Recalling the Future: Contemporary Art in Africa         WA-536
48 min / 2000 / AIAS / VHS
Middle school through adult
Filmed on location at the 1998 Dakar Arts Biennial, this video surveys contemporary painting, photography, and sculpture in Africa. Artists and critics from Senegal, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, and South Africa discuss the content, techniques, and materials in current African art and explore its relationship to traditional African arts as well as to the worldwide art community. The African Art category is discussed and debated throughout the film. While some of the featured artists welcome inquiry into the African roots of their art, others reject the term “African artist” and insist on defining their work without regard to its continent of origin. It features a lively soundtrack showcasing modern vocal and instrumental African music. In French with English subtitles.

Red Ball Express           ED-64
3 min / color / 1976 / PER / 16mm
Preschool through adult
Former Richmonder Steve Segal is an independent filmmaker whose award-winning animated films have won wide acclaim. Red Ball Express is a superb example of his work. This rollicking train adventure, set to the rhythm of the bluegrass melody Orange Blossom Special, is drawn directly on film leader-a technique that produces quickly changing, spontaneous imagery. CINE Golden Eagle Award.

The Red Balloon           ED-150
34 min / color / 1956 / FI / 16mm, VHS
Preschool through adult
The Red Balloon, by Albert Lamorisse, is one of the most widely known short films of all time, acclaimed throughout the world as a wonderful fantasy of childhood. When a young boy makes friends with a balloon and "tames" it, the balloon begins to follow him wherever he goes. The boy and the balloon play together in the streets of Montemartre until a gang of ruffians bursts the balloon. But, joyously, all the balloons of Paris come and carry the boy away.

Red Grooms: Sunflower in a Hothouse           WA-245
21 min / color / 1986 / DC / VHS
Middle school through adult
Red Grooms conducts a brief journey into his two- and three-dimensional walk-in works, which he calls "picto-sculptoramas," a combination of painting and sculpture, high art and pop culture. Grooms's "environments" invite audience participation; in a life-size subway car, for example, viewers can sit in one of the seats. Interviews reveal the artist's early influences and his philosophy about his work, which he sees as a combination of "kitsch, pop, and classicism." Barbara Haskell's commentary offers insight into Grooms's creations and places them within the context of 20th-century art. 1986 Academy Award Nomination, Best Documentary Short.

Red Is Green: Jud Fine           WA-356
11 min / color / 1988 / ARTSA / VHS
High school through adult
Southern California visual artist Jud Fine's art has always been about communicating or, precisely, the possibilities and impossibilities of communicating. Fine has become known for his ability to incorporate wit into the aesthetic of an art object, challenging and redefining the viewer's preconceived notions of the world. In this program, the artist discusses his work and philosophy of the function of art in contemporary life. This program was produced for a 1988 exhibition of Fine's work at the La Jolla (California) Museum of Contemporary Art.

Red Shoes           WA-299
28 min / color / 1988 / DC / VHS
Elementary through adult
Ann Slavit, who creates mammoth inflatable sculptures, was inspired by her love of dance and her Brooklyn neighborhood to make a pair of giant red toe shoes to hang on the facade of the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The inspiration for Slavit's work was her favorite children's story, The Red Shoes, which symbolized for her the magic and energy of ballet. She wanted to soften the intimidating facade of the BAM building, to reflect the activities within, and to brighten a tough and impoverished neighborhood. Recommended for classes in art, architecture, design, civics and community planning, dance, and theater. Suggested Classroom Activity: Have students select a building in their community and draw designs for an inflatable sculpture, an installation, or an artwork that will indicate on the outside of a building what happens on the inside.

Rediscovery: The Art Media Series
15 min each / color / 1970-74 / AIMS / VHS
Middle school through adult
This series of 16 video programs focuses on the use of art materials to stimulate creativity. Close-up photography and lively musical scores enhance these investigations of contemporary arts and crafts.

1. Watercolor           RED-1
The wide range of technical and expressive possibilities inherent in watercolor painting is examined, including a demonstration of 2 of the most important and distinctive characteristics of the medium: fluidity and transparency.

2. Macramé           RED-2
Clear, close-up photography illustrates how to make the few basic macramé knots and how to combine them to create simple, useful objects. Experimentation with color, texture, and design is encouraged.

3. Puppets           RED-3
Through experimentation, students learn to make puppets from a variety of media. The techniques vary in difficulty but offer possibilities to both adult and younger audiences.

4. Crayon           RED-5
Crayon, when used by itself or combined with other media, offers the artist a wide range of possibilities. The expression of an idea is emphasized rather than simply technique, and artists are therefore encouraged to have confidence in their own methods of working.

5. Papier-Mâché           RED-6
One of the great advantages of papier-mâché is that it provides an opportunity to work in three dimensions. Basic methods are introduced and a number of procedures for building forms are illustrated, thus demonstrating the potentials of papier-mâché and giving beginners the confidence to explore it.

6. Clay           RED-7
There is almost no limit to how clay can be worked: it can be squeezed, rolled, cut, folded, textured, formed on a wheel, poured as a liquid, and carved as a solid. An easy and rewarding experience is revealed, and the finishing processes of glazing, slip-trailing, and firing are demonstrated.

7. Prints           RED-8
Many printing processes are designed to be carried out with simple materials that are readily available. By emphasizing technique, a wide range of possibilities for individual exploration and experimentation is introduced.

8. Collage           RED-9
Collage is a medium somewhere between painting and sculpture. Its compositional possibilities are explored through the arrangement and rearrangement of different elements, with emphasis on the use of imagination and a sense of discovery.

