Performing
Arts Filmography
- see also Shakespeare; Musicals Filmographies
updated (5/04)
Ballet
Dance (other than
Ballet)
Music (Classical,
Traditional, World)
Opera
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Music (Blues, Jazz, Rock)
Theatre and Performance
Art: Behind
the scenes | Performances
A
portrait of Giselle. 1982. 1 videocassette (97
min.). Host Sir Anton Dolin prepares New York City
Ballet's Patricia McBride for the role of Giselle
as he recounts the plot of the ballet, gives the
history of its performance, and lends insight into
the technical and dramatic expertise required of
its dancers. Presents footage of performances of,
and interviews with, celebrated ballerinas who have
danced the role of Giselle, including Carla Fracci,
Natalia Makarova, and Olga Spessivtzeva. VHS 491
Ailey
dances. 1982. 1 videocassette (90 min.). A ballet
performance by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
and other musical performances. VHS 490
American
Ballet Theatre in San Francisco. 1985. 1 videocassette
(105 min.). VHS 486
An
evening with Kylian and the Nederlands Dans Theater. The World of dance. 1987? 1 videocassette
(89 min.). Four ballets performed by The Netherlands
Dans Theatre, one of Europe's most exciting ballet
companies. VHS 487
An
evening with the Ballet Rambert. The World
of dance. 198. 1 videocassette (98 min.). Ballet
Rambert company performs three innovative, imaginative
dances. VHS 508
Antony
Tudor. 1992. 1 videocassette (60 min.). Tudor
revolutionized ballet by replacing princes and princesses
with ordinary people who display universal human
emotions. In this documentary Tudor speaks about
his work - as do Agnes de Mille, Nora Kaye, Sallie
Wilson, Margaret Craske, and Martha Hill. Interspersed
with their interviews are excerpts of Tudor classics:
Dark elegies, Pillar of fire, Jardin aux lilas,
Romeo and Juliet, Judgment of Paris and Undertow,
among others. Historical black-and-white sequences
of Nora Kaye, Hugh Laing, and Sallie Wilson in principal
roles are juxtaposed with footage of later interpreters.
Finally, Tudor is shown rehearsing and talking about
one of his last works, The leaves are fading. VHS
1667
Balanchine
essays Arabesque. Nonesuch dance collection:
The Balanchine library. 1994. 1 videocassette
(45 min.). Analysis and aspects of the Balanchine
technique featuring excerpts from The nutcracker,
Donizetti variations, Divertimento no.15, Raymonda
variations, Swan Lake, Serenade, Symphony in C and
The four temperaments. VHS 2773
The
Ballerinas. 1987. 1 videocassette (108 min.).
A two-part ballet-drama that features Peter Ustinov
and Carla Fracci in a series of dramatic vignettes
highlighted with excerpts from classic ballets.
Ustinov portrays Theophile Gautier (French poet,
writer and ballet critic) in part I and Sergei Diaghilev
(Russian ballet impresario) in part II. Fracci
acts and dances the roles of Marie Taglioni, Fanny
Elssler, Carlotta Grisi, Emma Livry, Giuseppina
Bozzacchi, Carlotta Brianza, Matilde Kschessinska,
Anna Pavlova, Tamara Karsavina, and Olga Spessitzeva.
VHS 506
Baryshnikov
by Tharp with American Ballet Theatre. Dance
in America. 1984. 1 videocassette (60 min.).
Three ballets choreographed by Twyla Tharp that
tell no story but are full of the vitality, daring,
intelligence, and emotional depth that a great dancer
possesses. Tharp's approach is personal, radical,
and contemporary, and she combines this vision with
the classsical artist's regard for form and technique
to bring the viewer a memorable record of one of
the greatest dancers of our era. VHS 482
Baryshnikov
the dancer and the dance. Dance series.
1983. 1 videocassette (82 min.). Profile of Mikhail
Baryshnikov. Includes the complete ballet "Configurations"
choreographed by Choo San Goh. VHS 480
The
Children of Theatre Street. 1978. 1 videocassette
(92 min.). Describes life at the Vaganova Choreographic
Institute in Leningrad, formerly the Imperial Ballet
School of Russia, which has spawned dancers like
Pavlova, Nijinsky, Baryshnikov, and Balanchine.
VHS 1379
Choreography
by Balanchine with members of the New York City
Ballet. Nonesuch dance collection: The Balanchine
Library: Dance in America. 1995. 2 videocassettes
(111 min.). A collection of Balanchine's choreographic
works from throughout the century, reconceived in
1977-78 for Dance in America (Great Performances)
by Balanchine. VHS 2771, VHS 2772
Cinderella
a ballet. 1989. 1 videocassette (87 min.). Contemporary
adaptation of the classic fairy tale of Cinderella,
with the characters played as dolls in a dollhouse.
Production conceived for and performed by the Lyon
Opera Ballet. VHS 1318
Creole
Giselle. Ballet series. 1988. 1 videocassette
(88 min.). A performance of the Dance Theatre of
Harlem's acclaimed interpretation of the classic
ballet Giselle. Making only minor changes in the
story, music and traditional choreography, DTH founder
Arthur Mitchell has set the ballet in 1841 Louisiana,
where social status among freed blacks was measured
by how far removed one's family was from slavery.
Thus in this version, Giselle faces the same social
obstacles and heartbreaking rejection by Albert
and his family as their classical counterparts.
VHS 1387
Dancing
for Mr. B six Balanchine ballerinas. Nonesuch
dance collection: The Balanchine Library. 1995.
1 videocassette (86 min.). Portrays six of Balanchine's
celebrated American ballerinas and, through them,
also illuminates the life of their mentor. VHS 2774
Firestone
dances 1962-1963. Voice of Firestone classic
performances. 1995. 1 videocassette (ca. 50
min.). Classic ballet performances including Nureyev's
first television performance in the U.S. Variations
after Degas includes reproductions of some of the
Degas paintings of ballet dancers. VHS 4152
Fonteyn
and Nureyev the perfect partnership. 1985. 1
videocassette (89 min.). A visual biography of Margot
Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev's partnership from its
inception in 1962 to its close seventeen years later
told through a series of interviews and performances.
Includes excerpts from "Romeo & Juliet,"
"Le Corsaire," "Marguerite &
Armand," "Les Sylphides," "Lucifer,"
and "Sleeping Beauty." Also includes
rare, behind-the-scenes footage of both dancers.
VHS 488
Giselle,
o, Las Willis ballet fantastico. 1995. 1 videocassette
(99 min.). The classic ballet about a young girl
deceived by her lover, and the tragic consequences.
VHS 4153
Lebedinoe
ozero. Ballet series. 1988. 1 videocassette
(81 min.). Prince Siegfried falls in love with a
swan, actually an enchanted princess. Tricked by
a magician, Siegfried and his swan maiden leap to
their deaths. VHS 4149
The
magic of the Bolshoi Ballet past and present. World of dance. 1987. 1 videocassette (60
min.). Excerpts from ballets performed by the Bolshoi
Ballet from the 1930's through 1980's. VHS 761
The
Magic of the dance. 1980. Dame Margot Fonteyn
offers a look at the world of ballet. Includes performances
by today's leading dancers as well as historical
footage of ballet performances. VHS 159-164
Paris
dances Diaghilev. 1991. 1 videocassette (84
min.). "Four works of the Ballet Russes, recreated
in their original sets, costumes and choreography,
performed by the Paris Opera Ballet as a tribute
to Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev (1872-1929)"
-- Cassette box. VHS 2288
Raymonda.
1987. 1 videocassette (146 min.). Raymonda is to
marry Jean de Brienne, but the Saracen knight, Abderakhman,
forces his attentions on her while her betrothed
is on a crusade. At the last moment de Brienne
returns, fights his rival and wins the hand of Raymonda.
VHS 489
Road
to the Stamping Ground. 1984. 1 videocassette
(60 min.). Kylian's ballet "Stamping Ground"
was inspired by the Australian aborigine dance ceremony
he witnessed in 1980. This film includes footage
from the Australian ceremonies, intercut with the
choreographer and his own dancers working in the
Hague. Includes complete performances of the finished
ballet "Stamping Ground," and of a stamping
dance performed by Australian tribesmen. VHS 485
Romeo
and Juliet ballet in three acts. Ballet series.
198? 1 videocassette (124 min.). The story of young,
tragic love is as enduring as the seasons. International
ballet star, Margot Fonteyn, and Russian virtuoso,
Rudolf Nureyev, create passion and intrigue on the
screen as they portray star-crossed lovers in this
legendary story. VHS 481
The
Royal Ballet in La Bayadere the temple dancer.
1991. 1 videocassette (124 min.). Members of the
British Royal Ballet perform the ballet La Bayadere,
the tragic love story, set in India, of a temple
dancer and a warrior. VHS 3970
Sleeping
beauty. Ballet series. 1990. 1 videocassette
(84 min.). The Kirov Ballet performs Tchaikovsky's
ballet based on the fairy tale of the beautiful
young princess whose jealous stepmother plots to
put her into a long sleep that can only be broken
by the kiss of a prince. VHS 4150
The
Sleeping beauty. 1994. 1 videocassette (132
min.). Ballet based on the fairy tale about the
beautiful princess who falls asleep after pricking
her finger and remains asleep until she is awakened
by the kiss of a prince. VHS 3995
Stuttgart
Ballet, the miracle lives. 1983. 1 videocassette
(58 min.). Discusses the creation of the Stuttgart
Ballet by John Cranko, how the company survived
his untimely death, and what the company is like
today. VHS 948
Suzanne
Farrell elusive muse. 1997. 1 videocassette
(105 min.). Nominated for an Academy Award, this
documentary chronicles the life of dancer Suzanne
Farrell. Film eloquently weaves together vintage
and extraordinary never-before-seen archival clips
of Farrell's radiant performances of choreographer
George Balanchine ballets with the compelling and
bitter-sweet love story between Farrell and Balanchine.
VHS 4628
Swan
Lake. 1982. 1 videocassette (137 min.). Prince
Siegfried, out hunting, falls in love with a swan,
actually an enchanted princess who can be saved
only by true love. In despair after being tricked
by a wicked magician who substitutes his daughter
for the swan, Siegfried and his swan maiden leap
to their deaths. VHS 3996
Swan
lake. 1984. 1 videocassette (126 min.). VHS
479
Swan
lake. 1988. 1 videocassette (116 min.). Makarova's
choreography evokes an atmosphere of magic and mystery
in this classic tale of eternal love, betrayal,
and death. Prince Siegfried sees a swan on the lake
who turns into the enchanted princess Odette. She
can only be saved by the true love of another.
