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To Sir, with Love [VHS] RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video Novelist James Clavell wrote produced and directed this 1967 British film based on a novel by E R Braithwaite about a rookie teacher who throws out stock lesson plans and really takes command of his unruly adolescent students in a London school Poitier is very good as a man struggling with the extent of his commitment to the job and even more as a teacher whose commitment is to proffering life lessons instead of academics The spirit of this movie can be found in more recent films such as Dangerous Minds and Mr Hollands Opus but none is as moving as this one Besides the others dont have a title song performed by pop star Lulu --Tom Keogh Jazz - A Film by Ken Burns [VHS] Pbs Home Video The story sound and soul of a nation come together in the most American of art forms Jazz Ken Burns who riveted the nation with The Civil War and Baseball celebrates the musics soaring achievements from its origins in blues and ragtime through swing bebop and fusion Six years in the making this soundbreaking series blends 75 interviews more than 500 pieces of music 2 400 still photographs and over 2 000 rare and archival film clips The 10-part musical journey spotlights many of Americas most original creative--and tragic--figures including Louis Armstrong Jelly Roll Morton Duke Ellington Benny Goodman Billie Holiday Charlie Parker and Miles Davis Accompanied by a menagerie of products Ken Burnss expansive 10-episode paean Jazz completes his trilogy on American culture following The Civil War and Baseball Spanning more than 19 hours Jazz is of course about a lot more than what many have called Americas classical music--especially in episodes 1 through 7 Its here that Burns unearths precious visual images of jazz musicians and hangs historical narratives around the music with convincing authority Time can stand still as images float past to the sound of grainy vintage jazz and the drama of a phonograph needle being placed on Louis Armstrongs celestial West End Blues is nearly sublime The film is also potent in arguing that the history of race in the 20th-century U S is at jazzs heart But a few problems arise First is Burnss reliance on Wynton Marsalis as his chief musical commentator Marsalis might be charming and musically expert but hes no historian For the film to devote three of its episodes to the 1930s one expects a bit more historical substance Also Jazz condenses the period of 1961 to the present into one episode glossing over some of the musics giant steps Burns has said repeatedly that he didnt know much about jazz when he began this project So perhaps Jazz for all its glory would better be called Jazz What Ive Learned Since I Started Listening And I Havent Gotten Much Past 1961 For those who are already passionate about jazz the film will stoke debate and some derision together with some reluctant praise But for everyone else it will amaze and entertain and kindle a flame for some of the greatest music ever dreamed --Andrew Bartlett Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts Men of the Hour Jackie Gleason & Sammy Davis Jr. Our Friend Martin [VHS] 20th Century Fox This animated time-travel adventure features a stellar cast and is a delight for kids and adults alike When Matt a black teenager has to go on a class field trip to the museum of Martin Luther King Jr he thinks that hed rather play baseball But the trip turns into an exciting adventure when he and his best friend Randy whos white are sent back in time to meet Dr King The story is also remarkably moving as Matt and Randy learn what Dr King did for humanity and come to see him as a real person not a historical figure Matt and Randy experience segregation firsthand when they arent allowed to eat on a train together Together they witness the bus boycott the Birmingham riots and the I Have a Dream speech They discuss the theme of non-violent resistance with their new friend Martin and the work of Ghandi in India As King tells Matt We must meet hate with love It will take time but somebodys got to start Authentic historical footage blended with animation make this an excellent choice for teaching kids about the legacy of Dr King --Elisabeth Keating Bebe's Kids [VHS] Paramount The Civil War - A Film by Ken Burns (Boxed Set) [VHS] Pbs Home Video Hailed as a documentary masterpiece without parallel Ken Burns filmed chronicle of Americas most terrible and destructive conflict will hold you in thrall as it portrays the strategies and action of the wars famous battles and tells the stories of illustrious generals and ordinary field soldiers politicians and rogues heroes and a beleaguered President Winner of two Emmy Awards the series begins by looking at the fateful causes of the war that led to the firing on Fort Sumter to the devastating battles of Shiloh Antietam and Gettysburg climaxing with Lees surrender and the assassination of President Lincoln Vivid photographic imagery and narration by many of todays most acclaimed performers highlight this epic program Titles are The Cause of 1862 A Very Bloody Affair 1862 Forever Free 1862 Simply Murder 1863 The Universe of Battle 1863 Valley of the Shadow of Death 