ITEMS Video Descriptions


Islam-Empire of Faith - Part 1
PHL VT1247A

Between the fall of Rome & the European voyages of discovery, few events were more significant than the rise of Islam. Within a few centuries, the Islamic empires blossomed, projecting their power from Africa to the East Indies & from Spain to India. Inspired by the words of the Prophet Muhammed & led by caliphs & sultans, this political & religious expansion remains unequaled in speed, geographic size & endurance. ISLAM:EMPIRE OF FAITH is a 3-hour program that tells the story of the great sweep of Islamic power & faith during its first 1,000 years - from the birth of the Prophet Muhammed to the peak of the Ottoman Empire under the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent. Historical re-enactments & a remarkable exposition of Islamic art, artifacts & architecture are combined with interviews of scholars from around the world to recount the rise & importance of early Islamic civilization. Increasingly, scholars & historians are recognizing the profound impact that Islamic civilization has had on Western culture & the course of world history. 2 tapes total running time 180 min


Islam-Empire of Faith - Part 2
PHL VT1247B

Between the fall of Rome & the European voyages of discovery, few events were more significant than the rise of Islam. Within a few centuries, the Islamic empires blossomed, projecting their power from Africa to the East Indies & from Spain to India. Inspired by the words of the Prophet Muhammed & led by caliphs & sultans, this political & religious expansion remains unequaled in speed, geographic size & endurance. ISLAM:EMPIRE OF FAITH is a 3-hour program that tells the story of the great sweep of Islamic power & faith during its first 1,000 years - from the birth of the Prophet Muhammed to the peak of the Ottoman Empire under the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent. Historical re-enactments & a remarkable exposition of Islamic art, artifacts & architecture are combined with interviews of scholars from around the world to recount the rise & importance of early Islamic civilization. Increasingly, scholars & historians are recognizing the profound impact that Islamic civilization has had on Western culture & the course of world history. 2 tapes total running time 180 min


Long Search: There Is No God But God
PHL VT0063

Journey takes us to oasis village 50 miles from Cairo to see a wedding, to market town of El Fayoum for dawn prayers, to Cairo, university & mosque of El Axhar. There is an interview with a sheik & 2 doctors who take us on a pilgrimage to Mecca. 1978 52 min


Ethics in America: Pt 101: Do Unto Others
PHL VT0192A

Panel, including Surgeon General Koop, discusses question of community responsibility. 60 min.


Ethics in America: Pt 102: To Defend A Killer
PHL VT0192B

What rights do guilty have? Ethical dilemmas of our criminal justice system are discussed. 60 min


Ethics in America: Pt 103: Public Trust
PHL VT0192C

Group addresses problems of trust within government, between one public official & another, & between government & public. 60 min


Ethics in America: Pt 104: Does Doctor Know Best?
PHL VT0192D

Should you save mother at the risk of losing baby? Doctors discuss controversies created by modern medicine. 60 min


Ethics in America: Pt 105: Anatomy of Hostile Takeover
PHL VT0192E

Merger mania presents alarming array of ethical problems. Debating issues are chief executives from Borg-Warner, Goodyear, & Hathaway; economist Lester Thurow; & Senator Tim Worth. 60 min


Ethics in America: Pt 106: Under Orders
PHL VT0192F

How do we wage war when enemy dresses as civilians & children throw bombs? Generals question duty to follow orders & a commander's obligation to protect soldiers. 60 min


Ethics in America: Pt 107: Under Orders
PHL VT0192G

The carnage of My Lai raises issue of confidentiality between soldier, his religious confessor, & military justice. Generals debate clash between military tribunals & right of confidentiality with members of Church. 60 min


Ethics in America: Pt 108: Truth on Trial
PHL VT0192H

Is an attorney's first obligation to court, client, or public? A panel debates civil litigation's ethical dilemmas. 60 min


Ethics in America: Pt 109: The Human Experiment
PHL VT0192I

Does finding a cure justify putting test subjects at risk? A panel discusses medical research field. 60 min


Ethics in America: Pt 110: Politics
PHL VT0192J

What conduct on part of a public official is relevant to "the public's right to know?" Panelists debate issue. 60 min


Beyond the Post-Modern Mind
PHL VT0353

Modern western world view is dominated by materialist values of science. According to Huston Smith, withdrawal of emphasis from human values & essential elements such as meaning, quality, & purpose has lead to widespread alienation & social discontent. 1988


Moyers
PHL VT0448

Interviews individuals who explore ideas & values shaping our future. Featured are scientists, writers, artists, philosophers, historians & others who share knowledge on a wide variety of issues confronting us today. 30 minutes