9. Silkscreen           RED-10
The basic principles of silkscreen printing are illustrated, as well as various ways of preparing the screen. The viewer is motivated on 2 levels: through the clear presentation of the printing process and examination of printed images themselves.

10. Enameling           RED-11
The basic elements of enameling are described, then step-by-step procedures in producing small enameled pieces. The beginning enamelist is especially helped by an explanation of how to avoid some of the pitfalls that can occur in this relatively simple but delicate process.

11. Paper Construction           RED-12
Using paper as a sculptural medium includes techniques of cutting, scoring, bending, and folding. These can be combined to produce a variety of 3-dimensional forms.

12. Leather           RED-13
Working with leather is one of the oldest craft forms in the world. Methods for preparing, cutting, gluing, and stitching hides are shown, along with the proper use of tools. Dyeing, applying rivets, creating patterns, finishing, staining, and soaking are also covered, and examples are shown to stimulate creativity and original design.

13. Weaving           RED-14
Weaving can be practiced as a pure art form, without limiting it to the production of utilitarian material. The basic principle of interlocking fibers is examined, followed by a demonstration of a variety of methods that can be executed with the simplest kind of equipment. Beginning weavers are encouraged to explore the possibilities of color, pattern, and texture, and to experiment on their own with new kinds of materials.

14. Stitchery           RED-15
The creative use of needle and thread is revealed through the exploration of yarn and fabric as a form of artistic expression. Basic techniques are demonstrated using both coarse and fine yarn or thread on a variety of background fabrics.

15. Basketry           RED-16
A tour around the world and through history shows the many methods and functions of this ancient art. The two principal techniques, coiling and twining, are clearly demonstrated, using both modern and traditional materials.

Red's Dream           ED-259
4 min / color / 1988 / DC / VHS Elementary school through adult This award-winning animated feature is a poignant story about a red unicycle that dreams of achieving fame in the circus. In his dream, Red saves the day when an incompetent clown just cannot get his juggling act together. Red bows to the crowd's applause, only to awaken back in the bicycle shop, leaning against the wall and wearing his "Sale" sign. Produced by the PIXAR laboratory of Lucasfilms, producers of Star Wars, this video is recommended for animation, film, and computer classes.

Remains to Be Seen           ED-126
5 min / color / 1982 / JA / 16mm
Middle school through adult
This intriguing film by Jane Aaron raises a question about the difference between art and reality. Using animation within a live-action framework, Aaron constructed an inner, drawn screen that was then placed in a photographic source environment. "Animated" action takes place within "real" action. This is a challenging and entertaining film that is especially interesting to film study classes.

Rembrandt and his Paints
27 min / 1995 / VHS
College through adult
This film takes you to the edge of discovering the mysterious ingredients of paints Rembrandt used in his masterpieces. Join scientists as they explore different old world techniques and contemporary technology of how his paints were chemically constructed. Also, there is a brief history on pigment and a demonstration of how Rembrandt would have made his. See also our video, The Colourmen.

Rembrandt: Painter of Man           WA-30
18 min / color / 1958 / CORF / 16mm
High school through adult
Produced in commemoration of the 350th anniversary of Rembrandt's birth, this film encompasses the finest and most extensive collection of his original works ever recorded on film. The searching camera analyzes more than 60 selected canvases to chronicle Rembrandt's brilliant use of light and shadow and his genius in expressing compassion for his subjects.

The Removal of Pressure-Sensitive Tape from Flat Paper           AT-34
20 min / b&w / 1981 / SI / 3/4"vc
College through adult
This informative program on paper conservation shows how to remove tape from paper by both mechanical means and with a solvent, and how to repair simple tears and remove stains caused by the use of adhesives. Prepared by Katherine G. Eirk for the Smithsonian Institution. Designed for conservators and conservation students.

The Renaissance           WA-285
13 min / color / 1978 / CORF / VHS
Middle school through adult
A new interest in art and architecture, discoveries in science and technology, a spirit of exploration and learning, and an awakening sense of the importance and potential of human beings characterized the Renaissance, which first took root in Italy. Set against the splendors of Florence, this video incorporates some of the finest examples of Renaissance art while it offers background information and visual material that will motivate viewers in their study of the Renaissance.

Repercussions: A Celebration of African-American Music
120 min each / color/ FI / 1984 / VHS
High school through adult (contains adult material)
This fascinating musical journey traces the development of forms such as jazz, reggae, funk, blues, soul, and gospel from their origins in traditional African music. From exotic locations to America's neighborhoods, we join a quest for vital, articulate expressions of the African-American soul.

Part One           REP-1
1. Born Musicians: Traditional Music from the Gambia
One of the driving forces behind Gambian annual ceremonies and rites of passage are the pulsing rhythms of the Mandinka musicians. Experience the pageantry of the circumcision rite as boys are danced, feasted, and serenaded to the verge of manhood.
2. On the Battlefield: Gospel Quartets
Journey to antebellum Alabama to witness the fusion of African tribal celebrations and the European choir. The result is gospel, a passionate uplifting of the human spirit to God.

Part Two           REP-2
3. Legends of Rhythm and Blues
The charismatic performer Big Mama Thornton, a pioneer of rhythm and blues, mesmerizes a crowd. Along with other legends, she discusses what it was like to hear and perform rhythm and blues for the first time. Includes performances by Lloyd Glen and the Honeydrippers, and Lowell Fulson.
4. Sit Down and Listen: The Story of Max Roach
Meet Max Roach, a beloved member of his church community, a next door neighbor, a face about town, and one of the world's greatest jazz drummers. Roach plays his music, discusses many aspects of his career and musical development, and explains music theory to a school group.