This the Prince promises her, but he is tricked
by a wicked magician who disguises his daughter
as the swan-maiden. Siegfried and his love leap
to their deaths thus destroying the evil power of
the magician. VHS 1015
The Swan Lake a ballet in four acts. 1986. 1 videocassette (112 min.). The prince searched for a future bride, to be queen when he becomes king. The swan that bears the golden crown posseses magical powers that hold the key. VHS 943
The American Dance Guild presents
the New Dance Group gala concert an historic retrospective
of New Dance Group presentations, 1930's-1970's.
1994. 1 videocassette (160 min.). This Gala Concert
was produced by the American Dance Guild in June
1993. The 18 recreated dances and excerpts celebrate
and honor the achievements of the New Dance Group.
Includes mini-interviews with the choreographers.
VHS 2556
America the dancing ground. 199?
1 videocassette (28 min.). Shows the importance
of dance in American culture from the native American
dances and dances brought from Europe by the earliest
settlers to the twentieth century innovations by
Isadora Duncan, Ted Shawn, Ruth St. Dennis, Martha
Graham and others. Excerpts from works by several
dance companies show the variety of dance types
that are part of American culture. VHS 2289
An evening of dance and conversation
with Martha Graham. 1984. 1 videocassette (85
min.). Performances of three of Graham's creations:
Errand into the maze, Acts of light, Cave of the
heart. VHS 507
Behind the scenes with David Parsons. Behind the scenes: Curriculum Materials Center.
1992. 1 videocassette (30 min.). A visit with choreographer
David Parsons who shows how movement is transformed
into pattern in dance. VHS 1929
Bill T. Jones dancing to the promised
land. VIEW Video dance series: Dance series
(View Video). 1994. 1 videocassette (60 min.).
This video guides the viewer through rehearsals
and performance of choreographer Bill T. Jones'
most highly regarded work, Last Supper at Uncle
Tom's Cabin/The Promised Land, as performed by the
Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Co. VHS 3015
Bill T. Jones Still/Here. The
Moyers collection. 1997. 1 videocassette (56
min.). A look at dancer/choreographer Bill T. Jones's
highly acclaimed dance,"Still/Here." At
workshops around the country, people facing life-threatening
illnesses are asked to remember the highs and lows
of their lives, and even imagine their own deaths.
They then transform these feelings into expressive
movement, which Jones incorporates into the dance
"Still/Here." Jones demonstrates the movements
of his life story -- his first encounter with white
people, confusion over his sexuality, his partner
Arnie Zane's untimely death from AIDS, and Jones's
own HIV status. VHS 5565
Blue studio five segments. 1976.
1 videocassette (15 min.). "Blue Studio is
a solo videodance for Merce Cunningham. Cunningham's
choreography emphasizes the body's natural articulation,
incorporating ordinary gestures and movements, while
using abstract space to achieve a synthesis of dance
and video in a performance that would be impossible
to stage. The title is derived from the technique
of "chromakeying," whereby imagery can
be superimposed upon the blue area of a video image.
Blue Studio extends video beyond its previous limits
as a hybrid form, using the medium to create an
entirely new dance space." Summary taken from
Cunningham Dance Foundation website [http://www.merce.org].
VHS 5974
Camera three presents a video event,
part I ; Camera three presents : a video event,
part II. 1999. 1 videocassette (60 min.). Two
programs, recorded on one tape, contain important
archival works of Merce Cunningham from the early
1960s and 1970s. Presents an experimental marriage
of dance and video. Excerpts are included of: Winterbranch,
Second Hand, Sounddance, TV Rerun, Changing steps,
Landrover and Signals. Cunningham discusses his
ideas and approach to dancing. He says they are
not concerts but "events." His commentary
links the various aspects of the performances. VHS
5973
Charles Weidman on his own. 1990.
1 videocassette (59 min.). Charles Weidman's career
is traced from his early roots to his partnership
with Doris Humphrey and the last 30 years on his
own. Contains historic footage of Weidman (and Humphrey)
in performance, speaking about his work, teaching
about his work, and also teaching a class in kinetic
pantomime. Has contemporary performance of Lunchtown
plus excerpts from: On My Mother's Side, Flickers,
Brahms Waltzes, and Christmas Oratorio. VHS 1029
Circles-cycles Kathak dance. 1989.
1 videocassette (ca. 28 min.). Illustrates the concept
of the circular in Indian philosophy and religion
as it is portrayed in Kathak, the classical dance
form of North India. VHS 732
Classical Indian dance. Classical
images. 1995. 1 videocassette (60 min.). Presents
classical dances from India, demonstrating the range
of this art form with its combination of mime, gesture,
facial expression and body movement, all executed
within a traditional framework rich in allegory.
VHS 4591
Dance and human history. 1976.
1 videocassette (40 min.). Introduces the work of
Alan Lomax and his colleagues in developing
choreometrics, a cross-cultural method of studying
the relationship of dance style to social structure.
Shows how the group, including Forrestine Paulay
and Irmgard Bartenieff, analyzed dance films from
all over the world and established a connection
between patterns of movement and patterns of culture.
VHS 257
Dance at court. Dancing.
1993. 1 videocassette (57 min.). This program examines
court dances in several different societies: England,
Japan, Ghana, Java, France, and Russia. Imperial
families nurtured court dance as an art form during
peacetime. VHS 2294
Dance Black America. 1990. 1 videocassette
(87 min.). Documents a four-day festival of dancers
and dance companies held at the Brooklyn Academy
of Music. VHS 1030
Dance centerstage. Dancing.
1993. 1 videocassette (57 min.). This program examines
classical theater dances in Russia and Japan. Ballet,
based on 17th century court dances of Louis XIV,
was developed in St. Petersburg; the Kirov Ballet
serves as the modern example. The Kabuki emerged
from the streets of Kyoto. VHS 2296
Dance for a chicken the Cajun Mardi
Gras. 1993. 1 videocassette (57 min.). Presents
footage of a traditional Cajun Mardi Gras celebration
centered around chickens. VHS 3068
Dance Theatre of Harlem. 1989.
1 videocassette (120 min.). Features 4 full-length
works: Fall River Legend, Agnes de Mille's rendition
of the Lizzie Borden ax-murders; Troy Game, Robert
North's satire of machismo attitudes in sports;
The Beloved, Lester Horton's vignette of violence
and fanaticism between a minister and his wife;
and John Henry, Arthur Mitchell's retelling of the
legendary folk hero's story. Includes narration
by company members and Artistic Director Arthur
Mitchell. VHS 1023
A dancer's world ; Night journey ;
Appalachian spring. The Library of master
performers: Dance series. 198-. 1 videocassette
(93 min.). A compilation of three works dealing
with Martha Graham, one of which is an introduction
by Graham to her methodology, the other two being
complete dance works produced by Nathan Kroll. A
dancer's world demonstrates the beauty of expression
through movement. Night journey is a re-telling
of the Oedipus legend. Appalachian spring is an
American folk tale about a newly married couple
on the frontier. VHS 544
Dancing in one world. Dancing.
1993. 1 videocassette (57 min.). This program was
made with dancers from the Pacific Rim Area including
the United States (Afro-Americans, American Indians,
and Hawaiians), Polynesia, Australia, and Indonesia.
These dancers also took part in the Los Angeles
Festival. Includes archival film footage. VHS 2298
Dancing outlaw. 1997? 1 videocassette
(60 min.). Jesse ( Jesco) White from Boone County,
West Virginia, is called "the last mountain
dancer." In trouble with the law when he was
young, he displays three distinct personalities:
the dancer, Jesco the devil, and Elvis Presley.
Without these talents, "he'd be locked away
in a crazy house.". VHS 4901
Dancing. 1993. 8 videocassettes
(ca. 464 min.). Probes the traditions of dance in
communities around the world -- from the often misunderstood
waltz to the eloquent gestures of an Asante court
dancer in Ghana, and from the latest hip-hop in
Morocco to a ballet class in Russia and a modern
dance rehearsal in New York. VHS 2291-2298
Denishawn the contributions of American
dance pioneers Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn.
1988. 1 videocassette (40 min.). Chronicles the
unique era of modern dance inspired by Ruth St.
Denis and Ted Shawn. Archival footage and modern
reconstruction of several Denishawn dances are used
to document the lives and work of the Denishawn
founders. VHS 4148
Dido & Aeneas. 1995. 1 videocassette
(55 min.). A danced performance of the Baroque opera
Dido and Aeneas. Dido, the noble queen of Carthage,
has fallen in love with the Trojan Prince Aeneas.
While the court celebrates the imminent union of
the two monarchs, the evil sorceress with her coven
of witches plots their downfall. Romance leads to
hearbreak and tragedy. VHS 4154
Donald McKayle conversations with
contemporary masters of American modern dance. Speaking of dance. 1992. 1 videocassette
(60 min.). Contains interviews, performance and
teaching footage of Donald McKayle. VHS 2034
Embracing earth dances with nature.
1995. 1 videocassette (23 min.). A series of modern
dance performances, under the direction of Anna
Halprin, in which dancers interact with the shapes,
rhythms, and textures of the environment in their
natural settings. Dancers encourage the viewers
to recognize nature as a source of internal inspiration
and creativity and understand that "We dance
with earth, and earth dances with us.". VHS
4718
European Tanztheater. 1997. 1
videocassette (62 min.). European dance theater
comes alive through the works and voices of its
creators and fascinating narrative about its originators.
Archival footage and beautifully filmed and edited
excerpts of current repertory demonstrate the forms
and power of this genre. VHS 5149
Five dances by Martha Graham.
1995. 1 videocassette (85 min.). A performance of
five dances by Martha Graham and her dance troupe
which exemplify diverse aspects of Graham's unique
style of modern dance. VHS 4307
Fractions I a video dance. 1990?
1 videocassette (33 min.). "In Fractions I,
as many as four video monitors share the screen
space with the dancers. Projected on the monitors
are both images of dancers absent from the dance
space and close-ups of dancers who are present in
that space. This division of the frame into parts
or "fractions," allowed filmmaker Atlas
to group more dancers into the frame, while still
achieving greater depth and fluidity of movement
by alternating between the monitors and the studio
space." Summary taken from Cunningham Dance
Foundation website [http://www.merce.org]. VHS
5975
Free to dance. Dance in America.
