Religious Studies Video Library

The following VHS and DVD resources are available only for use by REL professors in their classes, and cannot be loaned to students. However, some of these titles can be viewed at the Music Library, on the 3rd floor of Gorgas Library.

Alphabetical Title Directory

0/A/B/C/D/E/F/G/H/I/J/K/L/M/N/O/P/Q/R/S/T/U/V/W/X/Y/Z

(9-11)
VHS
App. 122 minutes
2004-1
-Professor Chomsky talks about his book 9-11, published by Open Media. In the book, he examines the events of September 11th, what he believes are the historical precedents for it, and the long-term implications of the United States' "new war on terrorism." He and the other speakers also raise questions concerning media coverage of the attacks on the World Trade Center.

4QMMT and Paul: New Light on Old Questions
VHS
App. 57 minutes
2004-2
-Scholars have typically interpreted a Dead Sea Scroll document called 4QMMT as contrary to the teachings of Paul. It seems to advocate justification by acts, whereas Paul teaches justification by faith alone. Wright demonstrates that while the arguments in 4QMMT seem to contradict Paul, that is not necessarily the case.

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About the Holocaust
VHS
App. 29 minutes
2004-234
A young American woman, daughter of a survivor of the Nazi death camps, tells about her search for knowledge of the Holocaust years and she explains why the study of the Holocaust is still important.

Adolf Hitler
VHS
App. 101 minutes
2004-209
This film offers never before seen glimpses into Hitler's private life and bloody legacy as the instigator of the Jewish holocaust, plus insight into World War II. Using newsreel footage and home movies, the viewer is shown the stages of Adolf Hitler's rise and fall in one of the darkest periods in human history.

Adolf Hitler: 1899-1945
VHS
App. 90 minutes
2004-272
Documentary. Portrays the life of Hitler, from his early days as an artist to his rise to power in the Third Reich. Details the outbreak of WWII resulting from Nazi Germany's invasion of her neighboring countries and Hitler's extermination of Jews in Europe.

African-American Religions: the Nation of Islam
VHS
App. 60 minutes
2004-5
This video discusses African-American sectarianism in the 20th century, tracing the emergence of the Nation of Islam. It considers the roles of Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm X, and Louis Farrakhan in its development, and examines its conflict with other segments of American society.

After Mein Kampf?
VHS
App. 43 minutes
2004-271
This British propaganda film blends German cartoons and contemporary footage to illustrate the rise of Hitler and the Third Reich.

Agni Varsha
DVD
App. 169 minutes
2004-95
Agnivarsha is derived from the myth of Yavakri, which is a part of the great Indian epic, the Mahabharata. The production of the film has retained the period aspect without losing the immediacy of contemporary insights that are so much a part of the script.

Altar of Fire
VHS
App. 45 minutes
2004-6
This film records a 12 day ancient Vedic ritual performed by Nambudiri Brahmins in Kerala, southwest of India, whose roots go back to antiquity. Their dedication to the culture of their spiritual ancestors, remains one of the miracles of history. Long considered extinct and never before witnessed by outsiders, the ceremonies require the participation of seventeen priests and are preceded by several months of preparation and rehearsals. The ritual requires the construction of a bird-shaped fire altar from a thousand bricks. The ceremony formerly included drinking Soma-a sacred hallucinogenic plant, the identity of which has been lost in time.

America and the Holocaust
VHS
App. 90 minutes
2004-239
Narrated by Hal Linden, this program investigates America's passive role in the holocaust. According to the makers of this film, the U.S. policy of suppressed immigration, coupled with anti-Semitic sentiment among the populace, prevented the rescue of thousands of European Jews.

Ancient India
DVD
App. 47 minutes
2005-43
The antecedents of modern Indian culture can be traced back to the Harappan civilization, which flourished between 2300 and 1500 BC in what are now Pakistan and Afghanistan. This era saw the birth of the Hindu religion. The Aryan tribes from the Russian steppes invaded the subcontinent in 1000 BC, bringing their language and culture. The resulting synthesis between the Aryan and Indian civilizations brought forth a unique society that included a caste system, which soon became entrenched. This program examines the religious tension between Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam, and the historical events that shaped the great Indian civilizations, from the Mauryan Empire through the Mogul Empire. Maps and scholars provide insight into a culture that remains vibrant and diverse today.

Andrei Rublev
DVD
App. 145 minutes
2004-7
This movie is a sweeping medieval tale of Russia's greatest icon painter. "The Passion according to Andrei".

Anne Frank Remembered
VHS
App. 120 minutes
2004-215
Combining personal testimony, never-before-seen photos, previously undiscovered family letters and rare archive footage (including the only known moving footage of Anne herself) with evocative contemporary film, "Anne Frank Remembered" documents the history of the Frank family focusing on the spiritual girl who's Diary of her two years in hiding in her father's office building during World War II in Amsterdam.

Apocalypse: the Puzzle of Revelation
VHS
2004-8
Revelations is one of the most cryptic and powerfully written books of the Bible. It foretells that the world will end violently. Scholars, mystics, and laymen study this final book of the Bible and try to interpret the series of numbers, beasts, and warnings. A&E presents this documentary, filmed on-location in Jerusalem and other Middle East locations, to explore these mysteries, including who the true author is.

Apocalypse: The Story of the Book of Revelations
VHS
App. 120 minutes
2004-91
A PBS Home Video Frontline Series look at the evolution of apocalyptic ideology throughout the ages— from its origin in the Jewish experience after the Babylonian exile to its diverse and often tumultuous expression in modern times.

The Arab World - Arabs: Who They Are, Who They Are Not
VHS
App. 30 minutes
2004-147
Bill Moyers explores the region with noted scholars and writers, discussing the role of religions in Arab society and surveying its artistic and literary achievements. Part 1 of "The Arab World"

The Arab World - The Historic Memory
VHS
App. 30 minutes
2004-148
This five-part series clears away the misconceptions that distort our view of the Arab world and its peoples. Part 2 of "The Arab World"

The Arab World - Images of God
VHS
App. 30 minutes
2004-149
This five-part series clears away the misconceptions that distort our view of the Arab world and its peoples. Part 3 of "The Arab World"

The Arab World - The Bonds of Pride
VHS
App. 30 minutes
2004-150
This five-part series clears away the misconceptions that distort our view of the Arab world and its peoples. Part 4 of "The Arab World"

The Arab World - Arabs and the West
VHS
App. 30 minutes
2004-151
This five-part series clears away the misconceptions that distort our view of the Arab world and its peoples. Part 5 of "The Arab World"

Art of Celebration
VHS
App. 20 minutes
2004-152
Judaism intertwines the cycle of holidays with nature. This program, produced by Yeshiva University, examines the interaction between nature and religion in the rituals and celebrations of the Jewish calendar.

Ascent of Man (#1 and #2)
VHS
2004-9
-Lower than the Angels: The following video tapes examine intellectual, cultural, and scientific breakthroughs in man's four-million-year evolution. Shows importance of new ideas and how they transcend other historical events in their cumulative, irreversible effects.
-Harvest of the Seasons: In the long spring following the Ice Ages man develops agriculture and domesticates animals, imposing his will on wild wheat and horses. With the Neolithic cultivators come the mounted Nomads, the predators, and the roots of human warfare. Shot largely in central Iran.

