Feature Films and Documentaries
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Fritz Lang. 1 VHS cassette (111 mins.): BW. German with English subtitles, Feature Film. USA, 1931. Actors: Peter Lorre, Ellen Widmann, Inge Landgut, Gustaf Grundgens.
"Behind every great suspense film lies the shadow of M, a fact-based drama that is the first and, perhaps, the ultimate portrait of a serial killer. Peter Lorre's flawless performance as a psychotic child murderer elicits feelings of noth fear and pity. Lorre (Casablanca), in his first starring role, conveys the agony of a man driven by his compulsions, tormented by self-loathing, and hunted by both the criminal underworld and the police. 'M' director Fritz Lang's (Metropolis) first sound film and personal favorite, skillfully blend innovative camerawork, fine acting, and atmospheric settings. This version also includes the often missing final scene and a restored soundtrack." (from the video jacket)
Ma Nuit Chez Maud (My Night at Maud's)
Eric Rohmer. 1 VHS cassette (111 mins.): color. French with English subtitles. 1969. Actors: Jean-Luis Trintignant, Françoise Fabian, Marie-Christine Barrault, Antoine Vitez.
"Jean-Louis Trintignant plays an engineer seeking the perfect mate. Just when he thinks he has found her he finds himself accidentally spending the night sharing the bed of a seductive divorcee, Maud."
Macario
Roberto Gavaldon. 1 VHS cassette (91mins.): color. Spanish with English subtitles, Feature film. Mexico, 1960. Actors: Ignacio Lopez Tarso, Pina Pellicer, Enrique Lucero, Jose Galvez, Jose Luis Jimenez.
"Macario, a woodcutter who cannot earn enough to feed his family, swears on the Day of the Dead that he will never eat again until he can have a whole turkey to himself. His wife steals a bird for him, which he takes to the forest where he meets God, the Devil and Death. Death strikes a deal that gives Macario the gift of healing, but his new powers arouse the suspicions of the local Inquisition."
Madame Bovary
Claude Chabrol. 1 VHS cassette (130 mins.): color. English subtitles, Feature film. France, 1990. Actors: Isabelle Huppert.
"A woman's obsessive pursuit of wealth and prestige leads her on a scandalous journey toward her ultimate destruction in Madame Bovary. Award-winning actress Isabelle Huppert gives a superb performance as the beautiful Emma Bovary, a woman possessed by a burning hunger for life and love -- and a passion that can never be fulfilled. Feeling trapped in a loveless marriage, Emma indulges herself in a lifestyle of reckless overspending and a series of shocking affairs which threaten to destroy her and everyone around her. Nominated for a 1991 Academy Award for Best Costume Design, director Claude Chabrol has created a visually- stunning, brilliantly-acted masterpiece from the legendary bestselling novel by Gustave Flaubert." (from the video jacket)
Madame de
Max Ophuls. 1 VHS cassette (105 mins.): BW. French with English subtitles, Feature film. France, 1953. Actors: Charles Boyer, Vittorio de Sica.
Madrid
International Video Network. 1 VHS cassette (30 mins.): color. English, Documentary. Gt. Brit., 1995.
"Madrid beckons one and all with her diverse attractions. For lovers of art, the famous Prado museum offers the masterpieces of El Greco, Goya and Velazquez. For those who enjoy energy and exuberance, there is the Puerto del Sol, full of lively cafes, or the Plaza Mayor, heart of old Madrid. For lovers of shopping, a search through the sale in the Ribera de Curtidores almost always uncovers a hidden treasure."
Malèna
Giuseppe Tornatore. 1 DVD (92 mins.): color. Italian with English subtitles. Also includes Spanish subtitles and French language track. Italy, 1999. Actors: Monica Bellucci, Giuseppe Sulfaro.
"The latest triumph from Giuseppe Tornatore, the writer and director of the Academy Award-winning Cinema Paradiso, Malèna is an utterly unforgettable story of a boy's journey into manhood amid the chaos and intolerance of World War II! In a sleepy Italian village, the most beautiful woman in town, Malèna (Monica Bellucci), becomes the subject of increasingly malicious gossip among the lustful townsmen and their fealous wives. But only her most ardent admirer, young Renato Amoroso (Giuseppe Sulfaro), will learn the untold true story of the mysterious and elusive Malèna! In a captiavating motion picture nominated for two Academy Awards, the eventual struggles and hardships that Malèna must bravely endure serve to inspire Renato to new heights of compassion, courage and independence." (from the DVD jacket)
Malraux, Romancier (Malraux, Novelist)
Centre National d'Enseignement a Distance. 1 VHS cassette (120 mins.): color. French with English subtitles. Documentary. France, 1997.
