sim, Dennis Price, Sgt. John Sweet, Esmond Knight. (1944) Not Rated

Death of an Expert Witness

Scotland Yard’s Adam Dalgliesh (Roy Marsden) is searching for a “back seat strangler” who has already murdered four people. When an unpopular forensic scientist is found dead in a British government laboratory, Dalgliesh discovers that almost everyone there could be a suspect. When another body is found nearby, the detective must race against time to find the killer.Roy Marsden.Based on the book by P. D. James. (1985) Not Rated

Devices and Desires

Scotland Yard Commander Adam Dalgliesh retreats to an isolated town for some rest, but his isolation is shattered when he discovers he cannot escape murder. Cast: Roy Marsden, Susannah York, Gemma Jones, James Faulkner, Tony Haygarth, Tom Georgeson. Based on the book by P.D. James. (1991) Not Rated

Eureka: Season One

In the seemingly perfect, but quirky small town of Eureka, America’s brightest scientists are working on some of the government’s best-kept secrets– some lead to brilliant inventions and some to total chaos. Making sense of the mysteries is Sheriff Jack Carter, a former U.S. marshal who is stranded in the surreal small town after a random car accident. Cast: Colin Ferguson, Salli Richardson, Jordan Hinson, Joe Morton, Ed Quinn, Erica Cerra. (2006) Not Rated

Eureka: Season Two

Return to the seemingly perfect town of Eureka, where the hidden work of America’s brightest scientists can lead to innovative discoveries and unnatural chaos. Follow Sheriff Jack Carter as he struggles to keep a sense of normalcy amid the scientific mayhem, big brains and bigger adventure in this unusual little town in the Pacific Northwest. Cast: Colin Ferguson, Salli Richardson, Jordan Hinson, Joe Morton, Ed Quinn, Erica Cerra.  Originally broadcast on the SciFi Channel in 2007. Not Rated

The Flambards

In this British television drama, Christina is sent to live with her domineering, crippled Uncle Russell and her cousins Mark and William at ‘Flambards’, a rambling, decaying mansion in England in the early 1900’s. Cast: Edward Judd, Steven Grives, Alan Parnaby, Christine McKenna. Based on the novel by K.M. Peyton. (1993) Not Rated

The French Chef 2 with Julia Child

Chef Julia Child shares her recipes and techniques for French food. Originally produced as episodes of the television program The French chef between 1963-1972. Not Rated

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir

At the turn of the century a young widow and her daughter move into a cottage on the English coast. Soon she learns that the cottage is haunted by the ghost of its former owner, a sea captain. When he finds he can’t scare her away, they soon fall into a most unlikely love affair! Cast: Gene Tierney, Rex Harrison, George Sanders, Natalie Wood. (1947) Not Rated

The Gold Rush

This episode of the PBS series, the American Experience, explores the California gold rush that started in 1848 when most of San Francisco’s residents rushed off to dig for gold. Focusing on 5 individuals, including rare daguerreotypes and original recreations.

Golden Gate Bridge

Originally broadcast in 2004 as an episode of the PBS series, American Experience. This documentary follows the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge and recounts the struggles of engineer Joseph B. Strauss to make the project a reality. Not Rated

Goodbye, Mr. Chips

Mr. Chips is a shy and proper classics professor who teaches at an English all-boys school. He falls in love with a London dance-hall girl and decides to marry her. The couple makes Brookfield Academy for Boys its home and brightens the school with their unlikely union. Cast: Peter O’Toole, Petula Clark, Sir Michael Redgrave.  Based on the novel by James Hilton. (1969) Rated G

Grand Central

This episode of the PBS series, American Experience, chronicles the designing, engineering, and construction of New York’s Grand Central Station, and examines the station’s importance to present-day New Yorkers. Not rated

The Helen West Casebook

A crown prosecutor, Helen West struggles to find justice for those wronged as well as keep her own messy life in order. Cast: Amanda Burton, Conor Mullen, Nicholas Woodeson, Anthony Howell, Dermot Crowley, Rita Tushingham. Based on the books by Frances Fyfield. (2002) Not Rated