Long Search
PHL VT0696A

Millions come to bathe in holy waters of Ganges & millions more quietly live their religion in villages throughout India. What is basis of this highly original approach to God, which dictates every aspect of society & individual life? 52 min


Long Search
PHL VT0696B

In exploring type of Buddhism practiced throughout Southeast Asia, we visit Sri Lanka & India meeting Buddhist monks, including one American & children & housewives. Each shares their own experience in a religion that has high moral standards but does not believe in god. 52 min


Long Search
PHL VT0696C

If Buddha of India met Buddha of Japan would they recognize each other? To find out program talks to staff in a Tokyo restaurant who keep regular Zen meditation schedules as part of their job on to classical Zen calligraphy, swordfighting, archery & tea ceremony. Technical aspects are superior. 52 min


Long Search
PHL VT0696D

Taiwan, where a pantheon of gods are worshipped in thousands of Buddhist & Taoist temples. Religious life weaves together a Confucian respect for ancestors, cosmic pattern of Tao & its oracles, local gods who dispense justice & favors & hungry ghosts of dead who must be placated. 52 min


Long Search
PHL VT0696E

In Indianapolis, 1100 different churches illustrate the robust multiplicity of Protestant beliefs. In the midst of a church-going boom in the U.S., with TV spetaculars setting the pace for some ministries, freedom of religion and free enterprise frequently overlap. 52 min


Long Search
PHL VT0696F

Probably the fastest growing religion in the world today, it's 400 million believers are reshaping whole regions of our globe. Yet how many understand its appeal? This program travels to Egypt to take part in a wedding at an oasis village, on to a market town for dawn prayers and into Cairo itself. 52 min


Terrorism and the Kebab (Al-Irhab Wal-Kabab]
PHL VT1503

This smash hit comedy in Egypt is set in the al-Mugama'a building in Cairo, a huge complex that physically and metaphorically embodies Egypt's bureaucracy. When a father arrives at teh building to request the transfer of his son to a school nearer his home, a preposterous sequence of events culminates in him being mistaken for a terrorist-enabling him to make outlandish demands of the Minister of Internal Affairs. 1992. 105 min


Satori In The Right Cortex
PHL VT0704

Satori is Zen concept, designating answer to mystery of life, which escapes Western logic but which Buddhist feel can be found in quieting & emptying mind so that it accepts what is in each moment as 'good'. Illustrative of ways in which idea manifests in society includes wide range: Kamisha School of Business Management, dedication ceremony of arc welding robot at Ikeda Koyoyo, Ltd.; The Fertility Festival, & The Naked Festival. 1985 34 min


One Village In China: All Under Heaven
PHL VT0751A

Daily life in a Chinese Village. 1985 58 min


One Village In China: To Taste a Hundred Herbs
PHL VT0751B

Study of rural physician & his family. Ideal for courses in sociology, technology & medicine. 1986 58 min


One Village In China: Small Happiness
PHL VT0751C

Filmed under unprecedented circumstances, women of Long Bow talk about marriage, birth control, work & daily life. 1984. 58 min


One Village In China: First Moon
PHL VT0751D

A beautifully made film which shows how many elements of traditional Chinese village life coexist with the new. 1985. 37 min


Shinto
PHL VT0822

Video about Japan's religion. 50 min. 3-10-97


No - Music of Noh Drama-Eugene Enrico
PHL VT0823

Filmed in Nara at 1996 Takigi Onoh Festival. Shows NOH by torch light at Kofukuji temple. Artists from NOH troupe led by Kinzo Komparu demonstrate styles & forms of NOH music. Surveys rich historic tradition of NOH & explains the connections to Buddhism & Shito. 29:30 min


Shinto - Festival Music
PHL VT0824

Filmed in Tokyo at 1993 Sania Matsuri. Host for program is Dr. William Malm, Professor of Ethnomusicology at University Michigan. He explains musical traditions in Shinto Festival & discusses use of musical instruments. Introduces rich tradition of Japanese mythology, mime & dance. 29:30 min


From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians Part I
PHL VT0848A

Segment traces life of Jesus exploring message that helped his ministry grow & events that led to his crucifixion. Born in reign of Augustus in Roman Peace, Jesus was a subject of Roman Empire. This hour looks at how scholars & archaeologists have pieced together a new portrait of where Jesus was born, how he lived & who he was. 60 min


From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians Part II
PHL VT0848B