"Convaincu que 'la condition humaine est une prison,' Malraux conçoit le roman comme 'un moyen d'expression privilégié du tragique de l'homme'. De l'homme qui dans le bruit et la fraternité de l'histoire, triomphe du néant par l'action héroique ou la fraternité révolutionnaure. Le roman devient alors exaltation lyrique de l'aventure humaine vécue comme un épopée et témoignage d'une grandeur déposée en nous comme une 'monnaie de l'Absolu.'" (from the video jacket)
Mamma Roma
Pier Paolo Pasolini. 1 VHS cassette (110 mins.): B&W. Italian with English subtitles, Feature Film. Italy, 1962. Actors: Anna Magnani, Ettore Garofolo, Franco Citti.
"The second feature by master director Pier Paolo Pasolini..., Mamma Roma stars the legendary screen icon Anna Magnani...in the title performance, which she claimed to be 'the most important role I have played so far.' As an ex-prostitute who struggles to begin a new life for herself and her teenage son, Mamma Roma wages a heartbreaking and, ultimately tragic fight to stay out of the clutches of her vicious pimp and to save her son from a life of petty crime." from the video jacket)
Man of Iron Andrzej Wajda. 1 VHS cassette (140 mins.): color. Polish with English subtitles, Feature Film. Poland, 1981.
"Wajda tells his story through the eyes of an alchoholic TV journalist who's ordered to smear one of Solidarity's key figures, the "man of Iron." His investigation results in a series of flashbacks, including some rare footage of the abortive 1968 and 1970 strike attempts, that give us a fascinating and heartfeltpicture of this turbulent picture of Poland's history." (from the video jacket)
Man of Marble
Andrzej Wajda. 1 VHS cassette (160 mins.): color and B&W. Polish with English subtitles, Feature Film. Poland, 1976.
"Winner of the prestigious international Critics Prize at Cannes, 'Man of Marble', like 'Citizen Kane', takes the form of an investigation into a man's life through recollections of several characters. A filmmaker uncovers the explosive facts behind a once-celebrated worker's elevation to 'stardom', his subsequent downfall and disgrace, and his eventual disappearance. A political portrait painted on an epic scale, Wajda's film reveals the opportunism of the '70s through an examination of the injustices of the '50s in Stalinist Poland." (from the video jacket)
Männer (Men)
Doris Dorrie. 1 VHS cassette (96 mins.): color. German with English subtitles. West Germany, 1985.
"Julius Armbrust, a successful young executive, has been cheating on his wife Paula for years. But when he discovers on his birthday that she's got a lover of her own -- a bohemian artist named Stefan-- his ego is shattered. He starts to spy on Paula and Stefan, and then, carrying his jealousy to lunatic extremes, Julius takes a leave from his job, goes undercover, and moves into his wife's lover's house. Winner of 4 German Oscars, Men. . . is a brash, high-spirited, and gleefully ironic exploration of the male mystique. With a keen ear and a playful, satiric eye, director Doris Dorrie reinvents the screwball romantic comedy." (from the video jacket)
Manon des sources (Manon of the Spring) Claude Berri. 1 VHS cassette (113 min.) : color. French with English subtitles, Feature film. France, 1987. Actors: Emmanuelle Béart, Yves Montand, Daniel Auteuil. Sequel to Jean de Florette.
Marcel Proust's à la récherche du temps perdu (Marcel Praust's a Search for Lost Time)
Nigel Wattis. 1 VHS cassette (60 min.): color. English no subtitles, Documentary. Gt. Brit., 1988.
Märchen und Kindergeschichten I
PICS/The University of Iowa. 2 copies, 1 VHS cassette (45 mins.): color. German.
"This is the first of two PICS volumes of fairy tales abd children's stories from the ZDF. They are delightful animated narrations, some based on older fairy tales, some from modern stories. While intended for young viewers, these stories will be useful at many levels, as fairy tales always are, for content and vocabulary." (from the video jacket)
María Candelaria
Emilio "El Indio" Fernandez. 1 VHS cassette (101 mins.): BW. Spanish (no subtitles), Feature Film. Mexico, 1943. Actors: Dolores del Rio, Pedro Armendariz. "The story deals with an exiled flowergirl, Maria Candelaria, and the man who dared love and marry her, a prostitute's daughter. A romance condemned by social and class prejudice which would lead them to a tragedy with which none can live, yet all are powerless to avoid. Winner of the Palm d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival (1947) Maria Candelaria is the second film made by a potent team of filmmakers: the solid performance by Pedro Armendariz, the mystical presence of Dolores del Rio, the raw poetic talent of Emilio Fernandez and all the visual power of his cameraman Gabriel Figueroa, enrichen what is deservedly an international classic." (from the video jacket)
Mario Benedetti
1 VHS cassette. Spanish with English subtitles, Feature Film. Mexico.
Márquez: Tales Beyond Solitude
Holly Aylett. 1 VHS cassette (59 mins.): color. Spanish with English subtitles. Documentary.
