Video

Fiction

She Stoops To Conquer, playwright Oliver Goldsmith's 18th-century classic blending of comedy of manners, societal expectations, and mistaken identity, is beautifully rendered in this miniseries. The superb acting successfully conveys the basic farcical atmosphere of the story. Mark Dexter's Marlow and Ian Redford's Hardcastle are particularly well performed, with their frustrations and exasperations growing as the story unfolds. The magnificent gardens and countryside provide a stunning background to the beautiful costumes and the English manor house setting. With the lovely score and sometimes thick British accents, the movie seemingly transports the viewer back to 1773. A documentary about Goldsmith, "The Gooseberry Fool: Oliver Goldsmith Stoops To Conquer," is a welcome extra, providing perspective on this entertaining work. The use of subtitles (placed on the bottom left of the screen) may help viewers decipher the accented speech and antiquated language. Highly recommended.—Denise A. Garofalo, Mount Saint Mary Coll. Lib., Newburgh, NY

Sally Field produced and stars in this 1995 film about Bess Steed Garner (based on Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey's 1978 novel), who becomes a woman of means during her marriage to her first husband, with a bequest from her mother. The decades from the early part of the 20th century through the war years are authentically portrayed through location filming and detailed costumes. Later sections are represented mainly via clothes and cars, and since Bess's life is not as emotionally rich and complex at that time, the third portion of the film feels a bit thin. Field's performance, though, is nuanced and consistent. Tony Goldwyn is very strong as Bess's first husband; Brenda Fricker is compelling as her mother-in-law. Excellent for public libraries; viewers will be riveted.—Melody A. Moxley, Rowan P.L., Salisbury, NC

Competitive gaming is a world with which most people are unfamiliar. E-@thletes follows Team3D and Complexity as they travel across the United States on a mission to become the top CounterStrike team in the country and give their "sport" the same sense of legitimacy that it currently enjoys in Europe and Asia. The film reveals "E-Sports" teams and how the lifestyle affects the participants' social and family lives, opening a window into a milieu that is foreign to people outside of the environment. The second disc contains over an hour of deleted scenes, which seems rather unnecessary. The interesting part of the bonus disc is a chronicle of Complexity and 3D playing against each other for a title. The viewer gets a real sense of the passion they have for gaming. Well made and recommended for general viewers.—Kathleen Loomis-Sacco, SUNY Coll. at Fredonia Lib.

This affectionate and informative documentary profiles 79-year-old James "Jamesie" Brewster, a musician and composer of indigenous folk music from the Virgin Islands who is famous throughout the Caribbean and abroad as the "King of Scratch." Also known as Quelbe, Scratch combines African and European influences and is a rich medium of storytelling and oral tradition stemming from when West Africans were enslaved in the Virgin Islands under Danish rule. Scratch characteristically uses instruments crafted of quotidian materials—e.g., banjos made of sardine cans, string, and pine—to create infectious percussive and rhythmic effects. The film features enlightening interviews with Jamesie and members of his most recent band, the All Stars, in which the historical and contemporary significance of the Scratch tradition is discussed with warmth and humor. There also are many live performances. Recommended for most libraries. [For more, go to www.jamesieproject.com.]—Robert A. Sica, Eastern Kentucky Univ. Lib., Richmond

Legendary jam band Phish's sixth video release is by far its lengthiest and most generous. The Clifford Ball chronicles the entirety of the group's six seemingly endless sets during a two-day, one-band outdoor festival at a decommissioned air force base in Plattsburgh, NY, in 1996. This refreshingly bare-bones production features just a few cameras capturing on-stage performances and crowd reaction and convincingly conveying the excitement and sublime musicianship of this uniquely talented band at its best. Highlights include a crowd-pleasing acoustic miniset of then-unreleased songs and a jaw-dropping cover of The Beatles's "A Day in the Life." As if six discs were not enough, the lengthy bonus disc has interviews with band and crew and amusing footage of a middle-of-the-night improvisational jam performed on a truck bed. This lavish, beautifully crafted package also includes an attractive booklet and set of picture postcards. Recommended for popular music fans. [The group's recent reunion concerts and plans to record will serve to boost interest.—Ed.]—Douglas King, Univ. of South Carolina Lib., Columbia

This collection of singers' exercises contains ten segments divided into three parts: 1) Introduction, Creating a Cathedral, Breath Anatomy; 2) Aerobicizing the Tongue, Mobilizing the Lips; and 3) Balancing the Nondominant Side of the Mouth, Posture, The Power of Imagery, Warming Up and Warming Down, and Vocal Health. Teacher Lieberman likens the human vocal apparatus to a cathedral, so viewers can analogize parts of the body to those of that structure. She explains the desired result an exercise produces and demonstrates it. Unfortunately, the many exercises involving internal body parts are hard to see onscreen. As a result, the DVD cannot substitute for live coaching, although it is a fine enrichment. Demonstrated with jazz, it is most welcome for jazz specialists. Navigation was difficult on a PC using Real Player or Windows Media Player; an iMac and a TV set presented no problems.—Sheila S. Intner, Emerita, Simmons GSLIS at Mount Holyoke Coll., South Hadley, MA