Ascent of Man (#3 and #4)
VHS
2004-9
-Grain in the Stone: Man splits a stone and reassembles the pieces to build a wall, a cathedral, a city. This program is about man, the architect, builder, and sculptor. Shots of Greek temples of Paestum, cathedrals of medieval France, Inca cities of Peru juxtaposed with shots of modern cities.
-Hidden Structure: From ancient Oriental metallurgy, through mystical alchemy this program traces the roots of chemistry. Shang bronze craftsmen and Samurai sword smiths are the starting point for a journey leading from medieval Europe to Dalton's atomic theory and our modern knowledge of the elements.

Ascent of Man (#5 and #6)
VHS
2004-9
-The Music of the Spheres: Program covers the evolution of math. Pythagoras, father of Greek math, considered numbers the language of nature. Follows spread of Greek ideas through the Islamic Empire to Moorish Spain and Renaissance Europe. Explores the alliance of math to music, astronomy, and painting.
-Starry Messenger: Studies man's attempts to map the forces which move the planets. The static nature of South American astronomy is contrasted with ideas of Renaissance Europe. Traces the origins of the scientific revolution in the conflict between truth and dogma, symbolized by the trial of Galileo.

Ascent of Man (#7 and #8)
VHS
2004-9
-Majestic Clockwork: In the evolution of physics, the contributions of Newton and Einstein occupy center stage. This film explores the revolution that ensued when Einstein's theory of relativity upset Newton's elegant description of the universe.
-Drive for Power: Industrial and political revolutions altered concepts of power during the 18th century. Dr. Bronowski shows why these developments were as significant as the Renaissance in our progress.

Ascent of Man (#9 and #10)
VHS
2004-9
-Ladder of Creation: Journeys from the valleys and waterfalls of Wales to the jungles of the Amazon to explore the controversy swirling around a startling new theory of evolution developed simultaneously by Alfred Wallace and Charles Darwin.
-World Within World: Commencing with a visit to an ancient Polish salt mine, Dr. Bronowski looks at the world inside the atom, tracing the history of ideas that have made 20th century physics "the greatest achievement of the human imagination."

Ascent of Man (#11 and #12)
VHS
2004-9
-Knowledge or Certainty: Bronowski's statement on information and responsibility to scientists. Principle of certainty in physics applies to all knowledge. Examines implications of bombing Japan. Contrasts humanist tradition of Gottingen University with the inhumanities of Auschwitz. -Generation upon Generation: Math and physics brought revolution to man's ideas of life. From Mendel's work to discoveries of today, Bronowski unravels complex code of human inheritance. Sees sex as an instrument of evolution that makes every human unique yet breeds care between individuals.

Ascent of Man (#13)
VHS
2004-9
-The Long Childhood: In this final program Bronowski - poet, playwright, mathematician, philosopher - draws together many threads of the series. He takes stock of man's complex, sometimes precarious, ascent. Argues that man's growth to self-knowledge is the longest childhood of all.
-World Within World: Commencing with a visit to an ancient Polish salt mine, Dr. Bronowski looks at the world inside the atom, tracing the history of ideas that have made 20th century physics "the greatest achievement of the human imagination."

Asoka
DVD
App. 155 minutes
2004-10
Prince Ashoke, heir to the Magadha Kingdom, bowing to his mother's demand forsakes his princely status and goes to live in the wild for awhile. There he meets and falls in love with Kaurwaki. He identifies himself as Pawan, not wanting to disclose his identity yet. Ashoke has to return to Magadha, but when he returns to find and wed Kaurwaki, he is told by Bheema that Kaurwaki and her brother Arya have been killed. Devastated Ashoke returns home. On the way home he is attacked and Devi of the Buddhist faith rescues him and tends to him till he gets well. As a result, Devi's marriage to her groom is cancelled. Ashoke weds her and brings her to Magadha, only to be told by his father that since Devi is not of the same race as he, she cannot be welcomed. Ashoke leaves with Devi and lives in Ujjaini. Soon Devi gets pregnant, and this arouses jealously and hatred amongst Ashoke's step-brothers. As a result they plot to kill Devi, however, their plans are foiled by Ashoke's mother, who is killed. Ashoke swears to avenge his mother's death by killing his step-brothers one by one, except for one, who has led to Kalinga. Ashoke asks the ruler of Kalings to turn over his step-brother to him, and they refuse. Ashoke swears to raze Kalinga to the ground. Ashoke is unstoppable. Ashoke proceeds to war, little knowing that the queen of Kalinga is none other than Kaurwaki, who is still alive.

The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank
VHS
App. 95 minutes
2004-214
During the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam, Otto Frank decides to hide his family, who are Jewish, after his daughter Margot is called to appear for transport to a Nazi labor camp. Miep Gies, Otto Frank's office assistant hides them in the attic above the office. The film tells the true story of Gies' struggle to keep the family hidden and safe, as the Nazis turn Amsterdam upside-down. Based upon Gies' memoirs and Anne Frank's famous diary.

Augustine: Late Have I Loved Thee
VHS
App. 35 minutes
2004-310
A compelling introduction to the life and works of St. Augustine, this program, written and narrated by James O'Donnell of the University of Pennsylvania, presents passages from Confessions and City of God to acquaint viewers with Augustine's philosophy.

Auschwitz: If You Cried, You Died
VHS
App. 28 minutes
2004-207
A documentary video chronicling the journey of two Holocaust survivors as they revisit the Auschwitz concentration camp.

Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State
DVD
App. 300 minutes
2005-47
This series takes a look at the events and history of Auschwitz in a six-part program. Exhaustive research was undertaken, with victims and perpetrators of the crimes. Reenactments help provide a gruesome visualization of the events, along with some shocking archive footage.

Auschwitz: Silent Witness & War Crimes and Trials
VHS
Length unknown
2004-180
During the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam, Otto Frank decides to hide his family, who are Jewish, after his daughter Margot is called to appear for transport to a Nazi labor camp. Miep Gies, Otto Frank's office assistant hides them in the attic above the office. The film tells the true story of Gies' struggle to keep the family hidden and safe, as the Nazis turn Amsterdam upside-down. Based upon Gies' memoirs and Anne Frank's famous diary.

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To Bear Witness
VHS
App. 42 minutes
2004-245
A powerful documentary about the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps by the Allied Armies in 1945 uses the first International Liberators Conference as a framework for a study of the liberation. This documentary captures the emotional reunions of survivors and liberators.

Becoming the Buddha in L.A.
VHS
App. 50 minutes
2004-11
Becoming the Buddha in L.A. chronicles and explores growing religious diversity in the United States with a focus on Buddhism. At the same time, the program offers an overview of the origins of Buddhist traditions, revealing the historical and cultural context from which it has risen. The program emphasizes the diversity and change within Buddhism and yet shows the rituals, values, and visions that have remained at the heart of its tradition for centuries.