"Profiles of a Writer: In this rare and exclusive interview, Nobel Prize-winner Gabriel Garcia Marquez speaks about his best-selling novels, his role in the Latin-American cinema, and his recent foray into -- of all things -- melodramatic soap opera. Though better recognized for his work in films, Marquez considers himself a "writer of literature" who uses the cinema only to reach a larger audience. Marquez, who being his career as a news reporter, is a master storyteller. His novels, are world wide bestsellers. He writes about the Latin-American experience, the "magical realism" where the unusual is commonplace. By mixing material shot in Columbia and Cuba with historical footage and clips from his films, Tales Beyond Solitude paints an impressive portrait of one of South America's most expressive novelists."
Marseillaise, La
Jean Renoir. 1 VHS cassette (132 mins.): BW. French with English subtitles, Feature film. France, 1938.
"Jean Renoir's classic tribute to the glory of the French Revolution, the film captures the personal flavor of the struggle and the philosophical background to the revolutionary upheaval. In a rapid series of vignettes, we are introduced to the elegance and nobility of the court of Louis XVI and Marie- Antoinette... the contrasting plight of French peasants governed by laws they cannot understand... the storming of the Bastille in 1789 by an undisciplined mob... the plotting of France's exiled nobility to return to power. . . the Republican march on Paris... and the caputre of the Tuilleries in 1793, ending the revolution. The film follows the adventures of two young patriots who join the Peoples' army in Marseilles. As their battalion begins its long journey north to Paris to join with the Federate army, they adopt as their anthem a song from the Army of the Rhine. This song was soon to be known all over France as 'La Marseillaise' and would lead the newly unified nation to victory." (from the video jacket)
Martín Fierro
Leopoldo Torre Nilsson. 1 VHS cassette (134 mins.): color. Spanish with English subtitles, Feature film. Argentina, 1968.
"A spectacular yet sensitive film set in the Argentine interior about a man (Martín Fierro) who abandons his family to fight the Indians. Yet he fails his test of courage and becomes a deserter, kills a man in self-defense and retreats to live in an Indian village with his best friend, Cruz. One fo the landmarks of Latin American cinema, Leopoldo Torre Nilsson's film examines the nature of courage in a film that is both dazzling and restrained. It balances action-packed sequences like Fierro's battles with the indians with intimate scense which unfold in a tragic formal splendor. Alfredo alcon embodies a vigorous and authentic Martín Fierro. 'Martín Fierro' took the First Prize 'Golden Dove' in the International Film Festival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1969, and the Association of Columnists of Argentina names it Best Film of the Year, and Torre Nilsson, Best Director." (from the video jacket)
Master & Margaret Parts 1-4
Maciej Wojtyszko. 4 VHS cassettes (370 mins.): color. Polish with English subtitles, Feature Film. Russia, 1990. Actors: Gustaw Holoubek, Zbigniew Zapasiewicz, Wladyslaw Kowalski, Anna Dymna, Tadeusz Bradecki, Jan Jankowski.
"A four-part tv film escaping any genre classification, based on a famous literary masterpiece by Mikhail Bulghakov, a Soviet writer who for much of his lifetime has been disallowed to publish his works. An artist who in the words of a literary critic, Andrzej Drawicz , " has been treated in a very refined way by his capricious fate, saving him from the fatal blows but putting under constant pressure and menace" and for whom his work has become his private literary fight with the surrounding reality. Master and Margaret is not only a story of devils visiting (soviet and anti-religious) Moscow, of true and victorious love, of Jesus meeting Pontius Pilate... above all it is an existing proof of a great and praiseworthy belief that the world after all, is not so bad, and the people, if only given a chance are simply good."
Mediterraneo
Gabriele Salvatores. 1 VHS cassette (90 mins.): color. Italian with English subtitles, Feature film. Italy, 1991. 1991 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Actors: Diego Abatantuono, Claudio Biogagli, Giuseppe Cederna, Claudio Bisio, Irene Grazioli, Antonio Catania, Vanna Barba.
