The inventive and amusing paintings of Giuseppe Arcimboldo dazzled the courts of Europe. His imaginative combinations of fruits, vegetables, and flowers create allegorical portraits of emperors and witty caricatures of their courtiers, which won him the highest artistic honors bestowed by the Holy Roman Empire. His works reveal the mind of an artist deeply influenced by the new discoveries and new worlds that came to light during the Age of Exploration. This documentary combines original high-definition footage of the artist's native Milan and the Habsburg palaces of Vienna and Prague with images of Arcimboldo's work as a court painter, designer of festivals, and chronicler of the natural world.
One of the greatest landscape painters of all times, Joseph Mallord William Turner rendered the subtle effects of light and atmosphere in revolutionary ways. A barber's son, he entered the Royal Academy art school at age 14 and became, over the course of six decades, the leading British artist of his time. This overview of Turner's career and influences includes footage of locations important to him in Wales, England, and Switzerland, and readings from writers and artists of the era, including John Ruskin and Lord Byron.
The paintings of Johannes Vermeer are intriguing for their subjects as well as for the poetic ways in which they are portrayed. Vermeer's use of light, color, proportion, and scale are mesmerizing. This film guides the viewer through an exploration of Vermeer's paintings by examining the "secrets" of his technique through x-ray analysis, infrared reflectography, and computer analysis.
The Feast of the Gods was painted in 1514 by Giovanni Bellini, one of the masters of the Italian Renaissance. But in less than fifteen years, the picture was drastically repainted by another great artist, Titian. Filmed on location in Venice, Ferrara, and Mantua, this program probes the painting's past, using x-rays, infrared photography, and computer graphics to reveal the secrets of this mysterious masterpiece.
This film explores art and culture around the Bay of Naples before Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 CE. The bay was then a favorite resort for vacationing Romans. Julius Caesar, emperors, and senators were among those who owned sumptuos villas along its shores. Artists created frescoes, sculpture, and luxurious objects in gold, silver, and glass for villa owners as well as residents of Pompeii and other towns in the shadow of Vesuvius. The film concludes with the story of the discovery of Pompeii and Herculaneum from the 18th century onward.
Ginevra de' Benci, the first known portrait by Leonardo da Vinci, is both haunting and hypnotic. The magnificent and mysterious work conceals a multitude of secrets, now coaxed out by x-ray analysis, infrared reflectography, and computer technology. This film, narrated by Meryl Streep, unveils insights about the painting and about Ginevra and Leonardo.
The late J. Carter Brown, the National Gallery's director from 1969 to 1992, tells the fascinating story of the museum's beginnings and its growth. Illustrated with rare photographs and historical footage, this film shows the founding of the Gallery and the formation of its collections. The unfolding story relates the construction of the original West Building and of the East Building some forty years later. It documents the evolution of the Gallery into an institution that serves the entire nation. Finally, Brown leads viewers on tours of the West and East Buildings to give an overview of the Gallery's collections.
This Winter Wonderland episode of Serenity takes you on a relaxing nature journey to beautiful, snowy places around the world.
This Winter Wonderland episode of Serenity takes you on a relaxing nature journey to beautiful, snowy places around the world.
Teams from Broward County high schools battle top-ranked schools from across the nation.
A miserly businessman gains a new perspective on his fellow man when the ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Future pay him a visit on Christmas Eve to show him how he has mistreated his employees and business partners. ( Alastair Sim, Kathleen Harrison, Mervyn Johns, Hermione Baddeley, Michael Hordern, George Cole )
One Kris Kringle, a department-store Santa Claus, causes quite a commotion by suggesting customers go to a rival store for their purchases. But this is nothing to the stir he causes by announcing that he is not merely a make-believe St Nick, but the real McCoy.
Jed, Elly May, Jethro, and Granny take their first plane flight back home for Christmas to visit cousin Pearl, who is busy cooking up a feast to win Mr. Brewster's unwilling heart.
Mr. Drysdale's idea for Christmas presents are ones only fit for coastal California, like diving suits and a boat, and a television set, which Granny thinks is some kind of fancy washing machine.
When visiting the bank as a customer, George Burns finds out that Lucy is instinctively funny and asks her to become a partner in his show. Mr. Mooney, who thinks this is an opportunity to get rid of her, agrees to be her agent. The show opens in Santa Monica, where the new pair appear in a Burns and Allen-style act. George Burns is the straight man and Lucy the comedienne, who delivers the punchlines.