2000. 3 videocassettes (171 min.). The history of
African American dance; emphasizes the role that
African-American choreographers and dancers have
played in the development of modern dance as an
American form of art. Featuring the African American
Dance Ensemble and other Black dance groups. VHS
6839
Garth Fagan's Griot New York. Dance in America. 1995. 1 videocassette (85
min.). Following brief interviews with Garth Fagan
and Wynton Marsalis, the program includes a complete
performance of Griot New York. The concept of a
griot, a West African storyteller who keeps the
cultural heritage of a people alive, is used to
depict the non-European culture of New York City,
and particularly the African and Caribbean backgrounds
of some of its residents. VHS 3238
Given to dance India's Odissi tradition.
1986. 1 videocassette (57 min.). An account of the
thousand-year tradition of Hindu temple dancing
at the Temple of Joggernaut and elsewhere in eastern
India and of the women who perform the dances. Concentrates
on the Odissi tradition of dancing. VHS 1072
Hanya, portrait of a dance pioneer.
1988. 1 videocassette (60 min.). Using archival
footage from the 30's and 40's, and interviews with
many of her students, this film traces the career
of Hanya Holm, dancer-choreographer, from the 20's
through the Broadway stage. VHS 510
He makes me feel like dancin'.
1987. 1 videocassette (51 min.). Jacques d'Amboise,
principal dancer of the New York City Ballet, teaches
children dance during school hours in fourteen schools
in the metropolitan area. Tells the story of the
children's experiences, from auditions, through
the teaching process, culminating in an event at
Madison Square Garden in which 1,000 children participate
and celebrities perform with them. VHS 1073
Il Ballarino the art of Renaissance
dance. 1990. 1 videocassette (33 min.). Authentic
Renaissance court dances and the gestures and step
vocabulary associated with them are demonstrated
and described by noted dance historian and musicologist
Julia Sutton from dance manuals of the 16th century
Italian masters Fabritio Caroso and Cesare Negri.
VHS 1310
Introduction to Baroque dance dance
types. 1999. 2 videocassettes (67 min.). Acclaimed
Baroque dancer Paige Whitley-Bauguess demonstrates
and performs Baroque dance techniques. Includes:
demonstrations of step sequences from Raoul-Auger
Feuillet's 1700 publication "Choregraphie "
and step sequences from specific choreographies
preserved in 18th century dance notation; descriptions
of the dances found in music and dance writings
from the period; discussions and examples showing
music and dance rhythm relationships; performances
in costume of complete social and theatrical dances
reconstructed from 18th century dance notation to
illustrate each dance type. VHS 5960
Isadora Duncan dance technique and
repertory . 1995. 1 videocassette (58 min.).
Includes excerpts from choreography by Isadora Duncan,
as performed by Julia Levien in the company of Anna
Duncan and Irma Duncan, and staged by Andrea Mantell-Seidel.
Includes a History of the Duncan dance schools.
VHS 3159
José Greco in performance. Voice
of Firestone classic performances. 1990. 1 videocassette
(26 min.). VHS 1367
Kombina Dance Company, Jerusalem.
1919. 1 videocassette (ca. 39 min.). VHS 6660
Limón's legacy ; Nik. 198? 1 videocassette
(60 min.). Limón's legacy: the José Limón Dance
Company presents excerpts from its varied repertoire
as a tribute to José Limón. Beginning with Doris
Humphrey, and carried on by José Limón and Ruth
Currier, the choreography attempts to incorporate
everyday movement into dance to illustrate man's
condition. Nik: Alwin Nikolais discusses his incorporation
of both motion and visual art, particularly sculpture,
into his choreography. He also uses light and shadow
to create visual illusions. The Nikolais Dance Theatre
performs excerpts from his works and is also shown
in rehearsal. VHS 2290
Liz Lerman Dance Exchange. 1995-1996.
4 videocassettes (255? min.). Shehechianu is based
on a Jewish prayer of reconciliation. (The third
part was recently completed and the entire work
had its world premiere in June, 1997.) It and the
other works performed by this intergenerational
dance company explore events in human history and
interpersonal relations, focussing on how victims
deal with psychological and physical mistreatment.
VHS 4317
Lord of the dance. 1997. 1 videocassette
(ca. 90 min.). "Michael Flatley takes to the
stage in a stunning Celtic dance spectacular which
re-tells Irish folk legend in a dazzling and updated
style.". VHS 4445
Lord of the dance. Dancing.
1993. 1 videocassette (58 min.). "What cultural
beliefs have shaped the great traditions of sacred
and secular dance?" This program explores
the views of various religions toward the human
body and thus toward religion and it examines dances
of Christian sects in Seville, Spain, and the Yoruba
religion in Nigeria. VHS 2292
Lucas Hoving conversations with contemporary
masters of American modern dance. Speaking
of dance. 1992. 1 videocassette (55 min.). Contains
interviews, performance and teaching footage of
Lucas Hoving. VHS 2031
The Men who danced. 1985. 1 videocassette
(30 min.). Presents the story of the first all-male
dance company in the U.S., Ted Shawn's Male Dancers
and the founding of the summer dance school, Jacob's
Pillow. Includes historic footage of the company
performing in the 1930's. Features interviews with
surviving male dancers, including Barton Mumaw,
at the 50th reunion of the company in 1983, with
a taped over-voice of Shawn himself. VHS 1022
Moor's pavane. 1965. 1 videocassette
(22 min.). The basic story of the Moor, Othello,
presented in dance form through many variations,
shows the destructive power of jealousy. The choreography
features the Renaissance style of dance to coordinate
with the story, music and costumes. VHS 2536
Opening doors dancing with disabilities.
1996. 1 videocassette (34 min.). This video tells
the story of Buen Viaje Dancers, a performing dance
troupe composed of dancers with disabilities. Artistic
directors Billbob Brown and Joanie Carlisle describe
their vision and demonstrate with excerpts from
rehearsals and a performance of "Opening Doors.".
VHS 4512,4513
The Paul Taylor dance company. Nonesuch dance collection: Dance in America.
1998. 1 videocassette (ca. 58 min.). Presentation
of the dances Runes and Esplanade as performed by
the Paul Taylor Dance Company. Paul Taylor briefly
talks about his dance group and what he looks for
in his dancers. VHS 6348
Paul Taylor's Speaking in tongues. Elektra Nonesuch Dance Collection. 1991.
1 videocassette (54 min.). VHS 2287
Pilobolus Dance Theatre. Nonesuch
dance collection: Dance in America. 1998. 1
videocassette (58 min.). Documentary on the formation
of Pilobolus and performances by the company. VHS
6349
The pleasures of the dance. Jarvis
Conservatory master series. 1998. 1 videocassette
(29 min.). World premiere of a dance/theater work
set in 18th-century Paris, depicting Madame Montaigue
as she writes to her sister about a gathering in
a salon, a lesson with a dancing master, Italian
actors at a fair, and a benefit for dancers at the
Opéra. VHS 5150
Positive motion. 1991. 1 videocassette
(37 min.). Documents the work of the HIV/AIDS dance
group in San Francisco, led by pioneering dancer,
Anna Halprin. The video spans the first seven months
of the group's emotionally-charged workshops, culminating
in the performance of a work titled "Carry
me home." It is about creativity and community
as healing -- showing how dance can change the dancer,
whose body becomes a storyteller conveying a new-found
expression of health. VHS 4717
The Power of dance. Dancing.
1993. 1 videocassette (57 min.). Examines the work
of ballet legend Jacques D'Amboise at his N.Y. National
Dance Institute where children from diverse backgrounds
find joy and discipline in dancing together. Includes
interviews with Russian dancer Irek Mukhamedov,
Indian gurus, American song-and-dance men, including
Broadway star Gregg Burge and other dancers who
describe their love for dancing. VHS 2291
Retracing steps American dance since
postmodernism. 1988. 1 videocassette (88 min.).
Explores avant-garde dance in the 1980's through
interviews with young choreographers and dance excerpts.
VHS 470
Robert Schumann's "Davidsbündlertänze"
. 1981. 1 videocassette (43 min.). Drawing from
episodes in Schumann's own life, Balanchine creates
a masterful work in which four couples perform a
variety of impressionistic dances. Schumann originally
wrote the work to present his philosophy in a musical
dispute. VHS 484
Robert Schumann's "Davidsbündlertänze"
. The Balanchine library: Nonesuch dance
collection. 1995? 1 videocassette (43 min.).
Drawing from episodes in Schumann's own life, Balanchine
creates a masterful work in which four couples perform
a variety of impressionistic dances. Schumann originally
wrote the work to present his philosophy in a musical
dispute. VHS 2775
Seraphic dialog. 1978. 1 videocassette
(27 min.). Presents Martha Graham and her company
in a dance interpretation of Joan of Arc. Features
Martha Graham as Joan of Arc at the moment of her
exaltation when she looks back at phases of her
legend as a maiden, warrior, and martyr. VHS 1639
Set and reset, version 1. 1985.
1 videocassette (22 min.). Videocassette of a television
performance of a modern dance choreographed by Trisha
Brown. VHS 4250
Sex and social dance. Dancing.
1993. 1 videocassette (57 min.). This program examines
the male and female roles in dancing in three different
societies: USA, Morocco, and Cook Islands of Polynesia.
Includes archival film footage. VHS 2293
"Shalom" in action on and
off stage with the "Shalom" Tel-Aviv Dance
Company. 1990. 1 videocassette (53 min.). The
Shalom Dance Company seeks to preserve Israel's
myriad of cultures through costume, music and dance.
Film shows the dancers in rehearsal, backstage and
on location in some of Israel's most scenic spots
as it performs a variety of dances from traditional
to modern. VHS 6395
Tango, baile nuestro Tango, our dance.
1994. 1 videorecording (70 min.). Documents the
history and the unique role of the tango. Shows
the beauty of the dance and how it has changed over
the years. VHS 3386
Temperaments in motion. 1994-1995.
