Eric Ambler talks to poet and journalist James Fenton about his life and about the nature of thriller writing, the form to which he stayed true.
The first edition of a regular weekly programme about the creative world of art and artists. Introduced by Henry Livings. Tonight: Everybody's Expo An account of a world event.
The British debut of a new world opera star-at the age of twenty-four. The Pro Arte Orchestra Leader, Max Salpeter Conducted by Edward Downes The Bel Canto Singers
The first of three performances of Beethoven symphonies conducted by Colin Davis. BBC Symphony Orchestra Leader, Trevor Williams Part of a public concert in the Royal Festival Hall, London. Introduced by Henry Livings.
"Tyger tyger burning bright In the forests of the night What immortal hand or eye Could frame thy fearful symmetry" Why does this poem by William Blake 1757-1827 stick in the mind, and seize the imagination of so many different people? Among those taking part: Kathleen Raine, Robert Graves, Richard Hoggart, Stuart Hall, Adrian Mitchell, and pupils and teachers from St. Christopher School, Letchworth; The Manchester Grammar School; Duddeston Manor School, Birmingham; Peacock Street Infants School, Manchester.
The second of three performances of Beethoven symphonies conducted by Colin Davis. BBC Symphony Orchestra Leader, Trevor Williams Given before an invited audience in the Fairfield Hall, Croydon.
The story of an actor-manager in the rip-roaring days of Victorian and Edwardian melodrama. Written and narrated by his grandson, John M. East.
The last of three performances of Beethoven symphonies conducted by Colin Davis. BBC Symphony Orchestra Leader, Trevor Williams Given before an invited audience in the Fairfield Hall, Croydon.
A film about one of the brightest stars in British music Jacqueline du Pre. With Daniel Barenboim, Sir John Barbirolli, William Pleeth and music by Saint-Saens, Iris du Pre, William de Fesch, Granados Max Bruch, Brahms and the complete Elgar Cello Concerto with the New Philharmonia Orchestra Leader, Carlos Villa Conducted by Daniel Barenboim
Three stories of love, passion, and dreams by A. E. Coppard. Stories adapted by Kit Coppard. The Field of Mustard [Starring] Nancy Nevinson as Dinah, Patricia Lawrence as Rose Adam and Eve and Pinch Me [Starring] David Collings as Gilbert Dusky Ruth [Starring] Frances White as Ruth, Mike Pratt as the man
Ken Russell explores the private life of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, the poet and painter credited as the creator of the Pre-Raphaelite aesthetic. Starring Oliver Reed.
This is the first of two Omnibus programmes about the Russian impresario Diaghilev. Presented by Peter Ustinov, this episode focuses on Diaghilev’s early life and the first seasons of his legendary ballet company Ballets Russes from 1909 until the outbreak of war in 1914. Friends and colleagues, including Cecil Beaton and prima ballerina Tamara Karsavina, reveal what Diaghilev meant to them and the impact he had on both ballet and the artists he commissioned.
Omnibus presenting the second of two programmes on the great Russian impresario Diaghilev. Introduced by Peter Ustinov. The story of Diaghilev and his ballet company from 1919 until his death ten years later, as told by his friends and colleagues Tamara Karsavina, Lydia Sokolova, Dame Marie Rambert, Dame Ninette de Valois, Dame Alicia Markova, Sacheverell Sitwell, Leonide Massine, Nicolas Nabokov, Igor Markevitch, Serge Lifar, Cyril Beaumont, Anton Dolin, Ursula Moreton, Laura Wilson, Leighton Lucas, Errol Addison. Written and produced by John Drummond. A BBC TV-Bavarian TV Service co-production
One of a spate of M.R.James adaptations that the BBC shot from the late 'sixties to the early 'eighties. All of them were memorable but this is comfortably the best. Michael Hordern is the hapless academic who goes to the coast for a short holiday and accidentally awakens something unnatural while pottering around in the remains of a Templar preceptory. This isn't a story about a monster, though, but rather something that stays at the edge of perception. The supernatural events are alternated with the mundane day to day life at the boarding house where Hordern is staying. Everything seems commonplace but he -- and the viewer -- are troubled by the feeling that there are some things that should be left well alone. Finally, his nightmares become concrete and...
Based on Eric Fenby's 1936 memoir Delius As I Knew Him, this film traces the last years of Frederick Delius and Fenby's dedication in giving up five years of his life to helping the blind, paralysed composer set down the unfinished scores he could hear in his head. Perhaps the finest of the series of biographical films that Ken Russell made for the BBC in the 1960s, Song of Summer is an immensely moving story of sacrifice, idealism and musical genius.
All My Loving is a groundbreaking documentary on music and its effect on pop culture in the late 60's. The film includes pop music from The Beatles, Donovan, Cream, The Who, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Eric Burdon and the Animals, The Pink Floyd, Manfred Mann, Frank Zappa, Derek Taylor, Terry Dene, Lulu, Kit Lambert, Tony Hall, Anthony Burgess, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Mrs. Louise Harrison, George Martin, The Moody Blues, Grapefruit, Eddie Rogers, PAMS Jingle Factory, Dallas, Don Ingrams of WABC radio, New York, Dr. Charles Lebo, professor of acoustics, Dr. Ken Oliphant, consultant engineer.
A profile of the author Graham Greene featuring an interview with Greene conducted aboard the Orient Express. The interview was recorded in sound only due to Greene's hesitance to be seen in the film.
Original first showing of the tv adaptation of the M.R. James ghost story 'Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad'.
All My Loving is a groundbreaking documentary on music and its effect on pop culture in the late 60's, with previously unseen footage from The Beatles, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Pink Floyd and many more. Produced and initially broadcasted in 1968, this compelling documentary is just as pertinent and relevant as ever.
The historic Farewell Concert at Albert Hall in London by one of rock's greatest groups has been dynamically recorded in this film by Robert Stigwood. The group, composed of Eric Clapton on lead guitar, Jack Bruce on bass and lead vocals, and Ginger Baker on drums, give an electrifying performance that is as exciting to watch as it is to hear. Each of the musicians has gone on to become a superstar in his own right, and we get to see fascinating backstage interviews with all of them. Highlights include the long version of "Sunshine of Your Love" and "White Room" along with other Cream hits.
A portrait of Edward Villella star of the New York City Ballet, filmed on the day when he collapsed on stage from fatigue caused by over-work. The American ballet critic Walter Terry described this film as the greatest dance documentary of the decade... a revelation of pain, and anguish, and even terror.
A dramatised documentary of the best-kept secret in the life of the poet Wordsworth-his early love affair with a young French girl, Annette Vallon. With Bernard Horsfall as William Wordsworth, Lise Cornier as Annette Vallon and Sylvia Kay as Dorothy Wordsworth Written and directed by Don Taylor
First transmitted in 1969, this programme shows the life and career of military musicians. It follows young bandsmen recruiting as junior musicians at the Guards Depot, Pirbright, to becoming regimental musicians at Kneller Hall Military School of Music.
First transmitted in 1969, Omnibus presents a portrait of architect Eric Lyons, whose company Span, builds modern suburban housing for middle income families. Ian Nairn examines the benefits and dangers of the close-knit communities which Span constructs.
1969 documentary about author Christopher Isherwood. Born near Manchester, Isherwood mostly lived abroad. In 1969, he was living in California, was a devotee of Hinduism and a pacifist - yet of his own choice he remained an outsider, a foreigner. Derek Hart interviews him about his life and work, featuring extracts from films of his novels and stories including I Am A Camera and The Sailor from Gibraltar, and about the background to the writing of his novel A Single Man
A Film About Photography and Art.
This is a subjective impression of Richard Strauss in which Ken Russell caricatures certain real and many imaginary events in the life of the famous composer.
Ted Heath talks to Bryan Magee about his love of music. Shown as part of an evening of programmes on BBC Parliament to mark the fiftieth anniversary of Edward Heath becoming Conservative Party leader. First shown on BBC One on 28 June 1970.
n the 1930s they were the movies' regular ' Full Supporting Programme ': we loved them, we all imitated them. In Germany they were known as Dick and Dorf; in Italy, Crick and Crok; in Poland, Flip and Flap. Churchill loved their films; so did Stalin. They are the eternal Fat and the Thin, the Fiddle and the Bow. Today their films are perhaps more popular than ever before. What makes their humour tick? What kind of human beings were they? Tonight's Omnibus celebrates Stan and Ollie-Laurel and Hardy: their innocence, their dumbness, their zany logic - and the working companionship of two gentle men.
The first comprehensive television essay on the life and work of one of the greatest poets of this century, T.S. Eliot... a man who spent eight very satisfactory years' in a City bank; whose works range from the revolutionary Waste Land to Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats - a man full of surprises. He received more honours in his lifetime than any other writer, but to most people almost nothing is known of his life and personality; he seems a mystery. With Mrs Valerie Eliot, Miss Abigail Eliot, Mrs Henry Ware Eliot, Stephen Spender, Robert Lowell, I. A. Richards, Bonamy Dobree, Laurens van der Post, Hope Mirrlees, Eleanor Hinkley, Frank Morley, Jack Eames The Family Reunion Poetry spoken by T.S. Eliot and Alec McCowen Commentary spoken by Donald Houston A BBC-NET co-production
"The best scenes in 'Husbands' are among the most extraordinary Cassavetes has ever done... It may well turn out to be a master-piece." (The Times) John Cassavetes, director of the much praised "Shadows" and "Faces", has been shooting a new film called "Husbands" in London and New York. This documentary shows, with film from script sessions, locations and rushes, how three American actors, John Cassavetes, Ben Gazzara and Peter Falk, worked together to get the 'unscripted moments that can never be planned for.'
