American Masters (1986)
American Masters is a PBS television series which produces biographies on enduring writers, musicians, visual and performing artists, dramatists, filmmakers, and others who have left an indelible impression on the cultural landscape of the United States.
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Episode 1 - Jerome Robbins: Something to Dance About
Release Date: 2009-02-18The work of the American dance pioneer and choreographer who brought ballet techniques to the Broadway stage.
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Episode 2 - Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts
Release Date: 2009-04-08Scott Hicks' acclaimed 2007 film on a year in the life of the modern experimental composer.
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Episode 3 - Hollywood Chinese
Release Date: 2009-05-27From the first Chinese-American film produced in 1916, to Ang Lee's triumphant Brokeback Mountain nine decades later, this films brings together a group of actors, writers, directors -- and iconic film images -- to examine Chinese contributions to an industry that was often ignorant and dismissive about race. Such artists as Wayne Wang, Joan Chen, David Henry Hwang, Nancy Kwan and Amy Tan share their experiences of being "the other." These stories and film clips from more than 90 films -- some dating back to the 1890s -- weave a rich tapestry and complex history.
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Episode 4 - Neil Young: Don't Be Denied
Release Date: 2009-06-10The work of the legendary rock musician and his artistic and intellectual transitions over the decades.
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Episode 5 - Garrison Keillor: The Man on the Radio in the Red Shoes
Release Date: 2009-07-01A retrospective on the famed radio personality and author centering on A Prairie Home Companion.
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Episode 6 - Trumbo
Release Date: 2009-09-02An account of Dalton Trumbo, a powerful motion picture screenwriter who refused to succumb to the stigma of the Hollywood "blacklist" and rose to prominence once again.
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Episode 7 - Joan Baez: How Sweet the Sound
Release Date: 2009-10-14The folk music career of Joan Baez and the progressive movements she both participated in and influenced.
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Episode 8 - Louisa May Alcott: the Woman Behind 'Little Women'
Release Date: 2009-12-28The author of 'Little Women' is an almost universally recognized name whose reputation as a morally upstanding New England spinster masked a literary double life.