Part Three           REP-3
5. The Drums of Dagbon
The Drums of Dagbon is an in-depth survey of the drumming styles of West Africa, focusing on the Dagbamba drummers of northen Ghana. A proud group, they are charged with the ancient duty of reminding the king constantly of his ancestry and of his oath to be a just ruler. From the dusty streets of the village, the camera takes the viewer to urban West Africa to explore the roots of highlife, a popular African dance style with moves and steps that still resemble their ancient prototype.
6. Carribean Crucible
What is the connection between European music and reggae? Find out in this informative musical excursion to Jamaica to hear some of reggae's most articulate spokesmen, who have taken the torch from Bob Marley and other pioneers. We also visit the Dominican Republic to observe popular and traditional musical forms with a Latin beat.

Part Four           REP-4
Africa Comeback-The Popular Music of West Africa
African music from Ghana has a devoted audience in America today. This film presents interviews and performances by some of today's most popular musical artists from Ghana, including Fela, King Sunny Ade, and Segun Adewale. Enjoy the uniquely African combination of music, dramatic dance, and colorful costumes.

A Reputation: The Rape of Artemisia Gentileschi            ED-543
30 min / 1994 / VHS, DVD
College through adult
Artemisia Gentileschi was one of only a handful of woman painters in the Renaissance and quite possibly was the best. She suffered rape and the terrible stigma of attitudes that condemned her to fight an unjustly sullied reputation in the male-dominated art world for most of her career. Using a "reality TV" approach, actors talk as if being interviewed and actual transcripts from the rape trial recreate a very vivid portrayal of early 1600s and the obstacles a female artist faced.

Return to Glory: Michelangelo Revealed- Restoration of the Sistine Chapel           WA-295
52 min / color / 1986 / CR / VHS
High school through adult
For 500 years, Michelangelo's paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel have been obscured by accumulated soot and overpainting. As conservators clean and sensitively restore the paintings one by one, the remarkable genius of the master is revealed in glowing color and exquisite detail. In light of these discoveries, Michelangelo is being reinterpreted as one of art history's most brilliant colorists. The film chronicles the meticulous 12-year process of cleaning a priceless treasure and reiterates the need for constant reevaluation of art.

Revelations: Hispanic Art of Evanescence           WA-508
30 min / color / 1995 / CG / VHS
College through adult
This documentary focuses on the October 1993 site-specific installation pieces at Cornell University by eight acclaimed Hispanic artists: Gronk, Amalia Mesa-Bains, Ronald Gonzalez, Maria Brito, Raphael Montanez Ortiz, Celia Alvarez Munoz, Rimer Cardillo, and Daniel J. Martinez. This video features interviews with the artists, shows the construction of their installations and scenes of the exhibition, as well as the controversy and protest it engendered on campus. The result is a compelling examination of numerous issues raised by the exhibition about Hispanic art, race and the University, and site-specific art installations.

Reynolds            WA-621
50 min / 1996 / VHS
College through adult
Great Britain's foremost portraitist of the 1700s, Sir Joshua Reynolds so excelled at the art that he was knighted in recognition. Inspired by the paintings of the Old Masters, he incorporated their techniques into a distinctly British style never seen before. His life, career, and works are explored using location footage, actors in recreations, and noted scholars' commentary.

Richard Mayhew: Spiritual Landscapes           WA-632
28 min / 2000 / VHS
College through adult
Richard Mayhew explains his approach to his fascinating oil paintings and watercolors, his life, and his perspective on his African-American and Native American descent. His paintings form landscapes purely envisioned in his mind; not real places but derived from his inner spirit to express a poetic feeling. They are at once abstract, impressionistic, expressionistic, and mythical.

Richard Scarry's Best ABC Plus Counting Video Ever           ED-403
45 min / color / 1989 / TIMEL / VHS
Preschool through elementary school
Author and illustrator Richard Scarry has made his characters come alive for children of all ages in this enchanting learning experience. Join Huckle Cat, Lowly Worm, and all their friends for Alphabet Day at the Busytown school. Huckle and his classmates present the alphabet by way of 26 stories that will emphasize familiar words beginning with each letter. Then youngsters can help Lily Bunny count from 1 to 20 in a musical adventure around the town.

Richard Scarry's Best Busy People Silly Plus Stories and Songs Video Ever           ED-401
45 min / color / 1993 / TIMEL / VHS
Preschool through elementary school
Children of all ages will love watching all the exciting things going on in Busytown and visiting their Richard Scarry friends-Miss Honey, Mr. Fixit, Bananas Gorilla, Sergeant Murphy, and many others. In addition, there is more fun in store when young viewers meet Huckle Cat and Lowly Worm for an afternoon of silly stories and songs.

Richard Scarry's Best Sing-Along Mother Goose Plus Learning Songs Video Ever           ED-402
45 min / color / 1993 / TIMEL / VHS
Preschool through elementary school
Richard Scarry, noted children's author and illustrator, takes young viewers on an adventure through Mother Gooseland with one of his characters, Huckle Cat. Huckle is looking for his old friend, Lowly Worm, and along the way he meets lots of new friends, including Old Mother Hubbard, Little Miss Muffet, and even Mother Goose herself! There's much more fun in store as Huckle and all the beloved Richard Scarry characters put on a backyard show that's full of songs and surprises!