Christopher Plummer invites the audience into the world of the great playwright , George Bernard Shaw, at his home with fellow actors and an actress playing St.Joan.
Andre Previn asks the question Who Needs a Conductor? 'Conducting,' said Leonard Bernstein, 'is the only profession in the world where you get paid for having a fit in public!' Richard Strauss, in contrast, suggested 'You should never perspire when you conduct; only the audience should get warm.' Between these two opinions lies the truth. Andre Previn debunks many of the myths that surround the subject and conducts the London Symphony Orchestra leader John Georgiadis in excerpts from some of the most popular pieces in the concert repertoire, including Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade Bartok Dance Suite Tchaikovsky Fifth Symphony
Originally part of the BBC's 'Omnibus' series, this documentary from 1972 looks at Judy Garland's life through the eyes of friends, family and colleagues who knew and worked with her. This film captures the essence of Judy Garland as a person and performer - with excerpts from her films, including "Wizard of Oz", "Meet Me in St Louis", and "A Star is Born". Taking part are her friends and those who worked with her, including actors Dirk Bogarde and Mickey Rooney, and her daughter, actress and singer Liza Minnelli.
This documentary follows Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise through the making of one of their BBC shows. Their name was once so far down the bill they could have been mistaken for the printers, but at the height of their fame, this program follows two weeks of rehearsals leading up to the broadcast of show 5 series 7.
The former Cream drummer travels to Nigeria to build a recording studio.
The episode chronicled British actor Christopher Cazenove starring as famous fictional British heroes from classic and contemporary literature such as Bulldog Drummond and Richard Hannay. However, the special is perhaps best widely known for Cazenove's portrayal of famous literary spy James Bond in two segments.
Another opportunity to see this highly acclaimed performance by Ella Fitzgerald with TOMMY FLANAGAN (piano) JOE PASS (guitar), BOBBY DURHAM (drums), KEETER BETTS (double-bass), She was magnificent . . . unmissable, honestly (SUNDAY TIMES) Executive producer MIKE WOOLLER Producer ALAN YENTOB (Ella Fitzgerald appears by arrangement with Norman Granz and Harold Davison )
In the 1930s they were the movies' regular ' Full Supporting Programme ': we loved them, we all imitated them. In Germany they were known as Dick and Dorf; in Italy, Crick and Crok; in Poland, Flip and Flap. Churchill loved their films; so did Stalin. They are the eternal Fat and the Thin, the Fiddle and the Bow. Today their films are perhaps more popular than ever before. What makes their humour tick? What kind of human beings were they? Tonight's Omnibus celebrates Stan and Ollie-Laurel and Hardy: their innocence, their dumbness, their zany logic - and the working companionship of two gentle men. With extracts from a great many of their vintage comedies; some rare film; and contributions from Jerry Lewis , Marcel Marceau Spike Milligan , Bob Monkhouse Dilys Powell , Hal Roach Kenneth Tynan , Dick Van Dyke and many others. Commentary spoken by Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise
Oscar Peterson and Andre Previn look at some of the styles and personalities involved in the development of piano jazz. 'It's years since I made jazz records,' says Previn, ' so don't expect a text-book history. I have always been Oscar's most ardent fan so tonight is very much a personal programme.'
In 1964 Alan Price was a member of the Newcastle pop group The Animals. Now he has become one of Britain's most sought-after singer/composers. Recently he won the Anthony Asquith Memorial Award for his film music for "O Lucky Man!" In this "Omnibus" musical documentary he revisits the North East, which has inspired much of his work, and in London he rehearses, records and performs new songs which reflect the changes in his life and attitudes after ten years as a professional musician.
A rockumentary from the Omnibus archives about the extraordinary rock star David Bowie. Shot in 1974 and transmitted in January 1975, it follows Bowie in Hollywood as he begins to discard the elaborate costume and make-up of his legendary character Ziggy Stardust and assume a new, more enigmatic role.
Omnibus takes a look at a weekend in the coal-mining village of South Elmsall, near Doncaster.
This film is the first full- length study of Tati and his work. In it he returns with Gavin Millar to the little seaside town in Brittany where, 25 years ago, M. Hulot took his holidays.
SATURDAY IN SOHO: An impression of the work of artists, dancers, and musicians at a loft studio called Environ and the surrounding area of Soho, New York's Bohemian quarter SOuth of HOuston Street between Greenwich Village and Little Italy. Director: Michael Macintyre WATCHING MY NAME GO BY: Pre-teens and teenagers hang out in subway stations competing to see how many times they can 'get their names up' in a colourful, illegal, and dangerous graffiti game with its own rules and regulations. Director: Julia Cave Presenter: Humphrey Burton
Beyond a Boundary - CLR James
In this film Andre Previn lays down his baton and becomes an explorer, travelling northwards to the land of the brass bands with Besses o' The Barn in Lancashire and Black Dyke Mills in Yorkshire. And an epilogue, Little Train
BBC program Omnibus features Nigel Finch's 50-minute 1978 documentary of Hunter S. Thompson and Ralph Steadman titled "Fear And Loathing In Gonzovision" at the beginning and "Fear And Loathing On The Road To Hollywood With Dr. Hunter S. Thompson And Ralph Steadman" at the end.
Documentary exploring the self-image that French post-impressionist artist Paul Gauguin hoped to promote in his book Noa Noa, which focused on his stay in Tahiti.
Omnibus presents Lillian Hellman, one of America's major playwrights, talking to Peter Adam at her New England home. A legend in her lifetime, Miss Hellman was recently portrayed by Jane Fonda in the film Julia. Her plays, her political stands and her extraordinary life have kept her in the limelight for the last 40 years. A friend of Dorothy Parker and Dashiell Hammett , of Eisenstein, Hemingway and Scott Fitzgerald , LILLIAN HELLMAN has fought, drunk and celebrated with many show business and literary personalities. At 72 she is still as formidable, angry, tender, witty and tough as she has always been. Including extracts from some of her plays.
Schalken the painter sees his one true love, Rose, wedded by contract for a sum of money to a man who may or may not be a demon. When she escapes and returns home,she is pursued by her demon lover.....
Omnibus presents the TV premiere of Franco Rosso's highly-praised film, made for the Arts Council. In Jamaica the poet is the voice of the people: 'toaster' poets chant improvised lines to a backing of reggae music at dance halls, parties, anywhere people go to enjoy themselves. Linton Kwesi Johnson, born in Jamaica now resident in London, is a poet, writer and musician whose style is rooted in the Jamaican tradition in which art, society, politics and music are inextricably bound together. This is a film not only about Linton Johnson but also about the community to which he addresses himself, the Black working-class community in London. 'I don't believe that politics changes anything ... You could write a thousand songs but that won't bring about the revolution.'
Omnibus presents John Berger's moving and beautiful stories about peasant life. Photographs by Jean Mohr. For the past five years John Berger, one of our most acclaimed and original writers, has been living and working among peasants in the French Alps. His new book. Pig Earth, grew out of this experience. For years, too, the distinguished Swiss photographer Jean Mohr has been photographing peasants all over the world. This is Berger's first television appearance since his award-winning series Ways of Seeing. In part one, he tells his own stories about his neighbours, the village peasants. In part two, he talks with Teodor Shanin, a world authority on peasant societies, about their political and historical significance in the modern world.
Four hundred women, led by artist Judy Chicago , spent five years creating a huge banquet table, with beautiful ceramics, embroidery and painting. Each place-setting represents one of the most influential women in history and mythology, and the whole banquet is a frank and joyful celebration of female accomplishment and sexuality. It became the most talked-about art event of the year, yet this Sunday in New York it will be closed up, packed into crates, and stored away. Though it broke box-office records in Boston and San Francisco, with daily queues round the block, no other gallery has offered it a home. Tonight's film follows, month by month, the art, craft and argument that went into this astonishing work.
La Ronde: When first performed in Vienna in 1921, it started a riot. Playwright Arthur Schnitzler himself banned all further performances. Now it's out of copyright and everybody, even the BBC, seems to be doing it. John Barton. Caspar Wrede and Susan Fleetwood talk about the problems of putting on a classic that nobody has seen. Frankie Howerd in 'Die Fledermaus' at the English National Opera: Mr Howerd tells all. The Great Japan Exhibition: Edward Heath is an enthusiast of Japanese art. He shows what he likes best at part 2 of what's been called the greatest art show of them all.
Peter Pan is the Royal Shakespeare Company's big hit at the Barbican Theatre. RICHARD BAKER flew in to talk to directors Trevor Nunn and John Caird about the formidable problems caused by an ambitious production which emphasises the serious side of J M. Barrie's classic. Barrie based it on the experiences he had as a child when his brother died at the age of 12; Peter Pan cannot grow up beyond the age of 12. Andrew Birkin , author of The Lost Boys, observes that the play was rewritten 36 times and the RSC have gone back to the original version . Bernard MacLaverty is a novelist who was born in Belfast and now lives on the island of Islay. Like Barrie's, much of his writing derives from his childhood, when at the age of 12 MacLaverty's father died. His short stories ' My Dear Palestrina ' and ' Phone Fun ' were adapted for television. His new book, Cal, deals movingly with the sectarian violence in Belfast.