Long thought a pleasant bonbon of Broadway's Golden Age, actor/playwright/author/ composer Noël Coward (1899–1973) has within the last ten years regained deserved recognition. This trilogy contains three previously broadcast programs—The Boy Actor, Captain Coward, and Sail Away—with distinguished theater critics and authors Sheridan Morley, John Lahr, and Philip Hoare lending their considerable commentary. An incredibly effective section of The Boy Actor has John Gielgud, Coward's original understudy for his controversial first success, The Vortex, reading dialog from the play. Captain Coward portrays Coward as the patriot he was, especially during World War II. The many clips of his films define an era and, though dated, are still the best of their time. Sail Away offers charming and revealing interviews with his longtime partner and with his last accompanist and secretary. Coward admits in a telling 1969 Omnibus interview that he never really wanted to be significant, just contemporary and bright. That is a star, no matter the stage. Highly recommended for viewers interested in theater and its history.—Gerald A. Notaro, Univ. of South Florida, St. Petersburg

When we first meet sexagenarian Pearl Fryar, he is nimbly climbing a ladder with a chainsaw in his hand to shape a tree. For a lot of years, Pearl has taken castoff shrubs and other plant materials and turned them into magnificent topiary. When he and his wife wanted to buy a house in an all-white neighborhood in Bishopville, SC, in the 1980s, they were told that "black people don't keep up their yards." Now Bishopville is involved in a downtown renaissance that features Pearl's work, and this sharecropper's son is known nationwide. Through interviews with Pearl's neighbors, family, and friends, we get to know the self-taught artist and inspiring teacher who has enriched the lives of thousands of visitors to his town. Shot in high definition, this upbeat and entertaining film has great appeal. Extras include a CD of the original film score and interviews with Pearl and some of those involved in the making of the film. [Recently broadcast on HGTV.]—Joan Greenberg, Warminster, PA

What do you do when you're searching online for a piece of information? You "google it," of course. As the "God of Information Seekers" (according to the film), Google significantly impacts our lives. This documentary considers the many facets of Google—maps, shopping, books, images, etc.—to explain the firm's goal to become the gatherer and organizer of the world's information. The film does a good job of explaining how Google uses "Search Engine Marketing" to allow businesses to target users when they search. It also chronicles how a business can enhance its online presence in the search engine and what happens when a site is suddenly removed from the listings. Particularly interesting is a short visit to Google headquarters, where we meet the employees and learn how they came to work there. While the narration is a bit clunky, the information itself is well organized and well presented. Recommended for general viewers and the Google-obsessed.—Kathleen Loomis-Sacco, SUNY Coll. at Fredonia Lib.

This well-scripted and well-paced travelog through history-rich Wales provides a balanced look at this small Celtic country from the Neolithic Period to the 21st century. Broken into six segments, the tour begins with prehistory and continues through Roman Wales, The Age of Saints, The Age of Princes, The Welsh Revolution, and to the present with Cymru Newydd (New Wales), tracing a pride in Welsh history, language, and culture. The photography by John Woods displays the vast rugged green landscape, though the bright sunny days cause the color to appear washed out at times. American language educator Robert Jones wrote the narration—expertly presented by notable Welsh actor Dafydd Wyn Roberts—and appears as the onsite guide in various segments. Special short features include "Sheep Have Right of Way" and "Musical Tour of National Botanical Garden." Recommended for travel fans and those interested in the British Isles.—Stephen Allan Patrick, Jonesborough, TN

This riveting documentary introduces us to the families of suburban Beijing's Stars and Rain school, an NGO facility that is one of the few Chinese schools dedicated to children with autism. The goal is to train the parents and have the children make modest-enough gains so they can enter their local schools. The film focuses on Feng Jia Wei, a nonverbal five-year-old with autism as he learns via Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy. His parents candidly share their difficulty in a society that doesn't understand autism. Their desperation is evident as they coax and cajole Jia Wei through school activities intended to help him to communicate. Then we witness the moment when Jia Wei calls out "daddy" for the first time. These connections with the parents make this heartwarming movie wonderful to watch. Strongly recommended for families of children with autism and members of the helping professions. (For more, go to www.childrenofthestars-film.org/home.html).—Corey Seeman, Kresge Business Administration Lib., Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor

This interesting and well-focused program, presented by registered dietitian and mother Korhonen, is well paced and not overwhelming; among the hard facts are bite-sized chunks of info sometimes dusted with light-hearted wit. Topics covered in the ten chapters include snacking, weight gain, trimester-specific nutrient needs, and physical activity, along with cooking demonstrations of a few dishes, e.g., Pregnant Lady Casserole, specially created for their nutrient richness. There are very clear explanations of areas of current concern, including the terms hydrogenated and organic and what they mean to someone who is pregnant. This is not an overly complex production (it has a solid homemade feel); the host talks directly to the camera (viewer) clearly and slowly, with subtle graphics and music as accompaniment. When information is important and needs emphasis, text is printed on the screen. Highly recommended for general library viewers and those in prenatal classes.—Elizabeth J. Eastwood, Los Alamos P.L. Syst., NM

Imagine you are 29 years old and diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral schlerosis (ALS), often referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease and widely considered a horrible death sentence. If you were Stephen Heywood, you would live each day to the fullest, supported by an incredible family. So Much So Fast chronicles four years in the Heywood family's life, as Stephen hurries to marry, have a child, and embrace technology to squeeze as much joy as he can out of every minute. At the same time, his older brother turns an obsession for finding a cure into a research foundation that consumes his psyche as much as the disease consumes Stephen's body. While we see the bad times with the good, the film makes you think death can be stopped, or at least delayed at the door. Well produced and competitively priced, this DVD is strongly recommended for professionals and general viewers.—Courtney Deines-Jones, Grimalkin Group LLC, Silver Spring, MD