MetaFilter posts tagged with PBS and documentary

"I knew there was an element of danger, but the job had to be done."

Monsters — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 10:26:44 -0800

Inside Chernobyl Sarcophagus (1996). Deep inside the sarcophagus, a remarkable group of Soviet physicists is at work in levels of radiation that would be considered almost suicidal in the West. In 1991, a joint team from WGBH and the BBC went to Pripyat, Ukraine to interview the scientists working in the wreckage of Chernobyl nuclear power plant. A BBC team went back in 1996 to follow up with the scientists. This documentary is the result, updating the 1991 footage with ten minutes of new material. The film shows nuclear scientists Viktor Popov, Konstantin Checherov, Alexander Borovoi and Edvard Pazukhin in 1991 and 1996, as they attempt to manage the aftermath of the Chernobyl accident while battling fierce levels of radiation, 'Chernobyl heart,' and "an invincible bureaucracy." The 1991 footage seems to be the same footage that aired in the USA as "Suicide Mission to Chernobyl", for which PBS received an Emmy Award in 1992. Previously on Chernobylfilter: Chernobyl Today: A Creepy Story Told in Pictures. Radioactive Fungi. Chernobyl, 20 years later. Surviving Chernobyl.

A chicken in every post

acro — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:32:42 -0800

The Natural History of the Chicken which recently aired on PBS is now available in 6 parts on youtube.. 1/6 This 2001 documentary by Mark Lewis tells a story of several unique chickens, including Mike the Headless Chicken [previously], Liza the pampered domestic chicken, a chicken who is frozen solid and lives, and a suburban farm that raises fighting cocks and the irate neighbors who crack under the constant crowing. 2 3 4 5 6 Other Documentaries by Mark Lewis include Cane Toads: An Unnatural History 1 2 3 4 5 Also: Ferrets: The Pursuit of Excellence (sorry the whole thing isn't on youtube that I can see.. but there is a video of people watching Ferrets: The Pursuit of Excellence).

Voices and Visions

vronsky — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 08:48:41 -0800

Voices and Visions explores -- through interviews, archival footage, and readings -- the lives and works of some of America’s greatest poets. Newsweek called the series "the most ambitious, most expensive and most accomplished series of films ever made about American poetry." Elizabeth Bishop 1::2::3 l T.S. Eliot 1::2::3::4 l Robert Frost 1::2::3 l Wallace Stevens 1::2 l William Carlos Williams 1::2 l Ezra Pound 1 l Langston Hughes 1::2 l Marianne Moore 1::2 l home

P.O.V. - Inheritance

Fuzzy Skinner — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 23:34:20 -0800

Imagine watching Schindler's List and knowing the sadistic Nazi camp commandant played by Ralph Fiennes was your father. Inheritance is the story of Monika Hertwig, the daughter of mass murderer Amon Goeth. Hertwig has spent her life in the shadow of her father's sins, trying to come to terms with her "inheritance." She seeks out Helen Jonas-Rosenzweig, who was enslaved by Goeth and who is one of the few living eyewitnesses to his unspeakable brutality.

Trailer. | PBS P.O.V. - Inheritance home page. | Interview with the filmmaker. | Watch the full film online. (December 11, 2008 - January 4, 2009.)

This one's for the history nerds

ms.jones — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 04:34:40 -0800

The Brothers Warner premiering nationally via PBS this week. From Rin Tin Tin to Eastwood, the story of the original Hollywood independent filmmakers.

Sick Around the World

aheckler — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 20:16:23 -0800

Sick Around the World, the newest documentary piece produced by PBS's Frontline asks: "Can the U.S. learn anything from the rest of the world about how to run a health care system?" Having previously shared a Pulitzer Prize with The New York Times, and produced such quality programs as Bush's War, this should be well worth a mere hour of your time.

We're friends now!

miss lynnster — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 00:15:42 -0800

PBS Frontline explores Growing Up Online. Here's what they learned.

Bill Moyers' PBS documentary on the media's actions in the run-up to the Iraq invasion

ibmcginty — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 09:50:11 -0800

"The story of how high officials misled the country has been told. But they couldn't have done it on their own; they needed a compliant press, to pass on their propaganda as news and cheer them on." Bill Moyers returned to PBS last night with this documentary (transcript) examining the mainstream media's role in the run-up to the US-led invasion of Iraq.

