Feature Films and Documentaries

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- G -
Gallina ciega, La: Miguel Angel Asturias
Films for the Humanities, Inc. and Radiotelevisión Española.1 VHS cassette (60 min.): color. 1995, Documentary.

"This is the story of a woman whose husband has first disappeared without a trace and who is blocked at every turn by a bureaucracy which seems to exist solely to thwart the legitimate demands of the citizenry. (from the video jacket)

Garden the Finzi-Continis, The
Vittorio De Sica. 1 VHS cassette (94 mins.) : color. Italian with English subtitles, Feature film. Italy/West Germany, 1970.

Actors: "Amid the ravages of WWII, the Finzi-Continis, a cultured Jewish family, languish in aristocratic splendor on their Eden-like estate in Ferrara, Italy. As the political atmosphere becomes increasingly hostile to its Jewish citizens, the handsome and care-free Finzi-Contini children, Micol (Dominique Sanda) and Alberto (Helmut Berger), turn their well-appointed home into a refuge for their young friends. In an atmosphere of emotional instability, they play out a series of heartbreaking romantic rituals which spiral into tragedy as Fascism gradually descends upon their world." (from the video jacket)

Genet, Jean
1 VHS cassette: color. French with English subtitles.

"Jamais jusqu'à ce jour Jean Genêt n'avait accepté une minute d'interview face aux caméras. C'est donc un événement de le voir, pour la première fois, parler en toute liberté: de son amour pour l'ombre des prisons et pour la lumière de la Grèce, de Alberto Giacometti--le seul homme qu'il admire--de ses engagements aux côtés des Black Panthers ou des Palestiniens, et, dans une cellule d'un bagne pour enfants, de la naissance de sa vocation d'écrivain, qui la a donné les émotions les plus fortes de son existence."

Gens de Paris au Temps du Roi Soleil, Les (People of Paris in the Time of the Sun King)
Films for the Humanities. 1 VHS cassette (60 mins.) : color. French, Feature film. France, 1993.

"A profile of Parisians and their Paris in the 17th century: laborers, tradesmen, artisans, soldiers, priests, beggars--and the rich and famous whose lavish lifestyles supported and exploited all the rest and led, inevitably, to the Revolution."

Gielgud's Chekhov 1-3
Sir John Gielgud-Mastervision Arts Series. 3 VHS cassettes: B&W. Russian and English with English subtitles.

"Teleplay: In Sir John Gielgud's admirable pairing, THE WALLET and REVENGE, the incomparable Chekhov goes to the wellspring of human emotions as he examines the themes of avarice and revenge, two classic emotions as old as mankind, as contemporary as today, both treated in a style comparable to Stendahl's."

Egberto Gismonti
Jana Markova. 1 VHS cassette (55 min.): color. Documentary. West Germany, 1987.

"Charlie Byrd and Stan Getz first introduced Brazilian rhythms and, more specifically, the Bossa Nova into American jazz back in the early 1960's. Since then, the music and musicians of that country have played a significant part in America's own native form of music. One of the most important Brazilian exports has been Egberto Gismonti, who has spent years collecting and assimilating the remarkable ethnic music of his homeland and transforming it into his own unique brand of jazz. Egberto Gismonti spent fifteen years studying in Brazil before heading for Paris to learn orchestration with the renowned Nadia Boulanger and composition with Jean Barlaque. After returning to Brazil, he became interested in what he describes as 'Brazilian funk music' and was soon playing the guitar as well as the piano. Soon after he turned in the classical guitar for an eight-string instrument. Gismonti's first album for ECM, entitled 'Danca das cabecas', earned a nomination from 'Stereo Review' as 'Album of the Year.' His performance at the 1987 Arts Festival at Freiburg includes his work on guitar and piano and also features flute, synthesizers and percussion." (from the video jacket)

Giulietta degli spiriti (Juliette of the Spirits) (2 copies)
Federico Fellini. 1 VHS cassettes (115 mins.): color. Italian with English subtitles. Feature Film. Italy, 1965. Actors: Guilietta Masina, Sylvia Koscina, Fred Williams.