The story starts in the summer of 1982, when three houseboat-owning neighbours in Chertsey dreamed up a scheme to launch a floating theatre-restaurant and sail it into Bristol Docks. Vivian Stanshall (founder- member of The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band), his wife Pamela (poet), and Peter Jackson (engineer) were the instigators, and with a bank loan their dream became reality, For two years Omnibus filmed the progress of the enterprise from Sunderland (where a German-built coaster was found and bought) to Bristol, where the Old Profanity Showboat opened its doors to the public in May 1984. En route they recruited further crew members. Some failed to stay the course. The vessel encountered many rocks and reefs - mechanical, financial, emotional. And the journey's not over yet ...
First transmitted in 1985, this documentary features acclaimed Chicagoan broadcaster and Pulitzer Prize winner Studs Terkel talking about the value of oral history and the voice of ordinary working Americans.For over 50 years Terkel occupied a regular spot on the American airwaves and television screens. He appeared as a radio soap opera character, was a 1950s television star, was a jazz critic and was a reliable radio host for his daily show, gaining many industry accolades, including the Italia Prize, over the course of his career.
Luck and Flaw, alias Roger Law and Peter Fluck, are the creators of the puppets which form the cast of the award-winning series, Spitting Image. Their style of 3-D caricature is unique, but in essence it is part of a tradition stretching back to James Gillray in the 1780s. Gerald Scarfe, Ralph Steadman, Trog, Steve Bell, and the octogenarian Ralph Sallon of the Mirror are contemporary caricatures whom Luck and Flaw Particularly admire. They talk about the practice and Principle of caricature today and Luck and Flaw also Present the work of some of the great names of caricature history - Low, Grosz, Daumier, Dantan, Cruikshank and Gillray himself, whom they have brought to life in the form of a new puppet.
A look at the films produced at Ealing Film Studios in London.
David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Micky Dolenz, Ken Russell, Richard Lester, John Landis, Kevin Godley, Lol Creme, Malcolm McLaren, Mel Brooks, Madness, Julien Temple, Rocky Morton, Annabelle Jankel, Toni Basil, Paul Weller, Siouxie Sioux, Steve Barron, Bob Giraldi, Thomas Dolby, Paul Morley, Midge Ure, Tim Pope and David Byrne tell the story of rock video in this Omnibus history presented by John Peel and John Walters. The roots of rock video are traced through the musicals and promotional shorts of the 30s, the jazz soundies of the 40s, the rock 'n' roll films and scorpitones of the 50s and the television pop programmes of the 60s to the first true videos in the 70s and the cable TV channels of rock videos in the 80s. Including the following and more: THE BEATLES: 'Penny Lane', 'Strawberry Fields', and 'Come together', THE ROLLING STONES: 'Have you seen your mother baby?', BOB DYLAN: 'Subterranean homesick blues', ROD STEWART: 'Sailing', QUEEN: 'Bohemian rhapsody', MIKE NESMITH: 'Rio', DAVID BOWIE: 'Ashes to ashes', BOOMTOWN RATS: 'I don't like Mondays', ULTRAVOX: 'Vienna', DURAN DURAN : 'Wild boys', HUMAN LEAGUE: 'Don't you want me', STRANGLERS: 'Golden brown', ABC: 'Poison arrow'. MADNESS: 'Our house'. THE BUGGLES: 'Video killed the radio star'. POLICE: 'Every breath you take'. ELVIS COSTELLO: 'Accidents will happen'. TOM TOM CLUB: 'Pleasure of love'. DONALD FAGAN : 'New frontier'. MILES DAVIS: 'Decoy'. EURYTHMICS: 'I want you'. DIRE STRAITS: 'Money for nothing'. THE ART OF NOISE: 'Close to the edit'. A-HA: 'Take on me'. GRACE JONES: 'Slave to the rhythm'. ELTON JOHN : 'I'm still standing'. MADONNA: 'The gambler'. THE CARS: 'You might think'. THOMAS DOLBY: 'Hyperactive'. TONI BASIL: 'Mickey'. MICHAEL JACKSON: 'Thriller'. GODLEY AND CREME: 'Cry'. TALKING HEADS: 'The road to nowhere'. FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD: 'Relax'. HERBIE HANCOCK : 'Rockit'. LIONEL RICHIE : 'Hello'. DAVID LEE ROTH : 'Just a gigolo'. THE CURE: 'Boys don't cry'.
A look at the first twenty five years in the career of film-maker Alfred Hitchcock.
Second part of the look at the career of film-maker Alfred Hitchcock
Presents a portrait of the renowned classical singer through interviews, footage of performances, and a discussion of how the historical context of racial strife in the South affected her development.
Documentary on the life and work of sculptor Auguste Rodin.
Documentary profiles of the driving force behind the Cannon Group film production company, producers Menahem Goland and Yoram Globus. Israeli Go-Go Boys Golan and Globus at the height of their careers – everybody is working for Cannon!
Retransmission of 1986 episode 5 on BBC Two the night of the 1987 Election. Some edits due to rights and at least one addition. Plus the latest Election 87 results on screen An Omnibus history of rock videos presented by John Peel and John Walters . The roots of rock video from 30s animations, 40s jazz soundies, rock 'n' roll films of the 50s and the scopitones of the 60s
As part of the BBC's German Festival, Omnibus launches its new series with a dramatised biography of the great German painter and Political caricaturist George Grosz. Starring and It is Grosz's picture of Berlin, the decadent cabarets, overfed industrialists and the miserable poor, which still dominates our image of that city between the Wars. In his life he combined the manners of a bourgeois with the radical politics of the Weimar Republic. Grosz catalogued the moral collapse of Germany and the rise of Nazism to such effect that he was outlawed and forced into exile in the United States.
In 1987, Christopher Sykes interviewed Bob Dylan while the musician was filming Hearts of Fire. Their meeting revealed a side of Dylan that is rarely seen - direct, playful and fully engaged in the conversation.
For over 40 years, the artist Lucian Freud has allowed his paintings to speak for themselves, but in this week's Omnibus he talks for the first time about his work and ambitions. 'The greatest living realist painter' is critic Robert Hughes' description of Lucian Freud, whose major retrospective at London's Hayward Gallery earlier this year, brought together the paintings of a lifetime. The exhibition was seen as a revelation, just as it had been in Washington and Paris. (1988)
'The really crucial moments in a film should be wordless, should be done through the camera. It's easy to use words, too easy ... what sticks in the mind is cinematic method. ' Satyajit Ray has been regarded as one of the masters of world cinema ever since his very first film Pather Panchali astounded the jury of the Cannes Film Festival in 1956. In India. however, his films are virtually unknown outside his home state of Bengal. After a career in which he has made more than 20 major films, Ray now lives in semi-retirement in Calcutta. From there he spoke to Omnibus about a distinguished life in cinema, as writer, director, composer, camera operator, and designer on his own powerful and compassionate films.
Documentary on the controversial late works of Pablo Picasso, completed in the last two decades of his life. Plus interviews with Picasso's family and close friends.
Portrait of Canadian singer, songwriter, poet and novelist Leonard Cohen, recorded in 1988. Featuring interviews, archive film and live performances from London, Paris, Athens and New York.
A tribute to the actor who died on Tuesday.
In 1959, Ronnie Scott , a rising young saxophone player, opened a club where he and his friends could play the music they liked. Over the following years, the club had its ups and downs, reflecting the changes in attitudes to jazz, and in the social life of surrounding Soho. Now, 30 years later, Ronnie Scott 's is known throughout the world as the heartbeat of British jazz. In this tribute, Omnibus talks to some of Ronnie's great admirers including Mel Brooks , the Rt Hon Kenneth Clarke , mp, writer Alan Plater and features rare archive footage of some of the club's historic performances by Zoot Sims , Sonny Rollins , Dizzy Gillespie and Ella Fitzgerald.
The late American author and poet Raymond Carver is profiled in this 1989 BBC documentary. Includes previously recorded interview footage with Carver himself, and specially recorded segments from his wife Tess Gallagher, Richard Ford and others. Also features short dramatisations from some of Carver's key stories.
How Vladimir Nabokov wrote his most famous novel, and why it is one of the greatest novels ever written.
BBC TV documentary focusing on Stephen Sondheim in his role as Visiting Professor of Drama at Oxford University, leading students through tutorials about the musical. It looks at his theories and techniques and follows the development of the UK premiere of "Sunday in the Park with George" and rehearsals.
The first documentary of many to come that looks back on the Monty Python group. This edition was presented by John Lloyd and had scenes from Graham Chapman's Memorial Service at the beginning and end
Programme image Watch now An Omnibus special examining the career of composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein. Featuring interviews and footage of Bernstein's most memorable performances.
Since ancient times, the Green Man has been one of the most mysterious and menacing of mythical characters. He also has a familiar face as Robin Hood , Jack in the Green and on numerous pub signs. Across the arts from comic strips to classical opera, the Green Man is now making a comeback. Where is he taking us? Writer Sir Kingsley Amis , film director John Boorman , composer Sir Harrison Birtwistle and other leading artists offer their interpretations of the mystery.
1990 documentary focusing on Madonna and her Blond Ambition Tour.