Wal-mart: Sith Lord of unbridaled capitalism

spock — Mon, 06 Jun 2005 09:31:24 -0800

That "liberal bastion" PBS and that "wacky" Christian Right AGREEING on something? Does the "Sith Lord of unbridaled capitalism" really deserve to be hated? Does it bear watching? A new movie will take a look: (Registration -free link). Why are growing numbers "ready to join the ranks of all right-thinking people the world over in declaring Wal-Mart an outpost of hell on earth"??? The full 60 minute Frontline program video is available online.

The Lion Sleeps Tonight

peacay — Sat, 30 Apr 2005 14:45:36 -0800

a-wimoweh a-wimoweh..
In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight.
via

Ghosts of Rwanda

specialk420 — Thu, 01 Apr 2004 21:20:53 -0800

Ghosts of Rwanda
10 years later, FRONTLINE delivers one of the most powerful episodes in their excellent series of reports. Also covered in The Economist last week, and a couple years ago in The Atlantic in a sublime article: "Bystanders to Genocide". When you first heard about the tragedy did you wish you could have done something, if you had only known more?

StringThread

srboisvert — Fri, 14 Nov 2003 08:40:17 -0800

The elegant universe. A 3 hour PBS NOVA documentary on string theory [in 24 ~5-10 minute chunks of real player or quick time video]. Welcome to the 11th dimension.

kirkaracha — Mon, 23 Sep 2002 23:34:46 -0800

I vividly remember watching Ken Burns' amazingly great The Civil War during the Gulf War. Now that we're apparently having a Gulf War sequel, The Civil War has been remastered and re-released. The Washington Post jumps on the bandwagon with an online discussion with Ken Burns and a great Flash map of the campaign from the Seven Days to Antietam.

specialk420 — Thu, 05 Sep 2002 23:40:41 -0800

It's amazing how good religion is at mobilizing people to do awful, murderous things. There is this dark side to it, and anyone who loves religious experience, including me, better begin to own there - a profound admission - in very well produced piece about 9/11 -

mad — Fri, 08 Feb 2002 07:01:04 -0800

Art in the twenty-first century. Twenty-one artists who are defining the visual arts for a new millennium discuss their life, their work, and their vision in Art:21 - Art in the Twenty-First Century, a four-part series premiering Fall 2001 on PBS. Art:21 offers a unique glimpse into 21 artists' personal experiences, sources of inspiration, and creative processes. The last episode played last night, but the site has a wealth of information on some amazing artists. Did anyone catch this?

SandeepKrishnamurthy — Fri, 04 Jan 2002 09:21:53 -0800

Taxi Dreams Did anyone watch the PBS show- "Taxi Dreams"? The PBS site is very informative. I enjoyed the video clips in the gallery . The facts and figures section was decent. Overall, I thought it was a great way to study the immigrant experience and the American dream.

scotty — Wed, 26 Sep 2001 05:02:38 -0800

Evolution on PBS - this is going to upset those who think the earth is only 6000 years old

wheat — Tue, 25 Sep 2001 17:59:54 -0800

Americans like to pretend that we live in a classless society but we don't, not by a long shot. I caught this PBS documentary a few days ago called People Like Us (the link is to the companion site) which focusses on class in the US (what it means, how it works) in a refreshing way. I'm sure they'll be replaying it soon. I didn't much care for the companion site, but it did provide a link to this creepy marketing service that tells you what sorts of people live in your neighborhood (based on your zip code) and what products they're likely to buy.

msacheson — Thu, 06 Sep 2001 13:21:29 -0800

Good PBS program alert! Tonight is the premiere of The First Year, which aims to show "the human side of (American education): the determination and commitment of five novice teachers as they struggle to survive their first year in America's toughest schools." Check your local listings.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to ask the community for thoughts/ideas/cautions/resources for people interested in going into teaching.

GriffX — Thu, 21 Jun 2001 20:02:48 -0800

By 2004, Wal-Mart plans to open a new store every business day... Call me an out-of-touch lefty, but this PBS documentary bummed the hell out of me. Small town + giant corporation + old-guard legislators = steamroller

Dean_Paxton — Fri, 31 Mar 2000 03:34:33 -0800

Code Rush Documentary Did anyone get to watch the Netscape documentary on PBS. In my area, it aired at 2am. I fell asleep trying to catch it...