"... After a group of misfit Italian sailors invade a remote enemy Greek island they soon become stranded, and then ultimately forgotten, by the Italian navy. The sailors quickly learn they've invaded paradise, and that on this magical island, where enemies become friends -- anything can happen!" (from the video jacket)
Memorias de un Mexicano
Carmen Toscano. 1 VHS cassette (110 mins.): color. Spanish. 1950. Documentary.
"Este librovideo presenta la historia de la Revolución Mexicana, filmada en vivo por Slavador Toscano, pionero del cine Mexicano. Podremos revivir uno a uno los protagonistas de la Revolución Mexicana, del esplendor del Porfiriato al entusiasmo democrático que despertó la candidatura de Francisco I. Madero. La guerra civil que siguió a la Decena Trágica; Zapata en el sur, Villa en el norte, la formación del Ejército Constitucionalista con Carranza y la formación de los gobiernos revolucionarios con Obregón y Calles." (from the video jacket)
Memories of Underdevelopment
Tomás Gutiérrez Alea. 1 VHS cassette (97 mins.): color. Spanish with English subtitles, Feature Film. Cuba, 1968.
"The first film from post-Revolutionary Cuba to be released in the U.S., 'Memories of Underdevelopment' had a widespread impact perhpas unequalled in the history of Third World cinema. Set in the early 1960's, the film centers on a Europeanized Cuban intellectual, too idealistic (or lazy) to leave for Miami, but too decadent to fit into the new Cuban society. The film is a remarkable demonstration that political commitment and entertainment are not incompatible; it is also a shrewd, passionate and sexy film from a world-class director."(from the video jacket)
Memórias do cárcere
Nelson Pereira dos Santos. 2 VHS cassettes (185 mins.): color. Portuguese, no subtitles, Feature Film. Brazil, 1984. Actors: Carlos Vereza.
"Com um tom seco e direto na obra de Graciliano Ramos, Memórias do Cárcere, trata de forma densa e comovente da conição humana. Realizado em 1984 pelo já consagrado cineasta Nelson Pereira dos Santos- um dos fundadores do cinema novo -- Memórias do Cárcere conta a experiência vivida pelo escritor Graciliano Ramos apó ser preso em Alagoas, suspeito de colaborar com Aliança Nacional Libertadora (ALN). Graciliano Ramos que em 1936 ocupava o cargo de diretor da Instrução Pública do Estado de Alagoas é conduzido ao Rio de Janeiro onde sofre humilhação na Prisão da Ilha Grande. Da sua vivênca escreve, 15 anos depois, Memórias do Cárcere." (from the video jacket)
Menino do Rio
Antonio Calmon. 1 VHS cassette (106 mins.): color. Portuguese no subtitles, Feature film. Brazil Actors: André de Biase, Claudia Magno.
Menino Malquinho o filme
Helvécio Ratton. 1 VHS cassette: color. Portuguese, Feature Film.
"Malquinho (Samuel Costa) é um garoto tão menino quanto qualquer um outro de sua idade. Brincalhão, alegre, esperto e levado, ele teve a sorte de nascer numa famílis de classe média, que lhe da carinho e permite realizar todas as fantasias e diversões da infância. Isto não impede que ele também passe por alguns sustos. . . aqueles que tiram os pais do sério e ás vezes fazem a gente sair correndo do trabalho para acudir um filho que 'aprontou alguma daquelas'... No final dos anos 60, Malquinho vive suas aventuras com 'a turma': o gordinho Bocão, Junin, Lúcio, Herman, Julieta, Carol, e Nina. Em meio ás corridas de carinhos de rolimã, as gostosas travessuras, as revistas de mulheres 'peladas', as longos papos como Irene -- a empregada, babá e amiga de fé--o deslumbramento com as histórias dos livros, ele vai curtindo a sua vidinha, feliz... até dia em que seus pais resolvem se separar..." (from the video jacket)
Merchant of Four Seasons, The
Rainer Werner Fassbinder. 1 VHS cassette (88 mins.): color. German with English subtitles, Feature Film. West Germany, 1972. Actors: rm Hermann, Hanna Schygulla, Hans Hirschmuller, Karl Scheydt, Andrea Schober.
"The merchant of four seasons represents a climax in Fassbinder's prolofic filmmaking career. Fassibinder perfectly blends the audacious experimentalism of his early films and the assured naturalistic melodrama that marked much of his later works. In this film, Hans, a fruit peddler, watches his unexceptional life disintergreate. Seduced and rejected to the point of a nervousbreakdown, Hans drinks himself to death as he toasts his loved ones at the dinner table. The story sounds like a slice-of-life gone slightly amok, but the treatment is everything:a virtuoso balance of soap opera, social comedy, irony, politics, farce, and brilliant ensemble acting."