The journey to the stage of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's musical "Sunday in the Park With George" at London's National Theatre.
'Mike is such an economical painter, he paints nothing but masterpieces,' says Lucian Freud. Michael Andrews is one of Britain's most important and accessible artists. This week the Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, presents an exhibition of his recent work. Andrews has always been a reclusive figure, and has consistently refused to take part in any film. Now for the first time, he has agreed to talk to Omnibus. Producer Anna Benson Gyles Series producer Andrew Snell
John le Carre's novel The Russia House was hugely popular in the Soviet Union where he is celebrated as the only writer to capture the spirit of the country at a turning point in its history. Omnibus takes a look at what happened when Hollywood went to Moscow to make a film of the book, starring Sean Connery and Michelle Pfeiffer. It was poignant meeting between real life and make-believe.
Sidney Lumet is one of America's most prolific film-makers. He believes cinema is a collaborative art, and prefers to remain in his native New York to becoming a Hollywood 'star' director. In his first major television interview, Lumet looks back over his career and discusses the obsession with crime, punishment, and justice which he has explored in such classics as Twelve Angry Men, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon - and again in his latest film, Q&A, starring Nick Nolte.
From his childhood in the Welsh valleys to the star circuit in Hollywood, Tom Jones's career has been both a popular fantasy and a showbiz cliche. But has the image been bought at the expense of fulfilling the promise of his vocal talent?
On 31 December 1990, the woman called the greatest diva of the century paid a spectacular farewell to the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden after more than 30 years at the pinnacle of fame. In this exclusive film, Omnibus presents a retrospective of her career, where Dame Joan and her husband, conductor Richard Bonynge, talk about their life together in opera and close friends and colleagues, Luciano Pavarotti, Dame Kiri te Kanawa, and her biographer Norma Major, pay tribute to Dame Joan's career in opera. Sir Sidney Nolan and critic Bernard Levin give their assessment.
The programme covers Greenaway’s approach to film-making and narrative, showing how computer technology was used in PROSPERO’S BOOKS and how the film was built around Gielgud’s ability and reputation.
Documentary profile of the late Spanish cellist, considered by many to be the greatest of all time. Casals's extraordinary career spanned two centuries - he played for both Queen Victoria and John F Kennedy. In 1939 he left Spain in protest against Franco's regime and lived the rest of his life in self-imposed exile, dying in Puerto Rico in 1973 at the age of 97. Omnibus journeys to his native Catalonia in the company of Robert Baldock, as he gathers material for a new biography of the performer. The programme taps the source of his inspiration and talks to Marta, the young cello student Casals married when he was 80 and she was 21.
“Isolation, solitude, secret plotting. A novel is a secret a writer may keep for years before he lets it out of his room. Writers in hiding, writers in prison. Sometimes their secrets turn out to be dangerous to the state machine. For most writers in the West of course this danger is extremely remote. The cells we live in are strictly personal constructions.”
A profile of former Olympic ice-dance champions Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean. The pair won Olympic gold and huge international acclaim in 1984, dancing to Ravel's Bolero. More recently, Torvill and Dean have changed direction, pushing out the parameters of ice dance, exploring new possibilities and taking stylistic risks. Tonight's Omnibus examines their amateur successes, with extracts from Bolero and Mac and Mabel, looks at some more recent creations, and questions whether their mastery of the medium has elevated ice skating to an art form. To illustrate the innovative style of their latest work, Dean has choreographed a new piece, Ice Works, with music specially composed by Andy Sheppard.
For more than half a century, Martha Gellhorn has been writing fiction and reporting on war. An angry witness to the waste and injustice of military might, she has reported from some of the most tragic places on earth - Spain in the 1930s, Dachau, Vietnam, El Salvador. Last year, at the age of 81, she was in Panama, investigating the human cost of the American invasion. Tonight, in her first major interview for television, she talks about her career as a war correspondent and reads selections from her dispatches, and discusses her highly acclaimed fiction and travel writing.
Andrea Dworkin believes that pornography is the major cause of the abuse of women. "The basic message of pornography is that no matter what you do to a woman, no matter how much you hurt her, she will like it," claims the controversial American writer. A radical feminist and the author of Pornography: Men Possessing Women, she is engaged in a campaign to change social attitudes to the pornography industry. Former prostitutes and porno-models talk openly to her about their work in a multi-million dollar industry which Dworkin condemns as "technologised prostitution".
Russian ballet star Irek Mukhamedov has been called the Nureyev of his generation. But unlike Nureyev, who had to defect to dance with the Royal Ballet, Mukhamedov made history by simply leaving the Bolshoi in Moscow and taking up a London contract with the Royal. The charismatic Tartar is bringing the flamboyant Russian tradition to bear on the more restrained English classical tradition. And taking the British stage by storm. Omnibus documents Mukhamedov's first year at the Royal, and examines how his bravura athleticism has been absorbed into the English tradition. Mukhamedov is filmed in class, in rehearsal, at home with his wife and baby, and dancing in specially shot extracts from Manon, Giselle and Winter Dreams, the ballet recently created for him by Sir Kenneth MacMillan.
In the opinion of a Sotheby's expert, Eric Hebborn is the greatest art forger of all time. From his Italian retreat he has waged a 30-year war on the art market. He claims that his forgeries of great master drawings can be found in galleries across the world. Tonight's film shows Hebborn, now 57, at work. He talks about his work and career, and about the serious intention in his work to raise questions about the aesthetic value of art.
Northern Ireland's comedians are daring to make fun of Ulster's sectarian divide. Finding time to laugh at themselves and their problems may be seen as bad taste but it is also, it seems, a necessary safety valve. Omnibus takes a trip round Belfast and its environs in the company of Belfast-born comedian Frank Carson and local acts like the satirical group the Hole in the Wall Gang, Ulster's very own housewife-superstar May McFettridge, and impressionist John McBlane.
The American artist and film-maker Joseph Cornell (1903-72) remains the dark horse of modern art, an enigmatic and reclusive cult figure who found fame through the so-called "Cornell Box". In a series of glass-fronted boxes he arranged a number of unrelated objects - everything from toys and photographs to driftwood and pebbles from the beach - to create a three-dimensional fantasy. One of his boxes was sold recently for nearly $500,000. This first TV documentary about Cornell assesses his life and work - with the help of admirers Tony Curtis and Susan Sontag - and paints an illuminating portrait of the hidden world of the man whose modest studio became a place of pilgrimage for the likes of Andy Warhol, John Lennon, and Max Ernst. He lived in the basement of a house he shared with his mother and brother (a victim of cerebral palsy).
This year has been the Royal Shakespeare Company's 30th season, and the first under its new artistic director, Adrian Noble. Omnibus documents the year at Stratford, with comments from Ben Kingsley, Jeremy Irons, Ian McKellen, and the RSC's first artistic director, Sir Peter Hall.
Prince is the legendary genius of contemporary pop music. His talents as a prolific songwriter, musician, record producer and dynamic live performer have been acknowledged by fans, critics and contemporaries worldwide. Tonight's Omnibus was filmed in Minneapolis and at Prince's own Paisley Park studios. The programme includes exclusive footage, never seen before, of Prince in rehearsals, performing at special after-concert parties and benefits, and provides an insight into the working methods of a unique talent.
A celebration of the saucy humour - some say comic genius, others sexist smut - of the man who no longer has a TV show in his own land but is seen regularly on television in nearly 100 other countries. Omnibus examines Hill's career and his innovation in the field of television comedy. With contributions from unexpected fans such as Mickey Rooney, Burt Reynolds, Michael Caine, and writer John Mortimer. Contributions also from Eugene Chaplin, Walter Cronkite, John Street, Philip Jones, Dennis Kirkland, Henry McGee, Bob Todd, Bellla Emberg, Ronnie Aldrich, Sue Upton and Louise English.
For six decades, Horst P Horst has been revered as one of the world's greatest photographers. For Conde Nast and Vogue he catalogued the 1930s, an age of elegance, gaiety and art, when his intimate friends included Salvador Dali, Marlene Dietrich ,Jean Cocteau , Greta Garbo and Coco Chanel. His stylised black and white photographs now sell as collectors' items in galleries around the world and were the basis for Madonna's video, Vogue. At 87, Horst is still at work at his home in Oyster Bay, New York. In this programme Gerald Scarfe pays tribute to Horst, with contributions from Paloma Picasso, Karl Lagerfeld , Bruce Weber , Horst's favourite model Lisa Fonssagrives-Penn, Suzy Menkes and Jean Marais. Director Gerald Scarfe
Traces the career of the cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, responsible for the photography on films like `The Conformist', `Last Tango in Paris', `The Last Emperor', `Dick Tracy' and `The Sheltering Sky'.Follows Storaro at work with Francis Coppola, Warren Beatty and Bernardo Bertolucci. Explores Storaro's methods of working and his philosophy of lighting.
A program about Chicago blues music. It arose as southern jazz musicians moved north after the Second World War.
Programme about escapologist Harry Houdini.
David Thompson's beguiling documentary on Renoir's life and work, made for the occasion of the one-hundredth anniversary of his birth. Born 100 years ago, Jean Renoir (1894-1979) is considered by many the greatest of film directors. Omnibus presents a two-part investigation of Renoir's life and career, coinciding with a short season of his films on BBC2. The son of Impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Jean's career began in the silent era but his most acclaimed films date from the 1930s. His films are said to reflect his father's love of nature and deep humanity, and have long been an inspiration to other directors as well as audiences.
