PBS Home Video
Series
Language
English
Description
American Experience presents The Presidents: ten 20th century biographies that offer an intimate and compelling look at the men who have defined and re-defined the modern presidency, and who led the country through some of the most turbulent and consequential moment in our history.
4) The Kennedys
Pub. Date
[2011]
Language
English
Description
The Kennedys explores the building of the Kennedy legend, a story in part created and then brilliantly promoted by the family itself. A story whose afterglow still captures the American imagination. Included is a featurette, and a teacher's guide. Narrated by Stacey Keach.
Language
English
Description
In 1517, Martin Luther nailed his treatise to the doors of the Wittenberg Cathedral and forever changed the Christian world. This previously obscure German monk unleashed forces that would plunge Europe into war and chaos. He offered the Christian world a new vision of man's relationship with God and, in turn, redefined man's relationship with authority in general, bringing the collapse of the medieval world and the birth of the modern age.
Pub. Date
[2012]
Language
English
Description
This 10-part series, with the renowned cultural critic and Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr., delves into the genealogy and genetics of famous Americans, combining history and science in a fascinating exploration of race, family and identity in today's America. Professor Gates shakes loose captivating stories and surprises in the family trees of Kevin Bacon, Robert Downey, Jr., Branford Marsalis, John Legend, Martha Stewart, Barbara Walters and...
Pub. Date
[2011]
Language
English
Description
George Washington, was a social climber, land-hungry Virginia surveyor, and military officer who often blamed others for his own errors. He gradually built a reputation as a gentleman by educating himself in the classics and sciences, entering politics, and marrying one of the wealthiest women in Virginia. The battle of Trenton changed everything with a victory both for America and Washington himself. His skill and bravery transformed Washington into...
Language
English
Description
Uses interviews and archival footage to tell the story of the melodramatic life and stunning architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright. Discusses some of the 800+ buildings designed by Wright, including the Guggenheim Museum, the Johnson Wax Building, Fallingwater, Unity Temple, and Taliesin. Examines how Wright's buildings and ideas changed the way we live, work, and see the world around us. Documents the turbulence of Wright's personal life, including...
Series
Language
English
Description
Few American artists have reached a wider audience or enjoyed more widespread popularity in their own lifetime than Ansel Adams. Ansel Adams had a profound impact on how Americans see the majesty or their continent and helped transform how people think and feel about the meaning of the natural world. A visionary photographer, a pioneer in photographic technique and a crusader for the environment, this portrait of Adams portrays the great artist and...
15) Billy the Kid
Pub. Date
[2012]
Language
English
Description
A fascinating look at the myth and the man behind it, who, in just a few short years transformed himself from a skinny orphan boy to the most feared man in the West and an enduring western icon.
Pub. Date
[2006]
Language
English
Description
"The mountains of Appalachia are home to a folk music tradition that traces its roots to England, Scotland, and Ireland. Picking up the African banjo and other influences in its evolution, this tradition gave rise to gospel, bluegrass and country music. ... the Queen family of Western North Carolina have come to represent Southern Appalachian heritage and a way of life that's passing, but not yet gone"--Container.
17) Houdini
Pub. Date
2011.
Language
English
Description
Wrapped in chains and encased in a crate, magician Harry Houdini was dropped into New York's icy East River. Horrified onlookers watched him emerge, unharmed, less than 60 seconds later. Easily the world's most famous escape artist, Houdini mesmerized audiences with astonishing acts of magic like the Water Torture Cell. A circus performer turned gifted artist, Houdini confronted humanity's greatest fears: entrapment, pain, and death.
18) Buffalo Bill
Pub. Date
[2008]
Language
English
Description
Explore how William "Buffalo Bill" Cody's legendary exploits helped create a myth that endures even today. Features the life of the master showman who became part of American history.
19) A midwife's tale
Pub. Date
[2005]
Language
English
Description
The life of Martha Ballard, a frontier midwife in Maine, is reconstructed through her diary. She lived through the economic boom and bust, and political and social turmoil of the decades following the American Revolution.
Pub. Date
[2005]
Language
English
Description
Weaves the lives of Abraham and Mary Lincoln; Abraham the dirt-farmer's son turned Great Emancipator and Mary the emotionally fragile daughter of wealthy Southern slave-owners. Together, they ascended to the pinnacle of power at this crucial time in the nation's history. Abraham Lincoln's legacy reshaped the nation while the tragedy of his death left Mary reclusive and forgotten.