Richard Serra at Oliver Ranch           WA-520
20 min / color / 1994 / AZ / VHS
High school through adult
This program documents the creation of a recent outdoor work by sculptor Richard Serra on the Oliver Ranch in Sonoma County, California. Since 1985 Steve Oliver, a contemporary art collector and president of the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco, has commissioned artists to create new installations on the grounds of his ranch. Among the incredible array of works there, the Serra installation is the most ambitious thus far.

Right Out of History: The Making of Judy Chicago's Dinner Party           WA-200
75 min / color / 1980 / AFA / 16mm
High school through adult
For five years, artist Judy Chicago worked with 400 other artists and researchers to create Dinner Party. In making this monumental work, based on feminist ideals, the artist and her collaborators struggled to rescue women's accomplishments from historical oblivion and to bring the traditional "feminine" arts of china painting and needlework out of trivialization and obscurity. This film reveals the drama behind this enormous undertaking.

Ringl and Pit           WA-528
59 min / color / 1995 / FL / VHS
High school through adult
This video explores the lives and times of èmigrè photographers Grete Stern (Ringl) and Ellen Auerbach (Pit), from their early days together as the "ringl + pit" studio in Weimar Germany to their current activities spanning three continents. The two women met in 1929 while students of Walter Peterhans, the first photography professor at the Bauhaus School, and soon after they established an advertising photography studio. Their collaboration produced unique photographs, using humor and irony to create images that subtly subverted the idealized consumerism and images of women in mainstream advertising, but the venture was short lived. When the Nazis came to power, Ms. Stern fled to Buenos Aires, while Ms. Auerbach went to New York. Their pioneering work has begun to be rediscovered and celebrated for its innovative portrayal of women, and the pair recently have been accorded major exhibitions in Germany. The next challenge is to introduce their work to the United States.

Roadworks           WA-236
22 min / color / 1983 / WJCT / 3/4"vc
High school through adult
In 1983, six Florida artists were commissioned by the city of Jacksonville to produce original 14-by-48-inch paintings, each to be reproduced by hand on 14-by-48-foot billboards, and displayed for 6 months along a highway in Jacksonville. This program documents the evolution of the project and features interviews with the artists as they discuss the role of public art and the difficulties and challenges of creating an image for such a large format as a billboard.

Robert Bateman           WA-496
24 min / color / 1993 / FWA / VHS
High school through adult
Robert Bateman is one of Canada's most widely acclaimed artists, and his paintings are avidly sought by collectors around the world. This program focuses on Bateman's personal insights into his paintings and influences. While outdoors on a sketching trip and while working on his latest canvas in his studio, the artist shares many of his ideas about art, society, and nature and answers questions about the role of wildlife art in general. More than thirty of Bateman's magnificent paintings are seen in this dynamic production, including Red Wing Blackbird and Rail Fence and Midnight-Black Wolf.

Robert Colescott: The One-Two Punch
28 min / 1998 / VHS
College through adult
An African-American artist of incredible strength, color, and dramatic palette, Colescott paints with humor, irony, and sarcasm about racial and gender stereotyping. He pulls no punches in his postmodern, irreverent perspective on sacred cows of art history. No one can stay neutral in the presence of his works.

Robert Indiana Portrait           WA-96
25 min / color / 1973 / HPI / 16mm
High school through adult
This film presents 20th-century artist Robert Indiana at work in his studio, gallery, and sculpture workshop. On-camera interviews are interwoven with scenes of works in progress as well as scenes of completed works. The film forms a portrait of Indiana, exploring the autobiographical nature of his work and the motivation from which it springs.

Robert Mirabel: Music from a Painted Cave         ED-492
90 min/ 2001/ VIS / VHS
Middle school through adult
Pueblo Indian Robert Mirabel appropriates traditional tribal music, dance, and legend to create an extravaganza performance that blends ancient culture with 21st century stage techniques at Foxwoods Resort Casino. Assisted by a cast of two-dozen performers, he creates an entrancing and colorful ceremony that rings with spiritual exhortations and showmanship.

Robert Morris: Retrospective           WA-484
50 min / color / 1995 / BPI / VHS
High school through adult
Based on the retrospective exhibition Robert Morris: The Mind/Body Problem at the Guggenheim Museum in New York in 1994, this video documents the artist's work of the last 4 decades. Credit for the sensitive installation of Morris's work goes to Rosalind Krauss, curator of the exhibition. Artist and curator meet at the museum in this video for a second look at the exhibition. Krauss and Morris are old friends, and their walk-through becomes much more than a curator questioning an artist; instead, it is a re-evaluation of Morris's art, as well as recalling the creation of works and earlier discussions about their meaning. The conversation becomes an insightful view of Morris's approach to his work, with Krauss contributing her opinions as one of the most significant critics of our time.

Robert Motherwell WA-124
28 min / color / 1978 / BPI / 16mm
High school through adult
An acknowledged master of 20th-century American art, Robert Motherwell narrates this film set in his Provincetown, Massachusetts, studio. He is shown at work on 2 of his major series: Elegies to the Spanish Republic and the Window series. Along with his current work, Motherwell discusses the emergence of American art in the 1940s, the significance for him of artistic media such as collage, and his reaction to the objectivity that emerged in painting during the 1960s.

