Movie reel

Morning Documentaries

Friday, 10 to 11:45 a.m., Library 3023

Claire and George Roper

The documentaries presented this semester will be both entertaining and enlightening. Watch for the titles here or in our Renaissance Recorder newsletter. We will meet in the Library on the third floor in Room 3023 (next to the Greek reference area). This is a drop-in seminar with no sign-up or presentation requirements.

Feb. 1: First Position (2011) 94 min
Follow dancers training for the Youth America Grand Prix, one of the world's most prestigious ballet competitions. The stakes are high: their performances will determine the success or failure of the young boys' dreams.
Feb. 8: Rome: Engineering an Empire (2005) 94 minutes
This fascinating History Channel documentary highlights the engineering feats involved in the construction of ancient Rome, reinforcing the adage that the city was hardly built in a day. Segments focus on the construction of the city's famed aqueducts and the Baths of Caracalla, as well as landmarks such as Hadrian's Wall, Caesar's Bridge, the Coliseum and the Pantheon.
Feb. 15: I Have Never Forgotten You (2006) 105 minutes
Richard Trank's documentary relays the remarkable story of architect-turned-Nazi-hunter Simon Wiesenthal. After losing nearly 90 family members in the Holocaust and surviving a death camp, Wiesenthal helped track down more than 1,000 war criminals.
Feb. 22: Garbage Warrior (2009) 86 minutes
Oliver Hodge's award-winning documentary chronicles the life and work of visionary Michael Reynolds, the radical architect-engineer who has been designing and building self-sustaining, eco-friendly homes out of disposable materials for 30 years. Battling opposition from bureaucrats, politicians and big business, Reynolds strives to show the entire world that "Earthship Biotecture" is the key to preserving mankind's future on earth.
March 1: Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision (1995) 83 minutes
In this Oscar-winning documentary, director Freida Lee Mock captures the genius of architect Maya Lin, who vaulted to fame at age 21 when her sparse, modern and controversial design was chosen to memorialize the Vietnam War in Washington, D.C. While many voiced displeasure with her design and Asian heritage, the memorial has become one of the most powerful in the world. The film also highlights Lin's Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Ala.
March 8: Up The Yangtze (2007) 93 minutes
When the Three Gorges Dam makes life hard for the Yu family, daughter Yu Shui must take a job aboard a cruise ship, where she enters into a dizzying microcosm of modern China. Meanwhile, her parents face the rising waters of the Yangtze.
March 15: My Flesh and Blood (2003) 83 minutes
Winner of both the Audience and Directing Awards at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival, this inspiring documentary tracks a year in the life of Susan Tom, a single parent from suburban Fairfield, Calif., who has adopted 11 children with special needs. Directed by Jonathan Karsh, the film obliterates stereotypes about people with disabilities, sharing joyful moments and everyday challenges without shying away from the family's heartbreaking losses.
March 22: Two Documentaries:
American Experience: Civilian Conservation Corps (2009) 52 minutes. Celebrates the 75th anniversary of the Civilian Conservation Corps, one of the most successful and ambitious projects advanced by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Great Depression. The program gives us an intimate view of the enduring accomplishments made by the CCC—a group of 3 million men put to work in the nation's forests and parks, planting trees and maintaining roads and trails.
Wolverine: Chasing the Phantom (2010) 52 minutes. One of the world's most elusive animals, the wolverine thrives in remote terrain, eats the dead and the living and easily escapes detection, yet wildlife rehabilitator Steve Kroschel knows the creatures so well, he's even raised them at home. The largest member of the weasel family proves ruthless and fiercely independent, but on Kroschel's Alaskan refuge, orphaned and injured wolverines permit a more intimate look.
March 29:
Spring Break; No Seminars.
April 5: Hey Boo: Harper Lee and To Kill a Mockingbird (2010) 82 minutes
Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, and its Oscar-winning film adaptation both had a deep influence on American culture and racial perspectives. This pensive documentary studies the author's life and the controversy her work inspired.
April 12: Unmistaken Child (2008) 102 minutes
Filmmaker Nati Baratz follows the spellbinding journey of Tibetan Buddhist monk Tenzin Zopa as he travels far and wide to identify the child who is the reincarnation of his deceased master, Lama Konchog. Acting on instructions from the Dalai Lama, the shy Zopa relies on astrology, dreams and other signs to locate the child, knowing that if he succeeds, he must also convince the boy's parents to release their child into his care.
April 19: The Union: The Business Behind Getting High (2007) 104 minutes
Filmmaker Adam Scorgie explores the illegal marijuana industry in British Columbia, revealing how the international business is most likely more profitable than it would be if it was lawful in this enlightening documentary. Marijuana growers, law enforcement officials, physicians, politicians, criminologists, economists and celebrities shed light on this topical subject in a series of compelling interviews.
April 26: Two Documentaries:
Nature: A Murder of Crows (2010) 60 minutes. Long associated with darkness and foreboding, crows are collectively called a "murder." But they're actually monogamous, highly social and some of the most intelligent animals on the planet, as explored in this eye-opener. Among other takeaways, you'll learn about crows' remarkable ability to recognize and remember individual human beings—to the point of being able to pick them out of a crowd up to two years later.
Biography: Ben and Jerry (2007) 45 minutes. With a passion for food and a strong sense of humor, childhood friends Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield set up their own ice cream business in 1977. Learn how these two men turned their small-scale operation into a major moneymaker. Part of the company's incredible success should be attributed to the duo's socially responsible stance to protect the environment as well as do right by their community and employees.
May 3: The Yes Men Fix the World (2009) 86 minutes
Two didactic pranksters known as the Yes Men—Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno—employ monkey business to highlight the political and economic shenanigans surrounding ecological catastrophes like the 1984 Union Carbide disaster in India.