Althea Gibson, one of America’s legendary tennis players, broke racial barriers in an era when racism was rampant and African Americans were second-class citizens. Gibson’s rise to stardom, and her abject tumble into penury, are charted in Althea, an illuminating documentary scheduled to be broadcast by PBS’ American Masters series on September 4 at 9 p.m. […]
Having had more than an inkling she might be remembered long after her untimely death, she left behind a paper trail — 16,000 letters, 16 diaries, seven archeological field books, dozens of notebooks, hundreds of political position papers and eight published books. Gertrude Bell, probably the most remarkable British woman of her generation, was a […]
Seniors are supposed to enjoy their golden years in comfort and security, but all too often they’re denied these benefits because their pensions can’t support a lifestyle of ease. Martin Himel’s 45-minute documentary, Pensioner Power: A Voice for Change highlights this problem in Israel, Canada and two southern European countries, Slovenia and Croatia. Vision TV will […]
Of all the intimidating mountain peaks in the Himalayas, the most technically complicated and dangerous one may well be Shark’s Fin crowning Mount Meru, which rises to an altitude of 21,850 feet amid spectacular alpine scenery. Towering over the Ganges River in India, it defies the world’s finest climbers. Many have tried to reach the […]
Marielle Heller’s coming-of-age film, The Diary of a Teenage Girl, focuses on the sexual awakening of a love-starved teenager on a voyage of self-discovery. Minnie Goetze (Bel Powley), the young woman in question, is 15 years old and anxious to lose her virginity. Thinking that she won’t look as good as Lori Buckby in the […]
Ingrid Bergman’s radiant beauty shines through her films, especially those made in the early phase of her lengthy, distinguished career. With her svelte figure, high cheek bones, wavy hair, full lips, bright toothy smile and slightly exotic Swedish accent, she’s a compelling cinematic figure. Wholesome yet alluring, Bergman rose to fame in Intermezzo, a sappy […]
The Holocaust was an event so diabolical and complex in conception and execution that it requires constant elaboration. How Was It Possible? A Holocaust Reader, a first-class anthology edited by Peter Hayes and published by the University of Nebraska Press, addresses key questions, among them being: Why were Jews objects of hatred? Why was a […]
The late Saul Bellow was a colossus in American literature, the son of Yiddish-speaking Russian Jews who immigrated to the United States by way of Canada. In the estimation of his latest biographer, Zachary Leader, he was the most decorated writer in U.S. history, having won the Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Prize and three National […]
Forty five years ago, Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yitzhak Rabin, delivered a pep talk to a group of Jewish American teens in Washington, D.C. After he had finished speaking, Rabin — the future prime minister of Israel — gave 15-year-old Michael Bornstein of West Orange, New Jersey, a perfunctory handshake. Bornstein, a fervent […]
Woody Allen’s latest feature film, Irrational Man, turns on moral quandaries and dilemmas. Scheduled to open in Canadian theaters on July 24, it stars Joaquin Phoenix as a depressed professor of philosophy, Emma Stone as his infatuated student and Parker Posey as her older romantic rival. Allen, in this thoughtful movie about the frailties of […]