Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ FOUR
Spring & Summer highlights 2004
Arts and Music
The Blues
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Under the guiding vision of Martin Scorsese,
seven world-renowned directors, including Clint Eastwood, Wim
Wenders and Scorsese himself, explore the music that has shaped
the American and world music scene in a major series of personal, heartfelt
and compelling documentary films.
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The Blues combines archive footage of legendary bluesmen,
including Howlin' Wolf, Lead Belly and John Lee Hooker,
with interviews and performances from those who owe their musical inspiration
to the blues Β– from Van Morrison and Jeff Beck to
Nick Cave and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion.
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The result is an evocative history of how the blues
evolved from parochial folk tunes to a universal language Β– a gourmet
feast for all fans of the blues. (KC)
Shadowing The Third Man
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The fractured Europe after the Second World War is perfectly
captured in The Third Man, Carol Reed's thriller set in Vienna, with
a screenplay by Graham Greene and an unforgettable performance by Orson
Welles as the mysterious Harry Lime.
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Although the story is a work of fiction, for many the
film is the best documentary ever made about post-war Europe.
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Almost all of its components are true: there really
was a penicillin racket which killed many Austrian children and the
Soviets did allow kidnappings of Eastern bloc refugees.
Shadowing The Third Man, an Arena Special, revisits the original
locations and talks to cast and crew to unravel the amazing web of fact
and fiction that makes this cinematic masterpiece so compelling. (IC)
Frank Hurley Β–
The Man Who Made History
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The 60-year career of photographer Frank Hurley left
behind an amazing legacy, most famously his breathtaking images of Ernest
Shackleton's doomed, but legendary, Antarctic expedition made from 1914
to 1917.
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In recent years, Hurley's work has been setting record
prices at auctions.
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This illuminating documentary marks the rediscovery
of one of the world's great 20th-century photographers.
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Born in Sydney in 1885, Hurley ran away from home at
the age of 13 and embarked on an extraordinary life filled with adventure
and achievement.
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The programme explores Hurley's incredible and complex
character and his all-consuming dedication to his craft: he once kissed
his wife goodbye before heading off to work and didn't come home for
six years. (NL)
Painting Flowers
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After the success of Painting The Weather in 2002, Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ
FOUR once again teams up with the National Gallery and public galleries
across the UK to create a unique online art exhibition, accompanied
by a television series.
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This time, an extra partner Β– the Royal Horticultural
Society Β– joins the project to explore the vivid theme of flower
painting in art.
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Within the delicate petals of a flower, myriad potent
stories and symbols have been given life, through the ages, by the art
of the painter Β– from famous depictions such as Van Gogh's Sunflowers,
to botanic illustrations and symbolic religious paintings.
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"As a gardener, nothing delights me more than seeing
the splendour of flowers depicted in art," says gardening stalwart
Monty Don.
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Monty introduces and narrates this revelatory study
of the history, significance and sheer beauty of the flower in art by
focusing on four favourites Β– the rose, the sunflower, the lily
and the tulip. (IC)
The World In Art
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The World In Art challenges our conventional view of
the arts by putting them in a genuinely global context.
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Each programme takes a single year in history and tells
six parallel stories about the art which was being made simultaneously
around the world.
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In 1517, for example, as Martin Luther sparked the Reformation,
Leonardo da Vinci was enjoying his old age in France and Castiglione
was writing The Book of the Courtier.
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Around the globe, the Incas were constructing the royal
citadel of Machu Picchu, the Edo people of West Africa were casting
exquisite bronzes, and Japanese painter Soami was creating the famous
Daisen-in gardens in Kyoto.
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The World In Art is a unique combination of the arts,
history and travel. (IC)
John Martyn
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Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ FOUR takes an in-depth look at the life and genius
of singer-songwriter John Martyn, whose drawling vocals and virtuoso
guitar playing have inspired many.
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When filming began, Martyn had a leg injury which led
to infection and eventual amputation.
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The film follows him pre- and post-operation, while
simultaneously dipping into the past and learning more about his career
Β– from folk clubs in the Sixties to his best-loved album, Solid
Air, and continuing musical experimentation.
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Contributors include Phil Collins, the late Robert
Palmer, Beverley Martyn and Beth Orton, alongside
classic performance archive, home movies and childhood photos. (JW)
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ FOUR Samuel Johnson
Prize 2004
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Michael Wood - writer and presenter of many acclaimed
history series, including Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ TWO's recent In Search Of Shakespeare
- takes the chair for the judging panel of this year's Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ FOUR Samuel
Johnson Prize.
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Now in its third year of Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ FOUR sponsorship, the prize
rewards the best of the UK's current non-fiction writing, from biography,
travel and popular science, to the arts and current affairs.
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Wood says: "Over the last few years, the wonderful
range and quality of works in non-fiction has proved that truth is not
only stranger than fiction, but often more exciting and moving, too."
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The other judges this year are: Aminatta Forna,
author, broadcaster and journalist; Martha Kearney, political
editor of Newsnight; Simon Singh, science writer and broadcaster;
and Francis Wheen, author, journalist and broadcaster. (SA)
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