Part Two, "Hollywood and Beyond\" begins with his 1941 arrival in Hollywood, unhappy experiences at 20th Century Fox, and subsequent career that produced titles like \"This Land is Mine\",\"The Diary of a Chambermaid\" and the Indian-set \"The River.\" He returned to Europe to make such films as \"The Golden Coach\" and \"French Cancan,\" but lived out his final years in a modest house in Beverly Hills. Sad ending notes that on his final film, \"Le Petit Theatre de Jean Renoir\" (1969), he was initially refused an advance. Including rare archive footage and BBC interviews with Renoir himself.
Boy George shot to the top of the charts in the early 80s with such hit singles as Do You Really Want to Hurt Me and Karma Chameleon. His flamboyant clothes and androgynous image made him an instant celebrity - but then things began to go wrong. His band, Culture Club, split up and by 1986 the singer was hooked on heroin. That could have been the end of his story, but it wasn't because George beat his addiction and, at 32, is back on top. Now more man than Boy, George himself, his parents and friends talk frankly about his career, his sexuality, his drug experiences and the new-found stability which his religion and new lifestyle have brought him. Filmed against a background of a trip to America, Omnibus reveals a funny, complex, sensitive survivor.
Broadcast on BBC One on Tuesday 21 December 1993, this edition of Omnibus includes considerable stage footage of the Los Angeles production of Sunset Boulevard, which opened in December 1993.
In 1988, art student Damien Hirst and associates mounted an exhibition in London's East End entitled Freeze. Its critical and commercial success propelled them into the spotlight of the avant-garde. This portrait of Hirst is presented as a drug-induced nightmare after Hirst has been put to sleep by a sinister dentist, played by Donald Pleasence.
Liza Minnelli refers to him most respectfully as Mr Abbott. Others call him the master stager of musicals and the apprentice's sorcerer. Since turning to musicals in the mid-30s, George Abbott has produced a stream of famous Broadway shows - including Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, On the Town, The Pajama Game and Pal Joey. And he has championed a succession of unknown writers and directors who have since become famous themselves - Leonard Bernstein, Sammy Cahn, Stephen Sondheim, Bob Fosse and Hal Prince all got an early break with him. Now aged 106, the legendary Mr Abbott is about to revive his hit Damn Yankees on Broadway. Omnibus talks to him and his many co-stars about his glittering career. Producer: Ken Howard A Landseer production
Vikram Seth's novel A Suitable Boy is over 1,300 pages long and weighs several pounds. Yet it outsold popular novelists like Jilly Cooper and John Le Carre and has made an international star of its author. Film-maker Nadia Haggar travelled to Delhi to meet Seth's family as part of this profile, discovering the true stories that contributed to the complex narrative of A Suitable Boy. While composing his great prose work, Seth also found time to write Beastly Tales from Here and There (a collection of children's fables) and a libretto for the English National Opera. Excerpts from these and his earlier work feature in the film. Seth himself is seen at publishing parties in London, negotiating with his agent, and at a family reunion in Delhi, where he meets his music guru and other influential childhood figures. The profile was co-produced by Vikram Seth's sister, Aradhana Seth.
No one knows what trauma was experienced by the great Spanish painter Francisco Goya during his 40s but it left him profoundly deaf and dramatically changed both his style and the subjects he painted. The joyful, colourful celebrations of the Spanish people gave way to pictures of dark fantasy and bitingsatires on the corruption and social injustice of the time. His series of etchings The Disasters of War, which he produced when the French invaded Spain, still stand as the most terrible indictment of man's inhumanity to man. It seems as if his deafness sharpened his insight into his subjects. Leslie Megahey's film portrait of the twists and turns of Goya's life was first broadcast in 1972. It was made during a Spanish fiesta and uses a real street theatre performance, as well as the words of Goya and his contemporaries, to reflect different aspects of the artist's life. Now revised.
Sister Hildegard of Bingen was a 12th century nun, a composer of music, a scientist, painter and visionary. Arraigned by her Abbot for harbouring a suspected witch and for her "false" visions, Hildegard was eventually vindicated and founded her own women-only religious community at Bingen on the Rhine. Patricia Routledge plays the multi-talented nun in a dramatic re-creation of Hildegard's heroic career by James Runcie and Nigel Williams.
In the hothouse of the American dance world, choreographer Bill T Jones is one of the brightest stars. His 1990 work, Last Supper at Uncle Tom's Cabin, shocked New York audiences with its confrontation of racism, sexism, sexuality, religion and AIDS, but brought standing ovations at its close when, every evening, the stage was occupied by 50 naked dancers. Mischa Scorer's Omnibus film follows Jones and his company during the creation of Last Supper, and explores the events in Jones's own life that inform his radical dance style. Born to a poor farming family in upstate New York, athlete Jones went to college to study theatre and in 1971 met Arnie Zane, the man who was to become his lover, life-long partner and co-founder of the dance company. When Zane died from an AIDS-related illness in 1988, Jones's world was shattered; Last Supper at Uncle Tom's Cabin is, in part, his response to that loss.
From the stage of the Old Vic Theatre, where he first walked on in 1921, one of Britain's greatest actors Sir John Gielgud reflects on a career that has spanned over seven decades. Shown to coincide with Gielgud's 90th birthday this week, the programme, narrated by Kenneth Branagh, includes footage of his key performances as well as past interviews with him where he discussed his work, his life and his world. It also gives an insight into the actor and the man through the views of colleagues such as Sir Peter Hall, who reveals that he sometimes thinks of Gielgud as a "terrible old rascal sitting in the rehearsal room doing The Times crossword with an enormous fag ash hanging out of his mouth!" and Sir Alec Guinness who describes Gielgud's voice as "like silver trumpets muffled in silk". Producers: Charles Chabot and Ann Hummel
Theatrical producer and director Joan Littlewood has always been a controversial figure. Her extraordinary methods of directing have been much disputed, but despite this, she was responsible for some of the most memorable stage productions at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East, during the 1950s and 60s. Now aged 80, Littlewood is as sharp, funny and outrageous as ever. For the first time on television she talks candidly about her life and her work, which includes hit shows such as Oh, What a Lovely War!, Fings Ain't What They Used to Be, and A Taste of Honey. And actors including Barbara Windsor, Richard Harris, Miriam Karlin, Victor Spinetti, and Lionel Bart give their own entertaining accounts of working with her. A Shooting Star production
In the week that a collection of Sir John Betjeman's letters is published, this documentary reflects on one of our most popular and engaging poets. Betjeman's poetry was accessible: it told of suburban correctness and indiscretions, urban loneliness and sadness and he made many films for the BBC which he felt were poems in their way, too. This portrait includes extracts from his much-loved Metroland, comments from some of his admirers such as Professor Malcolm Bradbury and Barry Humphries, as well as a sprinkling of classic Betjeman quotes ("I've always admired people who were taller than myself. I like freckles, turned-up noses, wide-apart grey-blue eyes and locks thrown loosely back, and sulky lips and a hint of latent power."). There are some rare insights, too, from Lady (Mary) Wilson and Betjeman's daughter, Candida Lycett-Green, who puts the record straight on some of the myths that have built up around him. Director: Rick Stroud
Robert Stephens arrives in London this week with rave notices for his performance in the Royal Shakespeare Company's King Lear, opening at the Barbican Theatre. This Omnibus profile (the last of the current series) looks back at a stormy career and follows Stephens backstage at Stratford-upon-Avon as he prepares for and performs Shakespeare's tragedy. Stephens was one of the brightest stars of a theatrical generation that included Peter O'Toole and Richard Harris. His work at the Old Vic in the 60s made him a star, and his marriage to Maggie Smith propelled him into the showbusiness limelight. But it wasn't to last. Director: Nigel Williams
Discussion on the life and work of James McNeil Whistler. Re-creates some of his most famous paintings, in studio tableaux.
Doris Lessing, one of the most widely-acclaimed writers of her generation, talks about the years covered by her new book Under My Skin, from her childhood in colonial Rhodesia to her at age 30 leaving for England to publish her first novel, and how they shaped her intense, personal, radical style. Director: Randall Wright
As the latest offering by wunderkind of cinema Quentin Tarantino - Pulp Fiction - opens this week in Britain, his cult classic Reservoir Dogs is still running in the cinemas, having been denied a certificate for video viewing because of its scenes of violence. This Omnibus profile delves into the background of one of Hollywood's most voguish directors. Director: David Thompson
A challenging history of the self portrait, from the first cave man who drew his image on the wall to today's provocative art, complementing several art exhibitions. Omnibus examines and contrasts many of the paintings included in the exhibitions and finds some striking connections. Director: Mark James
Though not starting out as a writer and journalist until he was 51, Dominick Dunne quickly sprang to fame in America for his coverage of high-profile criminal cases - most controversially the trial of the Menendez brothers in Los Angeles. Omnibus looks at his chronicling of the rich in criminal situations, his view that a different set of rules apply to them - and the extraordinary events that changed his life. Director: Gillian Greenwood
The epic rise of one of the world's most successful bands, from its early days as a regular feature on the underground scene in the late 60s, through the heady years of the 70s when their classic Dark Side of the Moon seemed assured a permanent place in the album chart, to their current reappraisal as fathers of ambient rock. Includes interviews with band members and rare archive footage. Explores how the mental disintegration of their legendary songwriter, Syd Barrett, affected the group. Originally followed by film of Pink Floyd's 1994 sell-out concerts at Earl's Court, London. Producer: Caroline Wright
One of the 20th century's most distinctive artists, camera-shy master photographer Cartier-Bresson, now 86, makes a rare television appearance to talk about his life, philosophy and work. This documentary filmed in France is made by film-maker and photographer Sarah Moon , and has a short introduction by the art critic William Feaver.