"When she suspects her husband of infidility, a naive yet clairvoyant housewife unleashes an unconscious ripe with erotic fantasies. Desperately seeking solace, she consults spirits at a seance, doctors and detectives, even [a] flamboyant nymphomaniac neighbor who organizes orgies, all to no avail. As her life falls apart, her colorful dreams and visions become increasingly bizarre and surrealistic, both more disturbing and more liberating. In a final epiphany, she achieves a kind of psychic independence by plunging so deeply into her memories and passions she discovers the child within herself and with it, a sense of Giulietta's true relationship with her world. Fellini's most hypnotic phantasmagoria seduces the sense with its kaleidoscope of color and choreography, an intoxicating fresco of Freud, Dante, Dalì and Lewis Carroll. Set to Nino Rota's most beguiling score, Juliet offers the spectacle and splendor of a rousing musical while challenging the intellect with its investigation into the expressive inner life of its heroine, played with exemplary empathy by Fellini's wife, the great Giulietta Masina... So teeming with delightful revelatory details that it gets better onb each successive viewing." (from the video jacket)

Glance at the Mexican Prehistoric Cultures, A
1 VHS cassette (30 mins.): color. English, Documentary.

"Get to know part of the rich Mexican culture, exploring its fascinating past. With this program you will obtain a panorama of the various prehispanic civilizations that existed in the mexican territory. The exceptional civilization of Teotihuacn, Whose city was mysteriously abandoned and that had great influence on subsequent cultures. The talented Toltecs, artistcreators of the monumental Atlantes. The courageous Aztecs, who with great tenacity transformed a marshy lake into the splendid city of Tenochtitlan, that would marvel the Spanish conquerors. The Mayas, who possessed an advanced civilization. They were mathematicians, astronomers, extraordinary artists! Admire the original museum pieces of this culture: their art, ceramics, sculptures and murals. Learn about the fundamental traits of the indian civilzations that still persist in some regions of Mexico: their dress, their dances, their way of life." (from the video jacket)

Glaneurs et la glaneuse, Les.and Les glaneurs et la glaneuse deux ans après
Agnès Varda. 1 DVD (82 mins.; 60 mins.): color. French with optional English subtitles. France, 2000, 2002.

"Agnès Varda, Grande Dame of the French New Wave, has made 2001's most acclaimed non-fiction film -- a self-described 'wandering-road documentary.' Beginning with the famous Jean-François Millet painting of women gathering wheat left over from a harvest, she focuses her ever-seeking eye on gleaners: those who scour already-reaped fields for the odd potato or turnip. Her investigation leads us from forgotten corners of the French countryside to off-hours at the green markets of Paris, following those who insist on finding a use for that which society has cast off, whether out of necessity or activism. Varda's own ruminations on her life as a filmmaker (a gleaner of sorts) give her a connection to her subjects that creates a touching human portrait tha thte L.A. Weekly deemed 'a protest film that's part social critique, part travelogue, but always an unsentimental celebration of human risilience." (from the DVD jacket)

The Gleaners and I and The Gleaners and I two years later see Glaneurs et la glaneuse, Les.

Gloire de mon père, La (My Father's Glory)
Marcel Pagnol. 1 VHS casstette (110 min.): color. French w/ English subtitles, Feature film. France, 1991.

"'My Father's Glory' is the enchanting story of writer Marcel Pagnol's treasured childhood in the south of France at the turn of the century. This delightful autobiography, told by an adult Marcel, is a son's loving tribute to his adoring and gentle father (Phillippe Caubere). The film shows an 11-year-old Marcel (Julian Ciamace) during a very special, life changing summer with his family in the Provence countryside. There, Marcel falls in love with the rugged hills as he is introduced to a new and wonder-filled world. He learns the wild country's secrets, makes friends, and -- above all -- strengthens the unique bond he has with his father. Marcel sees the man in his full "glory" in these golden days of youthful discovery." (from the video jacket).