His Girl Friday

A re-make of The Front Page with the main character as a girl reporter (Rosalind Russell). The editor (Cary Grant) wants his top reporter to cover the impending execution of a murderer rather than get married and leave the job. Featuring: Ralph Bellamy, Gene Lockhart, Helen Mark, Porter Hall. (1939) Not Rated

I Vitelloni

A character study of five aimless young men living in a small Italian town, based in part upon Fellini’s own experiences and those of his acquaintances. Italian dialogue, English subtitles.  Cast: Franco Interlenghi, Alberto Sordi, Franco Fabrizzi, Leopoldo Trieste, Eleonora Ruffo. (1953) Not Rated

Julia Child’s Kitchen Wisdom

A retrospective look at Julia Child’s four decades on public television. Cooking demonstrations fall in the categories: vegetables; seafood; eggs and poultry; pork and beef; and desserts. Features appearances by various culinary celebrities.Featuring Julia Child, Jacques Pépin, Charlie Gibson, Martha Stewart, Emeril Lagasse, Alice Waters, Jasper White.

The Last Days of Disco

Two women, recently graduated from college, adjust to life in the real world of 1980 NYC, partying the nights away at the hottest club in town.Cast: Chloë Sevigny, Kate Beckinsale, Chris Eigeman, Matt Keeslar, Mackenzie Astin, Matthew Ross, Tara Subkoff, Burr Steers, David Thornton, Jaid Barrymore, Michael Weatherly, Robert Sean Leonard, Jennifer Beals. (1998) Rated R

M. Butterfly

A French civil service officer risks and then abandons everything in his life in his obsessive pursuit of a enigmatic Chinese opera diva. Cast: Jeremy Irons, John Lone, Barbara Sukowa, Ian Richardson. Based on the play by David Henry Hwang. (1993) Rated R

The Marine

John Triton has just been discharged from Iraq. His wife, Kate, is kidnapped by a group of diamond thieves on the run. Now Triton needs to save her and goes on a chase through the South Carolinian wilderness in order to save her. The only, and best, weapon that Triton has is himself. Cast: John Cena, Kelly Carlson, Robert Patrick. (2006) Rated PG-13

Metropolis: The Splendor of Cities throughout the Ages

Go into the very heart of ancient and medieval urban life to examine the crucial and historic steps towards civilization, in cities such as Athens, Carthage, Rome, Venice, Paris, and many more.  Episodes include:  The Power of Cities: Athens, the Rule of the People ; Alexandria, the Centre of Knowledge ; Carthage, City of Seafarers ; Rome, the Heart of the Empire. The Bright Cities of the Dark Ages: Mission to Constantinople ; Escape to Venice ; Murder in Paris. (2003, 2006 & 2007) Not rated

Midway

The dramatic personal stories of the men who fought the courageous battle that was to be the Pacific turning point for the United States. Cast: Charlton Heston, Henry Fonda, James Coburn, Glenn Ford, Hal Holbrook, Toshiro Mifune, Robert Mitchum, Cliff Robertson, Robert Wagner, Robert Webber, Ed Nelson, James Shigeta, Christina Kokubo, Edward Albert. (1976) Rated PG

Miss Firecracker

Carnelle, a hellraiser, enters the Miss Firecracker contest in the old-fashioned town where she was raised. Carnelle’s not the usual contestant, but her cousin is a famous winner, and Carnelle’s determined to equal her, no matter what. Cast: Holly Hunter, Tim Robbins, Mary Steenburgen, Scott Glenn, Alfre Woodard, Veanne Cox, Ann Wedgeworth, Trey Wilson, Amy Wright, Kathleen Chalfant, Robert Fieldsteel, Avril Gentles, Greg Germann, Bert Remsen. (1988) Rated PG

My Brother Is an Only Child

The violent political unrest of 1960s Italy brings simmering tensions between two feuding brothers to the boiling point in this critically acclaimed film. Italian dialog, with English subtitles. Cast: Elio Germano, Riccardo Scamarcio, Angela Finocchiard, Massimo Popolizio. (2006) Rated R