The first of a two-part documentary celebrating the life and work of Robert Louis Stevenson, who died 100 years ago next Saturday. Among his works are some of the greatest classics of modern literature such as Kidnapped and Treasure Island. Producer: John Archer
The conclusion to the two-part documentary celebrating the life and work of Robert Louis Stevenson covers the last 14 years - the writing of his first novel Treasure Island; the story behind Jekyll and Hyde; a winter in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State which inspired The Master of Ballantrae; and his voyage in the Pacific where he was to die, on 3 December 1894, at the age of 44. The circumstances of his death are vividly recalled by an eyewitness, his stepdaughter Belle Strong, on a tape recording discovered in the course of making the programme. This much travelled man spent his final years a clan chieftain in Samoa, a Scottish exile witnessing native wars and who died before completing what remains, even unfinished, perhaps his greatest book, Weir of Hermiston.
Examines the life and work of Willem de Kooning. Diagnosed as having Alzheimer's disease in 1988, he was declared legally incompetent a year later. Despite this he has continued to paint, with his later work being the subject of controversy. The programme asks whether the works are the late, great blooming of a real talent or the daubings of an ill man.
Explores the whole world of the Carnaval in Rio, the preparations, the costumes, etc and the mafia money behind it.
A portrait of former child prodigy Joshua Bell a young violinist from USA. Looks back at his childhood in Indiana and follows his visit to London last year when he performed Tchaikovsky's violin concerto at the Proms.
Follows Indian character actor Harish Patel on a typically hectic day around the studios of Bombay. Patel, may be working on as many as three or four films every day.
Soul legend Curtis Mayfield talks to Caryl Philips about his life, career and contribution to the Civil Rights Movement in America. Includes archive footage and contributions from family, colleagues and friends.
Documentary on the life and work of Jean Renoir including interviews with friends, colleagues and critics.Transmitted in two parts on BBC TV. Includes clips, archive footage and BBC interviews with Renoir.
Documentary on the life and work of Jean Renoir including interviews with friends, colleagues and critics.Transmitted in two parts on BBC TV. Includes clips, archive footage and BBC interviews with Renoir. In Edinburgh Film Festival 1994. Tx in the OMNIBUS slot in two parts 4 & 11/4/95
Discusses the partnership of Jimmy Perry and David Croft and focuses on three of their sitcoms, DAD'S ARMY, IT AIN'T HALF HOT MUM, and HI-DE-HI.
Looks at the world of the Diva. With comments from their admirers, business managers,conducters, chauffers, voice coaches etc. Also includes archive performances by and interviews with Divas such as Dame Joan Sutherland, Maria Callas, Jessye Norman, Monserrat Caballe, Dame Gwyneth Jones, Grace Bumbry and Ljuba Welitsch.
Documentary tribute to Ginger Rogers, includes contributions from colleagues and the actress herself.
Profile of musician Dave Stewart, includes interviews with family and colleagues .
A history of the one hundred years of the Proms with interviews and archive footage.
The story of author Isabel Allende and her family which has recently been published in the novel "Paula". It was written as a journal for her daughter Paula who fell into a coma for a year until she died. The programme interweaves the story of Paula's illness and death with the adventurous life of her mother.
Follows author Robert Harris over the three years it has taken him to write his second novel "Enigma"
Programme focuses on a bronze mask tracing its journey from an antique shop in London to its original home in Nigeria.
First part of a two part profile of Gore Vidal following him around the scenes of his youth.
Second part of a two part biographical film about Gore Vidal. In this programme he recalls the last thirty five years of his life.
Explores the popularity of Jane Austen.
In 1820 John Keats was dying of tuberculosis. Friends and doctors suggested a trip to Italy for the better climate might save him. Andrew Motion retraces his extraordinary journey.
In 1992, enigmatic pop band KLF announced their retirement from the music industry, re-emergingasthe K Foundation -dedicated to the "advancement of Kreation". Tonight, Omnibus tells the story of the creative partnership of Jimmy Cauty and Bill Drummond , and how they tried to storm into the art world.
Portrait of the architect.
A tribute to Peter Cook, with contributions from friends and colleagues and some archive material.
Paul Verhoeven's directorial career has produced hits such as Robocop, Total Recall and Basic Instinct. But his films court controversy for what critics see as excessive sex and violence. The Dutch-born director, seen at work on the set of Showgirls, discusses his early work and how he realised his dream of achieving success in Hollywood on his own terms.
Omnibus tells the story of how black American gospel music evolved. The African tradition of slave songs was fused with the Anglo tradition of hymns when the slaves were converted to Christianity. With the abolition of slavery, gospel spread but the church continued to play huge part in its popularity until the forties and fifties when the music started to be played outside of the church. Using archive footage and specially recorded interviews from America, tonight's programme features Mahalia Jackson, Aretha Franklin, James Cleveland, Cissy Houston and Thomas Dorsey.
Tonight, commemorating the 200th anniversary of the death of Robert Burns , Omnibus explores his life and works.
The events that led up to the discovery of Edvard Munch 's masterpiece, The Scream, that was stolen from the National Gallery in Oslo in 1994.
Artist Paul Cezanne was obsessed with the mountain of Saint Victoire in Provence. Here three artists, all inspired by Cezanne's painting, visit the mountain to talk about his life and work, and to create some art of their own. Narrated by Alec McCowen , with Gabriel Cinque as Paul Cezanne , and music by Jacques Loussier.
Documentary about the life and career of Spike Milligan, including insights from relatives, friends and colleagues and an in-depth interview with the man himself.
A report on the city of Budapest which has been in an almost ceaseless struggle for survival in the face of east-west tides. Written and presented by Michael Frayn.
With the help of the stars and founders Omnibus tells the history of Comic Relief and examines how it has managed to take on a nation of introverts and win.
Celebrated photographer Eve Arnold has travelled the world, crossed political and social boundaries and caused international furore while capturing subjects as diverse as Margaret Thatcher , Malcolm X and Marilyn Monroe.
It was always said that Hilaire Germain Edgar Degas , the great impressionist painter, became a hermit for the last 20 or 30 years of his life and that his great days as an artist were over. In n fact, he was obsessively painting the female figure, creating some of the most original and dazzling pictures of his life, pictures that profoundly influenced the art of the 20th century. On the eve of a major exhibition of late works by Degas at London's National Gallery, Richard Kendall , who put together the exhibition, discusses the late flowering of Degas's talent with artists including Howard Hodgkin and Paula Rego , and explores the influence of his work on, among others, Piccasso and Matisse.
Tonight's special edition of Omnibus provides an insider's guide to how the world-famous Royal Court theatre celebrated a £16-mi I lion grant from the National Lottery to renovate its crumbling Victorian building in Sloane Square, London. Filmed overthe course of a year, it follows artistic director Stephen Daldry , his executive director Vikki Heywood and architect Steve Thomas as they visit theatres in Paris and New York and prepare for a spectacular architectural first night.
Just after the fourth anniversary of Rudolf Nureyev 's death comes this special programme about the last ten years of his life. It was the period of Nureyev's artistic directorship of the Paris Opera Ballet and, coincidentally, the time in which he faced up to contracting Aids. He continued to dance, to choreograph and he even toured the US in a musical. This film is about a man who literally tried to cheat death by dancing.
Franz Schubert was born years ago this month. He knew no public success, never married, and died at the age of 31. He longed for peace and happiness, but in the end found them only in music. Pianist Andras Schiff visits Vienna and discusses the close connection between Schubert's life and music, especially his neglected piano works.
Ivanhoe, the classic tale of chivalry, love and political intrigue, turned Sir Walter Scott into the first international best-selling author. Omnibus documents the heroic and tragic life of Scott who, some say, invented a nation.
Born in 1908, this enigmatic painter of young girls, haunting landscapes and still lives is one of the world's most distinguished living artists. In this documentary about his life and work, he talks about his friendship with Giacometti, his Catholic faith, eroticism, childhood and the frustration of old age.
In celebration of Mothering Sunday, stars talk frankly about their mothers, and the mothers give an insight into the characters of their celebrity offspring. Spice Girl Emma Bunton and boxer Lennox Lewis talk about their close relationships with their mothers. Bob Marley 's mother Cedella Booker speaks of her devotion to her son, while actress Claire Bloom reveals a more complex relationship with her daughter.
The People vs Larry Flynt, Milos Forman's controversial new film, marks a welcome return to the screen for the Oscar-winning director of One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest and Amadeus (which can be seen at 12 midnight). Through interviews with Forman and many of his colleagues, this profile looks back over his early career in Czechoslovakia, his work as an American director and his commitment to freedom of speech.