Mr. Mooney leaves the office for two weeks of training in the Naval Reserve but forgets to sign some important papers. Lucy tracks him to the submarine on which he will sail on maneuvers and, dressed as a sailor, boards the ship in an attempt to get him to sign the document. The submarine leaves for sea before Lucy can leave the vessel and she's forced to pretend that she's just another sailor.
When Mr. Mooney refuses to co-sign Lucy's loan for new furniture, she launches an elaborate scheme to win the money from a company manufacturing beans.
Lucy arranges for ventriloquist Paul Winchell to entertain at the annual banker's banquet but gets in hot water when she leaves his dummies in the taxicab outside the banquet hall.
Lucy tries on an expensive ring Mr. Mooney had made for his wife; it looks like the bank manager won't be able to give his spouse the anniversary present - it gets stuck on Lucy's finger.
Lucy enters a dog food jingle contest and wins the grand prize: a trip to London, England. She packs her ticket in her luggage and misses her plane and finds herself seated next to Mr. Mooney on the next flight.
To cut down on expenses, Lucy advertises for a roommate, selecting the shy Carol Bradford. In order to get Carol to come out of her shell, Lucy and Mary Jane throw a party and invite a group of musicians to perform.
Lucy calls in sick so she can join her roommate at a Palm Springs resort. Unfortunately, her boss, Mr. Mooney, is staying at the same hotel.
When a letter arrives from the US Government, Lucy finds that she's mistakenly been drafted. Instead of "Lucy," the letter is addressed to "Lou C." She sets off to the draft office to correct the mistake, but due to stupid "rules and regulations," Lucy finds that she has to become a Marine until the paperwork gets straightened out. She proceeds to make life miserable for her sergeant.
Mr. Mooney sends Lucy to deliver some papers pertaining to the financing of John Wayne's latest production. Despite his orders to drop off the papers with one of the studio's secretaries, Lucy insists on meeting Mr. Wayne in person at lunch and spills ketchup all over him. She then trails him to his movie set and causes all sorts of havoc.
Lucy and Mary Jane meet Pat Collins, a celebrity hypnotist, at a fashion show and are invited to her night club performance. When Lucy learns that Mr. Mooney is suffering insomnia, she insists she come to the program in the hopes that he'll become more relaxed why under the hypnotist's spell.
Mary Jane warns Lucy that the long hours she's putting in at the office could lead to hallucinations. Later, when she a monkey appears and apparently disappears in Mr. Mooney's chair, she begins to think she's losing her mind and consults a psychiatrist.
An overbearing efficiency expert threatens to change the way Mr. Mooney runs his bank branch.
Lucy is preparing to go on vacation, but she has a change of heart when her substitute secretary turns out to be an attractive blonde who Mr. Mooney really likes. Lucy secretly doesn't go on vacation, and spies on them in various disguises.
Viv flies to California to visit Lucy and admits that she's looking for a young college student from her hometown whom she believes has fallen in with the no-good beatnik crowd. Lucy and Viv disguise themselves as hippies to track the youth down.
Mr. Mooney bets Lucy that she can't find other employment and last for entire day. If Lucy wins the bet, Mr. Mooney will rehire her and give her a raise.
Mr. Mooney and Lucy travel to a quaint small town to loan the mayor money to build a highway right down Main Street. When they arrive, they are greeted with intense opposition and Lucy decides to join the anti-highway townspeople fighting the new road.
Lucy is accused of being the notorious red-haired shoplifter who has been victimizing area stores.
Lucy encourages a washed-up boxer to come out of retirement for one match to earn enough money to open a flower shop.
When Mr. Mooney's boss threatens to fire him because his bank branch hasn't had many new accounts, Lucy tries to convince millionaire country singer Homer Higgins to deposit his money with the bank.
Mr. Mooney gives Sheldon Leonard permission to shoot a bank robbery scene after hours for an upcoming TV series pilot, but Lucy and Mary Jane think the heist is the real thing and attempt to prevent it.
The wacky misadventures of a forever-scheming woman, her reluctant best friend, and her cantankerous boss.
Lucy convinces Mr. Mooney that she's too ill to come to work so she can go to a department store sale. After examining some of the items for sale in the store (and causing a lot of damage), she learns she is the ten-millionth customer and wins many valuable prizes. One prize she wins isn't one to her liking - her photograph will appear prominently in the next day's morning newspaper. Lucy goes to great lengths to make sure that her boss doesn't see the incriminating photograph and fails miserably.
A European movie company fronted by a famous French movie actor comes to Los Angeles to set up shop. Mr. Mooney's plans to land their account are nearly scuttled when Lucy becomes inebriated on French champagne.