Mery per sempre (Forever Mary)
Marco Risi. 1 VHS cassette (100 mins.): color. Italian with English subtitles. Feature Film. Actors: Michelle Placido, Claudio Amendola. Italy, 1989.
"Forever Mary tells the story of an idealistic school teacher trying to make a difference in a reform school in such a traditional, straightforward style that it's easy to overlook its freshness and imagination. Directed by Marco Risi with apassion and grace, the film has warmth and easy vitality that make Italian films so beguiling, and it affords its durable star Michele Placido one of his richest roles." (from the video jacket)
Mexico: Journey to the Sun
1 VHS cassette (53 mins.): color. English. Documentary.
"Ancient treasures, indian cultures and contemporary cities. Perfect pyramids and mountainside villages. No matter where you travel- from the ruins of Palenque to the resorts of Cancun- Mexico is a myriad of religions, heritages, and lifestyles unlike any other. Piñatas to pottery, serapes to silver, it is as rich in tradition and hand craftsmanship as it is in fine foods and hospitality. From the Sea of Cortez to the Caribbean, see the sights that make this the vacation destination of millions. Scuba diving off Cozumel among a rainbow of fish, shopping the Mexico City marketplace or observing the Day of the Dead Festival, you'll do it, see it, and taste it all on this video journey to magnificent Mexico!" (from the video jacket)
Mi manda Picone (Where's Picone?)
Nanni Loy. 1 VHS cassette (110 mins.): color. Italian with English subtitles, Feature film. Italy, 1984. Actors: Giancarlo Giannini, Lina Sastri, Clelia Rondinella, Carlo Croccolo, Carlo Taranto, Aldo Giuffré.
"A love story of suspense and action in the best tradition of Italian comedy. The search is on for Pasquale Picone, who inexplicably vanishes in an ambulance on the way to the hospital. His wife (Lina Sastri) and small time hustler Salvatore (Giancarlo Giannini) team up to unravel this mystery and together discover that this seemingly respectable man has led a double life. They are drawn together as they delve into the colorful irony and comedy of Neapolitan underworld and discover Picone for who he really is." (from the video jacket)
Miguel Hidalgo
1 VHS cassette: color. Spanish.
Minbo
Juzo Itami. 1 VHS cassette (123 mins.): color, Japanese with English subtitles, Feature film. Actors: Nobuku Miyamoto, Akira Takarada, Yasuo Daichi. Japan, 1994.
"This daring satire of the Japanese mob so outraged the "Yakuza" that real-life thugs viciously attacked the director, popular film satirist Juzo Itami (Tampopo, A Taxing Woman). Blending realism and raucous farce, Mimbo pits buffoonish criminals against a fearless female lawyer. Hired to protect a hotel against black-mailing mobsters, the courageous attorney rallies employees to fight back and win. In the lead role, the beguiling Nobuku Miyamoto - Itami's wife and the star of his hit films- is the epitome of female strength, wit, and intelligence. Filles with razor-sharp humor, delightful performances, and a crazed energy, this stylish film struck a nerve with the Japanese and became one of their country's highest grossing films." (from the video jacket).
Miracle in Rome
Lisandro Duque Naranjo. 1 VHS cassette (76 mins.): color. Spanish with English subtitles, Feature Film. Columbia, 1988.
" ... the story of Margarito Duarte, a man whose seven year-old daughter dies suddenly. Upon visiting her grave twelve years later, Margarito finds his daughter's body just as he had left it. His fellow towns people call the event a miracle, but the town bishop wants the girl reburied. Margarito must fight his way through red tape to have his daughter declared a saint and, in the end, it will take a miracle of a different order for Margarito to get his wish." (from the video jacket)
Miracolo a Milano (Miracle in Milan)
Vittorio De Sica. 1 VHS cassette (96 mins.): BW. Italian with English subtitles, Feature film. Italy, 1951. Cannes Film Festival Grand Prix; New York Film Critics Best Foreign Language Film. Actors: Francesco Golisano, Paolo Stoppa.
"Vittorio De Sica's award-winning masterpiece Miracle in Milan is one of the watershed films of the Italian cinema renaissance. De Sica uses fantasy, satire, and biting humor to condemn the degrading conditions that existed for millions of displaced Europeans following World War II. The story of Toto, an abandoned newborn who is raised by a kindly old lady to be a paragon of goodness illustrates the frustration of innocence in the face of life's harsh realities." (from the video jacket)
Molière: L'oeil en coulisses
1 VHS cassette (56 mins.): color. French with English subtitles.
"Twenty-two excerpts from six Molière plays plus interviews with five famous French actors and directors. The interviews include discussions of the six plays, Molière's career, how to act and stage his plays, the importance of Molière for today's audiences, and some of the issues raised by the plays. The plays excerpted are Le Malade imaginaire, Le Misanthrope, Tartuffe, Le Bourgeois gentilhomme, L'Ecole des femmes, and Amphitryon."