Betrothed
Audiotape
App. 4 hours
2004-288
4 tapes. Betrothed is a mystical story of love and passion, set in the Holy Land in 1909. A brilliant scholar who studies the ocean once again finds the love of his youth, and is joined with her forever after a wild race on the beach. It is Agnon's only work to be recorded in English.

Beyond Baghdad
DVD
App. 60 minutes
2005-336
Frontline correspondent Martin Smith travels across the Iraqi-Turkish border to Kurdish Mosul and Kirkuk, across the rebellious Sunni lands of central Iraq to Baghdad and finally farther south to the sacred Shia cities of Karbala and Najaf, to take a long, hard look at the Iraq to which the president vows to bring democracy. In this diverse and fractured land can his experiment work?

Beyond Good and Evil
DVD
App. 35 minutes
2004-121
The belief that “good triumphs over evil” resonates deeply in our psyche through religious, cultural, and political discourses. It is also a common theme in the entertainment media where the struggle between good and evil is frequently resolved through violence. The potential negative impact of media violence on children has long been a public concern. It is even more troubling when U.S. military violence, both in the news and in the entertainment, is often glorified as heroic and patriotic. Children's worlds of fantasy and reality collided when our political leaders, in response to the September 11th tragedy, simplified the complex international relationships into a fight between good and evil. The Bush administration used the narrative strategically—and the news media perpetuated it with enthusiasm—pumping up patriotism and generating public support for the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. This video examines how the "good and evil" rhetoric, in both the entertainment and the news media, has helped children to dehumanize the enemies, justify their killing and treat the suffering of innocent civilians as necessary sacrifice. The interviews include media scholars (Robert Jenson, Robin Andersen), child psychologists (Diane Levin, Nancy Carlsson-Paige), teachers (Merrie Najimy, Brian Wright), educators (Eli Newberger and Betty Burkes), and the children themselves.

Beyond the Frame: Alternative Perspectives on the War on Terrorism
DVD
App. 120 minutes
2004-122
Since the 9/11 attacks, and on through the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, the mainstream media have presented a dangerously restricted range of views, mainly confined to the opinion of political elites and a commercial frame dependent on advertisers and ratings. Beyond the Frame-a series of interviews with some of the most prominent scholars, experts, and activists in politcal and social thought-critiques this coverage and offers alternative perspectives on the historical context and response strategies. This easy-to-navigate DVD version of Beyond the Frame, originally a web-only project, has been designed for efficient use in the classroom.

Bhutan: Land of the Thunder Dragon
DVD
2004-12
This fascinating video documentary delves deep into the rich history, cultural traditions and haunting beauty of the Kingdom of Bhutan as it struggles to join the 21st century while striving to retain its unique cultural identity and values.

The Bible and Western Culture, Part 1
Audiotape
App. 12 hours
2004-297
6 tapes. A series of lectures including: The Gilgamesh Epic, Genesis: Introduction to Biblical Study, Exodus: Toward the Law, Job and the Problem of Evil, Isaiah: Swords into Plowshares, Matthew: The New Law, Luke and Acts: From Jerusalem to Rome, John: The Unbroken Net of Scripture, The Pauline Tradition, Revelation and the Eschaton, Augustine and the Christian Self, and Meister Eckhart: From Whom God Hid Nothing.

The Bible and Western Culture, Part 2
Audiotape
App. 12 hours
2004-297
6 tapes. A series of lectures including: Justice and Poetry: Dante's Book of the Dead, Ugolino: Dante's Last "Sympathetic Sinner," Cantos I & II of Purgatorio: Typology and Poetry, Utopia: Between Heaven and Earth, Luther and the Reformation, Shakespeare: Measure for Measure, Milton: Paradise Lost, Hume, Swift, and the Collapse of Deism, Kierkegaard's Leap of Faith, Dostoyevsky's The Idiot and the Book of Revelation, Nietzsche and the Death of God, and Joyce: From Religion to Art.

Blood in the Face & Weapons of the Spirit
VHS
App. 75 minutes & 90 minutes
2004-142
This tape contains two videos: "Blood in the Face" and "Weapons of the Spirit." "Blood" is a compelling, darkly humorous look at the radical right in America. This feature documentary shows members of the Ku Klux Klan, Aryan Nation, Posse Comitatus, American Nazi Party, and Euro-American Alliance (members as well as) several Canadian fascists whose avowed goal is to forge a cohesive political brotherhood which will create an Aryan Nation on the North American continent. "Weapons" tells the true story of a small French village which managed to save 5,000 Jews from the Holocaust. The village is Le Chambon-sur-Lignon in central France whose inhabitants are descendants of Protestants who were heavily persecuted in previous centuries. They decided to resist evil with the weapons of the spirit and managed to double the population of their community right under the Nazis noses.

Bound for Nowhere
VHS
App. 9 minutes
2004-131
Witness the dramatic voyage of over 900 Jews, among them 200 children, who fled Nazi Germany. Turned away from their expected Cuban refuge, they are forced back to European countries. This document stands as testimony to the indifference of other nations to assist the Jews.

Brothers and Others
DVD
App. 50 minutes
2004-120
The atrocities witnessed by the world on September 11th were hateful acts by terrorists who chose to view their vicims not as people but as symbols of a perceived evil. By jailing thousands of Arabs, Muslims and South Asians without evidence or due process, is America perpetuating the cycle of hate and ignorance which claimed so many innocent lives? Featuring interviews with such experts as Noam Chomsky and James Zogby, Brothers and Others is a one-hour documentary on the impact of 9/11 on Muslims and Arabs in America. The film follows a number of immigrants and Americans as they struggle in the heightened climate of hate, FBI and INS investigations, and economic hardships that erupted following the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Also features On Power, Dissent and Racism, a fifty-minute conversation with NOAM CHOMSKY. In this discussion with director Nicolas Rossier, professor Chomsky presents his reflections on the motivations behind 9/11 and its consequences on the international system. With rigorous analysis, he defines the notion of terrorism within its historical context and gives his thoughts on how we should fight it without exercising the politics of power. Also presented are Chomsky's personal perspectives on the role of the media in the war on terrorism, his views on racism against Arabs and Muslims and much more.

Buddha Realms
DVD/VHS
2004-13
Buddha Realms is a major two-part series that explores the origins of Buddhism, its major doctrines, and its relevance today. Crossing six countries, the first of the two episodes look at Buddhism in the East today, where every major tradition has had an impact across the Asian continent, with the second episode exploring Buddhism in the West, where spiritual seekers are making this one of the fastest and most influential religions in the world today.

Buddhism, Man, and Nature
VHS
App. 14 minutes
2004-153
This film captures the thought behind Buddhism rather than its historical manifestations. The visuals are lush nature shots, the narration solid Watts, stressing that man is part of nature, not its enemy, that emptiness has value, and that all life is change to be cooperated with rather than resisted.

Buddhism: The Path to Enlightenment
VHS
App. 35 minutes
2004-155
Traces the life of the Buddha from his birth as a prince through his time spent as a wandering mendicant in search of a solution to life's sorrow to his later years when he trudged the dusty paths of India preaching his ego-shattering, life-redeeming message.