Robert Motherwell and the New York School: Storming the Citadel           WA-473
56 min / color / 1991 / AA / VHS
High school through adult
This exciting program explores the Abstract Expressionist movement and presents a portrait of one of its most important artists: Robert Motherwell (1915-1991). In the early 1940s, he and a group of maverick artists set out to change the face of American painting. In the process, they shifted the center of modern art from Paris to New York. Featured is Motherwell's last major interview; he speaks at length about his work and the Abstract Expressionist movement. Archival footage and photographs of the artists, of New York's Greenwich Village where they lived, of the events that influenced their lives, and of interviews with art critics and historians complete the picture. Interwoven in the documentary is film of Motherwell in his studio, demonstrating his painting methods, creating a collage in Provincetown, Massachusetts, and preparing for a major retrospective of his work at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. What emerges is a colorful, complex portrait of a man and a movement that engendered a bold new era of American art.

Robert Rauschenberg: Inventive Genius         WA-556
58 min / 1999 / PBS / VHS
College through adult
Robert Rauschenberg says he works in the “gap between art and life” and has injected so many unorthodox elements into the realm of art that he has redefined how artists approach art and how the public perceives art. This episode from the acclaimed PBS American Masters series, spotlights Rauschenberg’s life and often audacious work in painting, sculpture, performance, and the uncategorizable: what he calls “combines”. Narrated by actor Dennis Hopper.

Robert Rauschenberg: Retrospective           WA-125
45 min / color / 1978 / BPI / 16mm
High school through adult
This film traces Rauschenberg's work from his student years at Black Mountain College in North Carolina (1949-1953) to his major 1977 retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The artist discusses his paintings and prints, his assemblages, and his work in the performing arts. Included in the film is rare footage of Rauschenberg performing Pelican in Washington, D.C., in 1963, which he also designed and choreographed.

Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown            AR-10
58 min / 1988 / DVD
Robert Venturi spearheaded the revival of classical and vernacular traditions that would morph into postmodernism with the 1966 publication of his book 'Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture'. This profile, filmed during the construction of the Venturi/Brown designed extension to London's National Gallery, examines the evolution of their style and philosophy through extensive interviews with the architects, location filming, and archive footage.

Robert Vickery: Lyrical Realist           WA-319
21 min / color / 1986 / AA / VHS
High school through adult
The rhythmic spill of light over a brick wall plays against the large, pointed shape of a passing nun in a habit; several bicycles throw huge shadows across a blacktop surface and become ominous shapes dominating a silent playground. This is the effect of "magic realism," the term used to describe a painting style favored by American artist Robert Vickery. It is life's daily fleeting and magical moments, heightened by strong shadows, light effects, and reflections, that the artist portrays in his paintings. Vickery, one of contemporary art's finest painters in egg tempera, demonstrates this difficult method, which he says is "as simple as watercolor."

Rodin: The Gates of Hell           WA-169
53 min / color / 1981 / CAN, KUL / 16mm / VHS / DVD
High school through adult
This film documents the difficulties and triumphs of casting Auguste Rodin's magnificent 8-ton bronze sculpture, Gates of Hell, by the lost-wax process. The film also chronicles Rodin's life and his artistic development. More than a mere documentary, the film engages the viewer in the intricacies and delicacy of the casting process. The superb editing and soundtrack add to the film's suspense and heighten the drama of a momentous occasion in the history of modern scupture.

The Role of Theater in Ancient Greece           PE-54
26 min / color / 1995 / FFHS / VHS
High school through adult
By looking at the theaters of Herodus Atticus, Epidauros, Corinth, and many others, this program explores the role of the theater in ancient Greek culture. Many aspects of theater are examined: theater design, the synthesis of art forms that created Greek drama, the origins of tragedy, the audience in classical times, the comparative roles of writer/director and actors, and the use of the surrounding landscape in many plays.

The Roman Empire and Its Civilization           WA-273
83 minutes/ color/ 1983 / APPL / VHS
Middle school through adult
A chronological overview of Roman history is traced in this video, from the founding of Rome to the end of the Empire in the West. The program brings together a number of the diverse strands of the Roman experience, with special attention to factors in the Roman character and culture that determined the course of history.

Part One: Spans the period from the legendary founding of Rome by Romulus and Remus in 753 B.C. to Rome's domination of the Mediterranean following the successful conclusion of the Third Punic War in 146 B.C. Topics examined in detail include the character of the Roman people, Republican political institutions, religion, and social classes.

Part Two: Follows the history of Republican Rome, from the triumphs and stability of the mid-2nd century B.C., through civil war and dissolution, to the crowning of Augustus as the first Roman emperor in 27 B.C. Examined in detail are the army, literature, and housing in Caesar's Rome.

Part Three: Traces the growth of the Empire during the time of its greatest achievements, from the reign of Augustus to Marcus Aurelius, which ended in A.D. 180. Topics discussed include Imperial literature, the games of ancient Rome, and Roman daily life.

Part Four: Covers the period of Rome's decline and fall, including the death of Marcus Aurelius, barbarian incursions, increasing militarization, the breakdown of administration, and the eventual deposition of the last Roman emperor in the West in A.D. 476. Roman art and architecture, Rome and Christianity, and the legacy of ancient Rome in the history and culture of the West are all examined in this final segment.

Romanov           WA-453
42 min / color / 1995 / FL / VHS
Middle school through adult
The world has had a fascination with the Romanovs since many members of the Russian ruling family were assassinated in 1917. Recent discoveries have provided the evidence required to scientifically prove which of the 11 family members died in the cellar at the hands of the Bolsheviks. Through archival footage and historical documents from the collection of Tsar Nicholas II, Romanov traces the 300-year history of the powerful, wealthy dynasty from its ascendancy at the end of the 16th century until its abrupt end at the hands of the Bolsheviks. It then examines the truth provided by the discovery of 9 skeletons in a Russian forest in 1993 that proved to be the royal remains. The film explores the many myths that surround the fate of the youngest Romanov daughter, Anastasia, and her siblings. In a time when many countries are questioning the value of monarchies, Romanov also reveals the burgeoning of monarchist feeling in the new Russia.

