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Subjects:  1. Documentary    2. Feature Film-drama    3. Nonfiction - Documentary   

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Subjects:  1. Documentary   

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Reviews (1)

Grant takes command and the siege of Richmond begins
Lincoln finally finds his general as Ulysses S. Grant comes East and takes command of the Union forces in the sixth volume of Ken Burns' celebrated documentary on the Civil War.Finally the stage is set between Sam Grant and Robert E. Lee, "The Marble Model."This episode follows the movement of the Army of the Potomac from the Wilderness to Petersburg.One of the more memorable sections deals with war wounds and the remarkable military career of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain is continued.As with the rest of this series, David McCullough's solid narration and Shelby Foote's unforgettable anecdotes provide the defining voices of the documentary.The Civil War is brought alive through the use of hundreds of photographs and illustrations, multi-layered sound effects, simple but evocative music and the recognizable voices actors such as Sam Waterson and Jason Robards, Jr. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Documentary    2. Movie    3. War Documentaries   

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Reviews (1)

Lincoln is re-elected President as 1864 comes to a close
The seventh volume in the celebrated documentary on The Civil War by Ken Burns focuses on the last half of 1864 and the events effective the re-election of Abraham Lincoln.With the Army of the Potomac stalled outside Petersburg, Virginia it is Sherman's assault on Atlanta that gives the President the momentum to defeat his opponent, George B. McClellan.Other sections of this episode cover the Battle of the Crater, Phil Sheridan's campaign in the Shenandoah Valley, and the military brilliance of Nathan Bedford Forrest.David McCullough's simple narration and Shelby Foote's memorable anecdotes, aided by some of our most distinguished actors such as Sam Waterson and Jason Robards, Jr., give the Civil War its voices.Burns uses hundred of photographs and illustrations along with a deeply textured soundtrack of sound effectives and evocative music to make this document as compelling as any dramatic film. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Documentary    2. Movie    3. War Documentaries   

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Subjects:  1. Educational History   

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Subjects:  1. Documentary   

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Subjects:  1. Educational    2. History    3. Kids & Family    4. Special Interests   

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Reviews (8)

The best available Jackson DVD-set
Here are both, a newmade documentary abou Mahalia Jackson and on a 2nd dvd 37 songs of her vintage collection of the XENON-video volumes 1-4 in digital quality. Before you get the other DVDs on Mahalia you should prefer this one for its expansion and quality. Most of the othe until now available DVDs are repacked DVDs. Highly recommended!!!

Long and lonesome road. . .
I have read everything in print, I believe, about Mahalia Jackson.I have researched her life diligently for more than 35 years.This film does a good job of recreating from archival footage the basic substance of her life and work.While some things are not fully accurate, the film does depict the chronological events in her life quite well.For example, the Carnegie 1950 performance was not actually filmed or shown here.The later 1961 image from CBS was used to approximate the actual event.I do not fault any of this, as the film does justice to Mahalia's fabulous career in many ways, thus providing at least some form of historical narrative for future generations.I sincerely hope that an intensive and thorough work is currently in the making.Mahalia made TV appearances as late as 1971 (Flip Wilson).She sang at M.L. King's funeral, yet in this documentary that actual performance was not used.I personally watched her April 1968 televised performance of "Precious Lord" at his funeral.All major networks televised the event, so this performance should have been used.Mahalia was on TV in the 50's and 60's frequently.I believe that in essence this particular film does capture the life and work of Miss Jackson fairly accurately and well.I am grateful to its producers for the effort and research and the images of the great Mahalia.I did enjoy this film and in the end I felt that long familiar pang. . .I surely do miss her.

Get the bonus disc
It is not the rather lame documentary that makes this item worthwhile but the bonus disc. It contains 2 hours with 38 live video clips recorded in black and white for American television in the late fifties. The performances are set against a sober kind of German expressionistic background. Most of the time the accompanying musicians (piano -must be Mildred Falls-, acoustic bass, electric guitar, drums and organ) are not in the picture. Without an audience the performances are rather serene but they are of high musical quality. Though some songs are more uplifting than others Jackson and the other musicians are in great form. They are randomly taken from the 80 video clip collection 'Mahalia Jackson sings' which lasts for 4 hours. Read more

Subjects:  1. Black Gospel    2. Gospel    3. Music Video    4. Music Video - Gospel    5. Performance    6. Pop    7. Spirituals    8. Traditional Gospel   

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Subjects:  1. Educational History   

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Reviews (1)

Apparently Amazon does not carry this item.Order from someone else !
Delay delay delay. Ordered on January 24, as of June 21 still have not received it.WHY DOES AMAZON ADVERTISE MERCHANDISE IT DOES NOT CARRY?I have canceled my order, this is just ridiculous.
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Subjects:  1. Documentary    2. Movie   

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Excellent Interview --Too Short in Duration
Prelude to Revolution is a remarkable documentary that offers the viewer a tremendous amount of insight into the thoughts of Huey P. Newton and the meaning behind the Black Panther Party. All 60s fanatics, students of the Civil Rights Movement, or (African)American history buffs would undoubtedly enjoy this candid interview with one of the most fascinating figures from the 60s era. However, while the substance of the interview itself
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Subjects:  1. Documentary    2. Movie    3. bargain_vhs   