The Burmese Harp
VHS
App. 116 minutes
2004-14
The film takes place at the end of WWII in the country of Burma where a group of Japanese soldiers learn of their nation's surrender and are sent to a POW camp in the town of Mudon. One of them, Mizushima, is sent on a mission to inform another unit of the surrender and to convince them to stop fighting. The unit refuses to give up, and they are killed by the British army; Mizushima is the only survivor. He takes the guise of a Buddhist monk and travels across the region in search of his unit. Along the way, Mizushima encounters many deceased Japanese soldiers and tries to bury some of them. He gradually becomes obsessed with burying and honoring the dead and cannot go back to Japan with his unit, choosing a more spiritual life in Burma.

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Camps of Death
VHS
App. 60 minutes
2004-258
Following Hitler's murderous career, the film traces his rise to power, his ultimate demise, and the subsequent Nuremberg Trials that publicized the horrors of Hitler's regime. Concentration camp footage combines with chilling POW interviews to graphically create the Nazi nightmare that few could hope to survive. A powerful look at the Third Reich and the horrifying fate of its enemies.

City Confidential:Scottsboro Foul Play in the Bible Belt
VHS
App. 50 minutes
2005-1
In 1991, Mrs. Glen Summerford lay dying on the floor of her home, poison coursing through her veins and a suicide note next to her. But it wasn't suicide, and she didn't die. And the investigation that followed turned the tiny town of Scottsboro, Alabama, deep in the heart of the Bible belt, upside down. Mrs. Summerford's husband was the head preacher at the Church of Jesus with Signs Following, but he was unable to cast out his own demons. A heavy drinker, he was prone to fits of passion over his wife's infidelities, real and imagined. He was also a snake handler. And on the fateful night, he went to his wife in a drunken stupor and demanded that she tell him the truth. When her answers did not satisfy him, he forced her at gunpoint to thrust her hand into a rattlesnake cage! But the drama was just beginning...

Civilization by Kenneth Clark
VHS
2004-98
Episode 5: The Hero as Artist-Papal Rome in the sixteenth century, where Christianity and antiquity begin to converge, provides the focus for this look at Michelangelo, Raphael, and da Vinci. Join Lord Clark as he explores the courtyards of the Vatican, the rooms decorated for the Pope by Raphael, and the Sistine Chapel.
Episode 9: The Pursuit of Happiness-The harmonious flow and complex symmetry of eighteenth-century music—the compositions of Bach, Handel, Haydn and Mozart—are reflected in the best rococo architecture of that period, as seen in the churches and palaces of Bavaria.

Civilization by Kenneth Clark
VHS
2004-98
Episode 7: Grandeur and Obedience-Visit the Rome of the Counter-Reformation—The Rome of Michelangelo and Bernini. The Catholic Church in its fight against the Protestant north developed a new splendor symbolized by the glory of St. Peter’s.
Episode 8: Light of Experience-The telescope and microscope revealed new worlds in space and in a drop of water. The realism found in Dutch painting took the observation of human character to a new stage of development.

Civilization by Kenneth Clark
VHS
2004-98
Episode 10: The Smile of Reason-The polite chat in the elegant salons of eighteenth-century Paris became the precursor of revolutionary politics. This theme takes Lord Clark from the great European palaces like Blenheim and Versailles to Jefferson’s Monticello.
Episode 11: The Worship of Nature-The belief in the divinity of nature usurped Christianity’s position as the chief creative force in Western civilization, ushering in the Romantic movement. Examining this force, Lord Clark takes us to Tintern Abbey, the Swiss Alps, and the landscapes of Turner and Constable.

Civilization by Kenneth Clark
VHS
2004-98
Episode 12: Fallacies of Hope-The French Revolution led to the dicatorship of Napolean and the dreary bureaucracies of the nineteenth century. The disillusionment of the Romantic artists is traced through the music of Beethoven, the poetry of Byron, the paintings of Delacroix, and the sculpture of Rodin.
Episode 13: Heroic Materialism-Lord Clark’s thoughts on the materialism and humanitarianism of the past century take him from the English industrial landscape of the nineteenth century to the towering skyscrapers of New York City in the twentieth.

Constructing Public Opinion
DVD
App. 32 minutes
2004-123
The media regularly use public opinion polls in their reporting of important news stories. But how exactly do they report them and to what end? In this insightful and accessible interview, Professor Justin Lewis demonstrates the way in which polling data are themselves used by the media to not just reflect what Americans think but instead to construct public opinion itself. Addressing vital issues (e.g., the role the media play in "manufacturing consent" for political elites, what polls really tell us about public opinion, what Americans actually think about politics), Constructing Public Opinion provides a new way to think about the relationship between politics, media and the public. Exploding the myth that most Americans are moderate or conservative, Constructing Public Opinion demonstrates the way in which political elites help to promote the military industrial complex and how the media sustains belief in an electoral system with a built-in bias against the interests of ordinary people. Well illustrated with graphics and many examples of media coverage, it is the first film of its kind to present a critical analysis of media and public opinion.

Control Room
DVD
App. 86 minutes
2005-13
In the spring of 2003, just before President Bush declared that the United States would go to war with Iraq, documentary filmmaker Jehane Noujaim and her crew set up their cameras inside Al Jazeera, the satellite news network for the Arab world. Though US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld accuses Al Jazeera of lying in its news reports, CONTROL ROOM tells a different story. Candid interviews with some of Al Jezeera's leaders--like Sudanese journalist Hassan Ibrahim who formerly headed the BBC Arab News service, and senior producer Samir Khader who talks openly about his respect for American values-- offer an Arab perspective on the US and the war. Meanwhile, Americans such as NBC correspondent David Shuster and Central Command press officer Lt. Josh Rushing, both working in Qatar, offer another point of view. Through various interviews, Al Jazeera is presented as a grass- roots organization devoted to being an independent news source. In addition, it is not afraid of showing the brutality of war. The station airs shocking footage of the devastation caused by US bombings, showing the resultant carnage of Iraqi civilians, Iraqi soldiers, as well as US soldiers. The Al Jazeera reporters dissect US news reports, which rarely contain coverage of this nature, pointing out how information is packaged to exclude certain truths. When asked her opinion of objectivity, Al Jazeera producer Deema Khatib calls it a mirage, which is a powerful statement about the foggy nature of truth as interpreted by the media. A fascinating look inside Al Jazeera, CONTROL ROOM will challenge viewers to question what to believe from the news they receive.

Courage to Care
VHS
App. 29 minutes
2004-235
A video about non-Jews who rescued Jews during the Holocaust, is exceptional, both as an educational resource and for personal enlightenment.

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Dan and Aroer: Where Archaeology and the Bible Meet–Or Not
VHS
App. 80 minutes
2004-255
With detailed anecdotes about his experiences at numerous excavations, Biran demonstrates which archaeological finds correspond to biblical accounts and which do not. Citing specific examples from digs at Aroer, Tel Dan, and the Jordan River area, Biran contends that archaeology can neither prove nor disprove the Bible.