1 videocassette (ca. 61 min.). This presentation
combines still, motion, and chopped motion film
with light and color to create an artistic impression
of the dance. Godfrey silas uses geometric shapes
(lines, rectangles and circles) to create frames
for the dance pictures and movements. VHS 3500
That's dancing. 1985. 1 videocassette
(105 min.). In the great tradition of That's Entertainment
a dance-happy, star-filled musical treat that celebrates
the art of dance in all its forms. VHS 2954
To dance. 1988. 1 videocassette
(29 min.). Documentary about five young men who
pursue their dreams and degrees in the dance program
at the University of South Florida. VHS 968
Trisha Brown Company. 3 videocassettes
(133 min.). VHS 4250-4251
Two dances. 1999. 1 videocassette
(43 min.). Ritmo jondo: Uses swirling movement and
exciting leaps to portray masculine and feminine
roles in a traditional culture. Day on earth: Uses
a spare dance form to portray the human experience:
love, birth, loss, companionship, death and continuation
and the meaning and solace of work. VHS 6320
Two takes on tap choreographers Brenda
Bufalino and Lynn Dally. 1993. 1 videocassette
(60 min.). Dally and Bufalino discuss their careers
in tap, sharing their histories and sources of inspiration,
their approaches to choreography and the creative
process, and their visions for the future of tap.
Includes performance footage of them and also Eddie
Brown, Honi Coles, the American Tap Dance Orchestra
and the Jazz Tap Ensemble. VHS 5162
When the fire dances between the two
poles Mary Wigman, 1886-1973. 1983. 1 videocassette
(43 min.). Details important stages in the work
of modern dance pioneer Mary Wigman. Archival film
footage shows Mary Wigman as she discusses her life
and work (in German, with voice-over translation);
as she performs some of the dances she created;
and as she directs other dancers in the performance
of her work. Narration taken from her writings summarizes
her theories of dance and the art of choreography.
VHS 472
With my red fires ; New dance two
masterpieces of modern choreography by Doris Humphrey.
1989. 1 videocassette (65 min.). With My Red Fires
(1936) and New Dance (1935) are parts of a trilogy
with the general theme of human relationships.They
are performed here by a company assembled to honor
Doris Humphrey. VHS 780
The wrecker's ball three dances by
Paul Taylor. 1996. 1 videocassette (56 min.).
Three modern dance works respectively set to pop
songs of the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. This telecast
presents them in a single setting that evolves from
a dance hall to a movie theater to a hippies' pad.
Choreographer Paul Taylor makes a cameo appearance
at the opening of the program. VHS 5161
The world of Alwin Nikolais. 1996.
5 videocassettes (222 min.). Documentary look at
various excerpts of dances choreographed by Alwin
Nikolais that introduce his work in dance, music
and abstract theater. Film also describe his use
of sound, lighting, costumes and choreography together
to create a new form called "multimedia."
Director Murray Louis uses lighting carefully duplicating
Nikolais' original stage presentation and edits
to reveal the uninterrupted dance structure in order
to be as faithful as possible to Nikolais' original
theatrical intent. VHS 4851
A jumpin' night in the Garden of Eden. Jewish
Heritage Video Collection. 1987. 1 videocassette
(75 min.). Three generations of klezmer musicians
are working together to revive this vigorous and
soulful expression of Yiddish culture which originated
in Eastern Europe and was influenced by Gypsy, Greek
and other old world melodies, as a well as American
jazz, before almost dying out. Shows two klezmer
bands both in performance and in the process of
re-discovering this traditional music. VHS 4038
Behind the scenes with Allen Toussaint. Behind
the scenes: Curriculum Materials Center. 1992.
1 videocassette (30 min.). A visit with composer
Allen Toussaint who shows children how melodies
are created through repetition and variation. He
writes a simple melody at the piano and uses it
as the basis of a song that is completed in a recording
studio. VHS 1926
Behind the scenes with JoAnn Falletta. Behind
the scenes: Curriculum Materials Center. 1992.
1 videocassette (30 min.). Music can be heard as
layers of sound - as melody and accompaniment. Conductor
JoAnn Falletta leads an orchestra through rehearsal
and performance to show how parts of the orchestra
and parts of the music play together. VHS 1928
Benjamin Britten Coal face, Night mail, Instruments
of the orchestra, Steps of the ballet. The
British documentary movement. 1992. 1 videocassette
(80 min.). In the mid-1930s, Benjamin Britten teamed
up with Cavalcanti and poet W. H. Auden to provide
modernist soundtracks and to depict artistic practice.
"Coal face" heroized miners, while "Night
mail" heroized postal workers. Both films depicted
industrial and communication activities that were
central to Britain's role as an imperial power.
"Instruments of the orchestra" and "Steps
of the ballet" examine artistic, rather than
industrial, practices. The latter shows Britten
working on a ballet and concludes with its performance.
VHS 2633
The Black music of Brazil. Beats of the heart.
1990? 1 videocassette (ca. 50 min.). Street tour
of Brazil from ghettos to Samba schools with the
many styles of music of the country including Samba,
bossa nova and others. Brazilian stars are shown
in performance and conversation. VHS 3267
Buena Vista Social Club. 1999. 1 videodisc (105
min.). In 1996, music legend Ry Cooder went to Cuba
to search for buried treasure. He found gold. Looking
for lost songs and forgotten singers, Cooder discovered
an exotic land of passion, sensuality and music.
DVD 265
Cello concerto no. 1. Concerto! 1993.
1 videocassette (51 min.). Go backstage for rehearsals
and discussion of The Swan from Saint-Saens' carnival
of the animals and the cello concerto, no. 1, then
enjoy the concert. VHS 4111v.3
Choreography of the hands the work of Dorothy Taubman.
1986. 1 videocassette (52 min.). Dorothy Taubman
presents her techniques for playing musical instruments
which help to prevent injuries and reduce pain.
VHS 971
Clarinet concerto. Concerto! 1993. 1 videocassette
(51 min.). Go backstage for rehearsals and discussion
of Copland's clarinet concerto, then enjoy the concert.
VHS 4111v. 5
Concerto! 1992. 3 videocassettes (170 min.).
Soloists of the musical Frank family and the conductor
describe their interpretive approach, review the
scores and discuss the how-to's for creating the
sound experience of the concerto. Three of Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart's concertos are performed. VHS 4112
Dreams and songs of the noble old. 1990. 1 videocassette
(60 min.). Folklorist Alan Lomax explores America's
diverse cultural heritage through songs, dance,
story and festival. This episode looks at the creative
role of the elderly in American culture as it highlights
the work of people who are responsible for the preservation
of various forms of American music ranging from
Nimrod Workman, who loves medieval ballads, fiddler
and bootlegger Tommy Jarrell, and the Sacred Harp
singers, who keep alive polyphonic singing that
dates back to the time of the American Revolution.
VHS 1405
Ein Deutsches Requiem a German requiem. p1993.
1 videodisc (ca. 77 min.). VDD 91
Eine kleine Nachtmusik, K.525 ; Serenade No. 10,
K.361 "Gran Partita" ; Serenade No. 12,
K.388. 1993. 1 laserdisc (99 min.). VDD 229
Goldberg variations. 1993. 1 videodisc (81 min.).
The Goldberg variations are divided into ten groups
of three variations. The third variation in each
group is a three-part canon above a free bass line.
They were originally written in 1742 for harpsichordist
Johann Theophilus Goldberg to play for Count Hermann
Carl von Keyserling who suffered from nervous tension
and insomnia. VDD 79
Introduction to the orchestra. Orchestra! 1991. 1 videocassette (26 min.). Traces the historical
development of the orchestra and of the music written
for it, illustrating the difference between the
contemporary orchestra and the size, composition,
and instruments of orchestras in earlier times.
Looks at the periods of music and their associated
instruments: strings and Baroque, woodwind and Classical,
brass and Romantic, percussion and Modern. VHS 5913
Itzhak Perlman, virtuoso violinist "I know I
played every note". 1992. 1 videodisc (79
min.). A film about the virtuoso violinist who resolved
to play the violin at the age of three-and-a-half
and went on, despite setbacks, to become an international
star of the highest rank. The film was shot between
1975 and 1977, three crucial years in the development
of his career. Includes music by Bach, Bazzini,
Sarasate, Beethoven, Joplin, Wieniawski, Vivaldi,
and Vienxtemps. VDD 230
J'ai été au bal I went to the dance : the Cajun and
Zydeco music of Louisiana. 1989. 1 videocassette
(84 min.). Looks at the Cajun-Zydeco countryside,
its people and their dance halls blended with wonderful
performances of the music and the recollections
of its musicians. Features historical sequences
about Joe Falcon, Amede Ardoin, Iry LeJeune, Harry
Choates and others. VHS 1323
Joseph Haydn & his symphonies. p1991. 1 videocassette
(107 min). "Haydn's music is discussed by H.
C. Robbins Landon, Christopher Hogwood and Melvin
Bragg, Symphonies 23, 28, and 29 are performed on
authentic instruments"--insert. VHS 3826
Konkombe Nigerian music. Beats of the heart.
1988. 1 videocassette (ca. 50 min.). A kaleidoscope
of Nigerian pop music. Includes performances, interviews,
and recording sessions with Sunny Ade, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti,
I.K. Dairo, Sonny Okusun, Lijadu Sisters, and others.
VHS 3261
Multimedia Beethoven the ninth symphony, an illustrated
interactive musical exploration. 1991. 1 computer
laser optical disk. Music historian Robert Winter
examines Beethoven's Ninth symphony as performed
by the Vienna State Opera Chorus and Vienna Philharmonic
Orchestra in an illustrated and interactive program.
CDROM 19
Musical phonology. The Unanswered question.
1992. 1 videocassette (ca. 104 min.). Explores the
origins and development of music and language, with
a performance of Mozart's Symphony no. 40 in G minor,
K. 550. VHS 2051
Musical semantics. The Unanswered question.
1992. 1 videocassette (ca. 142 min.). Demonstrates
layers of meaning in Beethoven's Symphony no. 6
in F major, op. 68. VHS 2053
Musical syntax. The Unanswered question.
1992. 1 videocassette (ca. 95 min.). Compares the
structures of music and speech, and discusses the
multiple transformations of which both are capable;
with examples from Mozart's Symphony no. 40 in G
minor, K. 550. VHS 2052
National Symphony Orchestra more than meets the ear.
1996. 1 videocassette (ca. 30 min.). Brief look
at The Kennedy Center's and the NSO's school/community
arts education initiatives in the Metropolitan Washington,
D.C. area. Stresses the NSO's commitment to providing
learning experiences for young people. VHS 5935
No. 17 cotton mill Shanghai blues music in China. Beats of the heart. 1984. 1 videocassette
(ca. 60 min.). Documentary of a dormant, ancient
musical culture that is finally re-emerging. It
chronicles examples of ancient Chinese instruments
and performances by modern day groups. VHS 3263
Piano concerto no. 2. Concerto! 1993.
