ENGL 175: Literature and Ideas: Media

Examine the visionary work and turbulent life of one of the greatest and most influential American writers: Ernest Hemingway. Intimate and insightful, the series weaves together Hemingway's biography with excerpts from his work. The film penetrates the myth of Hemingway to reveal a deeply troubled and ultimately tragic figure.

Mel Gibson leads an all-star cast in William Shakespeare's greatest tragedy, the story of Danish prince Hamlet. Hamlet returns home to learn that his father, the King, has recently died and his mother, Gertrude, has already married his uncle, Claudius. Suffering from shock and grief, the young prince is visited by the ghost of his father, who claims that he was murdered by Claudius and who demands vengeance. Now, Hamlet must decide whether this tale told by an apparition is true--and whether he should exact the vengeance his father demands...realizing that his actions may destroy the woman he loves, Ophelia, his family, and the kingdom he is due to inherit.

Based on William Shakespeare's play, adapted for the screen by Kenneth Branagh. Young King Henry of England asserts a hereditary claim to the throne of France, gathering an army and embarking on a course that will lead to one of England's greatest battlefield triumphs and forever change the face of Europe.

Based on William Shakespeare's play--and adapted for the screen by Kenneth Branagh--about mischief, friendship, and tragedies avoided. With his wedding a week away, Claudio can't wait to marry the beautiful young Hero. To distract him, his best friend Don Pedro devises mischief: a romantic trap for the sharp-tongued Beatrice and the man she loves to hate, Benedick. Their amusement is almost spoiled by the jealous scheming of Don John, but love and laughter prevail when the local constable unwittingly exposes the plot--and all the trouble proves to be much ado about nothing.

Includes selections, read by Michael Sheen, from William Blake, William Wordsworth, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord Byron, John Keats, and others.

Compilation of poems read by various authors, recorded from 1888 to 2006.

This recording, based on Lord Owen's published anthology "Seven ages: poetry for a lifetime," features many of Britain's leading actors. This anthology of verse is the comic, tragic, tender and telling story of life's seven ages-- from childhood to old age. Within the framework of Shakespeare's speech, The seven ages of man (performed by Sir Ian McKellen), are 150 great poems from all ages. Some of the poets included are William Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, Ted Hughes, Dylan Thomas, Oscar Wilde, Rudyard Kipling, W.B.Yeats, Percy Bysshe Shelley, A.E.Housman, Robert Burns, D.H. Lawrence, John Keats, Seamus Heaney, Wilfred Owen, Mathew Arnold, John Donne, Walt Whitman, Rabindranath Tagore, William Blake, William Wordsworth, Ogden Nash, Christina Rossetti, and many others.

Adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic tale, shot on location in historic Salem. Captures the mystery and the menace of the primordial forest and the terrifying drama of a witches' sabbath. After the film the filmmakers discuss the context of the story.

Bill Moyers interviews authors Michael Dorris and Louise Erdrich, who are married; she is half Chippewa, and he is half Modoc. They discuss working together on a novel about Christopher Columbus, whose arrival in 1492 forever changed the destiny of Native Americans.

What is poetry, and what place does it have in today's society? In an attempt to answer these questions, two filmmakers stood an old refrigerator on a busy San Francisco street corner, invited passersby to compose poems using magnetic poetry kits, and filmed the intriguing results.

In a reaction against Elizabethan-period poetry, 17th century English poets such as John Donne, George Herbert, Richard Crashaw, and Andrew Marvell began writing in a new style. Although derisively dubbed "metaphysical" because of its unseemly--that is, intellectual--nature, metaphysical poetry soon became appreciated for its remarkable blend of emotion and erudition, as evidenced by complex conceits, unconventional imagery, and the avoidance of smooth and regular meter. Daniela Havenstein of Oxford University and Judith Aldridge of the University of Central England interpret and analyze some of Donne's best-known poems, along with the works of other metaphysical poets.

Presents a unique literary biography, tracing Whitman's childhood, various careers, and the evolution of the masterpiece that proved his lifelong work, Leaves of Grass. A collage of photos, paintings, and manuscripts accompanies excerpts of letters from Whitman and Ralph Waldo Emerson, as well as readings from sections of Leaves of Grass.

The rebellious artist, the attraction to the dark side, love and death, and the primacy of nature--all of these are themes that suffused the artistic and ideological revolution known as Romanticism. This program vividly conveys how new ways of thinking and seeing reshaped writing, painting, and music during the 19th century, and discuss the characteristics of this influential movement and its continuing impact on contemporary culture.

A collection of poetry, assembled by faculty members Bill Ransom and Matthew Smith for the Evergreen State College course entitled "A Silver Sky : Poetry and Place in the Pacific Northwest."

Filmed with the cooperation of Frost as part of the CBS News series Accent, this vintage television broadcast presents a portrait of the poet in his own words, along with remarks John F. Kennedy recorded for the program in early 1961.

In this captivating program, Bill Moyers explores the vitality and diversity of contemporary poetry through intimate interviews and performance readings at the Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival -- North America's largest. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky, Amiri Baraka, Stanley Kunitz, Coleman Barks, Lucille Clifton, Lorna Dee Cervantes, Paul Muldoon, Marge Piercy, Shirley Geok-lin Lim, Deborah Garrison, and other leading poets share the rhythm, spirit, and passion of their art through dazzling performances before an audience of thousands.

In 1956, playwright Arthur Miller was questioned about alleged "un-American" activities during the McCarthy hearings. This film intersperses dramatized scenes from those hearings with scenes from "The Crucible." It shows that the dialogue of the hearings follows that of the play, expressing Miller's deep concern for personal and collective freedom.

The fringe characters from Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' take center stage at Elsinore.