Das Leben von Adolf Hitler
VHS
App. 101 minutes
2004-205
Using archival footage from Europe, never seen elsewhere, this film contains startling portraits of the rise of the Nazi Party, the years after the first World War, the hyperinflation of currency, the first still and motion pictures of Hitler, young Goering, Himmler, Goebbels, the Beer Hall Putsch, Hitler's year in jail and the re-building of the Party. Hitler's private life and his early years are shown, the Nazi movement, the 1936 Olympic Games, the invasion of Austria, Chamberlain's appeasement, Poland and the rest of Europe are invaded, the Blitz, the invasion of Russia and the terrible winter, the Warsaw ghetto and the death camps. It's all here, from the beginning to the end in one of the most valuable, spellbinding, horrible-but-true documents ever filmed.

Daughters of the Dust
DVD
App. 113 minutes
2005-40
Working with a theme and history that's obviously dear to her heart, first-time writer-director Julie Dash's exquisitely alive film chronicles the last days of the Gullah, an Americanized West African people in danger of losing their identity. Dash makes up for some overly schematic dialogue and an occasionally pokey pace with some strong performances (particularly Cora Lee Day as the sternly matriarchal Nana) and an absolutely wonderful visual sense (kudos should also go to her ace cinematographer Arthur Jafa, whose dazzlingly sumptuous imagery surely inspired Jonathan Demme's later Beloved). A rapturously textured, wholly mesmerizing glimpse into the Gullah culture.

The Day of the Dead
VHS
App. 30 minutes
2004-15
This fanciful film takes us to the village of Patzcuaro, where, like villages all over Mexico, on October 31 people return home from everywhere to celebrate their ancestors and communicate with their long dead loved ones. This impressionistic pilgrimage takes us to the cemetery where graves are decorated and turned into works of art, with flowers, personal objects, food, offerings and thousands upon thousands of candles. For a twenty-four hour period, we follow Death on a tongue-in-check guided tour through the soul of a people.

Dead Sea Scrolls and the New Testament
VHS
App. 56 minutes
2004-16
VanderKam delivers a point-by-point comparison of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the New Testament. He asserts that while the scrolls should not be directly linked to the Bible, they reveal a community living before, during and after Jesus, and cast much light on the early relationship of Christianity to Judaism.

Dead Sea Scrolls, Early Christianity, and Judaism
VHS
App. 60 minutes each
2004-311
One of the most important Dead Sea Scrolls ever found, MMT spells out differences between the Scrolls sect and mainstream Judaism in ancient times. This 4 tape set discusses what current Scroll research reveals about early Judaism. It visits the caves of Qumran, and speculates on the nature and religious activities of the community at Qumran.

Death Camp Atrocities
VHS
App. 60 minutes
2004-277

The Decalogue
DVD
App. 55 minutes/movie
2004-17
Each of these ten short films uses one of the Ten Commandments as a thematic springboard. It explores the timeless moral issues of human existence through ten contemporary tales, each based on one of the Ten Commandments.

D-Day: The Color Footage
VHS
App. 55 minutes
2004-203
This film contains original color footage from D-Day, filmed by George Stevens.

The Demjanjuk Trial
VHS
App. 50 minutes
2004-130
This is the trial of the retired Cleveland auto mechanic accused of being "Ivan the Terrible": the man who supervised the gas chambers at Treblinka. Israel won extradition, but the case became entangled in legal issues larger than the man's guilt or innocence. In this video, the courtroom drama and surrounding issues are unveiled.

Derrida
VHS
App. 85 minutes
2005-12
Directors Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering Kofman present this documentary portrait of the intellectual and philosopher Jacques Derrida. Beginning with his theory of deconstruction--the notion of getting to the basics behind our thought processes and the way in which we view the world-- Derrida is portrayed "naturally" walking down the street or shuffling about his house. He frequently observes the camera, noting that its presence alone makes the situation unnatural, and not real. For instance, he says, on a normal day at home, he would stay in his pajamas and bathrobe rather than being (as we see him on film) dressed nicely and slightly primped. Derrida's interaction with the camera, the filmmakers, and others--his wife, his peers, his students--is in itself the embodiment of his theories. He talks about narcissism and being incapable of viewing himself--but rather being viewed by "the other"-- while watching tapes of himself, or looking at his own portrait. He travels to South Africa and visits Nelson Mandela's old prison cell, then conducts a discussion with a group of students about forgiveness. Bits of his essays are read in intervals, as are brief biographies explaining his origins and experiences as a Jewish Algerian. While DERRIDA seems to be more about the man and his quotidian life rather than his work and writings, one might guess that separating the two would seem, at least to the philosopher himself, "not possible."

Destiny
VHS
App. 135 minutes
2004-18
When a disciple of Averroes (a great 12th century philosopher) is burned at the stake for heresy, his young son Joseph journeys to Andalusia to study with his father's mentor. In Andalusia, Averroes and his students are clashing with an evil sheik that is guiding a group of brainwashed fundamentalists to power. Once protected by the rulding caliph, Averroes finds his life in jeopardy when the caliph concedes to the evil sheik's influence and orders all of Averroes' books to be burned. With Joseph's help, Averroes' disciples unite in a frantic race to ensure the enlightened impressions of their mentor endure.

Devil's Playground
DVD
App. 77 minutes
2004-104
Documentary looking at Amish youth who upon turning 16 are turned loose to experience the outside world until they can decide whether or not to commit to a lifetime within the community. With this freedom comes many conflicting emotions; full blown teenage mayhem coupled with deep religious roots- a brutal combination.

The Dhimmis: To be a Jew in Arab Lands
VHS
App. 29 minutes
2004-281
A comprehensive documentary detailing centuries of persecution endured by Jews living in Arab lands. With rare film footage, photographs, maps and interviews, this is a first-rate overview of Jewish life in the midst of ongoing conflict.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Hanged on a Twisted Cross
VHS
App. 120 minutes
2004-31
This gripping documentary captures the life, times, and thought of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was executed by the Nazis just days before the Allies defeated Germany in World War II. Using rare archival footage, documents, and visits to original locations, we get an intimate portrait of a man whose life and writings grow in their influence and speak powerfully to issues of our own day some 50 years later. Bonhoeffer confronted issues with a searching Biblical faith and personal courage in a way that speaks to every generation.

Discovering Lost Gospels
VHS
App. 55 minutes
2004-19
-A trove of manuscripts discovered in Egypt in 1945 proved to be long-lost gospels. Though not considered canonical, these manuscripts showed that early Christianity did not have a uniform set of teachings that were accepted by all believers. Ehrman guides us through these little-known gospels to reconstruct the theologies of some of the earliest Christians.

Divine Horsemen: The Living Gods of Haiti
VHS
App. 52 minutes
2004-107
A journey into the fascinating world of the Voudoun religion of Haiti filmed by Maya Deren and posthumously edited by Teiji and Cherel Ito, a remarkable document of the Rada, Petro and Congo cults of Haiti whose devotees commune with cosmic powers through invocations, voodoo dances and ritual ceremonies.

Divining the Divine
VHS
Time unknown
2005-4
Divining the Divine gleans insight from practitioners of the world's five major religions—Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism—as well as Jainism, and ancient religion of India, and Native American spirituality.