1 videocassette (51 min.). Go backstage for rehearsals
and discussion of Rachmaninoff's piano concerto,
no. 2, then enjoy the concert. VHS 4111v.4
The return of Rubén Blades. 1995. 1 videocassette
(82 min.). A profile of the Panamanian lawyer and
entertainer. Film follows the singer to Harvard,
where he gets his master's degree in international
law; to his old neighborhood in Panama; to California
for a recording session with Linda Ronstadt, and
to New York for a performance at S.O.B.'s. Includes
musical segments. VHS 5367
Requiem, op. 89. 1988. 1 videodisc (101 min.).
VDD 228
Rhythm of resistance the Black music of South Africa. Beats of the heart. 1988. 1 videocassette
(47 min.). Takes you across the forbidden boundaries
of apartheid to experience the authentic joy and
sorrow of Black South African music. Features music
that has been ignored, suppressed of ghettoized,
some filmed clandestinely. VHS 3264
Robert Shaw preparing a masterpiece : a choral workshop
on A German Requiem by Johannes Brahms. The
Carnegie Hall professional training workshops.
1991. 2 videocassettes (160 min.). Taped during
an intensive five-day workshop sponsored by Carnegie
Hall to celebrate its Centennial Season, this video
takes you into the rehearsal studio as Robert Shaw
coaches a group of 145 choral conductors, music
teachers and singers from across the country into
a performance of Brahms' A German requiem. Interviews
with Shaw and some of the participants as well as
a portion of the actual performance lend further
insight into this very personal preparation of a
masterpiece. VHS 1737
Robin Williamson in concert. 1996. 1 videocassette
(75 min.). This concert performance presents the
complete scope of Robin Williamson's musical experiences.
Williamson, a songwriter and performer, has developed
the Celtic heritage with its tradition of wrought
language into a unique sung poetry. VHS 5199
Romeo et Juliette. 1985. 1 videodisc (102 min.).
A performance of the original French language version
of Hector Berlioz's Romeo et Juliette, Dramatic
symphony, opus 17. VDD 166
Roots, rock, reggae. Beats of the heart.
1988. 1 videocassette (ca. 60 min.). A street-level
tour of the Kingston, Jamaica music scene in 1977.
Features performances, interviews and studio scenes.
VHS 3262
Sondheim a celebration at Carnegie Hall. 1993.
1 videocassette (86 min.). VHS 3799
Songs of Sappho. 1988. 1 videocassette (25 min.).
VHS 734
Stabat Mater. 1989. 1 videodisc (87 min.). VDD
227
Symphony no. 39, E flat major, K543 ; Symphony no.
40, G minor, K550 ; Symphony no. 41, C major, K551
(Jupiter). p1993. 1 videodisc (117 min.). This
concert, performed on December 5, 1991, the 200th
anniversary of Mozart's death, treats Mozart's final
three symphonies as a single, related work. The
symphonies were written within a six-week period
in 1788 and sum up the musical heritage of the 18th
century by synthesizing the sonata form, fugue technique
and thematic sequences. At the same time, they
foretell the development of symphonic music in the
19th century. VDD 78
Symphony no. 9, in E minor from the new world.
1991. 1 videodisc (93 min.) VDD 226
Tex-Mex music of the Texas Mexican borderlands. Beats of the heart. 1990. 1 videocassette
(ca. 60 min.). Tex-Mex music is an exuberant style
with a Mexican soul and a rock'n'roll heart. It
combines styles of corrida, norteno and others,
is full of joy and energy, but carries significance
through its lyrics about social problems. Flaco
Jimenez, Lydia Mendoza, Frank Rodarte, Little Joe
Hernandez and many others are shown in performance
and conversation. VHS 3266
The American vocalist spirituals and folk hymns,
1850-1870 : a new recording. 1992. 1 videocassette
(8 min.). Interviews with Joel Cohen before and
after a performance of "Shall we gather at
the river?" by the Boston Camerata explore
the significance of American folk hymns and the
interest of the Boston Camerata and Mr. Cohen in
performing this music, which is different from their
usual repertoire. This is essentially a video advertisement
for the sound recording. VHS 3188
The Chanting Lama. Music and society.
1992. 1 videocassette (27 min.). Showing scenes
from Benares, Darjeeling, and the Western Himalayas,
the camera conveys the ritual dance and music of
Tibetan refugees in Northern India against a backdrop
of religious painting, sculpture and architecture.
VHS 3647
The JVC Smithsonian Folkways video anthology of music
and dance of Africa. The Bernice Johnson
Reagon Collection. 1996. 3 videocassettes (156
min.). This anthology looks at many of the folk
music traditions in Africa. Kit 68
The JVC Smithsonian Folkways video anthology of music
and dance of Europe. The Bernice Johnson
Reagon Collection. 1996. 2 videocassettes (118
min.). Presents examples of music and dance from
Europe documented by text. Kit 69
The JVC/Smithsonian Folkways video anthology of music
and dance of the Americas. 1995. 6 videocassettes
(332 min.). Presents a wealth of ethnic music from
the Americas. Most segments are short. Includes
folk music, folk songs, performances on traditional
musical instruments, dances, and religious or ritual
performances. The tapes contain no spoken introduction
or explanation, but the booklets contain: overview
essays that discuss entire traditions; selection
descriptions that present information about each
cut; and resource material, including suggestions
for listening, viewing, and reading. The quality
of the recording varies from segment to segment.
Kit 67
The Romany trail. Beats of the heart.
1992. 2 videocassettes (ca. 120 min.). Gypsy music
into Africa: is a search for the "lost"
gypsy tribes of Egypt, and traces their route into
Spain. -- Gypsy music into Europe: goes to India,
to find what are believed to be the original gypsy
families whose descendants migrated across the Middle
East to Africa and Europe, and then goes to Eastern
Europe, among the oppressed gypsy communities of
then-Communist Europe. VHS 3270
The Trout. 1969. 1 videodisc (ca. 55 min.). Follows
the five performers during the week before the concert,
showing their lives and preparations, and concludes
with the complete concert performance of the Trout
Quintet. VDD 98
Violin concerto no. 2. Concerto! 1993.
1 videocassette (51 min.). Go backstage for rehearsals
and discussion of Bartok's violin concerto, no.
2, then enjoy the concert. VHS 4111v.6
Vladimir Horowitz, the last romantic. 1987. 1
videocassette (89 min.). Includes a recital of works
by Bach, Mozart, Schubert, Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninoff,
Schumann, Scriabin, and Moskowski. Also features
Horowitz's comments and discussions with his wife,
Wanda. VHS 581
You Africa, Youssou N'Dour and Super Etoile the African
tour. Library of African cinema. 1994.
1 videocassette (43 min.). Documentary of the 1994
tour of nine West African nations by legendary Senegalese
performing artist, Youssou N'Dour, and his band
and back-up dancers, Super Etoile. Youssou discusses
the serious political and spiritual purposes behind
his music interspersed with concert footage and
views of the local areas. VHS 4337
Aida. 1981. 1 videocassette (150 min.). A performance
of Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Aida" in four
acts. The action takes place in ancient Egypt, and
tells of the love of Radames, the captain of the
guard, for a slave girl, Aida. She is the daughter
of the King of Ethiopia, who is captured by Radames
and the Egyptian troops. Tricked into betraying
military secrets, Radames is condemned to be buried
alive. He is joined by Aida, who dies with him.
VHS 707
Bizet's Carmen. 1985. 1 videocassette (151 min.).
In 19th century Seville, the lusty, tempestuous
Carmen seduces a naive Army corporal, Don José.
José abandons his career, his fiancée and even his
dying mother for the love of this sultry gypsy.
But soon she spurns him for the love of a toreador,
Escamillo. Crazed with jealousy, José begs Carmen
to return to him, but her taunting declaration of
independence results in tragedy. VHS 152
Carmen. 1984. 1 videocassette (99 min.). To complete
his production of "Carmen," a director-choreographer
must find a leading lady. His obsessive search
for a fiery, passionate Carmen, takes him to flamenco
dance schools where he eventually discovers his
leading lady in an untried young dancer named Carmen.
As time goes on, they find themselves living the
"Carmen" story of love and treachery.
VHS 165
Carmen. The compleat operagoer. 1985.
2 videocassettes (175 min.). In 19th century Seville,
the lusty Carmen loves Escamillo, the bullfighter,
but also finds the time to seduce and then spurn
the young and naive army corporal, Don Jose. Jose
abandons his career, his fiancee and even his dying
mother for the love of this sultry gypsy. When
Carmen leaves him for Escamillo, Jose, crazed with
jealousy, begs her to return to him. Carmen's taunting
declaration of independence leads in tragedy. VHS
152
Così fan tutte, ossia La scuola degli amanti All
women behave like that, or The school for lovers.
1985. 1 videocassette (150 min.). Opera in which
two officers test the faithfulness of their ladies'
love by departing and returning to court them in
disguise. VHS 3844
Das Rheingold. 1990. 1 videocassette (163 min.).
VHS 1671
Der Kongress tanzt The Congress dances. 1999?
1 videocassette (97 min.). Comic operetta set during
the 1815 Congress in Vienna. Considered a fine example
of the then new medium of sound filmmaking, the
production incorporates beautiful art direction,
editing, costuming, a droll script, and finely directed
performances. Christel Weinzinger (Harvey) is an
ambitious glove seamstress who sees the potential
for financial and romantic opportunity the Congress
provides and subsequently creates havoc in her efforts
to make contact with nobility. She throws a bouquet
of flowers with her address into the parade of dignitaries
entering the city. When the Tsar of Russia visits
her, they fall in love. VHS 6011
Der Ring des Nibelungen. 1990. 7 videocassettes
(941 min.). VHS 1671-1674
Der Rosenkavalier. 1984. 2 videocassettes (190
min.). A tale of love and matchmaking in the court
of Maria Therese. Princess von Werdenberg is involved
with Octavian. When Octavian agrees to deliver Baron
Ochs' marriage proposal to Sophie, the messenger
and bride-to-be fall in love with each other. VHS
171
Dialogues of the Carmelites. 1985. 1 videocassette
(159 min.). The plot, based on the true story of
the persecution of sixteen Carmelite nuns during
the French Revolution, depicts the tragic effects
of civil war on all facets of society, including
the religious orders. Confronted by the atheistic
stand of the revolutionaries, the nuns refuse to
deny God even at the risk of their own lives. Blanche,
a timid young girl seeking a life of heroism, joins
the Carmelites and adopts the name of Sister Blanche
of the Agony of Christ. Eventually the nuns are
expelled from the convent by a decree prohibiting
religious organizations. Because of their defiance,
the nuns are later arrested, imprisoned, and sentenced
to death. As the last sister is lead to the guillotine,
her face glows with radiance. Sister Blanche has
arrived with new-found courage to fulfill her destiny.