1864 Most Hallowed Ground 1864 War Is All Hell 1865 and The Better Angles of Our Nature 1865 The most successful public-television miniseries in American history the 11-hour Civil War didnt just captivate a nation reteaching to us our history in narrative terms it actually also invented a new film language taken from its creator When people describe documentaries using the Ken Burns approach its style is understood voice-over narrators reading letters and documents dramatically and stating the writers name at their conclusion fresh live footage of places juxtaposed with still images photographs paintings maps prints anecdotal interviews and romantic musical scores taken from the era he depicts The Civil War uses all of these devices to evoke atmosphere and resurrect an event that many knew only from stale history books While Burns is a historian a researcher and a documentarian hes above all a gifted storyteller and its his narrative powers that give this chronicle its beauty overwhelming emotion and devastating horror Using the words of old letters eloquently read by a variety of celebrities the stories of historians like Shelby Foote and rare stained photos Burns allows us not only to relearn and finally understand our history but also to feel and experience it --Dave McCoy Roots 6 Video Box Set [VHS] Warner Home Video From the moment the young Kunta Kinte LeVar Burton is stolen from his life and ancestral home in 18th-century Africa and brought under inhumane conditions to be auctioned as a slave in America a line is begun that leads from this most shameful chapter in U S history to the 20th-century author Alex Haley a Kinte descendant The late Haleys acclaimed book Roots was adapted into this six-volume television miniseries which was a widely watched phenomenon in 1977 The programs cover several generations in the antebellum South and end with the story of Chicken George a freed slave played by Ben Vereen whose family feels the agony of entrenched racism and learns to fight it Between the lives of Kunta and George we meet a number of memorable characters black and white and learn much about the emotional and physical torments of slavery from beatings and rapes to the forced separation of spouses and families Nothing like this had ever confronted so many mainstream Americans when the series was originally broadcast and the extent to which the country was nudged a degree or two toward enlightenment was instantly obvious Roots still has that ability to open ones eyes and engage an audience in a sweeping memorable drama at the same time --Tom Keogh Love Jones [VHS] New Line Home Video Boy meets girl and boy loses girl--no more and no less than that--in this romantic story of young upwardly mobile African Americans navigating through Chicago club culture to the perilous shores of a relationship The film was surprisingly popular at a couple of key film festivals in 1997 but there isnt anything particularly noteworthy about it aside from its rare emphasis on a love affair between black urbanites Larenz Tate and Nia Long are fine in the leads Tate makes a convincingly self-centered boy-man and director Theodore Witcher aims for his small target and hits it squarely --Tom Keogh Bill Cosby, Himself [VHS] 20th Century Fox One of Americas most popular comedians Bill Cosby treats his fans to a funny satirical and heart-warming concert at Torontos Hamilton Place Performing Arts Center His material ranges from marriage and the unending trials of parenthood to the side-splitting antics of the very young and a hilarious encounter with a dentists drill and needle Insightful and witty this highly entertaining film is a rare cinematic treat filled with all the spontaneity and electricity that only a live performance can provide After I Spy and before The Cosby Show Bill Cosby left his own inimitable mark on the arena of stand-up comedy in this live concert showcasing his down-to-earth observations on the rigors and joys of family life Cosby using only a microphone and a chair discusses his take on raising kids and the illogical nature of children and the futility of trying to argue with a child that in the end may be smarter than you Notable highlights include Cosbys ruminations on the meaning of the all-purpose phrase I dont know to kids and Cosby describing the effect raising children has on his wife Camilles mental state and the pitch of her voice Containing the basis for the humor of his long-running situation comedy Bill Cosby Himself is a polished occasionally insightful and frequently hilarious night of comedy from one of the longtime masters of the form --Robert Lane Just Another Girl on the Irt [VHS] Miramax Films Sassy in-your-face account of an intelligent flippant Brooklyn girl who lives in the projects and dreams of college Ariyan Johnson is captivating as the teen with attitude and a brain but she cannot decide which should guide her She wants a better life but finds herself taking a very hard road First-time writer/ director Leslie Harris put together a sharp realistic very funny account of life for a young black woman It is rough around the edges however and is definitely hampered by the minuscule budget This may not always be pretty but it is consistently interesting --Rochelle OGorman