Turns from life of Jesus to period that followed his death, examining rise of Christianity & concluding with First Revolt - bloody & violent siege of Jerusalem & beginning of a rift between Christianity & Judaism. Explores new evidence suggesting that Jesus' followers looked at & interpreted his teachings in many different ways. 60 min


From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians Part III
PHL VT0848C

Examines period after First Revolt, tracing development & impact of Gospels, looking at increasingly hostile relationship between Christians & Jews. Concludes with bloody Jewish war against Rome, Second Revolt. 60 min


From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians Part IV
PHL VT0848D

Documents events of second & third centuries in which Christianity grew from a small Jewish sect to an official religion of Roman Empire. 60 min


Human Remains
PHL VT1098

Human Remains indirectly asks us to confront nature of evil. Like an archaeologist, filmmaker sifts through old remains & uncovers intimate & mundane details of 20th century's most infamous men. It is a haunting look at private lives of these men who changed face of human history. 1998. 30 min


Island Of The Spirits
PHL VT1104

Explore Japan's rarest treasure. Peaceful, magical, mystical Hokkaido is a highly spiritual Japanese island where wildlife is treasured & honored by an ancient culture that dates back 7,000 years. Here native Ainu people revere Hokkaido's special creatures & extraordinary landscape uniting natural & spiritual worlds in their 'Garden of the Gods.' 60 min


Introduction And Sacred Space
PHL VT1108A

Discusses mixture of faiths that abound in Indianapolis, & importance of sacred space to each denomination. Martin E. Marty of University of Chicago Divinity School defines sacred space as a place where individuals experience a sense of spiritual events relevant to their faith. Visiting several places of worship about city we learn how size, decoration (or lack of it), & location confirm faith's place in history & express cultural values of its members. Color. 21 min


Sacred Rituals
PHL VT1108B

Discusses significance of rituals & necessity for defined sacred space both traditional & nontraditional. Rituals discussed include Eucharist or Communion, meditation & others. The practice of placing the mezuzah at door of a Jewish home is presented within context of the home as a sacred space; Buddhist meditation ceremonies are relegated to specific places in the home. And at a community center for East Indians, some space is set aside for religious ceremonies, while rest is used for secular community activities. The outdoors as a stage for sacred rituals is examined at a Christian Easter sunrise service. Color. 17 min


Long Nights Journey Into Day
PHL VT1140

Provides look at one of most innovative & ambitious attempts at dialogue & healing in history - South Africa's Truth & Reconciliation Commission. Documents South Africa's quest for restorative justice as it follows 4 cases that come before commission over 2 1/2 years. Thought provoking portrait of a wounded society attempting to humanize itself by taking seriously the importance of heart & conscience. It will inspire American viewers to re-examine our own approach to racism & social injustice. 95 min


Clando
PHL VT1141

On surface, Clando is political thriller set in terrifying police state - Cameroon. It wrestles with dilemma facing educated Africans: whether to work to change autocratic regimes at home or seek fortunes abroad. It is a call to action from one African to another. Teno writes: 'A majority of Africans are waiting for change to happen, an attitude of passiveness inherited from 400 years of oppression. Clando tells of former computer programmer, Sobgui whose life has collapsed after arrest & torture for minor involvement with an anti-government student group. Reduced to driving a Clando (gypsy cab) he accepts opportunity to go to Germany to buy some cabs & search for Rigoberto, lost son of taxi fleet owner. There he has an affair with a German human rights activist who convinces him that if you don't change society it will change you. He sees how emigration has reduced Rigoberto to a penniless drunkard by denying him a meaningful social role. Together they return to Cameroon with no clear strategy except they will wait no longer to take back their country. 1996 French/English subtitles. 95 min?


Udju Azul Di Yonta (The Blue Eyes Of Yonta)
PHL VT1142

Story of 3 people, each of whom is so much in love with their dreams they miss real opportunities of life. Vicente, hero of revolution, now a businessman, is so despondent over failure of his political ideals that he fails to notice flirtations of Yonta, beautiful daughter of 2 former comrades. Yonta represents younger generation that have grown up since independence & replaced revolutionary rhetoric with unabashed enthusiasm for Western culture. She is oblivious to attention of Ze, a poor student from the country who sends her romantic poems (actually written for a Swedish girl) praising her 'blue eyes.' Film ends with a moment of satire, affection & wonder. While older generation dreams beside a swimming pool, hungover from a wedding reception, the children carry forward hopes of future as they dance into new morning. Criolo/with English subtitles. 90 min


