Video

Anatomy for Artists: The Human Form Revealed. 2d ed. color. 52 min. Larry Withers, On Air Video, Inc., 8203 Westminster Rd., Elkins Park, PA 19027; 215-885-2828; www.onairvideo.com. 2007. DVD $19.95.

Anatomy for Artists provides a good general review of human anatomy for students and artists alike. By describing the surface forms and underlying bone structure and how they work together to permit movement, the DVD is useful for teaching sculpture as well as figure drawing. The model featured has very good muscle definition, thereby highlighting muscular and skeletal systems, simple and complex muscle groups, and human proportions. The DVD is short and well organized; the model wears a brief swimsuit to avoid embarrassing or offending young students. This useful tool will aid in art instruction for high school through adult learners.

Art Is an Attitude also uses a live model but concentrates on demonstrating how to make beautiful figure drawings through 25 fundamental techniques, including selective seeing and emphasis; crayon, brush, and pen manipulation; negative space and positive mass; line techniques; gesture; the hinged "I"; and more. A demo menu on the DVD lets viewers access each of the techniques instantly by name and chapter number. Buchman, an accomplished artist and innovative teacher, also reveals his methods for developing proficiency with Conte crayon, gel pen, ink wash, Sumi brush, watercolor crayons, and reed pen. An illustrated glossary is also available. For each drawing demonstration, a materials list is provided. Well structured and beautifully photographed, the many exercises along with Buchman's work will inspire artists of all levels.—Susan Awe, Univ. of New Mexico Lib., Albuquerque

Overshadowed by the achievements and showmanship of Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse (1846–1914) is one of the almost forgotten technological leaders in American history. The electrification of the United States that we take for granted today was made possible by his engineering know-how and business acumen. It was Westinghouse and his company's engineers who made the inventions of Nicola Tesla commercially feasible and led to the widespread adoption of alternating current technology. A great inventor in his own right who became a major entrepreneur and industrialist, Westinghouse receives very little coverage in today's classroom. Accordingly, this very well-done, if somewhat sugarcoated, biography, which incorporates a history of the rise and fall of the Westinghouse Corporation, would be a worthwhile addition to any school library.—Harold D. Shane, Emeritus, Mathematics, Baruch Coll., CUNY

Arguably the most important invention in human history, writing is fundamental as a communication tool and as a way of understanding both our collective past, present, and future. Program one of this three-part documentary, "The Greatest Invention," explores the earliest forms of writing, from Chinese pictographs to Egyptian hieroglyphics while also discussing common features such as alphabets and syllabaries in the approximately 50 known writing systems. Part two, "The Art and the Craft," asks the question, "What's so great about writing?" while authors and academics share their passion for this invention that rivals the wheel in importance to humankind. "The Literate Society" establishes the close connection among writing, reading, and literacy. In the midst of a technological revolution similar to Gutenberg's, reading and writing remain as transformative an experience as when these codes were first developed. This fast-paced tour de force of human history makes fascinating stops along the way to examine evidence of the writing record. Interviews feature an array of scholars and writers, including novelists Margaret Atwood and Elmore Leonard, poet Quincy Troupe, web developer Tim Berners-Lee, and psychologist Steven Pinker. More than 100 location shots from around the world further emphasize that writing is a unique way of being human, not an invention or possession of either the West or the East. A great deal of information is presented in a lighthearted, enthusiastic way. Highly recommended for general audiences.—Linda Frederiksen, Washington State Univ. Vancouver Lib.

The Book Binding Guy is Frankie Ridolfi, who here crafts an entire book along with the assistance of a friend who has never done it before. This latest entry in the enlarging field of bookbinding self-help videos (see Bookbinding: A Traditional Technique, LJ 9/1/07) offers clear and concise instructions on creating a bound journal with a quarter-leather binding. By including a neophyte friend, Ridolfi illustrates that anyone can learn a few basic skills and, along with minimal supplies and a little time and patience, can create a beautifully bound book. He begins with the anatomy of a book, including the leather binding, deckled paper, raised cords, hand-sewn signatures, hand-sewn end bands, and decorative paper cover. The bookbinding process is broken into five parts. The first is preparation, which includes design and materials choices, supplies, and how to tear down paper sheets to the needed size with attractive deckled edges. Next is construction of the book block through sewing signatures and attaching linen cords. Part three includes rounding and backing the spine using homemade wheat paste. A unique feature of this program is its instruction on how to sew decorative head and tail bands, a traditional feature often left out of more simplified instruction but that gives a very professional look to the finished product. Choosing, measuring, cutting, and gluing the decorative binding is next, concluding with the same processes for the paper cover and finally doing the end sheets. The disc includes a bonus PDF of a 25-page manual (also available for download from Ridolfi's web site) that includes a quick-start guide, materials checklist, tools checklist, templates, cheat sheets, and a printing primer with instructions on formatting Word documents to become books. This clear, concise, and entertaining presentation is highly recommended for any arts and crafts or book arts collection.—Tom Budlong, Atlanta