D'vekut: Hasidism & Jewish Mysticism (A Personal Journey)
VHS
App. 52 minutes
2004-20
-This colorful, lively documentary depicts the various sects of Hasidism which embody "D'vekut" in Israel. "D'vekut", the Hebrew term for the mystical union between man and God, is the essential element of Hasidism. This Jewish movement began in eighteenth century Eastern Europe and lives on in Israel, the only country where all fifty of the Hasidic groups are represented.

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The Eagle's Nest: The Early Years
VHS
App. 60 minutes
2004-254
1 of 4 in a series. Named for the secret Nazi headquarters, this series depicts the rise and fall of the Third Reich using rare footage and contemporary interviews.

The Eagle's Nest: Europe Falls before the Reich
VHS
App. 60 minutes
2004-255
2 of 4 in a series. Named for the secret Nazi headquarters, this series depicts the rise and fall of the Third Reich using rare footage and contemporary interviews.

The Eagle's Nest: A World War
VHS
App. 60 minutes
2004-256
3 of 4 in a series. Named for the secret Nazi headquarters, this series depicts the rise and fall of the Third Reich using rare footage and contemporary interviews.

The Eagle's Nest: End of the Reich
VHS
App. 60 minutes
2004-257
4 of 4 in a series. Named for the secret Nazi headquarters, this series depicts the rise and fall of the Third Reich using rare footage and contemporary interviews.

Earth
DVD
App. 101 minutes
2004-21
Earth, the second film in Deepa Mehta's controversial trilogy, is an emotionally devastating love story set within the sweeping social upheaval and violence of 1947 India. As her country teeters on the brink of self-rule and instability, 8-year-old Lenny, an innocent girl from an affluent family, is in danger of having her world turned upside down. As the simmering violence around them reaches a boiling point, Lenny's beautiful nanny Shanta falls in love with one of Lenny's heroes. Love, however, can be dangerous when religious differences are tearing the country apart, and friendships and loyalty are put to the test.

Echoes that Remain
DVD
App. 60 minutes
2005-17
A study of the pre-Holocaust shtetl in the former Jewish communities of Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland and Romania. Narrated by Martin Landau.

The Educational Archives: Religion
DVD
App. 120 minutes
2004-118
Revive old memories of sleepy Sunday school mornings with this collection of vintage 16mm religious classroom films. The secret to getting into heaven, the wages of sin, and God's love of atomic energy are revealed in all of their cinematic glory. Highlights include Door to Heaven, Atomic Energy Can Be a Blessing (starring Fred MacMurrary), For Time or Eternity, and Youth Suicide Fantasy. Includes notes on each film by collection curator Skip Elsheimer of the A/V Geeks Educational Film Archive.

Edward Asner and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
VHS
Length unknown
2004-187

Edward Said: On Orientalism
DVD
App. 40 minutes
2005-25
Edward Said's book Orientalism has been profoundly influential in a diverse range of disciplines since its publication in 1978. In this engaging and lavishly illustrated interview he talks about the context within which the book was conceived, its main themes, and how its original thesis relates to the contemporary understanding of "the Orient" as represented in the mass media. "That's the power of the discourse of Orientalism. If you're thinking about people and Islam, and about that part of the wold, those are the words you constantly have to use. To think past it, to go beyond it, not to use it, is virtually impossible, because there is no knowledge that isn't codified in this way about that part of the world." -Edward Said

Edward Said: The Myth of "The Clash of Civilizations"
VHS
App. 55 minutes
DVD
App. 40 minutes
2004-125
In this important lecture delivered at the University of Massachusetts, Edward Said takes aim at one of the central tenets of recent foreign policy thinking-- that conflicts between different and "clashing civilizations" (Western, Islamic, Confucian) characterize the contemporary world.

Enlightenment Guaranteed
DVD
App. 105 minutes
2004-22
Uwe and Gustav are two middle-aged brothers whose lives are a mess: Uwe's wife just left him and Feng Shui consultant, Gustav, is feeling unfulfilled. This odd couple travel together to the Sojiji Monastery in Monzen, outside Tokyo. Enroute, their mid-life crisis turns into a midnight crisis when they get lost in Tokyo's neon jungle and can't find their way back to the hotel. It's down and out in Asia's brave new world. The brothers' eventual arrival at the monastery is an immersion of a more subtle kind. Still, the enigma of enlightenment keeps them going.

Enoch and Jesus: Parallel Paths to Heaven
VHS
App. 53 minutes
2004-23
-Pearson examines why there are many similarities between early Christian traditions about Jesus and early Jewish interpretations of the Biblical figure of Enoch. He explores these similarities and suggests that a common ancestry unites rabbinic Judaism-from which modern Judaism derives-and Christianity.

Escape from Sobibor
VHS
App. 149 minutes
2004-188
Sobibor was a Nazi death camp in Poland, where more than a quarter of a million Jews were annihilated. It was also the site of the largest prisoner escape of WWII.

Essential Alan Watts: Man in Nature, Work as Play
VHS
App. 58 minutes
2004-174
Man in Nature: What is the essential difference between the world of nature and the world of man? Watts, in his mountain retreat in North Carolina, speaks of our failure to feel at home in the inherent "wiggliness" of nature, the confusion of symbols with reality, and the oversimplification of language in an infinitely complex world. Work as Play: On his ferryboat in Sausalito, Watts speaks of the division we have in our culture between work and play, of how when you take the play out of work, life becomes a joyless drudge.

Essential Alan Watts: On Meditation, Nothingness
VHS
App. 58 minutes
2004-174
On Meditation: Watts speaks of the methods of meditation and explains how to sit, to listen, how to watch the breath and the thoughts as they arise in the mind. Nothingness: Watts contemplates emptiness and form, how positive and negative coexist and come into being together. The something and the nothing are inseparable. The nothing is the force by which the something can be manifested.

Essential Alan Watts: Time, The More It Changes
VHS
App. 58 minutes
2004-174
Time: Watts muses on how the whole idea of our being driven is connected with the idea of the causality of life moving under the power of the past. He turns this idea completely the other way, saying that the past is a result of the present. The More It Changes: Watts explores three fantasies: (1) Are we a reproduction which over the centuries of evolution has worked out to be a replica of something else that was going on? (2) Why does every living thing think it's human? (3) How do stars begin?

European Thought and Culture in the 19th Century
VHS
App. 24 30-minute segments
2004-312
Nineteenth-century Europe was the crucible for many of the ideas, institutions, and "isms" that shape contemporary global culture. This set examines the birth of nationalism, capitalism, socialism, liberalism, and feminism using examples from the work and writings of Karl Marx, Charles Darwin, Friedrich Nietzsche, Germaine de Staël, and George Sand.

Eva Peron
DVD
App. 114 minutes
2005-19
The life of iconic Argentine leader Eva "Evita" Peron is chronicled in this engrossing biography filmed by fellow Argentine, Juan Carlos Desanzo. Peron's stormy life, which tragically ended at age 33, is brought to the screen with the same passion with which she lived it. In Spanish with English subtitles.