Notorious

A beautiful woman with a tainted past is enlisted by American agent Devlin to spy on a ring of Nazis in post-war Rio. Her espionage work becomes life-threatening after she marries the most debonair of the Nazi ring, Alex. Only Devlin can rescue her, but to do so he must face his role in her desperate situation and acknowledge that he has loved her all along. Cast: Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains, Louis Calhern, Madame Konstantin, Reinhold Schunzel, Moroni Olsen, Ivan Triesault, Alex Minotis. (1946) Not Rated

Rebecca

Alfred Hitchcock directs this adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier’s classic story of suspense.  When a shy girl becomes the wife of a wealthy Britisher and moves into his house, she finds herself haunted by her husband’s deceased first wife. Cast: Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders, Judith Anderson. (1940) Not Rated

Rebecca

Masterpiece Theatre’s rendition of Daphne Du Maurier’s classic novel.  A timid young girl marries a troubled widower only to find her new home is haunted by the memory of Rebecca, the first wife. Cast: Charles Dance, Emilia Fox, Diana Rigg, Faye Dunaway, Geraldine James, Timothy West, Jonathan Cake. (1996) Not Rated

The Red Shoes

Torn between two lovers, a young ballerina must choose either the composer who loves her or the man who can make her a great dancer. Cast: Anton Walbrook, Marius Goring, Moira Shearer, Robert Helpmann, Leonide Massine, Albert Basserman, Ludmilla Tcherina, Esmond Knight. (1948) Not Rated

Respiro

Grazia is a carefree mother of three, who soon becomes the focus of her neighbors’ gossip. She is not understood or accepted by the social conventions of the town, nor its strict tribal rules. Conflict arises when her husband seeks to control her spirited behavior. Cast: Valeria Golino, Vincenzo Amato, Veronica D’Agostino, Filippo Pucillo, Avy Macciano, Francesco Casis. Italian dialogue, English subtitles. (2002) Rated PG-13

Rome: Engineering An Empire

Using state-of-the-art CGI animation this History Channel documentary chronicles the spectacular as well as sordid history of the Roman Empire from the rise of Julius Caesar in 55 BC to its fall around 537 AD. The CGI animation gives the viewers an opportunity to see Rome’s greatest structures the way the ancient Romans saw them. The insights of engineers, archaeologists and historians add depth to segments on Hadrian’s Wall, Caesar’s Bridge, the aqueducts, the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Baths of Caracalla, and the remains of Emperor Nero’s lavish Golden Palace for a rare look at how one of Rome’s most notorious megalomaniacs lived. Also never-before-seen footage shot on a diving expedition in the water channels underneath the Colosseum, channels once used to flood the arena for mock naval battles. (2005) Not Rated

Sick Around America

Originally broadcast on PBS’s Frontline, this documentary investigates the failures and future of the private insurance industry, examining the best and worst of U.S. healthcare by telling the gripping and sometimes tragic stories of ordinary Americans. As the national debate intensifies, the program lays bare the flaws in the system and examines the critical choices Americans face in changing a system that all sides agree needs a fundamental overhaul. Not Rated

Sick Around the World

Frontline correspondent T.R. Reid examines first-hand the health care systems of other advanced capitalist democracies, United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, and Taiwan, to see what tried and tested ideas might help reform the United States’ broken health care system.-

Twelfth Night

Shakespeare’s tale of Viola, shipwrecked on an unfriendly Illyrian shore, believing her twin brother is dead, disguises herself in male attire and joins the retinue of the lovesick Duke Orsino. Cast: Helena Bonham Carter, Richard E. Grant, Nigel Hawthorne, Ben Kingsley, Mel Smith. (1996) Rated PG

Walt Whitman

An episode of the PBS series, American Experience. The documentary tells Walt Whitman’s life story, from his working class childhood in Long Island to his years as a newspaper reporter in Brooklyn when he struggled to support his impoverished family, then to his reckless pursuit of the attention and affection he craved for his work, to his death in 1892 at the age of 72.

Witness

An Amish boy witnesses a murder, and the cop on the case discovers it’s part of a conspiracy in his department. Includes all-new special features including a five part documentary and much more. Cast: Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis, Lukas Haas. (1985) Rated R

The Wizard of Photography: The Story of George Eastman

An episode of the PBS series, American Experience. The documentary uses early moving images and snapshots to dramatize the life story of George Eastman, exploring how his inventions helped make photography easy and affordable for everyone. (2000) Not Rated