VHS 6028
Die Dreigroschenoper The threepenny opera / Nero
Films ; Tobis Filmkunst ; Warner Bros. 1984.
1 videocassette (113 min.). Social satire set in
Victorian London in which both government and underworld
are portrayed as amoral and polluted by economic
and political chaos. Polly Peachum, daughter of
the king of the beggars, with the help of Mackie
Messer and his gang, opens a bank in the belief
that legal thievery is more profitable than larceny.
In the end, Polly's father, Mackie, and the corrupt
police commissioner become partners in the bank
and mainstays of society. VHS 211
Die Kriemhilds Rache Kriemhild's revenge. 1988.
1 videocassette (95 min.). The conclusion of a two-part
version of the Nibelungenlied. Kriemhilde avenges
the murder of Siegfried by marrying Attila the Hun
and causing mass slaughter. VHS 3962
Die Walküre. 1990. 2 videocassettes (244 min.).
VHS 1672
Don Giovanni. 1985. 2 videocassettes (178 min.).
The story of Don Giovanni, a young nobleman obsessed
with his amorous conquests, and with Donna Anna,
the woman determined to destroy him. VHS 1330
Don Giovanni. p1991. 2 videocassettes (189 min.).
A modern-dress version. The story of Don Giovanni
centers around a young nobleman who is obsessed
with amorous conquests and his encounters with Donna
Anna, the woman who plots to destroy him. VHS 2035
Duke Bluebeard's castle. p1992. 1 videodisc (65
min.). The opera tells the macabre legend of Duke
Bluebeard, who brings his young wife Judith to live
in his remote castle. The dramatic intensity increases
as sinister secrets are gradually unveiled, bringing
the opera to its haunting conclusion. VDD 42
Götterdämmerung. 1990. 2 videocassettes (281
min.). VHS 1674
Il Barbiere di Siviglia komische Oper in zwei Akten
von Gioacchino Rossini ; Libretto nach dem Schauspiel
von Beaumarchais von Cesare Sterbini. 1993.
2 videodiscs (159 min.). Comedy in which Count Almaviva,
with the help of Figaro, wins the hand of Rosina
despite the avaricious designs of her guardian,
Dr. Bartolo. The Count disguises himself first as
a dragoon and later as a music teacher. VDD 73
Il Barbiere di Siviglia. 1989. 1 videocassette
(160 min.). Doctor Bartolo, an elderly avaricious
physician in Seville, wishes to marry his ward Rosina
in order to acquire her fortune. He guards her carefully,
but despite all his precautions the young Count
Almaviva sees and falls in love with her. The Count
courts her in disguise, hoping that she will love
him without knowing his true identity. VHS 3711
Il trittico three one act operas. 1983. 1 videocassette
(150 min.). 3 one act operas. Il Tabarro: love,
infidelity and death on a Parisian barge. Suor Angelica:
a former noble Princess is now a nun. She signs
away her inheritance, learns her illegitimate son
is dead, and decides on suicide. Gianni Schicchi:
Buoso Donati dies and leaves his wealth to a monastery.
Gianni Schicchi must pretend to be Buoso long enough
to dictate a new will. The relatives are not as
happy as they had hoped. VHS 745
Il trovatore an opera in four acts. The Australian
Opera series. 1985. 1 videocassette (138 min.).
VHS 201
La Bohème. 1985. 1 videocassette (141 min.).
The relationships of two Bohemians and their sweethearts
develop stormily until both couples separate. While
the two men are lamenting their loneliness in their
Paris attic, one of the girl friends comes for help
for the other who has consumption and wants to be
taken to her lover to die. VHS 198
La Bohème. 1989. 1 videocassette (111 min.).
Puccini's bittersweet tale of high-spirited bohemians
doomed love in 19th-century Paris. VHS 2575
La Bohème. 1995. 1 videocassette (114 min.).
Love story set in the Latin Quarter in Paris amongst
the Bohemian students whose hectic gaiety only partially
masks their despair and pain. Rodolfo falls in love
with Mimi, who is ill and dies. VHS 3715
La Scala a documentary of performances. Opera
series. 1990. 1 videocassette (63 min.). Examines
the history of the worlds most renowned opera house,
La Scala, by showing segments of some of its many
memorable performances. VHS 3348
La tragédie de Carmen Carmen. Compleat operagoer.
1983. 1 videocassette (82 min.). In 19th century
Seville, the lusty Carmen loves Escamillo, the bullfighter,
but also finds the time to seduce and then spurn
the young and naive army corporal, Don Jose. Jose
abandons his career, his fiancee and even his dying
mother for the love of this sultry gypsy. When
Carmen leaves him for Escamillo, Jose, crazed with
jealousy, begs her to return to him. Carmen's taunting
declaration of independence leads in tragedy. VHS
765
La Traviata. 1984. 1 videocassette (145 min.).
In Paris in the 1840's a consumptive courtesan falls
in love with a young man from a family of suffocating
respectability. It seems not to occur to him that
it is she who is paying their bills. His father
appears, and says that the scandal is ruining his
sister's chance of an advantageous marriage. The
lovers part, he in a spirit of rancor, she in sacrifice.
Later, he humiliates her in public. At her deathbed,
however, they are reconciled. VHS 157
La Traviata. 1988. 1 videocassette (135 min.).
Verdi's tragic and passionate opera about Alfredo's
love for the beautiful courtesan, Violetta Valery,
who is dying from consumption. She sacrifices her
happiness to protect his reputation. The contrast
between the emotional intimacy of scenes involving
the three principals and the exuberant party scenes
heightens the dramatic impact. The staging makes
a creative use of mirrors. VHS 1336
Le Nozze di Figaro. p1991. 2 videocassettes (184
min.). This adaptation of Mozart's comic four-act
opera is set in New York City in an apartment house.
Susanna and Figaro wish to marry but the Count wants
Susanna, the Countess sets up an intrigue with Cherubino
to make the Count jealous, and Marcellina attempts
to use her hold over Figaro to persuade Bartolo
(who also desires revenge against Figaro) to marry
her. After a day of plots, counter-plots, mistaken
identities, and trysts, all ends happily with loving
couples reunited. VHS 2189
Making opera the creation of Verdi's La forza del
destino. Opera series. 1992. 1 videocassette
(88 min.). A drama within a drama - witness two
stories - the making of an opera and the opera itself.
VHS 3353
Oscar Hammerstein's Carmen Jones. Studio classics:
Studio classic. 1994. 1 videocassette (105 min.).
Joe, a military policeman about to make officer,
is infatuated with the flirtatious and sexy Carmen
Jones. Their ill-fated romance comes to a grisly
end by the conclusion of the drama but not before
their liaison has wreaked havoc with their lives
and all who cross their paths. VHS 6725
Otello Othello. 1982. 1 videocassette (145 min.).
Otello, a Moor appointed governor of Cyprus on behalf
of the 15th century Venetian Republic, loves and
is loved by his young bride, Desdemona. Soon, however,
he is deceived by the evil Iago, his ensign, into
believing that Desdemona is unfaithful to him. Otello's
jealousy overwhelms him and he murders Desdemona.
Upon learning the truth, he kills Iago and himself.
VHS 724
Otello Othello. Opera series. 1986. 1
videocassette (123 min.). Otello, a Moor appointed
governor of Cyprus on behalf of the 15th century
Venetian Republic, loves and is loved by his young
bride, Desdemona. Soon, however, he is deceived
by the evil Iago, his ensign, into believing that
Desdemona is unfaithful to him. Otello's jealousy
overwhelms him and he murders Desdemona. Upon learning
the truth, he kills Iago and himself. VHS 703
Otello Othello. p1988. 2 videodiscs (141 min.).
Iago's jealousy of Othello's success prompts him
to exploit Othello's credulous nature by convincing
Othello that his beloved wife, Desdemona, is unfaithful.
VDD 26
Pagliacci. 1984. 1 videocassette (70 min.). A
traveling troupe of entertainers, Canio, his wife
Nedda, Peppe and Tonio, arrive in the village for
an evening performance. Nedda and her lover, Silvio
a young lad from the village, plan to leave together
that night. Tonio overhears the plot and tells Canio.
VHS 2047
Siegfried. 199? 1 videocassette (96 min.). Part
one of The Nibelungen saga. Siegfried wins the
hand of Kriemhilde by slaying the dragon and defeating
Brunhilde. When Brunhilde learns that magic has
been used to conquer her, she has Siegfried murdered.
VHS 3855
Tannhäuser opera in 3 acts. 1995. 2 videocassettes
(195 min.). VHS 6757
The Beggar's opera. The Compleat operagoer.
1985. 1 videocassette (135 min.). A ballad opera
in three acts set among London's criminal classes
full of satirical jibes about corruption in high
places. VHS 956
The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess. 1993. 2 videocassettes
(ca. 184 min.). Folk opera, featuring music based
on jazz idioms and dialogue in the Gullah dialect,
is set in a poor district of Charleston, South Carolina.
When Crown runs off after killing a man in a fight,
the crippled Porgy takes Crown's woman Bess to live
with him. After Porgy strangles Crown, Bess believes
that Porgy has been arrested, so she runs away to
New York City with the drug dealer Sporting Life.
VHS 2504
The Mikado. 1990. 1 videocassette (131 min.).
Gilbert & Sullivan's comic light opera of love,
deception and arbitrary justice is moved to an idealized
art deco sea resort in England during the 1920s
and 1930s. The period is emphasized by the use of
1930s film techniques. VHS 2283
Tosca. 1993. 1 videodisc (115 min.). Tosca's
jealousy of a model used by her painter lover Mario
leads her to betray Mario to the torturer Scarpia.
Eventually she kills Scarpia who has arranged for
Mario's execution. Tosca leaps to her death to avoid
being arrested for murder. VDD 69
Tosca. 1993. 2 videodiscs (137 min.). Tosca's
jealousy of a model used by her painter lover Mario
leads her to betray Mario to the torturer Scarpia.
