Costakis the Collector

A Film About George Costakis and His Definitive Collection of Russian Avant-garde Art George Costakis (1912-90) was one of the world’s greatest collectors. Over a thirty-five year period, he built up a magnificent collection of Russian Avant-garde paintings – the most comprehensive record of an art movement ever amassed. In this film, Costakis tells the remarkable story of how he rescued these important artworks from destruction during political upheavals in the Soviet Union and imparts his first-hand knowledge of the artists and their work.

Simone de Beauvior

The lifelong companion to Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir (1908-86) was a champion of women’s rights and one of the leading philosopher-novelists of the Existentialist school in France. In this, the last in-depth television interview she gave before her death, de Beauvoir talks about the most significant events that she and France faced during her lifetime. The film features dramatised extracts from her novels and archive footage.

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres

Ingres (1780-1867) presents a paradox – admired by many but loved by few, he was called reactionary and opposed the new Romanticism. Yet many who followed in the footsteps of his arch rival Delacroix found inspiration in Ingres’ work. Demonstrating the diversity of his art and the flexibility of his style, this film considers his reaction against the artistic changes of his day. It uses contemporary documentation and Ingres’ words and paintings to investigate the enigma he presents.

David Hockney

Hockney, one of Britain’s most successful contemporary artists, took a break from painting early in the 1980s to experiment with photography. He created ‘Joiner’ photographs – montages of prints showing subjects from many different angles and at different times. Filmed at his Los Angeles home, Hockney is seen creating one of these photo-pieces, from the initial idea through to the finishing touches. He talks about his interest in photography and its effect on his paintings.

R. K. Narayan

In this film, Narayan introduces his home town of Mysore in southern India, the model for Malgudi, the fictional setting for all his novels. Readings from his books, by Indian actor Madhav Sharma, reveal the charm of his style. The late Graham Greene, a great admirer of R. K. Narayan, assesses his place in world literature.

Dario Fo

Fo is an irresistible comedian and a key force in contemporary European theatre. One of Italy’s most successful writers and performers, his controversial political stance resulted in a fifteen-year exile from Italian television and a ban on entry to America. In this programme, Fo is seen in interview, rehearsal and performance. There is also film of one of his workshops on the mime technique of the commedia dell’arte, a mainspring of his work, and of his legendary Mistero Buffo performance.

The Yellow Gash

Jean-Paul Sartre’s imagination was caught by the Venetian master’s rebellion against Convention: his use of unexpected viewpoints; contrasts of scale; his visionary use of colour, light and shade. Sartre’s analysis of Tintoretto’s work forms the basis of this film study, which also draws on the writings of Vasari, and Ridolfi’s biography of the artist. Shot on location in Venice, the programme captures the full splendour of Tintoretto’s famous paintings and frescoes.

Nigel Kennedy – The Four Seasons

Nigel Kennedy plays Vivaldi’s Four Seasons with the English Chamber Orchestra. An introductory interview with Mariella Frostrup and rehearsal footage are intercut throughout the programme.

Three Painters

The painter, scholar and writer Lawrence Gowing (1918-91) was an eminent figure in the British art establishment. In this series he illuminates a central purpose in the work of three seminal artists who each mark a distinct stage in the story of European painting between the Renaissance and today. The artists’ work lies at the heart of the documentaries and Gowing’s lucid commentary reveals their wholly original achievements.