Mon Oncle d'Amerique (My American Uncle)
1 VHS cassette: color. French with English subtitles. Feature film.
"Three people seek success: Jean--a man who wants fame in politics or literature (it hardly matters which as long as he achieves the desired end); Janine--a woman who needs complete and total change in her life and so becomes a starving actress; and René--a man who escapes the declining economy of agriculture to find his fortune (or misfortune) in the city. Three lives, brought together by the hand of fate--together they discover the excitement and joy of their success and face the frustrations and hardships of the dream. Sound like a drama? It's not. Mon Oncle D'Amerique is a comedy about the drama of life, turning the struggles of everyday into a hilarious romp!"
Monet: Legacy of Light - Portrait of an Artist
WGBH Educational Foundation and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. 1 VHS cassette (28 mins.): color. English, Documentary. USA, 1989.
"Light and color flood the canvasses of Claude Monet with beauty beyond compare. Graceful images of his home at Giverney, the seasonal, timeless charm of the rustic haystack, and the loveliest of scenes -- luminous waterlilies in a pond -- endure as Monet's legacy to the world of art. This film brings you Monet's story as an asrtist and giant of the Impressionist movement using his own words with excerpts from journals, personal interviews and, of course, his magnificent paintings." (from the video jacket)
Montreal
Films for the Humanities and Sciences. 1 VHS cassette (54 mins.): color. French with no subtitles, Documentary. 1994.
"A portrait of Mount Royal and why its French name stuck: its development from supply depot to French explorers and farmers, to its development as one of the world's principal cities. The program examines the characteristics and character of the original French population and the reasons and manner in which that French Character remained despite the loss of Québec to the English. In showing us the city, its history, its monuments, and its life, the program examines the separate lives of Franco- and Anglophones, and shows the effect of Montreal's metropolitanization on the Francophone citizenry." (from the video jacket)
Morte e vida Severina and Quincas berro d'água
1 VHS cassette (60 mins.): color. Portuguese no subtitles, Feature films. Brazil, 1982.
Mostro, Il (The Monster)
Roberto Benigni. 1 VHS cassette (111 mins.): color. Italian with English subtitles, Feature film. Italy/France, 1996. Actors: Roberto Benigni, Michel Blanc, Nicoletta Braschi.
"Loris (Roberto Benigni) is always willing to take a stab at something new -- so he lets Jessica (Nicoletta Braschi), an attractive stranger, move in. What he doesn't know is that Jessica is an undercover cop aiming to catch a suspected serial killer and certified sex fiend. And she'll do anything to get her man. 'The Monster' has slain the critics who are calling it 'Hysterical' and star Roberto Benigni 'A genius at work,' and the 'funniest man in film today' (Kenneth Tura, Los Angeles Times). So prepare yourself for a monstrously good time!" (from the video jacket)
Mother, The
Vsevolod Pudovkin. 1 VHS cassette: B&W. Silent with English titles, Feature film. USSR, 1926. Based on Maxim Gorky's novel of the same title.
Muerte de Pancho Villa, La
1 VHS cassette (60 mins.): color. Spanish, 1991.
"This richly dramatized program, covers many of the events of the Mexican Revolution. Its focus is on Villa -- on his career, his political objectives, the reasons for his successes and the loyalty he inspired, and on those whose power he threatened and at whose hands he died." (from the video jacket)
Muerte de Zapata, La
1 VHS cassette (60 mins.): color. Spanish, 1993.
"This program dramatizes the life, career, and historical role of the man who played so pivotal a role in the Mexican Revolution. As with many martyrs, Zapata acheived his fullest influence only after his death -- in his case, at the hands of assassins." (from the video jacket)
Muerte viva, La
Gessler Publishing Co. 1 VHS cassette (30 mins.): color. Spanish, Documentary. Spanish version of "Day of the Dead".
Mujeres al borde de un ataque de 'nervios'(Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown)
Pedro Almódovar. 1 VHS cassette (88 mins.): color. Spanish with English subtitles, Feature film. Spain, 1988. Actors: Carmen Maura, Antonio Banderas, Julieta Serrano.