With overall subject matter focusing on responding to student behavior, this program, which includes an elementary and a secondary level version, a facilitator's guide, and a teacher's guide, begins with strategies to combat increasing levels of classroom disturbances: planned ignoring, minimal intervention, offering choices, and following through. The hierarchical concept attempts to create systematically a learning environment with fewer disturbances and more student attention. Both DVDs use the same structure and materials but are presented using children of appropriate ages and scenarios that correspond with the intended audience. Initially, the programs introduce a concept (e.g., planned ignoring), present sample vignettes, then offer positive teacher testimony and, finally, a summary. The moderators explain each concept clearly, and the vignettes provide a somewhat reasonable reality of what might happen in a classroom. However, there should be a disclaimer stating that results may vary, as the students on the discs adapt to the methods too readily. With that aside, this kit can be used among individuals, in small groups of teachers, or as part of an in-service program. Recommended for academic libraries with education programs and schools from coast to coast.—Brian Burns, Hampden-Sydney Coll. Lib., VA

This brief overview of the story behind Roberto Rossellini's Italian neorealist landmark, Rome, Open City (1945), offers brisk filmmaking with a markedly concise tone. Mostly, the narrative relies on archival snippets of Rossellini, Federico Fellini, Vittorio Mussolini, François Truffaut, and Ingrid Bergman and interviews with daughter Isabella and son Renzo. Rather than delving deeply into any one facet of Rossellini's personal or professional life, the film sketches a broad but incomplete portrait of the director while only scratching the surface of Open City. Family and former colleagues praise Rossellini's vision, but his contradictory nature is exposed—most evidently in his turnabout from complicit Fascist propagandist to champion liberationist. This thread is explored further when former colleagues confirm his attempt to produce an exacting work, where light and shadow is crucial to the moral message, despite his dismissal of the importance of production values. Ultimately, even Rossellini cannot deny that Open City was not anti-art but instead full of suspense and seduction, qualities he sought to root out of later films in pursuit of "purity." Owing to the relative lack of available videos profiling Rossellini, Once Upon a Time… is recommended for academic libraries supporting film curricula.—Eric Pasteur, Peoria P.L., IL

This documentary takes a close look at one family's experience with autism. The film includes not only interviews with 14-year-old Luke's relatives and teachers but also lengthy clips showing his interaction with others as well as performing everyday tasks. The film has very modest production values and focuses on only one family, but it provides some excellent elements that make it very worthwhile, e.g., watching Luke's sister Erica (two years his elder) not only talk about her brother but interact with him; seeing Luke and his father at the record store negotiating for a DVD that Luke wants to buy; and viewing an older film when Luke was seven and was undergoing applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy. What is extremely powerful is observing the realistic expectations of the family as they look at where he is at age 14. Given the relatively narrow focus of the film, it is recommended for academic libraries with disability and autism collections and public libraries with comprehensive autism collections.—Corey Seeman, Kresge Business Administration Lib., Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Given the success of Ken Burns's recent history of World War II, The War, Reader's Digest's release of Personal Journeys of World War II was to be expected. Only recently available on DVD, Personal Journeys covers much the same ground as The War and in much the same way, presenting history from the perspective of average Americans who lived through it. Some are famous (Bob Dole, Mike Wallace, William Manchester, etc.), others are not, but it is these personal stories that make this collection valuable. The program includes two additional documentaries. Going for Broke discusses quite unflinchingly the racism of the time that led to the internment of Japanese Americans and brought about the creation of the Japanese American 442nd Regimental Combat Team and makes the achievements of that unit all the more extraordinary. When an aging luxury liner pressed into service as a troop transport is attacked by a U-boat, The Four Army Chaplains (one Catholic, one Jewish, and two Protestant) do what they can for the injured and dying, get as many men as they can into lifeboats, and, after giving their own life jackets to others, go down with the ship. This collection also includes a CD of songs from the era as well as a booklet of period photographs. The only very minor fault with Personal Journeys is its almost record album-sized packaging: not terribly convenient. Otherwise, this program is highly recommended for all library collections.—Christopher S. Johnson, Webster Groves P.L., MO