Gorod Zero
Kinovideobedinyeniye "Kroopnie plan." 1 VHS cassette (98 mins.): color. Russian feature film, no subtitles. Russia and satellite nations, 1997.

"Otpravshis v komandirovkoo, gyeroih filma nyeozhidanno popadayet v fantasticheski gorod. On ochen pohozh na nash mir, tolko skritaya absurdnost povsednevnoih zhizni z des stala yavnoih. Gorod zero otkrivayet geroyu odnoo tainoo za droogoih, ie vyernootsya v privooichnooyu realnost stanovitsya vsye troodnyei..." (from the video jacket)

Goya
Narrated by Ricardo Montalban. 1 VHS cassette (54 mins.): color. English, Documentary. USA, 1986.

"Perhaps no other artist in Spanish history so brilliantly documented the time in which he lived, as did Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes. . . GOYA. He was sought after by nobility as a premier portraiartist of the day, tolerated by the King and court in spite of his artistic mockery of them, and revered by most as a true genius. This motion picture faithfully captures Goya's most prominent works: the etchings, war scenes, bullfight sequences, tapestries, and portraits of royalty and friends... the frescoes at the cathedral at Salagossa and the church of St. Anthony. . . the famous "black paintings" from the walls of his own home. From the ambition of his youth, to the dark agony of his later years, Goya offers an introspective look into the very soul of one of the greatest Spanish masters of all time." (from the video jacket)

Gran teatro del mundo, El
Films for the Humanities, Inc. 1 VHS cassette (56 mins.): color. Dramatization, Spanish no subtitles. Spain, 1993.

"In the hands of a genius like Calderón, the morality play became an art form and this the greatest example of that form." (from the video jacket)

Grand Blond Avec une Chaussure Noir, Le (The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe)
Francis Veber. 1 VHS cassette: color. French with English subtitles.

Grand Illusion (Grande Illusion, La)
Jean Renoir. 1 VHS cassette (117 mins.) : BW. French with English subtitles, Feature film. France, 1937. Actors: Jean Gabin, Erich von Stroheim.

"Two brief years before the Nazi blitzkrieg began its roll toward the domination of the European continent, Jean Renoir co-wrote and directed this classic film about war, men, honor and illusion. Three gentlemen from the upper classes of their respective warring nations meet in a prisoner of war camp during World War I, the war to end all wars. One of them is their captor, played by Erich Von Stroheim, who gives a performance of pure steel. A superbly directed film, it tragically conveys the futility of the sacrifice of men in order to protect a world that is soon to be gone forever." (from the video jacket)

Grande Vadrouille, La
Gérard Oury. 1VHS cassette (119 mins.): color. French and English with French subtitles, Feature Film. France, 1966. Actors: Louis De Funès, Bourvil, Claudio Brook, Andréa Parisy, Colette Brosset, Marie Marquet, Marie Dubois.

"Le plus grand succès du cinéma français. Un grand duo d'acteurs --Bourvil et De Funès. Traversant le ciel Parisian, un avion anglais est abattu par les Allemands. Trois hommes sautent en parachute; le premier tombe sur l'échafaudage d'un peintre, Augustin Bouvet (Bourvil); le second, sur le toit de l'Opéra de Paris pendant la répétition de l'orchestrre de Stanislas Lefort (Louis De Funès); et le troisième dans le bassin des phoques du zoo. La police allemande se lance à leur recherche et bien malgré eux. Stanislas et Augustin sont poursuivis pour avoir caché deux Anglais. Ils sont contraints de se dissimuler et Ginette, la fiancée d'Augustin, leur fournit le moyen de gagner la zone libre." (From the video jacket)

Grandes festivales de España
Babbitt Instructional Resources. 1 VHS cassette (45 mins.): color. Spanish (no subtitles), Documentary. USA, 1995.

