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"Recommended. This is a candid interview of Isobelle
Carmody. The writer talks about her childhood experiences, from which she
draws her ideas for writing her books, and her beliefs and attitudes
regarding death, truth, bleakness, and fantasy. The filming of the interview
is very innovative, in that the writer discusses her life in front of
various locations that were important to her writings
and her attitudes towards life, including her childhood home, the next door
neighbor's house, some trips she took as a teenager and young adult, and
experiences in school." -EMRO Review Isobelle Carmody is a leading writer of fiction for teenagers whose works include Dreamwalker, The Gathering, Green Monkey Dreaming, Scatterlings, and The Obernewtyn Chronicles. This innovative program uses imaginative camera and editing techniques as the author reads from her novels and talks about her early life and influences, her approach to death, bleakness, truth and fantasy, her attitude towards publishing and publishers, and working with collaborators, and her writing process. Produced by VEA Productions, Inc. 08DR IJSCA 30 min. |
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Associated Movie: The Quiet American, starring
Michael Caine and Brendan Fraser "Recommended. This documentary makes a strong case for the prophetic qualities of Graham Greene's novel, 'The Quiet American,' which predicted an unsuccessful American involvement in the Vietnamese revolution. This is one of the rare instances that literature was able to predict history with some degree of accuracy, and this program would serve to focus the beginning of an investigation of the influences of art on life, life on art." -EMRO Review "Recommended. "Seizes on a remake of the movie 'The Quiet American' to re-examine Green's novel and the political situation that led to it." -Library Journal "Graham Green was one of the greatest writers of the 20th century." -Smithsonian Magazine Graham Greene's novel, The Quiet American, although dismissed upon publication in the U.S. in 1955 as "anti-American," has twice been adapted into feature films, in 1958 and 2002; the former starred Audie Murphy and Michael Redgrave; the latter starred Michael Caine, who was nominated for an Oscar, and Brendan Fraser. This documentary travels to Vietnam to gain insight into Greene's analysis of pre-Vietnam international politics; it goes behind the scenes of the 2002 version of movie and we hear from Caine and director Phillip Noyce; also we see clips from the original movie. Offering conversations with veterans from both sides, the past is re-created, and the situation re-examined. We learn how the British writer was inspired to write the novel after spending winters in Saigon, Vietnam, from 1951 to 1954, when he was reporting on the French Indochina War. We meet Philippe Caron, a former French Legionnaire who associated with Greene, and Lu Huan Tran, a Vietnamese who was wounded during the war. The American role in world affairs is examined and we discover Greene believed the bombings of Saigon Square in 1952 were the result of early U.S. interference, as they tried to find a 3rd Force to take over from the French colonialists and fight the Communists; this army came from the Cao Ðài religious sect of Tây Ninh. Like Joe Pyle, the young, idealistic, "quiet" American from the novel, the program concludes by asking how far a country should go to achieve a goal that is for the good of another country. Produced by ABC Australia. 08DR JSCA 17 min. |
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Bang the Drum Slowly - Top 100
Best Sports' Stories -Sports Illustrated Associated Movie: Bang the Drum Slowly, starring Robert De Niro, Michael Moriarty and Vincent Gardenia "I had the pleasure of speaking with Mark Harris about his writings. He certainly loved the game of baseball, but most important to him, I believe, was the human drama, which is so much a part of his books." -Chip Taylor Author Mark Harris wrote five non-fiction books and 13 novels, including the baseball books The Southpaw, A Ticket for a Seamstitch, It Looked Like Forever and Bang the Drum Slowly, for which he was best known. He adapted the latter novel for the feature film of the same name, which starred Michael Moriarty and Robert De Niro, who played Bruce Pearson, a catcher dying of Hodgkin's disease. Harris' non-fiction books included City of Discontent: An Interpretive Biography of Vachel Lindsay, Mark the Glove Boy, or The Last Days of Richard Nixon, and Saul Bellow: Drumlin Woodchuck. Harris also devoted much of his time to education. He received a Bachelor's and Master's in English from the University of Denver and a doctorate in American Studies from the University of Minnesota. He taught English at the University of Minnesota, San Francisco State University, Purdue University, California Institute of the Arts, the University of Southern California, the University of Pittsburgh, and the Arizona State University. In this biography the author/educator exposes the allegorical quality of his novels, his dedication to social justice, as well as his personal opposition to war. Produced by Threadbare Film Enterprises. 08DR/CL JSCA 25 min. Associated Program: Vachel Lindsay: Look Into Your Heart |
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Associated Movie: Sleepy Hollow, starring
Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci and Miranda Richardson "Recommended. This is a fitting tribute to the 'Father of American Literature,' Washington Irving." -Ed. Media Review The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, along with Rip Van Winkle, originally published in 1819, were two short stories from Washington Irving's, The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent; Crayon being a pseudonym used by Irving for five separate books. Irving's "Sketch Book" brought him fame as America's first internationally best-selling author; he in fact was the first American author to earn his living solely by writing and has been called the "Father of American Literature," as well as the first "American Man of Letters." The Legend of Sleepy Hollow remains one of the most popular short stories ever told and its cast of characters, Ichabod Crane, Katrina Van Tassel, Brom Bones, and the Headless Horseman, are legendary figures in literature. Here, we visit three National Historic Landmarks in Tarrytown, NY: the 300+-year-old Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow, its historic graveyard, and Washington Irving's home, Sunnyside, which provide the fascinating background to the legend; also, thanks to the generosity of Historic Hudson Valley and the assistance of a President of the Old Dutch Church Burying Ground, Mr. William Lent, this program reveals how Washington Irving decided upon his characters for this beloved short story. Produced by Chip Taylor. 08DR IJSCA 15 min. Also available in Spanish Associated Program: A Sleepy Hollow Memorial |
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"Highly Recommended. A reflective study on the author and
his work, this program gives an insight into how he integrates his life
experiences, and produces some of the most stunning prose of this century.
Few writers today are writing novels and not blueprints for screenplays, and
Malouf is one of them. Footage of the author reading excerpts from his
novels, combined with staged journeys into his past, illustrate his power as
a writer and serve as a catalyst for further reading." -School Library
Journal "Recommended. David Malouf describes his literary influences and the ways in which his novels and poetry came into existence. In personal interviews, he discusses the formative effects that imagination, memory, experience, and the self-conscious have had on his writing, while his publisher and literary critics detail his mastery of language and his rich characterizations. This is the story of how fiction is written as told by one of the great writers of twentieth-century English literature." -EMRO Review This is an illuminating profile of the popular novelist and poet David Malouf, known for his best-selling books, Remembering Babylon, Johnno, 12 Edmondstone Street, The Great World, The Year of the Foxes, The Gold Coast, and An Imaginary Life. It interweaves the imagined world of Malouf's writing with the reality of places and experiences that have inspired him. Delving into his Lebanese and English heritage and his memories of growing up during WW II, the program uses a combination of interviews, dramatizations, archival footage and cinéma vérité sequences to explore the work of this complex man. It reveals a writer who looks closely into ordinary lives and events, finding something precious in them, giving those mundane moments meaning and making them into art. Produced by Screen Australia. 08DR JSCA 55 min. |
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"Highly Recommended. Using examples and excerpts from his
work, James Moloney guides viewers through the writing process - generating
ideas, identifying themes, creating characters, and developing the story -
and discusses how to cultivate writing skills. His tone is conversational
and friendly, which offers encouragement to those who may be intimidated by
the craft of writing." -EMRO Review James Moloney, the award-winning author of children's and young adult fiction books (Crossfire, Dougy, Gracey, Angela, and A Bridge to Wiseman's Cove), talks about the craft of writing, and particularly what led him to write the popular Dougy trilogy. He shows us how the power of personal experience can be drawn on, and how it informs a text. He also explores the profound themes and messages about violence, race relations and discrimination in these novels, discussing each topic individually. He presents a useful entry into several texts and offers aspiring authors ways of developing their interests and skills as writers. Produced by VEA Productions, Inc. 08DR JSCA 30 min. |
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"Recommended. Offering a fascinating sampling of clips, this documentary offers viewers a front-row seat that is certain to inspire and to entertain. It is a delight to hear so many famous authors read from their works." -Booklist Want to learn about writing? Want to meet best-selling authors upfront and personal? Want to hear them read from their books, witness the passion they feel about what they write? That’s what makes this classic documentary so captivating. Here we meet 36 established authors from 20 countries, including John Irving, Annie Dillard, Louise Erdrich, Timothy Mo, Amoz Oz, Amiri Baraka, Edna O'Brien, and the late Robertson Davies, who attended an International Festival of Authors (IFOA) in Toronto, Canada, to give readings from published books or works in progress, and to sit on panels discuss the following topics: the Writer Performs; the Writer’s Language; the Writer Translated; the Writer’s Craft; the Writer as Tourist; the Writer’s Politics; the Writer Celebrated; also to meet and network with others in the world of publishing. 08DR/CL JSCA 60 min. |