"The wildly hysterical international box office hit, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, introduces us to Pepa (Carmen Maura) who has just been jilted by an answering machine. The love of her life, Ivan, (Fernando Guillén) has just ended their relationship and she is heartbroken. But misery does love company. Her girlfirend Candela, has fallen in love with a terrorist. Ivan's son wants to rent the love nest Pepa shared with Ivan. Ivan's crazed wife arrives with loaded guns and Ivan himself is about to fly off to Stockholm with his new girlfirend on a plane that Candela's boyfriend plans to hijack. It's enough to drive any woman to a nervous breakdown -- or beyond, in this madcap farce from acclaimed director Pedro Almódovar." (from the video jacket)
Music box
Costa-Gavras. 1 VHS cassette (126 mins.) : color. English, Feature film. USA, 1989. Actors: Jessica Lange, Armin Mueller-Stahl.
"'Music Box' provides celebrated director Costa-Gavras ('Betrayed,' 'Missing') another opportunity to weave a story of nail-biting suspense with frightening political overtones. In this intense, courtroom thriller, Chicago attorney Ann Talbot (Jessica Lange) agrees to defend her Hungarian immigrant father Mike Laszlo (Armin Mueller-Stahl) against accusations of heinous war crimes committed 50 years earlier. As the trial unfolds, Ann probes for evidence that will not only establish his innocence but also lay to rest her own agonizing doubts about his past. When a hospitalized witness is suddenly located in Budapest, the trial moves to her father's homeland. Here crucial testimony plus Ann's personal investigation lead to astonishing results."
My Second Life: East German women in a changed world
Bronco Video. 1 VHS cassette (53 mins.): color. English, Documentary, 1996.
"The collapse of socialism meant the loss of a giant support structure which had enabled 91% of East German women to be employed, even while having children. Today there is a widespread notion that women are losers of the reunification. Yet interviews with these very women show a surprisingly wide spectrum of responses to the changes in their lives. My Second Lifeoffers a deeper insight into the complex process of German reunification by letting East German women speak for themselves. They look back at the old system and see many good things lost -- but at the same time the sum of their experiences proves that a story is never as black and white as newspaper headlines might make it appear." (from the video jacket)
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The Nasty Girl see Schreckliche mädchen, Das.
Neblina: una serie testimonial de una aventura insolita
1 VHS cassette (capitulos 7, 8, 9): color. Spanish (no subtitles), Documentary. Venezuela, 1993.
"Navegar por canoas donde la selva nos va engullendo, donde el cielo se pierde, llegando así a zonas inexploradas, hasta encontrar un poblado de indios Yanomami. Su bravura, amenazadora de muerte, fue suficiente para abandonar el corazón de la selva. Tras un duro día de 4x4 llegamos a una cascada de 70 metros donde realizamos un rappel bajo el agua, reto que al finalizar el día nos dejó el balance del accidente de nuestros "Jeeps" que casi le cuesta la vida a 4 expedicionarios. El Caroní, un río que ademas de serpientes y rápidos está repleto de diamantes, por los que la gente arriesga diariamente sus vidas. Continuamos el viaje practicando helitrup y parapente, aprovechando los hermosos lugares de la Gran Sabana." (from the video jacket)
Niebla (Miguel de Unamuno)
Radiotelevision Espanol. 1 VHS casstte (60 mins.): color. Dramatization in Spanish. Spain, 1996.
"The most widely-read work of modern Spanish fiction is here presented in a brilliant production which makes the unravelings of its absurditist plot clear and turns its existentialist problems into logical, everyday conversation. The film is ideal either as a companion to reading or -- where time is lacking -- as a substitute." (from the video jacket)
Noites do sertão
Carlos Alberto Prates. 1 VHS cassette (100 mins.): color. Portuguese no subtitles, Feature film. Brazil Actors: Dèbora Bloch, Cristina Aché, Tony Ramos.
Nosso pais: Vol. 1 "Nordeste"; Vol. 2 "Sudeste"; Vol. 3 "Sul"; Vol. 4 "Centro-Oeste; Vol. 5 "Amazônia-Norte"; Vol. 6 "Brasil-Geral"
Video Coleção Brasil Cultural. 6 VHS cassettes (30 mins. each): color. Portuguese, no subtitles, Documentary. Brazil, 1993.
Notebook on cities and clothes
Wim Wenders with Johji Yamamoto. 1 VHS cassette (91 mins.): color. English, Documentary. West Germany, 1989.