"Accompanying print guides for students ("Student guidebook") and teachers (Teacher guidebook). Festivales covered are: Las Fallas en Valencia; La Fiesta de la Semana Santa; La Feria de Abril; La Fiesta de Santiago; La Fiesta de San Fermín."

Great crimes and Trials of the Twentieth Century: The Massacre of the Tsar. Stalin and Katyn
1 VHS cassette (52 mins.): color. English, documentary. USA, 1992-1993.

• The massacre of the Tsar and the imperial royal family 1917
  Revolution erupted in Russia and the reign of the Tsars, absolute rulers for more than two centuries, was over. Tsar Nicholas2nd, hated for his inefficiency and for his close association with the 'mad monk' Rasputin, was taken prisoner with his wife and five children. They were held captive but this powerful family was too dangerous to be left alive. In July 1918, at Ekaterinburg, the Imperial family was suddenly slaughtered.
• Stalin and Katyn
  A complete and thorough look at one of the most ruthless monsters in modern history, and more specifically one of his most heinous crimes on record- the massacre of 3,000 Polish soldiers at the Hill of Goats in Katyn Forest. Sensational and riveting footage doucuments the initial investigation, grisly exhumation of the bodies and over forty years of debate and speculation in the 1940's, few , while a ruthless leadeer, was capable of authorizing such a murderous act. (from the video jacket)

Green Wall, The (La Muralla Verde)
Armando Robles-Godoy. 1 VHS cassette (123 mins.): color. Spanish with English subtitles. Feature Film. Peru, 1970. Actors: Juliio Aleman, Sandra Riva.

Guerra del Cerdo, La
Leopoldo Torre Nilson. 1 VHS cassette (90 mins.): color. Spanish with English subtitles. Feature Film. Argentina, 1975. Actors: Jose Slavin, Marta Gonzalez, Victor LaPlace, Edgardo Suarez.

"The generation gap is taken tothe extreme by a group of young people. They have decided to exterminate all senior citizens. Isidro Vidal, the protagonist, is a middle aged man thrown in the midst of this absurd and merciless war. Until the love of a woman shows him that happiness is possible only for those who show the courage to live fully to the end of their days." (from the video jacket)

Guerre de Troie n'aura pas lieu, La (There will be No Trojan War)
Jean Giraudoux [writer] / Raymond Rouleau [director]. 1 VHS cassette (110 mins.): color. French with English subtitles, Televised play. France, 1981. Actors: Anny Duperey, Pierre Santini, Jean Piat, Claude Pieplu.

"Televised version a play by of Jean Giraudoux. Films for the Humanities."

Guide to Rio de Janeiro
First Entertainment, Inc. 1 VHS cassette (35 mins.): color. English (closed caption), documentary. U.S.A., 1993.

"Nestled between the mountains and the sea is the magnificent city of Rio de Janeiro, an international jet-setter's paradise and home to the most beautiful beaches in the world! Begin your trip to rio with a breathtaking view of the city from atop Sugar Loaf mountain. Take a cogwheel train straight up the mountain to the magnificent Corcovado Statue. Sail on an old wooden schooner, leisurely cruising the bay. Stop off at the Botanical Gardens with its world-famous Avenue of Palms and mammoth water lilies. Sunbathe on the sizzling beaches of Rio and the shimmering sands of Copacabana and Ipanema. When the sun goes down, watch Rio come alive at the glittering nightclubs and exotic samba shows." (from the video jacket)

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Happiness
Alexander Medvedkin. 1 VHS cassette (65 mins.): B&W. Russian with English subtitles, Feature film. USSR, 1934.