Profile of George Lucas as STAR WARS hits the cinema screens again, twenty years after its original release. With rare behind-the-scenes footage, Francis Ford Coppola, Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Ron Howard, Walter Murch & more... As the “Star Wars” films enter their period of new storylines, recurring characters, and calendar domination over the next decade, George Lucas only stands now to distance himself from his creation, and reportedly get to work on more intimate, experimental ventures. While we wait to see the results of those efforts, an older documentary on the man provides a close look on his life leading up and into his life-changing franchise. Commissioned to coincide with the 1997 “Star Wars” Special Editions, the BBC Omnibus “George Lucas: Flying Solo,” profiles the director as he discusses his formative years, as well as clips and insight into his 16mm short films, “Look at Life,” “Herbie,” and “Freiheit.” His experimental roots are indeed a large element of the documentary (directed by James Erskine), as an interview with Francis Ford Coppola poses Lucas' alternative path if the trilogy never happened. Interviews with his actors and collaborators -- Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, and Irvin Kershner -- are included as well, and the entire doc is worth a look just to see the personality behind the absolute behemoth that “Star Wars” would eventually become.
The arts documentary series marks its return by taking one of Britain's most acclaimed and prolific writers, Jack Rosenthal, on a retrospective journey to revisit the people and places which inspired his career over the first 30 years of his life, up to the point, in 1961, when he wrote the first of his 129 Coronation Street episodes. The film includes contributions from his family and friends from his days at school, university, and in the Navy, who provided influence for his work.
Paintings by respected narrative artist Anthony Green have been exhibited at every Royal Academy Summer Exhibition since 1966, arousing anger and admiration in equal measure. Green's work, which has also appeared in galleries around the world, is based on his own life and many paintings intimately record his relationship with his wife Mary Cozens-Walker . Omnibus editor Nigel Williams , who directed two documentaries about Green's s life in the seventies, completes his film trilogy with a look at the 57-year-old artist's latest work, including a freestanding painting entitled Eden CB3 7HE that Green has submitted to this year's Summer Exhibition.
This programme charts the story of the unique writing partnership of Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, the team behind such TV classics as The Likely Lads, Porridge and Auf Wiedersehen, Pet.
Documentary looking at comic double act Reeves and Mortimer, tracing their career from their first meeting. Journalist Paul Morley produced this retrospective of Jim and Bob's career.
Writer Michael Bracewell presents an unusual and provocative look at the life and legacy of Oscar Wilde, the controversial Irish-born writer. Michael sets out to rescue him from the dangers of respectability by portraying him as an inspiration to generations of rockers and artists. Contributors include Neil Tennant from the Pet Shop Boys, playwright Tom Stoppard, actor Stephen Fry, and guest appearances from musicians Terry Hall and Shane MacGowan. (1997)
In the second and concluding part of the biography of artist Salvador Dali , Ian Gibson explores Dali and his wife Gala's wealth and celebrity in the USA. The programme looks at the commercialisation and the dominating themes of Dali's later work, which included impotence, sexual voyeurism and the latest scientific discoveries, and examines his controversial declining years which were plagued by tax problems, fakes of his work, and his physical decay.
In Lewis Carroll's centenary year, Omnibus delves into the life and works of the author of some of the world's most famous children's books. Director/Producer: Aysha Rafaele
The tender and tragic love story of French painter Pierre Bonnard and his wife and lifelong model Marthe. The artist recorded their relationship on canvas and, 50 years after his death, these paintings have established him as one of the masters of colour and light.
A look at the career of Irish film director Jim Sheridan as his latest work, "The Boxer", opens. Former world boxing champion Barry McGuigan, one of the inspirations for the film, takes viewers round the clubs of Belfast where he trained, while actor Daniel Day-Lewis talks about his extraordinary working relationship with Sheridan on "The Boxer", "My Left Foot" and "In the Name of the Father".
A profile of the conductor, composer and musician, from his childhood in Berlin to the many triumphs of his career. Director: Robin Lough
A look at the work of Roberta Tzavoras, a remarkable American violin teacher who runs an unusual project for disadvantaged children aged between 6 and 13 in three elementary schools in New York. Director: Allan Miller
Tonight's film focuses on the Gilbert and Sullivan festival in Berkeley, California, an event founded by Halifax businessman Ian Smith, who risked his last penny on the venture. With contributions from biographer Ian Bradley, opera critic Rupert Christiansen, conductor Richard Hickox and director Mike Leigh. Director: Nadia Haggar
Nick Hornby - bestselling author of Fever Pitch and High Fidelity, whose latest book About a Boy, is published this month - talks about his work, influences and obsession with Arsenal football club. Contributors include comedians Nick Hancock and Jo Brand and author Roddy Doyle. Producer: Bernadette O'Brien
Tonight's edition follows novelist and politician Lord Archer from his childhood home of Weston-super-Mare, via a Tory Party conference in Blackpool, to the USA as he completes his latest book and launches his bid to become the first elected Mayor of London. The film profiles a colourful life that has seen considerable controversy, and also evaluates Archer's writing technique. With contributions from Lord Archer's wife Mary, his mother Lola, John Major, biographer Michael Crick and fellow author Fay Weldon. Producer: James Erskine
Diana, Princess of Wales sat for 12 official portraits during her life. This Omnibus special examines these portraits and follows the development of Diana's image, as those who painted, photographed and styled the Princess of Wales reveal fresh insights into the turbulent world of Diana and the making of her myth. Producer: Sarah Aspinall
A rollercoaster ride through the life and times of the man who has lived the rock 'n' roll dream. Alan McGee almost burned himself out with drugs and drink before finding the biggest band of the 90s, Oasis, and making a million in the process. Abrasive and honest, this is a no-holds-barred portrait of one of the most influential figures in popular music.
A profile of the hugely successful and enduring partnership between renowned French choreographer Roland Petit and his wife Zizi Jeanmaire, the legendary singer and dancer. Producer: Mischa Scorer
A profile of the cat as a 20th-century cultural icon, exploring the feline influence on art, literature, fashion, music and film, with contributions from Andrew Lloyd Webber, Marianne Faithfull, Doris Lessing, Sian Phillips and Posy Simmonds. Producer: Liz Levy
Darcey Bussell is at the peak of her career as an international ballerina, but her world is far removed from the more formal one of her famous predecessors. She's a thoroughly modern young woman who fits as easily into a black leather catsuit for a photoshoot as she does a tutu. Producer: Melissa Raimes
Forty years ago, 17-year-old Billy Fury made his stage debut at the Essoldo, Birkenhead. He became an overnight sensation, a teenage idol they called the British Elvis. This profile of the rock star includes contributions from Marty Wilde, Joe Brown and Ian Dury. Producer: Paul Pierrot
Does the high society satirised in Vanity Fair in the 1840s still exist today? As the BBC1 adaptation of the classic novel continues on Sunday nights, Omnibus looks at parallels between then and now. Publicist Max Clifford explains how he would launch heroine Becky Sharp on the contemporary London scene, while writers John Mortimer, Nigella Lawson and Peter York look at the life of Vanity Fair author William Makepeace Thackeray, a self-confessed snob. Producer: James Erskine
Actress and singer Julie Andrews discusses her life and career, which saw her find stardom on Broadway at the age of 20, before shooting to international fame in the films The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins. Featuring archive material and interviews with friends and colleagues including Michael Bentine, James Gamer, Robert Wise and Jack Lemmon. Director: David Horn
Why is a dog man's best friend? How do you get a pig to sing? This Omnibus special takes an entertaining and anecdotal look at animals in film and traces how human attitudes to our fellow creatures have changed over the century. With help from those who train animals to perform in front of the camera and using film and television clips, the programme explores the art behind stars such as Lassie, Babe, Flipper, Mr Ed the talking horse, Elsa, Beethoven and Willy. Director: Nadia Haggar
The story of the comic genius is told by his family, friends and colleagues in this Omnibus special. Director: Bill Eagles
This Omnibus special explores the life and legacy of the French impressionist painter Claude Monet, whose enormous popularity will be reflected this month by a major exhibition at London's Royal Academy. Contributors include a Boston businessman who spent his first million dollars on a Monet. Producer: Nicky Pattison
The first of three Omnibus specials telling the story of one of British television's most popular genres and how it has reflected a changing Britain. The origins of the hit series Men Behaving Badly are traced back to the classic comedies of the fifties and sixties. Narrator: Julie Walters
A look at the golden age of the British sitcom and classics such as Fawlty Towers, The Liver Birds, Man about the House and The Good Life, which introduced some of the most memorable characters in sitcom. As black and white changed to colour so the sitcom reflected the changes in society, dealing with sex, racial prejudice and class snobbery. Narrator: Julie Walters
In the eighties, gritty sitcoms like Yes, Minister, Only Fools and Horses, and The Young Ones replaced the cosy domestic themes of the seventies and paved the way for bawdy nineties hits like Men Behaving Badly. Narrator: Julie Walters Producer: Gabrielle Osrin
Profile of jazz legend, actor and ambassador Louis Armstrong. Tributes and anecdotes are given by the likes of Max Roach, George Melly, Dave Brubeck and Humphrey Lyttelton.