The Romantic Rebellion: Romantic versus Classic Art
Varied times; see below / color / 1974 / PFP / 16mm
High school through adult
This series reveals the turbulent world of painters and sculptors in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Written and narrated by Lord Kenneth Clark, each film examines, in depth, an individual artist's career, themes, and style, with brillant details selected from both major and lesser-known works.

1. The Romantic Rebellion (50 min)           RVCA-1
In this introductory program, Lord Clark outlines the Romantic movement and discusses the general principles of Romanticism and Classicism.

2. Jacques-Louis David (26 min)           RVCA-2
David was the first painter to rebel against the vapid character that Classicism had assumed in the French Academy and the first to give art a new vitality. Lord Clark traces David's development from his early realization that art can be used to influence men's conduct, as in his Death of Marat.

3. Gian-Battista Piranesi and Henry Fuseli (26 min)           RVCA-3
Lord Clark cites Piranesi as an example of the well-known paradox of history, that cultures are destroyed from within. Born in Venice, Piranesi spent most of his life in Rome, where he became the leading authority on antiquity. In his famous series of etchings entitled Imaginary Prisons, he renders dark, shadowy walls and archways as a nightmarish world, filled with fear and frustration. Fuseli's work-modish, erotic, and bizarre-gained him a formidable reputation in England. He became Professor of Drawing at the Royal Academy and, as Lord Clark observes, through a combination of pug-nacity, sarcasm, and profanity, somehow became a national institution.

4. William Blake (26 min)           RVCA-4
Until relatively recently, William Blake was almost unknown outside England, and his minute compositions seem almost invisible compared with the large canvases of David or Delacroix. Yet Blake was a key figure in the Romantic movement, as Lord Clark shows in this detailed study.

5. Francisco Goya (26 min)           RVCA-5
With Goya we enter a world in which terrifying images border on the insane. Yet the works for which he first became known are charming tapestries, in the manner of Fragonard, depicting lighthearted scenes of fairs, picnics, and weddings.

6. Jean-August Dominique Ingres           RVCA-6
(2 parts, 26 min each)
Ingres was a believer in "art for art's sake," says Lord Clark. He sought perfection in his work, and the infinite pains he took to achieve it sometimes resulted in a sense of hardness and cold detachment. One subject, however, gave him the impetus to create masterpieces: the female nude.

7. John Constable (26 min)           RVCA-7
The origin of Constable's inspiration was nature, which he regarded with almost religious awe. Unlike his fellow Romantics, Géricault and Turner, who found nature ferocious and destructive, Constable saw it as the source of everything that was good and healthy. His influence on the development of landscape painting was immeasurable.

8. Joseph Mallord-William Turner           RVCA-8
(2 parts, 26 min each)
Turner was the first artist of the Romantic movement to rediscover the sensory appeal of color. His approach to life was fundamentally pessimistic and catastrophic, and his love of the sea and the mountains satisfied a craving for all that was extreme and potent in nature.

9. Theodore Géricault (26 min)           RVCA-9
The malaise of Romanticism, Lord Clark suggests, is personified in the paintings of Géricault. Unlike Constable, who viewed nature as the source of health and tranquility, Géricault found nature perverse and destructive.

10. Eugène Delacroix (26 min)           RVCA-10>
Lord Clark sees Delacroix as equal to Turner in his mastery of Romantic painting. The illegitimate son of the great statesman Talleyrand, Delacroix displayed the elegance and disdain of a born aristocrat. Although he was one of the most intelligent men of his age, the range and depth of his mind made it difficult for him to be a painter. He could not, like Turner, abandon himself to his perceptions.

11. Jean-François Millet (26 min)           RVCA-11
Of all the artists discussed in this series, Lord Clark regards Millet as perhaps the most difficult to place. His subjects are intensely romantic, but his treatment of the human figures is entirely classical.

12. Auguste Rodin (26 min)           RVCA-12
In this film, Clark speaks of Rodin as the last heir to the great romantics of the 19th century. Rodin was not a carver, but a modeler. His instruments of power were his fingers; his hands, like those of a healer, promoted life through their touch.

13. Edgar Degas (26 min)           RVCA-13
Like David, with whom the series begins, Degas had a passion for truth. He disliked fine phrases and easy solutions, says Lord Clark, and continually struggled, as the ballet dancers he painted, to achieve an ideal of line and form.

Romantics and Realists series NEW!
50 min ea; 6 disks /2000/ DVD
High school through college
These videos provide in-depth looks at six painters of the 1700s and 1800s who are considered Romantics and Realists. The series highlights significant events in each artist’s life, pinpoints their stylistic trademarks, and provides detailed explanations of their techniques. All of this is complemented by new location footage and atmospheric period re-creations. #1 Delacroix
#2 Rossetti
#3 Friedrich
#4 Goya
#5 Whistler
#6 Courbet

Romare Bearden: Visual Jazz         ED-443
28 min / 1999 / L&S / VHS/DVD
High school through adult
This video is narrated by Wynton Marsalis who masterfully draws parallels between jazz music and the art of Romare Bearden who aimed to do nothing less than "redefine the image of man" in terms of the African-American experience. The video also treats viewers to rare footage of Bearden at work in his studio while he explains, in his own words, what he is doing as he creates.