Mortu Nega (Those Whom Death Refused)
PHL VT1143

Covers period from July 1972 to final victory that year & consolidation of an independent Guinea-Bissau in 1974 & 1975. Dramatizes this through figure of Diminga, a guerrilla fighter & her loyalty to Sako her revolutionary comrade & husband. Its portrayal of exhaustion, confusion, solidarity & commitment of revolutionary warfare is one of most accurate on film. Victory only brings disillusionment as villagers begin profiteering & former revolutionaries turn into callous bureaucrats & the crops fail in a terrible drought. Diminga calls for a Balanta 'beckoning of the ancestors' ceremony to join nation together by reminding it of its shared history. The drought breaks but a luta continua - the struggle continues. Portuguese Criolo with English subtitles. 93 min


Tableau Ferraille
PHL VT1144

Tableau Ferraille (which can be roughly translated as 'scrap heap') is actually the hometown of director Moussa Sene Absa. Its fictional leader, Daam, a well-intentioned European-trained politician, must choose between two value systems, which are exemplified by his two wives. His first wife, Gagnesiri is a dignified village woman, dedicated to husband, family & community. She may represent Africa with its vast unrealized potential, waiting for politicians like Daam to develop it. His second wife, Kine, a well-connected, Western educated woman, chafes under restrictions of domestic life & chides Daam for not using his position to acquire personal wealth like other government ministers. She conspires with his cronies, which leads to his downfall. Story is told in a series of flashbacks as Gagnesiri realizes there is little she can do for Daam & less he can do for her. In a surprisingly feminist ending she leaves Tableau Ferraille rusting by the for a future which is unclear but her own. French & Wolof/English subtitles. 85 min


Hyenas
PHL VT1145

An old woman, Linguere Ramatou, returns to Colobane, decaying village where she was born, now that she has become richest woman in world. She seeks revenge against Dramaan Drameh, lover of her youth who betrayed her, forcing her out of village & into a life of prostitution. She offers villagers a trillion dollars if they will execute Dramaan. At first outraged, they easily become addicted to pleasures of consumer society. In the end, they consume Dramaan, leaving behind only his tattered clothes, like hyenas. Linguere's victory is hollow; she has conquered the world but has destroyed her ability to love it. In the end, the imaginary Colobane becomes the real Colobane of today, a notorious black market & transit point on edge of Dakar. Djibril Diop Mambety, one of the masters of world cinema, has created a stunning, if pessimistic, cinematic metaphor for fate of his continent. Wolof/English subtitles. 113 min


Taafe Fanga (Skirt Power)
PHL VT1146

Taafe Fanga's story is structured around Dogon belief that cosmogony, myth, history & present interpenetrate or repeat themselves continually to bring primal forces back into proper balance. A griot in present day Mali tells story about women in an 18th century Dogon village. Fed up with male arrogance they capture the powerful Albarga mask & terrorize the men into assuming women's roles, 'triumph of the skirts over the shorts.' of the skirts over the shorts.' Humorous results convince everyone that women's roles should be respected as complementary, yet equal, to those of men if society as a whole is to advance. Kaado/English subtitles. 1997. 95 min


Matrix
PHL VT1205

Reality: That world is a hoax, an elaborate deception spun by all-powerful machines of artificial intelligence that control us. Whoa. Mind-warp stunts, Techno-slammin' visuals, Mega-kick action, Keanu Reeves & Laurence Fishburne lead the fight to free humankind in The Matrix, the see & see again cyberthriller written & directed by the Wachowski brothers. The story sears, the special effects stake out new moviemaking territory - the movie flat out rocks. Perception: The Matrix is "Stylish - Savvy. The ultimate in cyberescapism." Reality: Ditto 136 min


High Noon
PHL VT1206

Gary Cooper won the Oscar for Best Actor in this classic title of an aging lawman who stands alone to defend a town of righteous cowards in one of the greatest showdowns in the history of cinema. The movie also marks the first starring role for a beautiful, young actress who went on to become one of Hollywood's most beloved screen legends - Grace Kelly. High Noon garnered a total of four Academy Awards including Best Editing, Score & Original Song. BW 85 min


Animal Farm
PHL VT1207

After enduring years of abuse from Farmer Jones, the animals decide to take over the farm. Old Major, the hog holds a secret meeting & proclaims that "all animals are created equal." They should be rewarded for their hard work. So Boxer the horse, Benjamin the donkey & Snowball the pig band together with the other animals to overthrow the farmer & create a new society. They dictate a new social structure that seems to work until one pig goes bad. Witness the rise & fall of four-legged power as political obsession leads to revolt & repression on the Animal Farm. 70 min