Editorial Review

Young Muhammad Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, captivated the world in the early 1960s by giving interviews that were bizarre works of performance art. He taunted his opponents and proclaimed to any who would listen, "I am the greatest." This is a peculiar video that consists almost entirely of footage of Ali's bravura performances as interviewee. There is virtually no fight footage, and almost no narration, but that hardly matters. What sportscasters in the 1960s realized is that if you put a microphone in front of Ali, that alone guaranteed great entertainment. Before winning the heavyweight title from Sonny Liston, Ali gleefully proclaimed, "I'll go pop, pop, pop and dance away so fast he'll think he's surrounded." His predictions, which were often offered in rhyme (as in "Sonny Liston will be mine in round 9"), were outrageous in their day, and they hold up as being utterly entertaining in the present era, when athletes are corporations, not characters. Ali's inspired interviews were a zany one-man show, and in the old black-and-white interviews in this video, we see again how his athletic grace in the ring was matched only by his playful genius at the mic. Read more

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Not recommended
This tape does not include Ali's best material - his repartee with Howard Cosell.I was disappointed that the interview footage shown here does not give a glimpse of Ali's fierce intelligence and sense of humor.The tapeprovides a rather dull 40 minutes showing career highlights andbadly-synched interview segments. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Documentary    2. Movie   

Editorial Review

Don McGlynn's uncompromising and soulful documentary look at the tumultuous life of musician and rebel Charles Mingus is fascinating stuff. Mingus said of himself "I am half black man, half yellow man, but I claim to be a Negro. I am Charles Mingus, the famed jazz musician--but not famed enough to make a living in America." His statement summed up the conflict that plagued this musical genius his entire life: volatility, pain, prescience, and raw rage roiled inside a complex man, composer, bass player, and trombonist who transcended labels and refused to be pigeonholed into a single musical style--and who did not achieve real fame until late in his career. The documentary is full of well-preserved footage and contains interviews with many Mingus followers like Wynton Marsalis as well as performances by icons Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, and Gerry Mulligan. The film traverses past the musical legend with insight and information into Mingus's personal life, his civil rights activism, and his final triumph in the music world--just as his body began to deteriorate from Lou Gehrig's disease--to his eventual death in 1979. Mingus left a legacy composed of genius, vulnerability, brilliance, anarchy, and, as one friend noted, "the entire range of human emotion that is reflected in his music." Read more

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Reviews (13)

Brilliant musician - very good composer.
This documentary unapologetically has a mission: to elevate Charles Mingus' status to"great" composer. Whether he is or is not can be argued, but when compared with the likes of Duke Ellington who was unquestionably a great composer, he might move down just a notch. A "great" bass player? Unquestionably. Herein lies my complaint: not enough focus on Mingus the bass player. That being said, this documentary makes it clear that Mingus and music are one. The most introspective moments come in the form of home movies of Mingus sitting at the piano composing. One scene in particular has him playing "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" on an old upright to his daughter. Clearly this documentary was a work of love put together by those who revere his music and want to keep it alive. Make no mistake, the music is great and this documentary is a worthy effort.

Great Mingus Footage, Bad Documentary
I must agree with the review entitled 'disappointed'.I am an avid collector of Mingus records and am familiar with much of his career.This attempt at a portrait of Mingus is poorly constructed and fails to provide even a basic overview of his life and music.There is no chronology as tantalising snippts of film jump from the seventies back to the fifties, with scarce an opportunity to listen to an extended piece.Rather than allow the rare concert footage and original recordings to 'speak for themselves', the filmmakers lean heavily on ponderous and repetitive interviews that either emphasise how volatile a personality was Mingus or how he was an American equivalent of a Schoenberg.There is virtually no discussion of any one of his many innovative recordings, and the film moves briskly through his 'golden period' of roughly '55 to '65 with little mention of his many great achievements.We are told repeatedly what a great composer and bassist Mingus was, and yet the film includes precious little footage of Mingus and his bands performing.As mentioned, the chronology of the footage is so poorly arranged that there is no sense of what a remarkable period of activity Mingus sustained during that ten year period in which the vast bulk of his classic recordings were made. Outstanding!
Definitely ranks up there with "Straight No Chaser" and "A Great Day In Harlem".The interviews with Mingus' sidemen are priceless, as are the discussions with Sue and Celia Mingus.A crucial documentary for serious fans. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Documentary    2. Jazz    3. Movie   

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Subjects:  1. Documentary    2. Movie    3. Sports   

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Educational as Well as Entertaining
My family truly enjoyed the video from start to finish. The History lesson was invaluable! I could not puta price on the value. The video made us feel like we werein Boley, Ok. I have highly recommended this video to friends and family members. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art House & International    2. Documentary    3. International Documentaries    4. Television & Documentary   

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• Full Screen
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Subjects:  1. Special Interests    2. Black Heritage    3. History   

Editorial Review

One of the most charismatic and controversial figures in modern America, Jesse Jackson is profiled in this intelligent and balanced installment from the A&E Read more

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