Released to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the Arab-Israeli war in 1967, Six Days in June chronicles the events leading up to the conflict, the six days of fighting, and the aftermath. Shot by Israeli filmmakers in Israel, Palestine, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Moscow, and Washington, DC, this feature employs both color and black-and-white footage of newly declassified archives, news footage, interviews with veterans, home movies, and re-creations. Although much of the documentary deals with the brinksmanship between Israeli and Arab leaders, there is also significant coverage of the increased Cold War tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union. The filmmaker focuses not only on the conflict itself but also on the various political and military personalities involved. Overall, this documentary is very well done and provides a fascinating insight into the war; viewers will come away with a much better understanding of the rise of fundamentalism and the overall situation in the Middle East today. The production quality is top notch, though some material may not be appropriate for younger viewers. Recommended for academic and public libraries.—Rod Bustos, Georgia State Univ. Lib., Atlanta

British conductor Charles Hazlewood's weekly Discovering Music radio show and these films featuring Tchaikovsky masterpieces aim at the same audience: analytically inclined classical music lovers who know the difference between major and minor keys (and what a "semiquaver" is) and can appreciate a studied explanation of how an orchestral piece works, artistically. Here, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra is at Hazlewood's command as he conducts and speaks about the "Fantasy Overture" from Romeo & Juliet, an early masterwork, and the first movement of the composer's final effort, the Pathétique symphony. Expertly played music, instructive ideas, and good close-ups of individual instrumentalists or sections don't completely compensate for problems with the menu-free DVDs (VHS versions not seen), including their unplayability on certain machines (Bose among them) and slightly unsynchronized audio and video elements in the second program. Full 20-minute performances precede each talk. The programs are recommended to large public libraries serving relatively sophisticated orchestral music fans, but the technical issues will annoy some borrowers.—Bonnie Jo Dopp, formerly with Univ. of Maryland Lib., College Park

In the introduction to the video, viewers are shown statistics that describe a startling decrease in American family farming in the past century: from 42 percent full-time farmers in 1900 to less than two percent today, with many supplementing their farm income with other jobs to get by. This is the story of the Ames family farm, Contour Meadows, in upstate New York, a fifth-generation farm facing the end of its life and the end of a lifestyle that sustained the extended Ames family, which includes filmmaker Spione, through some very tough times, including the Great Depression. The farmstead served as the family's center, the anchor of its values, and over the generations witnessed the resolution of many crises. In the end, dairy work is found to be just too difficult, with too many long hours exposed to the seasonal heat and cold, for the few rewards it offers. No one in Lanny Ames's extended family is willing to make the commitment to continue farming. Not a nostalgic look at farm life, this film is instead an intimate look into the feelings of these individuals along with their honest assessments of the farm and their progenitors. Extra DVD features, including additional analysis and scenes, are excellent. Highly recommended.—Cliff Glaviano, Bowling Green State Univ. Libs., OH

Is it true blondes have more fun? Filmmaker Aitken wanted to know. She has two brunettes and one blonde do informal studies in bars and on the street and beside broken-down cars at the side of the road. Are blondes perceived as more approachable? More frivolous? Younger? Dumber? The findings are yes to all of the above. Then they switch. The blonde goes brunette, the brunettes blonde. The tests are repeated, and the clichés hold. This unscientific but fascinating film discusses the whys and wherefores of the blonde mystique and would be a wonderful introduction to discussions of how we are perceived by others and ourselves. However, the film appears to have been shot in a letterboxed format and not adjusted, leaving some of the subtitles and captions unreadable. Also, the price is prohibitive for most public libraries. Too bad!—Susan B. Hagloch, formerly with Tuscarawas Cty. P.L., New Philadelphia, OH