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"Highly Recommended. This effort by two educators, Howard
Shelf II and Phil Garcia, commemorates black history and refocuses the
positives in the rap genre." -National Media Review Howard Shelf II and Phil Garcia are two talented educators and musicians who combine their talents to offer viewers an uplifting introduction to famous African Americans. Performed to the contemporary beat of rap music, this lively animated program identifies important historical information about each important person, then, as a challenging review, two visual quizzes follow up the rap. The first quiz offers 3 questions about each famous African American identified in the rap before the person is identified; these include: Frederick Douglass; Kareem Abdul Jabbar; Hank Aaron; Muhammad Ali; Michael Jordan; George Washington Carver; Benjamin Banneker; Phillis Wheatley; Martin Luther King Jr.; Louis Armstrong; Jesse Owens; Harriet Tubman. The second quiz shows an animated caricature of famous, contemporary African Americans before identifying that person; these include: Oprah Winfrey; Bill Cosby; Barbara Jordan; Sammy Davis Jr.; Diana Ross; Julius Erving (Dr. "J"); Rev. Jesse Jackson; Hammer. Collectively, the rap and quizzes provide a deeper appreciation of the many contributions African Americans have made throughout America's history. Produced by Chip Taylor. 09DR/CL PIJS 20 min. |
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"Highly Recommended. State Standards approved; this
program analyzes the divergent paths of the American people in the West from
1800 to the mid-1800s and the challenges they faced; it examines the
importance of the great rivers and the struggle over water rights; it also
analyzes emigrants in California." - California Learning Resource
Network (CLRN) The most famous emigrant with Swiss ties in California was John Sutter, whose arrival helped change the shape of American history, for it was the discovery of gold at his sawmill that launched the California Gold Rush. That discovery ended Sutter's dream of an agricultural empire, and he died a broken man in 1880. But as we see in this historical documentary, other pioneers from Switzerland also settled in this magnificent valley, as miners and dairymen, eventually colonizing the area, and helping turn it into the productive region it is today. Produced by TSI, Inc. 09DR JSCA 45 min. |
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"Highly Recommended. This program records the
remembrances and views of the work of perhaps a dozen of the scientists who
worked on the atomic bomb at Los Alamos, New Mexico, during WW II, including
segments of Nobel physicist I. I. Rabi's address to this group. As
referenced in its title, these men still question whether it was really a
good idea to develop the atomic bomb, considering that they, its creators,
could not control its use. The format consists of reportage, commentary, and
documentation, rather than discussion. Recommended as a discussion starter
in government, history, and philosophy classes, as well as with community
and religious groups concerned about national policy questions." -VRG
Review The Manhattan Project - the codename used during World War II in the development of the first atomic bomb. It was pushed to completion due to fears that Nazi Germany would create an a-bomb; then two nuclear bombs were used against Japan, which brought an end to the war, and a beginning of the Nuclear Age - a nuclear arms' race of weapons, if used, could bring the annihilation of mankind. The secret lab where the two bombs were made was in Los Alamos, New Mexico, which today is the Los Alamos National Laboratory. This classic program documents the 40th Anniversary of Los Alamos, interweaving historical footage and graphics, while recording the perspectives of people who were there four decades earlier. With hundreds of thousands of lives at stake the purpose of these brilliant scientists was clear, "how well we meant," in wanting to end the war. However, 40 years later, with the threat of nuclear war a possibility, scientists who worked on these early bombs underscore the need for the world to avoid such a confrontation ever again. Today, this insightful program continues to bring to issue how to deal with the innovations of science. Produced by Sky Fabin. 09DR/CL JSCA 30 min. Associated Article: Building the Bomb -Smithsonian Magazine |
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"Highly Recommended. Using contemporary on-location
footage, re-enactors, photographic and portrait stills this production is an
excellent look at the man, Robert Edward Lee. One historian has called him
"the Marble Man" more an icon to the South than a flesh and blood man. This
work gives us a look at his humanity. Presenting his family lineage (the
Lees were one of the oldest and most prominent Virginia families), their
history was very much intertwined with the early history of our country.
