New DVD releases (February, 2007)
February 1st, 2007 by Zsofia
Shoah - Press For Truth - H.H. Holmes, The World’s First Serial Killer - Say Amen, somebody - Style Wars - Paul Robeson - Speak Of Me As I Am - Terrorstorm - Genocide
Shoah (1985) - Shoah is Claude Lanzmann’s landmark documentary meditation on the Holocaust. Assembled from footage shot by the filmmaker during the 1970s and 1980s, it investigates the genocide at the level of experience: the geographical layout of the camps and the ghettos; the daily routines of imprisonment; the inexorable trauma of humiliation and punishment; and the insights of those who experienced these events first hand. (Comes in a four-disc set, with a 180-page book.)
Look up this documentary on Amazon.co.uk
9/11 - Press For Truth (2006) - Why did the White House stonewall the 9/11 investigation? Following the attacks of September 11th, a small group of grieving families waged a tenacious battle against those who sought to bury the truth about the event–including, to their amazement, President Bush. In this film, six of them, including three of the famous ‘Jersey Girls’, tell for the first time the powerful story of how they took on the greatest powers in Washington–and won–compelling an investigation, only to subsequently watch the 9/11 Commission fail in answering most of their questions.
Buy this documentary from Amazon.co.uk
H.H. Holmes - The World’s First Serial Killer (2003) - A documentary on serial-killer, H.H. Holmes. Based in Chicago, Holmes terrorized the local community with a series of murders and his infamous ‘death house’. A local landlord, Holmes ensnared his victims by renting rooms to them during the World’s Fair in 1893. The house was littered with torture chambers and evil tools with which Holmes carried out his deeds. Filmmaker John Borowski has meticulously researched the case, and produced this chilling documentary on Holmes. Revisiting some of the mass murderers past haunts, Borowski draws on photographs, reenactments, and location footage to relive the ghoulish tale.
Say Amen, somebody – Touted as one of the best documentaries of the 1980s, “Say Amen, somebody” is an exuberant portrait of gospel music that starts at the 1982 gospel music convention in St. Louis and takes off from there. The film interviews many gospel singers, including The Barrett Sisters, Sallie Martin, and The O’Neal Twins, but the focus here is on two of the music’s pioneers: Thomas Dorsey and Willie Mae Ford Smith. The anecdotes and speeches from the performers, combined with the powerful and transcendent music they make forms a film and an experience that is both incredibly moving and entertaining.
Style Wars - Filmed in New York in 1982, when hip hop was still in its infancy, STYLE WARS documents a number of young graffiti artists who were transforming the city with their unique art. These artists created a new visual language that was borne out of the hip hop subculture and, using the city’s dilapidated subway system as a canvas, let the rest of New York know about it. Unfortunately, graffiti meant vandalism to Mayor Ed Koch, the NYPD, and the MTA, all of whom did their best to oppose the burgeoning movement.
Paul Robeson - Speak Of Me As I Am - Documentary charting the incredible life of actor, singer, and civil rights activist Paul Robeson. Combining archive footage with critical commentary, the film demonstrates his commitment to social justice and equality for all. For a black man such as Robeson living in America’s Deep South in the 1960s, achieving international recognition - both artistic and political - was no mean feat. His courageous stance against oppression made him a role model for a generation of African Americans.
Terrorstorm - A History Of Government Sponsored Terrorism (2006) - In this documentary, filmmaker Alex Jones takes a look at global terrorist attacks, including the bombings in London and Madrid. Jones is highly critical of the methodology behind the various governments who are fighting back against such activities, and offers some pointers on how he thinks these situations can be resolved peacefully.
Genocide (1982) - Winner of the 1981 Oscar for best documentary, “Genocide” combines historical narrative with actual stories of ordinary people, in illustrating the Nazi’s reign of terror and the millions who fell victim to Hitler’s Final Solution.
(All descriptions provided by Amazon.)
