Sir Colin Davis conducts the Bavarian Radio Symphony Chorus and Orchestra in a performance of Sir Michael Tippett’s oratorio. Written during the years before the Second World War, when Tippett’s political and social beliefs gained momentum, it is a compassionate outcry against injustice and persecution, and is enhanced by the use of Negro spirituals.
Anthony Green
A leading member of the Royal Academy, Green is an outstanding painter in the tradition of English individualism. He is noted for his extraordinarily detailed paintings which lovingly tell the story of his life and his marriage. This film on his work shows Green at his London home, where he takes viewers through his work with a lively commentary.
The Al Jolson Story
Little has ever been heard of the true Al Jolson – the extravagant womaniser, who poached material, went in for outrageous contractual manoeuvrings and whose occasional ruthless cruelty left him few real friends among a host of hangers-on. This colourful and candid profile of the legendary singer includes extensive film clips, rare archive and home movie footage, together with a number of interviews with those who knew him well.
Julien Temple
A fascinating documentary showing the translation of Colin Mclnnes’ cult novel into a large-scale musical film starring David Bowie and Sade. Director Julien Temple and producer Steve Woolley talk about the making of the movie, which is set in teenage London in the late 1950s.
A History of Boogie Woogie
Boogie woogie became a craze in 1940s America, having started as a piano form in the logging camps of Texas and Louisiana in the twenties. With a vintage parade of classic clips featuring the great exponents of boogie woogie – including Meade Lux Lewis, Albert Ammons and Pete Johnson – this programme gives a history of the distinctive style which energised popular music. As a climax, two of today’s leading Boogie artists, Big Joe Duskin and Axel Zwingenberger, stage a special jam session.
Norman Mailer
This programme on one of America’s most important contemporary writers focuses on his major documentary novel, The Executioner’s Song. This tells the story of Gary Gilmore, who died before a firing squad in Utah, in 1977. Mailer’s research into the lives of those involved in the case resulted in a thrilling book which also contains an important statement about modern America. Mailer talks in interview about his work.
Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl (1916-90) wrote books which children around the world find irresistible and which constantly ride high in the hardback and paperback children’s lists. Made with Dahl in 1986, Jack Bond’s film takes the viewer on an amazing journey, entering the writer’s magical world and revealing his extraordinary fantasies.
The Merry Widow
Prima ballerina Karen Kain stars as the widow Hanna Glawari in this specially-staged recording of Ronald Hynd’s three-act ballet, set to the music of Franz Lehár, adapted by John Lanchbery. This dazzling production captures perfectly the gaiety and elegance of Parisian high society at the turn of the nineteenth century, the setting for Lehár’s charming tale of political and amorous intrigue. The other principal roles are danced by John Meehan, Raymond Smith and Yoko Ichino.
Sidney Nolan
Born in Melbourne of Irish parents, Sidney Nolan (1917-92) became the leading Australian artist of his generation and a prominent figure in the international art world. His Output of paintings, graphics, book illustrations and theatre designs was prolific, and his journey to fame was an eventful one. Made a few years before his death, this biographical survey of his work includes film of Nolan in England, Australia, Ireland and Hong Kong.
Marguerite Yourcenar
Marguerite Yourcenar (1903-87) was the first woman to be elected to the illustrious Academie Française. This programme records an extended interview she gave the year before she died. At home, on the island off the coast of Maine where she lived as a virtual recluse from the 1930s on, she talks in depth about her life and work, which is illustrated with readings by actress Janet Suzman.