Lee's father was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, his wife the
step-granddaughter of George Washington. The visual, which is given context
by a narrator, character voices, and excellent commentary by a number of
historians among whom are James Robertson and James McPherson, is flawless.
Their commentary ranges from sympathetic to critical/politically correct.
What we see is that Lee was very much a man of his era and place in society
with all the attendant virtues and vices." -EMRO Review This is the authoritative documentary on Robert E. Lee, the famed military leader of the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Featuring the perspectives of America's leading Civil War historians, such as Pulitzer prize winner James M. McPherson, Gary W. Gallagher, James Robertson, Emory Thomas, and Holt Merchant, this program offers a sophisticated and accurate look at Lee's entire life and his resounding legacy; it goes far beyond the study of his well-documented military genius to explore the man from his boyhood to his adulthood as a husband, father, engineer, American soldier, college president, and peacemaker of the post-war years. Also original footage was shot at locations integral to Lee's life, including Stratford Hall, Alexandria, Shirley Plantation, Arlington House, Washington and Lee University, the city of Richmond, the United States Military Academy, Appomattox, Gettysburg and Harpers Ferry. Produced by Rubicon Productions. 08DR JSCA 90 min. Associated Programs: Abraham Lincoln: His Life and Legacy and Ely Parker (Seneca): Warrior in Two Worlds Associated Books: American Civil War and Atlas Associated Article: Making Sense of Robert E. Lee -Smithsonian Magazine |
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April 14th, 1865, just 5 days after Confederate General
Robert E. Lee surrendered at the Appomattox Courthouse, ending the Civil
War, President Abraham Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth and
would die the next day. This one violent act shocked a nation that for the
previous 4 years had struggled through the deadliest conflict in its
history. Abraham Lincoln, the man, had died. But, today, every human being
who values their freedom, who respects and honors their inalienable rights,
understands that the legacy of Lincoln lives on. Thus begins the
incomparable story of America's 16th president, forever to be known as "The
Great Emancipator." In this biographical documentary we explore the life
story of this historical icon, born in a one-room log cabin in Kentucky,
largely self-educated, who became an able and respected lawyer in Illinois;
involved himself in politics, which led to the famous Lincoln-Douglas
debates; then, in 1860, to his election as president, where his leadership
as Commander-in-Chief held the Union together during the nation's bloodiest
conflict. We visualize his strength of character in issuing The
Emancipation Proclamation, which declared the end of slavery in America,
during the height of the Civil War; we call to mind the events prior to and
after his assassination; we reflect on his famous House Divided
speech, as well as The Gettysburg Address; and in the context of
Civil Rights, Women's Right to Vote, and the U.S. Constitution, we pay
tribute to Lincoln's greatest legacy: freedom. Produced by Chip Taylor and
BBTFilms. 2010 JSCA 50 min. Associated Programs: Robert E. Lee - Beyond the Battles and Ely Parker (Seneca): Warrior in Two Worlds and Lincoln, the Civil War and American Nationalism |
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CINE Golden Eagle Award Best Documentary -Parent's Choice Awards Gabriel Award -UNDA-USA EEN Award for Excellence -EEN Best Documentary -Telly Awards "Highly Recommended. This documentary fills an important gap in American history collections by documenting the life of a person who is not well known today. It is accurate and without bias, and gives detailed attention to Parker's life. It brings to light the impact of cultural differences in our society. It has a well-written narrative and good visuals. The narrator, Wes Studi, is a respected Native American actor who breathes life into the words." -EMRO Review "Highly Recommended. An interesting portrait of Ely Parker, a Native American who bridged his world and the world of the white man." -NAMTC & NMM Review Hosted and narrated by actor Wes Studi (Dances With Wolves), this is the compelling documentary on Ely Parker (Seneca), a 19th-Century Native American who defied racial barriers to succeed in two very different worlds. He was a Seneca Chief, a federal engineer, U.S. Commissioner of Indian Affairs and, as Civil War Secretary to General Ulysses S. Grant, he wrote down the terms of surrender at Appomattox. Yet his successes became tainted with controversy, and his quest for the American dream turned tragic. Soundtrack by Joanne Shenandoah. Produced by WXXI Public Broadcasting Council. 08DR/CC Closed-Captioned JSCA 52 min. Associated Programs: Abraham Lincoln: His Life and Legacy and Robert E. Lee - Beyond the Battles |
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Associated Movie: Sleepy Hollow, starring
Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci and Miranda Richardson No tour of Tarrytown, NY, would be complete without visiting the Old Dutch Church, New York's oldest church, which dates back to 1685. Legend tells it is in this historic graveyard that the Headless Horseman, made famous in Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, began his famous journey; also we tour the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, where a number of famous people, such as Irving and Andrew Carnegie, are buried, to underscore the message of respecting cemeteries in general. Produced by Chip Taylor. 08DR IJSCA 20 min. Associated Program: Washington Irving: Behind "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow |
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"Highly Recommended! An exceptional achievement, this is
simply the best documentary on the Statue of Liberty ever made. It
illuminates the forgotten story of the Statue of Liberty like no other
program before it." -Barry Moreno, Author (The Statue of Liberty
Encyclopedia) and Historian, Statue of Liberty National Monument "Highly Recommended! This program has excellent production values with good early views of the construction of the statue in Paris, and the reassembling of it in New York Harbor. The more recent renovation of the structure is especially fascinating. Few programs are more loaded with interesting facts that most Americans probably don't know." -EMRO Review "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free..." are the words inscribed on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty, borrowed from the sonnet, The New Colossus, by nineteenth century American poet Emma Lazarus. Today, this magnificent landmark is one of the most well known symbols of political freedom and democracy in the world. And while most people know it is located on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, and was a gift of international friendship from the people of France to the people of the United States, there's a lot more to the history and enduring story of this important monument. This highly acclaimed documentary tells that remarkable and little known true story. Some of the fascinating secrets discovered include: how the idea for constructing a giant statue and giving it to the U.S. can be traced to a single dinner party near Versailles, France, in April of 1865. That the French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, the guiding force behind the Statue, had never built anything taller than 12 feet high. That much of the money raised to build the Statute came via successful product licensing, using images of "Miss Liberty" to sell everything from life insurance to soap. That the Statue is made of thin sheets of copper, not much thicker than a penny; and that at the time of its construction, the 305 foot tall "Lady Liberty" was the tallest structure in the world. Produced in association with TLC, this is one colossal story every lover of liberty will want to see. Produced by Morningstar Entertainment, Inc. 07DR IJSCA 52 min. Associated Program: New York |
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Best Film Award -Telly
Awards "Stockdale's resistance to the Vietnamese was not awesome, it was legendary." -Captain Bill Butler, American POW (Ret.) The compelling story of Admiral James Stockdale's return to Vietnam, where he was held as a POW in Hanoi for seven-and-one-half years. Stockdale was America's highest-ranking POW. Produced by the Stanford Video Media Group. 08DR/CL JSCA 30 min. |
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1st Place: African American
Topics -NYF&V Festival "Highly Recommended. Actor Charles Dumas is outstanding as Booker T. Washington in this one-man play based on Washington's autobiography 'Up From Slavery.' Over the course of the proceedings, he describes his emancipation from slavery, his burning desire to learn and subsequent enrollment in the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute in Virginia, and his later appointment as the first president of the Tuskegee Institute. In the power-house finale, Washington's polite veneer breaks down, and Charles Dumas delivers a searing performance of a man torn between his 'wish' for things to be all right, and his knowledge that they are not." -Video Librarian Booker T. Washington (1856 - 1915) was born into slavery in Virginia. After emancipation he worked his way through college, attending the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute (today, Hampton University) and Wayland Seminary, became a teacher; then was chosen to be the first leader of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, a position he held the rest of his life. As educator, orator and author, he was a dominant leader of the African American community and gained national prominence after his "Atlanta Address of 1895," in which he spoke about the topic of race relations. His autobiography, Up From Slavery, which is still widely read today, was one of fourteen books he published. This classic documentary features actor Charles Dumas portraying Washington in an award-winning, one-man play based on that book. Here we are given an idea of the integrity, power and charisma of this influential leader, the first African American invited to the White House, who committed much of his life to improving the relationship between blacks and whites. Produced by Dumas Enterprises. 09DR/CL IJSCA 60 min. |