Rothko: An Abstract Humanist           WA-612
52 min / 2003 / VHS / DVD
College through adult
A rare examination into the life and works of Mark Rothko, a giant of 20th century New York school painting. Filled with an inner light and spiritualism, his art quietly conveys a calm and introspection that makes them distinct in the pantheon of abstract expressionism. Includes the Rothko Chapel at the University of St. Thomas in Houston.

Roy Lichtenstein           WA-123
52 min / color / 1978 / BPI / 16mm
High school through adult
Narrated by the artist himself, this film provides an incisive insight into the work of Roy Lichtenstein. He and his assistants are shown at work on a major painting, The Artist's Studio, a superb example of Lichtenstein's style, which, he says, "simulates the mindless method of industrial process."

Roy Lichtenstein: Reflections           WA-472
30 min / color / 1993 / AA / VHS/DVD
Middle school through adult
Pop art draws upon the style and imagery of advertising and popular culture to challenge our conceptions of the nature of art itself. This video features one of the great pop artists of our time discussing his work, his artistic process, and the sources of his inspiration. This film features Lichtenstein's large-scale murals, his Reflections series, and his Interior series. Conversations with leading authorities on contemporary art complete this portrait of an artist who rose to fame in the 1960s.

The Royal Collection
30 min each / color / 1993 / AMBROSE / VHS
Middle school through adult
This 6-part series tells the story of the British monarchy through the great masterpieces they own. By looking at the art, the artist, the collector, and the times, Christopher Lloyd, Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures, takes us on an incredible journey through time and into the heart and soul of an art collection amassed over a 500-year period. Many of the paintings in the Royal Collection have never been shown publicly before and, because of a fire, may never be seen again.

1. The Collectors           RC-1
With an introduction by The Prince of Wales, this program examines the three most significant Royal Collectors: Charles I, George IV, and Queen Victoria.

2. The Kingdom of Nature           RC-2
From farming to landscaping and the introduction of exotic plants and animals from the far reaches of the Empire, the Royal Collectors show their interest in nature.

3. Private View           RC-3
The Royal Collection reflects private interests, like a family album. In it we find intimate and domestic details.

4. Sword and Sceptre           RC-4
As the monarch is Commander-in-Chief of the British armed forces, the collection vividly recalls their military roles and the battles fought in their country's name.

5. The Genius of Italy           RC-5
Queen Elizabeth II owns one of the greatest collections of Italian art. A grand tour of the collection vividly evokes the era of the Italian Renaissance.

6. The Regal Image           RC-6
The state portrait from the crude images on coins to the sumptuous canvases of Van Dyck illustrates the changing role that the monarchy has played in 500 years of British history.

Royal Heritage
60 min each / color / 1977 / FI / 16mm
High school through adult
In this film journey through the castles, palaces, and churches of England's royalty, we get a close-up view of the incomparable treasures that have accrued to the Crown since the Middle Ages. Although the emphasis is on the collection of fine art, china, glass, furniture, jewels, and miniatures, the series also provides an overview of the British monarchy itself from medieval times to the present.

1. The Medieval Kings           RH-1
Warriors, law givers, and defenders of the Church, the medieval kings left their mark in great castles and splendid abbeys. Westminster, Caernarvon Castle in Wales, and some early royal tombs in France are visited, and Queen Elizabeth herself displays and discusses the jewel-studded Crown of State.

2. The Tudors           RH-2
Portraits, miniatures, and jewels by Hans Holbein are seen as Sir Huw Wheldon explores St. James' Palace, Hampton Court, and King's College Chapel at Cambridge. Henry VII's personal firearms at the Tower of London are discussed.

3. Charles I           RH-3
Perhaps the greatest connoisseur to occupy the British throne, Charles I enriched the royal collection with paintings by Titian, Raphael, Caravaggio, and many Italian Renaissance and Baroque masters.

4. The Stuarts Restored           RH-4
Newmarket and Royal Ascot, Chelsea Pensioners, and the Crown Jewels owe their existence to the later Stuarts. They also gave a great architect, Christopher Wren, the opportunity to produce great buildings not only for the court by also for the nation.

5. The First Three Georges           RH-5
Trooping the Colours was first performed, the Botanical Gardens at Kew were established, and the Royal Academy of Art was founded under the first three Georges. Kensington, Buckingham Palace, and George III's country houses are described.

6. George IV           RH-6
Prince Philip describes George IV's reign as wayward and original, characterized by the driving of fast carriages, gambling, and horseracing. But his sharp eye for works of art is evident as Sir Huw Wheldon takes us through the private apartments at Windsor Castle. The Royal Mews, the Science Museum, and Brighton Pavilion are also visited.

7. Victoria and Albert           RH-7
Buckingham Palace is the background for a description of the family life of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Featured are Osborne House, an early example of prefabrication; the design and construction of the Crystal Palace; and the mausoleum at Frogmore.

8. Victoria, Queen and Empress           RH-8
Life at Balmoral Castle after King Albert's death is revealed through extracts from the Queen's journals. Growth of communications-the railways, the post, and photography-took place in the latter years of her reign.

9. Edward VII and the House of Windsor           RH-9
The Queen Mother recalls the wartime bombings of Buckingham Palace, her Scottish home at Mey, and Sandringham House in Norfolk. Also featured are Edward's acquisitions of modern art, Fabergé objects collected by Queen Alexandra, George V's stamp collection, and the Queen's doll house at Windsor.

10. The Queen and Prince Philip           RH-10
This film reviews the history of the collections in the present reign, some of which are explained by members of the Royal Family themselves. Prince Philip talks about the modernization of the royal farms and the redecoration of the Edward III tower. Prince Charles shows his collection of Eskimo sculpture from Canada. A visit to the Holbein Room at Windsor Castle, which contains the "very core of the collection," highlights the film.