Eventually she kills Scarpia who has arranged for
Mario's execution. Tosca leaps to her death to avoid
being arrested for murder. VDD 70
Tosca's kiss Il bacio di Tosca. 1985. 1 videocassette
(87 min.). Visits Casa Verdi, a retirement home
in Milan, Italy, which was founded by composer Giussepe
Verdi for musicians who made their mark in the opera
world. Observes the daily life of the residents,
showing how they remain dedicated to their craft.
VHS 778
Treemonisha. 1988? 1 videocassette (86 min.).
Treemonisha, the only surviving opera written by
Scott Joplin, combines European opera, African dance
and American popular music forms in a vivid depiction
of late 19th century black rural social life.--Container.
Set in the rural South in the late 19th century
it describes the attempts of an educated girl who
returns to her village to liberate her neighbors
from "conjurers.". VHS 2725
Theatre
and Performance Art:
Behind the scenes
Advanced
voice workout for the actor. 1990. 1 videocassette
(44 min.). Host Susan Leigh presents exercises for
actors focusing on breathing and projection. VHS
2562
The
art of Kabuki. 1988. 1 videocassette (35 min.).
A study of the traditional, bombastic theater of
Japan, with attention given to the symbolism of
the performances. Program provides an introduction
to the 400-year-old tradition of Kabuki, explaining
its origins and purposes, its literary sources,
and the meaning of its symbolism. The program shows
the rehearsal, preparation of costume and wigs,
and the performance of the Kabuki play. VHS 553
Behind
the scenes. Curriculum Materials Center.
1992. 10 videocassettes (ca. 28 min. each). Focuses
on the creative process behind the visual and performing
arts. Goes behind the scenes with renowned artists
and performers, covering fields of painting, drawing,
sculpture, photography, music, dance and theater.
Designed to instill creative and critical thinking
skills in children through exploration of the visual
and performing arts. VHS 1921-1930
Behind
the scenes with Julie Taymor. Behind the
scenes. 1992. 1 videocassette (30 min.). Theater
director Julie Taymor gives children a glimpse of
herself at work staging scenes from The Tempest.
The children are also given a taste of the kind
of visual theater created by using puppets, masks
and music. VHS 1930
Brecht
on stage. Literature in the modern world.
1989. 1 videocassette (25 min.). Scholars and contemporaries
of Bertolt Brecht discuss his work and its impact
on modern theater. VHS 5936
Broadway!
a musical history. 1989. 5 videocassettes (720
min.). Describes the history of the Broadway musical
since the late 19th century. Includes pictures and
interviews of performers active in the Broadway
scene. The formative years: Reviews beginnings of
theater performances on Broadway and the histories
at musical shows, including works by Gilbert and
Sullivan, Victor Herbert, Ziegfeld, Cohan, etc.
Discusses development of comic and live musicals,
revues, and Viennese operettas. -- Broadway comes
of age: Traces the history of Broadway theater through
the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. Discusses the development
of musical comedy and revue, the decline of the
operetta, the trend toward integrated and "meaningful"
shows. Reviews hit shows from that era. -- The golden
years: Reviews styles in musical theater, musical
comedy and revues in the postwar years and the 1950s.
Features interviews with actors, actresses, directors,
etc. Discusses musicals by Rodgers and Hammerstein,
Irving Berlin, Lerner and Lowe, Leonard Bernstein,
and Meredith Wilson. The revolution on Broadway:
Reviews musical shows produced from 1959 through
the 1960s. Discusses how the political atmosphere
of the decade affected the theater. Uses interviews
with actors, actresses, directors, and historians
to discuss such works as Camelot, Hello Dolly, and
Fiddler on the Roof. -- The revolution mellows:
Reviews Broadway musical theater beginning in 1966
with cabaret and continuing through the 1970s. Traces
the emergence and development of rock musicals and
other radical changes. Discusses George M., Hair,
Follies, Godspell, Grease, Jesus Christ Superstar,
etc. Features interviews with composers, actors,
actresses, directors and historians. VHS 1920
Commedia
dell'arte. Styles of theatre. 198. 1
videocassette (14 min.). Presents the gallery of
stock commedia characters focusing on the Maschere,
the mask characters. Giovanni Poli provides the
authentic voice quality, characteristic movements,
and gestures of commedia dell'arte. VHS 1770
Dream
girls. 1 videocassette (50 min.). Film looks
at the Takarazuka Revue, a highly successful theater
company in Japan, where all roles are played by
women and the Takarazuka Music School whose students
dream of joining the Revue. VHS 4518
Greek
drama reconstructing a Greek theater. Fifth
century Athens : democracy & city state.
1998. 1 videocassette (25 min.). Reconstructs the
famous Theater of Dionysus in Athens, showing how
it evolved over time through the Greek and Roman
periods. The date of an orchestra is set by its
shape, a facade by the setting of the stones, an
auditorium by its space for a descending Greek chorus,
wooden seats by a mention of them in lines from
a play by Aristophanes, and other parts of the structure
through paintings on Greek vases from particular
periods. VHS 5824
Original
cast album, Company a musical comedy. 1992.
1 videodisc (53 min.). A chronicle of the recording
session of the cast album of the Tony Award-winning
musical comedy, Company. Includes interviews with
record producer, Thomas Z. Shepard; composer/lyricist,
Stephen Sondheim; musical director, Harold Hastings;
producer/director, Harold Prince; playwright, George
Furth. VDD 41
Private
conversations on the set of Death of a salesman. Karl-Lorimar on stage. 1986. 1 videocassette
(ca. 82 min.). A documentary that goes behind the
scenes to examine the making of the film version
of Arthur Miller's Death of a salesman. Playwright
Miller, Dustin Hoffman, and director Volker Schlöndorff
discuss the production and the original play and
are seen working on the set. VHS 254
Shurtleff
on acting. Master classes in the media arts.
199. 1 videocassette (60 min.). Michael Shurtleff
discusses casting and acting, and his career in
the theater and motion pictures. VHS 2742
Signals
through the flames. 1989. 1 videocassette (97
min.). Outlines the tumultuous history of the famous
experimental group, The Living Theatre. VHS 2753
Sphinxes
without secrets women performance artists speak
out. 1992. 1 videocassette (58 min.). "Since
its inception, performance art provided a forum
for those artists whose work challenges the dominant
aesthetic and cultural status quo. [In this film]
performers, curators and critics unravel the mysteries
of performance art and ponder the world women confront
today. Performers featured ... include Diamanda
Galas, Holly Hughes (one of the 'NEA Four'), Robbie
McCauley and Rachel Rosenthal; intercut with appearances
by many others such as Laurie Anderson, Annie Sprinkle
and Reno." Summary from Women Make Movies website
[http:\\wmm.com]. VHS 5816
Teatro! 1989. 1 videocassette (58 min.). Documentary looks
at the grass roots Honduran acting troup, Teatro
la Fragua, founded by Jesuit priest, Jack Warner.
Company members are shown performing in three plays,
conducting an acting workshop in the town of Salama,
and on a retreat to Copan, an ancient Mayan center.
VHS 2548
Theatre
and the revolution. Eastern Europe : breaking
with the past. 1990. 1 videocassette (50 min.).
Explores the use of theater in Eastern Europe for
political purposes. Includes documentaries on the
"Stalinist Show Trials" in the 1950s,
the underground activities of actors and theater
troupes in the 1989 revolutions, and the avant garde
plays of Eastern Europe today. VHS 1708
The
Tradition of performing arts in Japan the heart
of Kabuki, Noh and Bunraku. Nippon: the land
and its people video series. 1989. 1 videocassette
(30 min.). Presents a variety of traditional Japanese
theater forms, including seldom-seen backstage preparations
and performances by some of Japan's most illustrious
names. Shows how the theater reveals aspects of
Japanese culture, including the influence of other
cultures, the harmony of life and nature, and the
beauty of the four seasons. VHS 1769
The
Traditional crafts of Japan. 1992. 8 videocassettes
(210 min). VHS 3516
Two
faces of Thailand a musical portrait. Beats
of the heart. 1994. 1 videocassette (60 min.).
Popular music in Thailand, where even the king of
Thailand is a jazz musician, juxtapositions folk
music with Western pop to produce the Luk Tung music
scene. Director Marre, joins Luk Tung star Sumbatcharon
on the road as he takes his huge troupe across country
to stage sprawling, uniquely Thai extravaganzas
that are the common man's entertainment. We are
also taken into the cities, into the kick-boxing
arenas and the red-light districts where music plays
an integral role. VHS 3272
The
Will to provoke featuring Survival Research Laboratories,
Europe 1988. 1988. 1 videocassette (42 min.).
Documentary of Survival Research Laboratories' 1988
European tour. SRL stages mechanized presentations
that feature choreographed interactions between
machines, robots and special effect devices. Includes
commentary by S.R.L. founder/artistic director,
Mark Pauline and assistant director/sound designer,
Matt Heckert. VHS 4392
Performances
A
room of one's own. 1980. 1 videocassette (55
min.). Eileen Atkins' one-woman stage performance
recreates Virginia Woolf's talk to the women of
Girton College, Cambridge that calls to women to
declare their independence, talent and freedom to
write, think, love and labor, to control their own
destinies, yet realize necessary communion on all
levels between men and women. VHS 1790
Agamemnon. Oresteia trilogy. 1990. 1 videocassette (90
min.). Agamemnon returns home after a 10-year absence
at the Trojan War, his queen Clytemnestra, welcomes
him but Cassandra (daughter of the vanquished Trojan
king Priam and now Agamemnon's captive mistress)
foretells his murder. The murder of Agamemnon will
be a double revenge: Clytemnestra will avenge their
daughter Iphigenia, sacrificed by Agamemnon to secure
a favorable wind toward Troy; Aegisthus, Clytemnestra's
lover, will avenge the murder of his brothers by
Agamemnon's father. VHS 1368
Anton
Chekhov's The three sisters as staged for the Actors
Studio Theatre on Broadway by Lee Strasberg.