Evita: The Woman Behind the Myth
DVD
App. 50 minutes
2005-18
To some, she was a hero. To others, she was a symbol of naked ambition. To the world, she remains a legend. Eva Duarte de Peron Evita is one of the most controversial figures in history. A minor actress when she married Argentine president-to-be Juan Peron, her political power and prestige eventually equaled, and perhaps eclipsed, his. Was she a power-hungry Marie Antoinette, as detractors claim? Or was she really the savior of the working poor? In this remarkable program, rare photographs and films tell Evita's real story, from her humble birth to her tragic death of cancer at 33. Close aids and bitter enemies offer their firsthand accounts, and consider why she continues to fascinate us today.

Existentialism
VHS
App. 35 minutes
2004-306
This video surveys the views of Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Dostoyevsky, Sartre, and Camus, as well as the concept of the absurd. It also examines existentialist literature.

Existenz
DVD
App. 97 minutes
2005-27
Allegra Geller, the leading game designer in the world, is testing her new virtual reality game, eXistenZ with a focus group. As they begin, she is attacked by a fanatic assassin employing a bizarre organic gun. She flees with a young marketing trainee, Ted Pikul, who is suddenly assigned as her bodyguard. Unfortunately, her pod, an organic gaming device that contains the only copy of the eXistenZ game program, is damaged. To inspect it, she talks Ted into accepting a gameport in his own body so he can play the game with her. The events leading up to this, and the resulting game lead the pair on a strange adventure where reality and their actions are impossible to determine from either their own or the game's perspective.

Eyes from the Ashes
VHS
App. 12 minutes
2004-140
This film was created from the many family photographs housed at the Auschwitz death camp. This poignant video leads to the inevitable question: Which photographs would you choose to take into the unknown?

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Fahrenheit 451
DVD
App. 113 minutes
2004-24
Montag, a regimented fireman in charge of burning the forbidden volumes, meets a revolutionary school teacher who dares to read. Suddenly he finds himself a hunted fugitive, forced to choose not only between two women, but between personal safety and intellectual freedom. Truffaut's first English language production is an eerie fable where mankind becomes the ultimate evil.

Faith and Doubt in Ground Zero
DVD
App. 120 minutes
2005-341
Ground Zero in Manhattan has become a site of pilgrimage. Thousands of people visit the site, looking for consolation and questioning the events of September 11. There is a profound quiet to their meditations. Starting here, FRONTLINE sets out on a quest to find out how peoples' faith has been challenged, and how they are coping with difficult questions of good and evil, religion and apostasy, and the frailty of human life.

Father's Return to Auschwitz
VHS
App. 20 minutes
2004-217
In 1943, Jaroslav Drabek was sent to Auschwitz. Forty years later, he returned to remember and brought his son to learn. Archival film footage and old photographs augment the tale.

Faustina
DVD
App.75 minutes
2004-25
This movie is a drama on the life of Blessed Sister Faustina Kowalska, a member of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, based upon her experiences recorded in her spiritual diary. She received from Our Lord the visions of Divine Mercy early this century, and was beatified by Pope John Paul II. This is a beautiful, artistic portrayal of her mystical life in high quality cinema.

Flowers for Guadalupe
VHS
App. 57 minutes
2004-26
This film explores the importance of the Virgin of Guadalupe as a liberating symbol for Mexican women today. In the course of this richly textured treatment of an evolving symbol, twenty-three women speak out, in traditional testimonio format. This unusual "cantata" of women's voices representing urban, small-town, and rural communities, is intercut with scenes of daily women's work and celebration of the Virgin of Guadalupe in various contexts, including festivities organized by the Comite Guadalupano in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York. This documentary follows an all-women's pilgrimage from Queretaro state through several arduous but joyful days as it weaves its way through difficult terrain, harsh weather and congested streets to the Virgin shrine in Mexico City.

Flowers of St. Francis
VHS
App. 75 minutes
2004-27
This is one of the most beautiful and humbling pictures I have seen. I discovered it recently along with three other Rossellinis, "India Matre Bhumi", "Fear", and "L'Amore" - all masterworks. But so far based on the first viewing, "Francesco, giullare di Dio" ranks with my absolute favorite Rossellini pictures, "Europa '51" & "The Rise of Louis XIV". From the sublime opening long shot of Franciscans arriving in Assissi to the final unforgettable moment where they all spin and fall on the ground and Rossellini's circular camera connects the earth, sky, and water in perfect harmony, "Francesco" is an authentic, invigorating piece of art.

Forest of Bliss
DVD
App. 90 minutes
2004-106
Forest of Bliss is an unsparing yet redemptive account of the inevitable griefs, religious passions and frequent happinesses that punctuate daily life in Benares, India's most holy city. The film unfolds from one sunrise to the next without commentary, subtitles or dialogue. It is an attempt to give the viewer a wholly authentic though greatly magnified and concentrated sense of participation in the experiences examined by the film.

Friedrich Nietzsche: Beyond Good and Evil
VHS
App. 50 minutes
2004-309
Friedrich Nietzsche's 19th-century work prefigured the pivotal 20th-century concepts of existentialism and psychoanalysis. This video explores Nietzsche's life, elucidates his writings, and describes his sister's role in editing his works for use as Nazi propaganda. It features extracts of Nietzsche's aphoristic prose drawn from such works as the parable of the madman and Thus Spoke Zarathustra.

From Better Earth: Artists of the Holocaust
VHS
Length unknown
2004-200

From D-Day to Victory in Europe
VHS
App. 112 minutes
2004-261
This documentary contains war footage for the time period with great details concerning the Normandy breakout and the Battle of the Bulge. Also, good footage of the liberation of France.

Frontline / Courage to Care / Reunion
VHS
App. ___& 28 minutes & 21 minutes
2004-202
Three videos on one tape. Contrary to general knowledge, there were people who refused to march to the Nazi drummer, risking their lives to save Jews. "Courage to Care" portrays an unforgettable encounter with ordinary people who refuse to succumb to Nazi tyranny. "Reunion" documents the liberation of prisoners from Nazi Camps and describes the formidable logistics of returning Displaced Persons to their homes after the war.

Frontline: Beyond Baghdad
DVD
App. 60 minutes
2005-9
As Washington continues to celebrate the capture of Saddam Hussein, FRONTLINE takes viewers on a journey across Iraq to reveal just what it will take to stabilize the volatile nation and accelerate the transfer of power to the Iraqi people. In "Beyond Baghdad," FRONTLINE correspondent Martin Smith travels the length and breadth of Iraq for five weeks, interviewing everyone from tribal sheiks and ayatollahs to politicians and U.S. military commanders. Smith's reporting reveals a seriously fractured Iraq, where modest successes in nation-building have been offset by widespread inter-ethnic and sectarian rivalry, frustration, and violence.

Frontline: Faith and Doubt at Ground Zero
DVD
App. 120 minutes
2005-21
Ground Zero in Manhattan has become a site of pilgrimage. Thousands of people visit the site, looking for consolation as they question the events of September 11. There is a profound quiet to their meditations. Starting here, FRONTLINE sets out on a quest to find out how peoples' beliefs-and unbelief-has been challenged, and how they are coping with difficult questions of good and evil, the face of God, and the potential for darkness within religion itself. From survivors who were pulled from the wreckage of the Twin Towers to the widow of a New York City firefighter; from priests and rabbis to security guards and opera divas; from lapsed Catholics and Jews to Buddhists, Muslims, and atheists.... FRONTLINE explores and illuminates the myriad of spiritual questions that have come out of the terror, pain, and destruction at Ground Zero.