"Subtitled 'A Tale of Hapless Mercenary Loser, his Wife Anna, his Well-Fed Neighbor Foka and also of a Priest, a Nun and Other Old Relics,' 'Happiness' was banned int he Soviet Union for forty years. The film, based on old folklore, is layered with outrageous satire and warmly infectious laughter. Drawing from the depths of Russian culture, Medvedkin brought humor to the Revolution. Featured are bad tempered polka-dotted horses, magic food, a walking barn, nuns with see-through tunics and much more. Sergei Eisenstein was a great admirer of Medvedkin and particularly liked this work. He wrote, 'A magnificent film...Today, I have seen how a Bolshevik laughs!' It took over forty years for Stalin's ban to life, allowing us to see the reason why." (from the video jacket)

Hate (Haine, La)
Mathieu Kassovitz. 1 VHS cassette (96 mins.): color. French w/ English subtitles Feature film. France, 1996.

"Maybe you think you've seen it before: Three racially divergent boyz in the hood bang heads with the riot police in a housing project where drugs, violence, and hatred are facts of life. Nothing new here, except that this hood is just outside Paris. The issues in this bonfire of a movie transcend geographical barriers to speak a universal language of unrest. Prepare to be jolted by the intensity that writer, director, and co-editor Mathieu Kassovitz, 28, brings to a plot that uncoils in one agonizing 24-hour period. Hate jumps off the screen. Said is an Arab, Hubert is black, and Vinz is a Jew. Each needs to vent his frustration about police brutality that has landed another friend in the hospital. Boxing is Hubert's outlet. Vinz settles for doing impressions of Robert DeNiro in Taxi Driver ("You're talkin' to me?") -- that is until he finds the Smith &Wesson .44 that sparks the shocking climax after the boys tangle with the cops and a gang of skinheads." (from the video jacket)

Heimat: A Chronicle of Germany
Edgar Reitz. 9 VHS cassettes (924 mins.): color. German with English subtitles, Feature film. West Germany, 1984.

"A cinematic event. . . a massive, nearly 16-hour chronicle of life in Germany, from 1919 to 1982, as reflected in the fluctuating fortunes of the members if one family, initially peasant farmers, in the fictitious village of Schachbach in the Rhineland. . . In spite of its intimidating length, Heimat is immensely, easily watchable, an extraordinary succesion of mostly ordinary events and characters -- history seen from ground level -- vividly actedby a huge cast of both professional and nonprofessinal actors." (from the video jacket)

Heritage of Rome, The
Video Knowledge, Inc. 1 VHS cassette. Documentary.

Miguel Hidalgo
Educational Video Network. 1 VHS cassette. Spanish, Biography.

Hispanic Culture Series: La Lengua
Video Knowledge, Inc.

Historia oficial, La (The Official Story)
Luis Puenzo. 1 VHS cassette (112 mins.): color. Spanish with English subtitles, Feature film. Argentina, 1985. Actors: Hugo Arana, Guillermo Battaglia, Chela Ruiz, Patricio Contreras.

Hombre de la Esquina Rosada, El
1 VHS cassette: color. Spanish. 1996.

"This is one of Borges' finest short stories; its subject is the world of the gaucho; passion, murder, and the ceaseless rhythm of café dancing are diffracted through the author's surrealistic lens." (from the video jacket)

Hora da estrela, A (The hour of the Star)
Suzana Amaral. 1 VHS cassette (96 mins.): color. Portuguese with English subtitles, Feature Film. Brazil, 1987. Actors: Marcella Cartaxo, Jose Dumont.

"Macabea is a young woman from the countryside of Brazil, who moves to the sprawling city of San Paolo. Her doomed quest for success amid the desperate poverty around her is tempered by the happiness she finds in her fantasies. The mixture of bitter reality and gentle, humorous fantasy has been compared with the best work of Fellini, Chaplin, and DeSica, and earned Suzana Amaral's first feature status as an instant cinematic classic." (from the video jacket)

NOTE: ** indicates does not circulate.