Rub a Dub Dub
5 min each / color / 1985 / DC / VHS
The 24 animated videos in this series present favorite nursery rhymes made especially for preschool and early elementary audiences. Animator David Yates has created a winsome cast of animal characters whose lively playfulness accompanies America's traditional nursery rhyme songs. Along with the chance to see beloved stories come to life, each film provides a learning experience with color, number, letter, and activity opportunities.

Baa Baa Black Sheep           RDD-1

Christmas Comes           RDD-2

The Grand Old Duke of York           RDD-3

Here We Go Around the Mulberry Bush           RDD-4

Hey Diddle Diddle           RDD-5

The House That Jack Built           RDD-6

I Had a Cat           RDD-7

Incy Wincy Spider           RDD-8

It's Raining, It's Pouring           RDD-9

Jack and Jill           RDD-10

The Lion and the Unicorn           RDD-11

Little Bo Peep           RDD-12

Little Poll Parrot           RDD-13

Mary, Mary           RDD-14

Old King Cole           RDD-15

One for the Money           RDD-16

Poor Old Robinson Crusoe           RDD-17

Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat           RDD-18

Star Light, Star Bright           RDD-19

There Was an Old Woman           RDD-20

Three Men in a Tub           RDD-21

Tom, Tom, the Piper's Son           RDD-23

A Wise Old Owl           RDD-24

Yankee Doodle           RDD-25

Ruckus Manhattan           WA-154
61 min / color / 1976 / AFA / 16mm
High school through adult
Red Grooms's sculptural masterpiece Ruckus Manhattan is a huge environmental sculpture celebrating the chaotic beauty of New York City. This film chronicles its creation from tons of hardware, paints, plastic, steel, and fabric. The slow-down/speed-up film techniques of "undercranking" and "pixillation" add humor to this film and underline the city's frenetic pace. The sound-track ranges from rock to Rossini. (Note: A small portion of this film contains material that might be objectionable to some audiences; it is suggested that instructors preview the film before showing it to young people.)

Rufino Tamayo: The Sources of His Art           WA-346
28 min / color / 1972 / ARTSA / VHS
High school through adult
"My idea is to suggest what Mexico is actually doing in this moment and to symbolize the industrial and intellectual life of the nation." Rufino Tamayo is considered one of the most "Mexican" of all painters. While at work in his studio, Tamayo, a Zapotecan Indian, speaks of the things that surround him and influence his work: the bright fruit, the colors, the sadness of the land, the night-and-day aspects of Mexico, and the ever-present awareness of the ancient. The commentary for the program was written by Octavio Paz and narrated by John Huston.

Rudyard Kipling's "Just So" Stories
Varied; see below / color / 1997 / CTC / VHS
Preschool through adult
Rudyard Kipling, the English writer who loved to have fun with the English language, wrote his famous "Just So" stories for his own children-his "best beloved." Since their creation, generations of children and adults alike have enjoyed reading these fanciful tales. In this 4 part series, renowned storyteller Jackson Gillman performs these stories exactly as they were written and in a style that Kipling himself would have appreciated.

1. The Elephant's Child (20 min)           JUST-1

2. How the Camel Got His Hump (12 min)           JUST-2

3. How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin (10 min)           JUST-3

4. How the Whale Got His Throat (10 min)           JUST-4

The Rumanian: Brancusi           WA-175
26 min / color / 1976 / AFA / 16mm
High school through adult
At the time of his death, Constantin Brancusi (1876-1957) was regarded by many as the most important sculptor of this century, yet 3 of his major works-Endless Columns, Gate of the Kiss, and Table of Silence, memorials to the victims of World War I-are comparatively unknown. This beautiful film transports the viewer to the remote Rumanian town of Turgu Jiu, the site of these 3 memorials, and to Hobitza, Brancusi's native village, for a sense of the conditions that inspired the artist.

Running Fence           WA-291
58 min / color / 1978 / MAY / 16mm / VHS / DVD
Middle school through adult
Running Fence depicts the long struggle by the artist Christo to build a 24-mile fence of white fabric that ran along California hills and disappeared into the Pacific ocean. Filmmakers Albert and David Maysles captured the essence of the entire project, which cost $3 million, from early community meetings in California's Marin and Sonoma Counties to the final erection of the fence. Opinion about the fence was sharply divided and tempers flared easily. When the fence was finally unfurled, the community came together to celebrate its overpowering beauty.

Russian Avant-Garde: A Romance with the Revolution           WA-626
55 min / 1999 / VHS, DVD
High school through adult
After the 1917 Bolshevik revolution, the Soviet Union gave abstract modern artists the amazing chance to re-design the country. Then V.I. Lenin died in 1924, and Joseph Stalin took it all away. Socialist Realism became the official style of art and many of the modernists were sent to gulags or fled the country. This is the fascinating story and tribute to these idealists who almost designed utopia: Suprematist Kasimir Malevich, sculptor Vladimir Tatlin, and art critic Nikolai Punin.

Ruth Orkin: Frames of Life           ED-547
18 min / 1995 / VHS
Middle school through adult
Ruth Orkin, eminent photographer and filmmaker, began her career taking casual pictures of Hollywood celebrities in the 1930s and then went on to eloquently catch average people and scenes in cities such as New York and Florence. Her signature work, American Girl in Italy, is among the most famous images ever. This video concisely tells her story with photographs and narration by stage and screen actress Julie Harris.