Frontline: House of Saud
DVD
App. 120 minutes
2005-10
The House of Saud has controlled every aspect of Saudi life and politics since the kingdom was established in 1932. But outside the Desert Kingdom, little is known about Saudi Arabia's secretive royal family. In "House of Saud," FRONTLINE explores how the Al Saud family maintains its hold on power in the face of growing tensions between Islam and modernity. Through interviews with members of the royal family, government officials, and other experts from Saudi Arabia and the U.S., the two-hour documentary also traces America's relations with the Saudi royal family from their first alliance in the 1930s through September 11 and beyond to the present day.

Frontline: The Invasion of Iraq
DVD
App. 120 minutes
2005-6
FRONTLINE marks the first anniversary of the Iraqi War with a two-hour documentary investigation that recounts the key strategies, battles, and turning points of the war from both sides of the battlefield. Through firsthand accounts from many of the war's key participants--from strategists in Washington to the soldiers who actually fought the battles--"The Invasion of Iraq" promises to be a definitive television history of America's most recent war.

Frontline: Israel's Next War
DVD
App. 60 minutes
2005-7
As a new Palestinian leader signs a truce with the Israelis, there is hope that after four years of bloody fighting, Middle East peace talks might resume. This summer Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is planning to remove Jewish settlers and return the disputed Gaza Strip to Palestinian control. But Israel is bracing for a reaction from the settlers in both Gaza and the West Bank. Israeli security forces are warning that extremists among the settlers could, with one major act of violence, raise the prospect of civil war in Israel or trigger a conflict with the wider Muslim world. As the possibility of peace once again seems real, FRONTLINE takes a close look at the small group of Israelis who are vowing to derail it.

Frontline: The Jesus Factor
DVD
App. 60 minutes
2004-114
As an evangelical Christian, President Bush has something in common with the 46 percent of Americans who describe themselves as being "born again" or having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Often has the president recounted praying about major decisions facing the nation—but what do we actually know about the rudiments of George Bush's faith? To what extent do the president's spiritual beliefs impact or influence his political decision-making? And how closely do Bush's religious views mirror those of the burgeoning—and politically influential—evangelical movement?

Frontline: The Persuaders
DVD
App. 90 minutes
2005-16
FRONTLINE takes an in-depth look at the multibillion-dollar "persuasion industries" of advertising and public relations and how marketers have developed new ways of integrating their messages deeper into the fabric of our lives. Through sophisticated market research methods to better understand consumers and by turning to the little-understood techniques of public relations to make sure their messages come from sources we trust, marketers are crafting messages that resonate with an increasingly cynical public. In this documentary essay, correspondent Douglas Rushkoff (correspondent for FRONTLINE's "The Merchants of Cool") also explores how the culture of marketing has come to shape the way Americans understand the world and themselves and how the techniques of the persuasion industries have migrated to politics, shaping the way our leaders formulate policy, influence public opinion, make decisions, and stay in power.

Frontline: Sacred Ground
DVD
App. 60 minutes
2005-8
Within days of the September 11 attacks, the questions began: What should be built on the site of Ground Zero? Who should build it? And should anything be built there at all? FRONTLINE tells the inside story of the first stormy year in the plans to rebuild on the site of the World Trade Center. With exclusive access to architect Daniel Libeskind, the one-hour documentary follows the process to build Libeskind's proposed Freedom Tower and reveals how the desire to build the world's most meaningful architectural tribute descended into a billion-dollar battle for the soul of Ground Zero.

Frontline: Truth, War, and Consequences
DVD
App. 90 minutes
2005-5
FRONTLINE traces roots of the Iraqi war back to the days after 9/11, when Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld created a special intelligence operation to seek evidence justifying war. These intelligence reports soon fueled a struggle between Pentagon civilians and the CIA, State Department, and uniformed military. The struggle would cause inadequate planning for war's aftermath, continuing violence, and political problems for President Bush.

The Four Sons: A Guide to Passover
VHS
App. 37 minutes
2004-278
As Manny the delicatessen owner, Bikel relates the traditions of Passover to four brothers planning a seder, their first without Mom and Dad.

Fuhrer! Rise of a Madman
VHS
App. 108 minutes
2004-260
From Hitler's early days in Austria, through his writing of Mein Kampf, to the horror of World War II and final defeat inside his bunker, this film is a powerful examination of Hitler's evil and madness.

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Galilean Archaeology and the Historical Jesus Quest
VHS
App. 68 minutes
2004-28
-Edwards reviews the history of the Galilee and provides an overview of archaeological methods in order to understand the young Jesus in his historical and geographic context. In the process, Edwards uses archaeological discoveries in Galilee to better understand Jesus and his relationship to the world.

Gandhi
DVD
App. 190 minutes
2004-29
In stirring detail, Gandhi's life, principles and power explode on the screen with vivid scenes such as the horrific massacre at Amristar, where the British opened fire on 15,000 unarmed men, women and children, and the dramatic march to the sea where Gandhi led thousands of his fellow Indians to prove that sea salt belonged to all and was not just a British commodity.

Genocide
DVD/VHS
App. 90 minutes
2004-141
Produced by the Simon Wiesenthal Center, this film using documentary film and photographs and a moving narration by Orson Welles and Elizabeth Taylor presents one of the best introductions to the subject. It is recommended for audiences who are not familiar with the subject matter as well as for a knowledgeable audience.

Ghosts of Rwanda
DVD
App. 120 minutes
2005-20
FRONTLINE marks the 10th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide with a documentary chronicling one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century. In addition to interviews with key government officials and diplomats, the two-hour documentary offers eyewitness accounts of the genocide from those who experienced it firsthand. FRONTLINE illustrates the failures that enabled the slaughter of 800,000 people to occur unchallenged by the global community.

God Bless This Honorable Court: Religion and Civic Discourse
Lecture by Jonathan Z. Smith
DVD
App. 83 minutes
2005-2
In this talk he explores aspects of religion in civic discourse in terms of constitution and the court, through representation and interpretation of religion and public speech.

The Gospel According to the Papuans
VHS
App. 52 minutes
2004-30
-With gentle irony, this film records the overlay of Christianity on native beliefs that occurs in the Huli tribe, one of seven hundred tribes living in Papua New Guinea. In many areas of the world where Christian missionaries have brought their message, similar confusions and misconceptions abound. The film builds to a great baptismal ceremony, revealing the divisions among the tribe created by competing missionaries.

Go Tell It on the Mountain
DVD
App. 100 minutes
2005-38
A story of violence and desire, of tenderness and compassion, so gripping and moving, which lays bare the trials and sufferings, the yearnings and aspirations of an African-American family. The journey of a family from the rural South to "big city" Harlem, seeking both salvation and understanding and of a young boy struggling to earn the approval of a self-righteaous and often unloving stepfather.

Grace and Law: MMT and Paul
VHS
App. 69 minutes