Frederic Chopin, who died 150 years ago, was one of the outstanding virtuoso pianists of the 19th century and revolutionised the writing and playing of piano music. Pianist Andras Schiff celebrates the anniversary. Presenter: Andras Schiff
Dean Martin was one of America's most popular entertainers of the fifties and sixties, famed for hit records and his comedy partnership with Jerry Lewis. Close friends and colleagues help explore the extraordinary appeal and long career of the star who embodied the American Dream. Narrator: Ian McShane Director: Elaine Donnelly
Julie Walters is one of Britain's most loved and talented actresses. Her comic TV creations include Mrs Overall in Acorn Antiques and Petula from Dinnerladies, and she has given acclaimed performances in hit films such as Educating Rita. In tonight's profile, the actress talks openly about her life and career to date, with contributions from Victoria Wood, Michael Caine and Matthew Kelly. Director: Ian Leese
Berlin's Reichstag has always possessed a resonance beyond mere bricks and mortar. It was built in 1894 as a symbol of a Germany united under Bismarck, and since 1990 it has been harnessed as a symbol of reunification. Omnibus goes behind the scenes to tell the story of Sir Norman Foster's rebuilding of the Reichstag, charting the often fraught path from blueprint to completion as one of the world's greatest modernist architects took on one of the world's most historically charged buildings. Director: Frederick Baker
As the UK release of Star Wars: Episode / - the Phantom Menace approaches, this documentary looks behind the scenes of the new film, and at the Star Wars phenomenon in general. It includes visits to the film set in Tunisia plus interviews with Lucas, former and current cast members, and others. Featuring interviews with Ewan McGregor, Carrie Fisher, Martin Scorsese, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Rick McCallum, Liam Neeson, Natalie Portman, David West Reynolds, Francis Coppola, Saul Zaentz, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Doug Chiang, Gareth Wigan, Irvin Kershner and Lawrence Kasdan.
Sir Anthony Van Dyck, royal painter to King Charles I, was the first artist to make the English glamorous and sophisticated. Four hundred years after his birth, and with the largest exhibition of his work in 100 years opening on 11 September at London's Royal Academy, Omnibus examines how he transformed portraiture from stiff formality to suggestive and sensuous beauty. Director: Louise Hooper
The first television profile of best-selling Irish novelist Roddy Doyle, who is now compiling a trilogy encompassing 20th-century Irish history. Contains strong language. Director: Sasha Bates
Hollywood actor and comedian Steve Martin is one of America's entertainment giants. Omnibus looks back at his career spanning the past 25 years. Director: Adrian Sibley
Blondie, led by Deborah Harry, has burst back on to the music scene after a 16 year gap. Omnibus profiles the band. Director: Julian Birkett
A profile of actor Nigel Hawthorne as he prepares to play King Lear in the Royal Shakespeare Company's millennium production, following him to rehearsals in Japan and on a visit to his childhood home of Cape Town, South Africa. Director: Ian Leese
Was Elizabeth Gaskell Britain's most passionate Victorian novelist? Eclipsed by Charles Dickens, George Eliot and the Brontes, her work is currently undergoing a reappraisal mainly due to the Gaskell Society's efforts. Director: Tim Dunn
America's king of horror, novelist Stephen King, talks about his life and work, and reveals his personal demons. Producer: David Stewart
On the road to creating a new character, Jennifer Saunders pirouettes her way through the world of ballet as she goes in search of the brittle character of the prima ballerina whose life she traces from childhood to old age with help from among others Darcey Bussell and Lynn Seymour. Experts: Darcey Bussell, Lynn Seymour Director: Jenny de Yong
Produced in celebration of the 75th Anniversary of The Great Gatsby for the BBC’s acclaimed art series Omnibus, explores the life and dark creative spirit of its writer, F. Scott Fitzgerald. It examines his disappointing college days at Princeton, his difficult relationship with fellow author Ernest Hemingway, and his turbulent last days in Hollywood. It dispels the age-old mythology surrounding Fitzgerald, largely created by himself, which tends to glamorize the Jazz-Age and his alcoholism.
As a tribute to Elizabeth Taylor, BBC4 shows this film from her visit to Britain in 2000 during which she received her damehood from the Queen. Hollywood's last great star talks for the first time in years about her career, her life, and the challenges of the future. From her early days as a child star in Lassie Come Home and National Velvet to becoming the century's biggest star of all - in Cleopatra - her life, her loves and her work have all been lived to an intensity no other star can match. Joined by Shirley MacLaine, Rod Steiger, and Angela Lansbury, Taylor remembers the glory days of working with Richard Burton, Montgomery Clift, Rock Hudson, James Dean and Paul Newman; how filming never stopped regardless of what life threw at her; the pain and pleasure of two Oscars - one for a film she can hardly bear to remember; and, not least, the feelings she has for Britain where she was born and how it was her English accent that launched on the way to stardom at the very beginning.
With a major Blake exhibition opening at London's Tate Britain gallery on Thursday, Omnibus evaluates the visionary English artist and poet, writer of Jerusalem and The Tyger.
John Barry is the most successful film score composer of the 20th century. From his work on the Bond movies, Born Free, Out of Africa, Dances With Wolves and many more he has produced cinema's most memorable music, winning five Oscars in the process.
A poignant portrait of the popular comedian, movie star and musician, who has a terminal illness and has opted to make his last public appearance on Omnibus.
Narrated by Spencer enthusiast and collector David Bowie , this film profiles the artist who, as well as painting scenes from both world wars, spent much of his life depicting the area around his Thamesside home in Cookham. Using archive footage, previously unseen home movies and recollections from family and friends, the programme reveals how Spencer's work enabled him to come to terms with his turbulent and bizarre personal life.
This fascinating documentary traces the creative and personal tumult of Barrett’s days with Pink Floyd, and the fallout from his psychedelics induced breakdown.
Iris Murdoch was one of Britain's best-loved writers whose marriage of more than 40 years survived promiscuity, homosexual affairs and much else. This Omnibus special celebrates the genius of the late author whose life is portrayed in the new film Iris, starring Judi Dench and Kate Winslet.
Famed for his pictures of Princess Diana published shortly before her death, Testino is recognised the world over for his skill at making people look their most beautiful. On the eve of Testino's new exhibition at the National Gallery, this Omnibus special reveals the story behind the Peruvian-bom photographer's fascinating career. With contributions from Kate Moss , Gwyneth Paltrow, Jerry Hall and Naomi Campbell.
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was one of the greatest painters in world history, one whose art contrasted light and dark in a brilliant and aesthetic manner whose artistry's influence goes beyond art and compels admiration to this day. A violent and complicated individual in the turbulent times of the Italian Renaissance Caravaggio's tri
Earlier this year Les Misérables became the first full-scale western musical to be performed inside Communist China. Given only days to rehearse, get used to the Shanghai Grand Theatre and let voices acclimatise, how would the US touring cast cope? Omnibus was there to find out.
Bestselling crime writer Patricia Cornwell has set herself her toughest assignment yet - discovering the true identity of Jack the Ripper, widely seen as the world's first serial killer. Cornwell applies 21st Century scientific methods to these century-old crimes and is now convinced she knows the Ripper's identity. But how will her evidence be received? (2002)
Omnibus pays tribute to rock legend and founder member of Pink Floyd, Syd Barrett, the creative genius behind the band's early pioneering music. His departure from the band, after a drug-induced breakdown, was a bitter blow for them all, but hs legacy remains hugely influential. As this film tells of Barrett;s disintegration and struggle with the demons in his head, members of Pink Floyd describe the ways in which he still haunts their lives and their music
Documentary celebrating the founding of Ronnie Scott's Jazz club in 1959. Scott, a rising young saxophone player, opened a club where he and his friends could play the music they liked. Over the following years, the club had its ups and downs, reflecting the changes in attitudes to jazz and the social life of surrounding Soho. Now Ronnie Scott's is known throughout the world as the hearbeat of British jazz. In this tribute, Omnibus talks to some of Ronnie's greatest admirers including Mel Brooks, the Rt Hon Kenneth Clarke MP and writer Alan Plater, and features rare archive footage of some of the club's historic performances by Zoot Sims, Sonny Rollins, Dizzy Gillespie and Ella Fitzgerald.
Profile of the sculptor Antony Gormley, well known for his monumental public sculpture outside Gateshead, The Angel of the North, as he prepares to unveil an even more gargantuan work. Quantum Cloud is one-and-a-half times the size of the Angel, and overlooks the Thames at Greenwich in London.
Profile drawn from Elizabeth Taylor's visit to Britain in 2000, during which she received her damehood from the Queen. Hollywood's last great star talks for the first time in years about her career, her life, and the challenges of the future. From her early days as a child star in Lassie Come Home and National Velvet to becoming the century's biggest star of all - in Cleopatra - her life, her loves and her work have all been lived to an intensity no other star can match. Joined by Shirley MacLaine, Rod Steiger, and Angela Lansbury, Taylor remembers the glory days of working with Richard Burton, Montgomery Clift, Rock Hudson, James Dean and Paul Newman; how filming never stopped regardless of what life threw at her; the pain and pleasure of two Oscars - one for a film she can hardly bear to remember; and, not least, the feelings she has for Britain where she was born and how it was her English accent that launched on the way to stardom at the very beginning.
A celebration of Douglas Adams, the man behind The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy. With contributions from Stephen Fry, Terry Jones, Clive Anderson and Griff Rhys Jones.
Annie Proulx made her name with short stories and novels including The Shipping News, which won her the Pulitzer Prize and was made into a film. For her latest project she embarked on a journey across her native America in a bid to capture the reality of life "western"-style. This Omnibus special follows Proulx as she writes That Old Ace in the Hole