"Yohji Yamamoto has been one of the most successful maverick fashion designers of the last two decades, dressing such celebrities as Cher, Sting and Jack Nicholson in his assertively original creations. Acclaimed filmmaker Wim Wenders engages him in an articulate dialogue as a curious tourist from another art form which transforms into a speculation on th meaning of fashion and style in art and in modern life. Wenders finds himself both terrified of and candidly seduced by the replaceability of fashion and its scattered, rootless quality. He incorporates a dizzying, nearly discordant, and highly inventive array of video images invading, breaking down, and blocking out the crisp, clear film shots. This experimental technique questions video's impact on the future of filmmaking and our relationshipt o the 'reality' it captures. Wenders also reflects on the contemporary character of Paris and Tokyo and other cities and how they, like our clothes and our cinema, both reflect and reshape the way we perceive our lives."
Notte di San Lorenzo, La (Night of the Shooting Stars)
Paolo and Vittorio Taviani. 1 VHS cassette (107 mins.): color. Italian with English subtitles, Feature film. Italy, 1982. Actors: Omero Antonutti, Margarita Lozano.
"Voted 'Best Fim of theYear'by the International Society of Film Critics, The Night of the Shooting Stars depicts the final days of World War II in Italy, seen mostly through the eyes of a six-year-old girl. It is a mythic recollection of life intensely lived -- fixed forever in the mind of the protagonist, and stamped indelibly on the film's legion of admirers. In the summer of 1944, a group of villagers flee from brutal Nazi occupiers, risking their lives to reach advancing GIs. To the saucer-eyed little heroine, life on the run is a succession of wondrous moments, both meaningful and horrifying: a young couple wed; a crowded church is blown up; a wealthy widow falls in love; Fascists and Resistance Fighters stalk each other in a dense filed of wheat. The epic journey (distilled from the wartime experiences of filmmakers Paolo and Vittorio Taviani) is both a tragedy of desolation and a celebration of life. It preserves, for all of us, a period of recent history that should never be forgotten." (from the video jacket)
Nowhere else to live
Alan Handel Productions. 1 VHS cassette (26 mins.): color.
"In the last forty years, Mexico City, one of the largest and most densely inhabited places in the world, has seen a population explosion from one million to nearly twenty million. The landless peasants who arrive in Mexico City find survival no easier than the rural poverty they sought to escape. Half of the population are, or have been, illegal squatters. By introducing us to several families who struggle to survive here, the film puts a human face on Mexico's urban poor. The Martinez family is one of thirty seven families who live in the shell of a house reduced to rubble by an earthquake. Ramon Martinez dreams of saving enough money from his shoeshine work to marry the mother of his four children in a proper ceremony. Guadalupe is a single mother living in one of the tin and cardboard shacks that lines the road to the airport. She shares a tape of untreated water with her nieghbors. Jorge is one of twenty thousand people who live on the fringe of Mexico City's garbage dumps. His wife was buried alive by an avalanche caused by the illegal dumping of trash. One organizer, Clara Brugada, is part of a barrio which decided to fight back. With their own hands the people replaced the mud huts with sturdy housing and stood up to the police who have tried to evict them. It now stands as a beacon of hope for those who live on the edge." (from the video jacket)
Nueba Yol (A funny way to say New York)
Angel Muñiz. 1 VHS cassette (115 mins.): color. Spanish with English subtitles, Feature film. Domenican Republic, 1995.
"'Nueba Yol' es la divertida historia de Balbuena (Luisito Martì), un pobre diablo que día a día lucha por sobrevivir en una sociedad que no le ofrece muchas alternativas. Un día escuchó a su amigo Fellito (Raúl Carbonell) decir 'llegar a Nueba Yol, es como llegar a la gloria...' Fellito, convenció a Balbuena de que hipotecara su casita y así comprar la visa que haría realidad su más preciado anhelo. Llegar a Nueva York. Un inesperado amor toma a Balbuena por asalto. El aeropuerto Kennedy sirvió de escenario a tan fortuito encuentro. Y como suele verse en las novelas de amor todo sucedió de forma accidental. Balbuena y Nancy (Caridad Ravelo) iniciaron una hermosa historia de amor que más adelante se interrumpe. Nancy Martínez había preparado su retirada definitiva a la República Dominicana.ho tiempo para que Balbuena comenzara a ver sus espectativas de una mejor vida derrumbarse ante sus narices. 'Nueba Yol', del joven Director Angel Muñiz, documenta al inmigrante lleno de ilusiones, sueños y emociones en su lucha constante por sobrevivir en una teirra extraña, ajena a sus culturas y a sus costumbres. Pinceladas de acción y suspenso dentro de esta comedia romántica, pondrán un acento a la atmósfera mágica de su trama, que pretende mostrar una de las múltiples historias que envuelve esa realidad universal: la emigración. Y aunque muchos lo nieguen... 'Todo llevamos un Balbuena por dentro.'" (from the video jacket)
NOTE: ** indicates does not circulate.