1994? 2 videocassettes (166 min.). A dramatization
of Anton Chekhov's play of the same title, about
three well-educated, cultured sisters suffering
from boredom in their provincial environment. VHS
31
The
Balcony. 1992. 1 videocassette (140 min.). Set
in a brothel during a revolution, The balcony shows
people attempting to discover the core of their
person-hood through fantasy, experience, symbolism,
metaphor and religious ritual. Genet's obsession
with absolute power over one's self and the world
is evident as is his belief that death and orgasm
are similar. The play lacks a typical plot and the
characters, though not stereotypes, are symbolic
rather than realistic. VHS 2534
The
Brig. 1986? 1 videocassette (55 min.). Play
about a Marine Corps prison was filmed on the stage
of the Living Theatre after it had been closed down
by the police for tax evasion. The cast and crew
slipped into the theater through a coal chute and
made the film in five hours. The furious rhythms
of the play convey the inhumanity of military discipline
with the raw force of a battle document. VHS 3403
Cadillac
Ranch Show &, Media burn. 1988. 1 videocassette
(37 min.). Cadillac Ranch documents the creation
of the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas, where
ten Cadillacs were buried in Texas businessman Stanley
Marsh's wheat field on Route 66 as a monument to
the rise and fall of the Cadillac tail fin. Media
Burn is a spectacular performance piece that combines
sculpture, performance, satire and social commentary
into a spectacle of cultural anarchy as a customized
phantom dream car, guided by a video camera in its
tail fin, smashes through a wall of burning TV sets
before a cheering crowd at the San Francisco Cow
Palace in celebration of America's addiction to
TV. VHS 5186
Candide.
1988. 1 videocassette (ca. 112 min.). A dramatization
of Voltaire's novel of the same title, about a simple,
optimistic man whose journeys take him from one
disaster to another. VHS 694
The
Country wife. 1983. 1 videocassette (120 min.).
A restoration comedy about a deceitful playboy who
starts a rumor that he is a eunuch in order to gain
the company of the ladies. His plan works well
until he encourages the country wife of a jealous
husband. VHS 2808
The
couple in the cage a Guatinaui odyssey. 1993.
1 videocassette (30 min.). Color sequences of the
display in various museums of performance artists
portraying an aboriginal couple from Gautinau, a
fictional island off the coast of Mexico, are contrasted
with archival footage and still photographs showing
various occasions when indigenous persons were put
on public display at circuses, sideshows and the
like. Emphasis is placed on the response of the
people viewing the Gautinaui couple. VHS 6845
Death
of a salesman. Karl-Lorimar on stage.
1986. 1 videocassette (135 min.). A social drama
about an aging travelling salesman who recognizes
the emptiness of his life and commits suicide. DVD 1659, HOME USE COLLECTION VHS
260
En
attendant Godot. Beckett directs Beckett.
1988. 1 videocassette (143 min.). A presentation
of the definitive version, as he directed it, of
Samuel Beckett's absurd play in which his non-heroes,
Didi and Gogo wait and hope for Godot. VHS 1798
Everyman
a moral play. 1991. 1 videocassette (54 min.).
A live performance of the medieval play, in which
Everyman, summoned by Death to go on a pilgrimage,
entreats all of his friends, Fellowship, Kinship,
Goods, Knowledge, Strength and other abstractions,
to go with him, but finds that only Good Deeds will
accompany him. VHS 1789
The
Festino of Adriano Banchieri. Early music
television. 1987. 1 videocassette (29 min.).
Presents a fully staged recreation of Adriano Banchieri's
madrigal comedy Festino, performed according to
the composer's directions. VHS 443
Furies. Oresteia trilogy. 1985. 1 videocassette (70
min.). Having avenged his father's murder by killing
his mother, Orestes--now pursued by the Furies because
he has committed matricide--takes refuge at the
shrine of Apollo, who promises protection and sends
him to seek justice from Athena. The ghost of Clytemnestra
rouses the Chorus of Furies to bring her murderer
to justice. Athena, goddess of wisdom, judges between
Orestes, who murdered his mother to avenge his father,
and the Furies, who demand revenge for the murder
of Clytemnestra. Her decision reflects the historical
turning in Athens from personal retribution to community
law. VHS 1370
Krapp's
last tape. 1990. 1 videocassette (46 min.).
A one-man play with a tape recorder. At the age
of thirty-nine, Krapp recorded a tape recounting
his mother's death and an encounter with a woman
in a punt. When he plays the tape back thirty years
later, he muses upon the life cycle and the general
meaninglessness of life. As the title implies, the
major themes of the play are the passage of time,
the increasing mechanization of modern life, and
the anal desiccation and sterilization of human
emotions. VHS 1157
The
Lenny Bruce performance film. 1966. 1 videocassette
(70 min.). Taken from one of Lenny Bruce's last
nightclub performances, August,1965, in San Francisco,
Ca. VHS 37
Libation
bearers. Oresteia trilogy. 1983. 1 videocassette
(61 min.). The play opens as Orestes, Agamemnon's
son, returns from exile with his friend Pylades
and dedicates a lock of his hair on his father Agamemnon's
tomb. His sister Electra and the Chorus of Trojan
Women come to offer libation at the tomb. They swear
to avenge their father's death, as they have been
directed to do by Apollo. Disguised as strangers,
Orestes and Pylades enter Agamemnon's palace and
Orestes first kills Aegisthus and then his mother
Clytemnestra. Threatened by the Furies, he flees
to seek Apollo's help. VHS 1369
The
Nutcracker Casse noisette. Elektra Nonesuch
dance collection. 1992. 1 videocassette (91
min.). A stage reproduction of the Nutcracker ballet,
which tells the story of a little girl's dream of
a Christmas doll transformed into a handsome prince.
VHS 4308
The
Oresteia the trilogy. 1983. 3 videocassettes
(235 min.). The Oresteia, the oldest surviving classical
tragedy, is a trilogy about a blood feud. Agamemnon:
Aeschylus' Greek tragedy begins with the fall of
Troy. When Agamemnon returns home he is murdered
by his queen Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus.
Libation bearers: Orestes, Agamemnon's son, returns
from exile with his friend Pylades and dedicates
a lock of his hair on his father Agamemnon's tomb.
His sister Electra and the Chorus of Trojan Women
come to offer libation at the tomb. They swear to
avenge their father's death, as they have been directed
to do by Apollo. Disguised as strangers, Orestes
and Pylades enter Agamemnon's palace and Orestes
first kills Aegisthus and then his mother Clytemnestra.
Threatened by the Furies, he flees to seek Apollo's
help. The Furies: Having avenged his father's murder
by killing his mother, Orestes - now pursued by
the Furies because he has committed matricide -
takes refuge at the shrine of Apollo, who promises
protection and sends him to seek justice from Athena.
The ghost of Clytemnestra rouses the Chorus of Furies
to bring her murderer to justice. Athena, goddess
of wisdom, judges between Orestes, who murdered
his mother to avenge his father, and the Furies,
who demand revenge for the murder of Clytemnestra.
Her decision reflects the historical turning in
Athens from personal retribution to community law.
VHS 1368-1370
Richard
Pryor live on the Sunset Strip. 1989. 1 videocassette
(ca. 82 min.). Program captures Richard Pryor at
his funniest, including his segment about "Pryor
on Fire.". VHS 2832
Roy
Cohn. 2000. 1 videocassette (90 min.). Ron Vawter
performs two linked monologues: the first, a portrayal
of a classic Roy Cohn after-dinner speech for the
Society for the Protection of the American Family;
the second, is Vawter's remounting of Smith's own
"performance-of-the self," entitled "What's
underground about marshmallows?" and originally
performed by Smith in 1981. VHS 6634
Sing
faster the stagehands' Ring Cycle. 1999. 1 videocassette
(56 min.). An in-depth, behind the scenes look at
the work of stage designers and stage crew as they
prepare for a performance of Richard Wagner's operas,
the Ring Cycle. Beginning a month before the production
it shows the stage preparation, set design, grips,
lighting, sound, props and the preparation of scenery
and special effects. Concludes by following the
crew as manipulate their creations during the performance
and perform carefully choreographed scene changes
during the opera. VHS 6168
Tell
me a story. 1995. 3 videocassettes (181 min.).
Live performances from the 20th anniversary National
Storytelling Festival. VHS 5343
Three
sisters. 1970. 2 videocassettes (162 min.).
Three sisters in a provincial town in Russia long
to return to the glittering Moscow society world
of their youth. VHS 3152
True
West. 1987. 1 videocassette (110 min.). A powerful,
yet funny confrontation between two brothers set
in the contemporary West. VHS 381
Vanya
on 42nd street. Sony Pictures classics.
1995. 1 videocassette (ca. 119 min.). A new adaptation
of Chekhov's drama of people trapped between the
harsh reality of their lives and the longings of
their hearts. A group of actors, directed by André
Gregory, run through a reading of Chekhov's Uncle
Vanya inside the New Amsterdam Theater in New York
City. The play concerns an extended family and is
set on Serebryakov's estate, a retired professor
who gained the land from his first wife. Content
as an absentee landlord while his daughter, Sonya,
and brother-in-law, Vanya, run the estate, he and
his second wife, Yelena, have come because of financial
difficulties. Dr. Astrov is brought in to minister
to the professor's gout, but he refuses all aid.
Vanya falls in love with Yelena, who falls in love
with Dr. Astrov, who becomes the object of Sonya's
affections. Order is restored when the professor,
Yelena and Dr. Astrov leave. The actors and director
gather together at the close of the performance.
VHS 6084
Victor
Borge, on stage with audience favorites. 1986.
1 videocassette (120 min.). Victor Borge performs
his musical comedy routines. VHS 2429
Waiting
for Godot. 1988. 2 videocassettes (137 min.).
This absurd drama about nothingness synbolizes the
human condition. Two tramps endure cold, pain, hunger,
and hopelessness but persist and refuse to be destroyed.
VHS 1798
Waiting
for Godot. 1997? 1 videocassette (102 min.).
Abandoning sequential action, excluding everything
in the nature of plot and creating an atmosphere
of non-logic, Beckett brings the theatre of the
absurd to its apogee. VHS 6716
Woza
Albert! 198? 1 videocassette (55 min.). Percy
Mtwa and Mbongeni Ngena, two black former music
hall performers, have crafted a series of sketches
organized around the premise that Jesus Christ returns
to the self-proclaimed "Christian" nation
of South Africa. The Albert of the title refers
to Albert Luthuli, one of many martyred South African
freedom fighters, and at one point the actors cry
out "Woza, Albert! Rise up, Albert!" summoning
back to life his spirit as well as that of other
martyred South African freedom fighters. Film examines
the life experiences of the writer-actors, the humiliation
and terror suffered, as well as the resiliency of
Blacks in South Africa today. Also icludes historical
footage of Albert Luthuli. VHS 562
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