2 comments about Biography: Hank Williams - Lonesome.

1. If you like Hank Williams or are just interested in country music's history than this is the movie your looking for. With a very informative biography of Hank and his journey to stardom to his tragic death at the age of 29.



2. You can buy videos featuring impersonations of Hank and videos featuring current country singers honoring Hank. If you look around, you can even find the motion picture of Hank's life from the 1960s. I have them all. And, as entertaining as the latter is, this is the best Hank video available for most people. It features segments from Hank's rare TV appearances and many photos of Hank you've never seen, along with appearances by people who knew Hank. It's strung together in the form of a sixty-minute biography and gives lots of new material about Hank's early career. Leave it up to A & E Biography to put together a top-notch biography like this.

5 comments about Biography - Tyrone Power.

1. This biography is indeed a treasure for all those who admired and loved the late Tyrone Power. It is full of information and photos, never before seen. It includes narrations from family, friends and biographer, Fred Guiles( who wrote'The Last Idol' about Tyrone Power) Wonderful entertainment!



2. This is a priceless piece of information about Hollywood's last great matinee idol, the beloved Tyrone Power, with wonderful candid pictures of him with his friends and family, and with a few humorous outtakes from his movies. Intelligent and warm, compassionate and sincere, we meet some of the people who were closest to him and hear from their own lips what he meant to those who knew him well enough to call him friend. A beautiful tribute to a beautiful man.



3. I highly recommend this video biography to all fans of Tyrone Power. It is a very positive presentation of his personal life and career. There are several interviews with Annabella, Alice Faye and others who knew him well. There are many excellent film clips from some of his best movies. This video is a must for fans of Tyrone Power.



4. Daryl F. Zanuck, the head of 20th century Fox called Power the 'dullest man he'd ever met'. I couldn't disagree more.

   This biography portrays Power as a charming, thoughtful and witty personality. Though he never achieved his full potential as an actor, I believe he more than did that as a person.

   So impressed was I with this bio, I went out and found a copy of The Last Idol by Fred Guiles immediately. The TV bio was more honest than the book, particularly about Powers' sexual ambiguity. The books forces one to read between the lines, whereas the TV bio tells it like it was. He wanted to be all things to all people, and I think he was.

   I highly recommend this bio, even if you're not a Ty Power fan.




5. This is an absolutely wonderful documentary on the great movie star Tyrone Power, not only probably the most handsome man in Hollywood history but clearly one of the nicest and most beloved off screen HOWEVER... don't buy this video!!! Buy the DVD MARK OF ZORRO instead because you will get THIS VERY DOCUMENTARY ON THAT DVD plus a beautiful print of one of Tyrone's greatest triumphs!! And it's cheaper too!! You're welcome!

1 comments about Audrey Hepburn-The Fairest Lady.

1. I was pleased with this biography of Audrey Hepburn's life which included some rare footage. It's not surprising why she remains one of Hollywood's most beloved actresses.

No comments about Biography: G. Gordon Liddy - Warrior.

5 comments about A&E Biography: Amelia Earhart - Queen of the Air.

1. This is a superb A&E biography of the greatest female pilot f all time Amelia Earhart.It's a must see!!



2. This is an excellent look at the life of the legendary Amelia Earhart. It does not dwell on her disappearance, as it gives equal attention to every part of her life. It is also an honest and fair look at the woman behind the myth; it points out the fact that she was not really the most talented female flier of her era, that she had a number of accidents and had a tendency to cut corners, and it lists many of the bad decisions she made in pursuit of her ill-fated flight around the globe. It also provides an objective look at her marriage to G.P. Putnam, a marriage of convenience that may have grown into something more with a man widely despised by other female fliers as a pushy promoter who lived on the glory of someone else.
   
   There's good information on her childhood, including several clips from a 1987 interview with her sister, and how her somewhat troubled family life helped make her the rebel she became. Accounts of her early flying days, perhaps inspired by her World War I nursing duties taking care of war pilots in Toronto, are especially interesting, as we learn that there were other talented female fliers pursuing their own dreams at the same time. Elinor Smith, one of those pilots who is interviewed here, is an incredibly engaging woman I would like to know more about. The documentary then recounts some of Earhart's more important milestones, starting with her first flight across the Atlantic - this flight aboard the Freedom Flight made her famous and brought her together with G.P. Putnam for the first time, but she really didn't do anything on the journey except take care of the log while two men flew and navigated. A few years later, she did become the first woman to cross the Atlantic on a solo flight, touching down in a cow pasture in Ireland after suffering some mechanical problems. A little later, she became the first pilot (male or female) to cross the Pacific.
   
   Amelia needed money in order to keep flying, and husband G.P. Putnam kept her busy doing promotional and other marketing gigs, leaving her little time to actually fly and wearing her out as she raised the money for her final exploit. Her attempt to become the first pilot to fly around the world following the equator was not without its harbingers of doom. Her plane crashed on landing in Hawaii, for example, and she had to start again after repairs were completed. By this time, she had only one of her three crewmen still with her - Fred Noonan. The pair would make it three-fourths of the way around the globe before disappearing into legend somewhere in the Pacific. This documentary briefly mentions some of the conspiracy theories that surround the mystery, but it spends more time detailing the mistakes that could have been averted. Neither Earhart nor Noonan excelled at navigation, the plane flew without a trailing wire antenna and its Morse code key (neither Earhart nor Noonan even knew how to transmit in Morse code), and Amelia's countless hours in the cockpit had already made her so sick that her husband recommended she abort the final two legs of the flight.
   
   As one of Amelia's cousins says, though, Earhart should be remembered for all the daring things she accomplished, not for the mystery of her disappearance. She was one of the most famous, most engaging women of the 20th century, and I have to say that this A&E Biography treatment of her helps remind us of the qualities that made her such a larger-than-life personality.



3. This is one of the better programs in the A&E Biography series. It compares favorably with the American Experience episode on Earhart, using much of the same newsreel footage and interviewing many of the same experts. Recommended.



4. "Biography - Amelia Earhart", A & E, NewVideo 1996, ISBN: 0-7670-8068-8. DVD 50 min.
   
   A nicely executed biographical depiction of the life and times of Amelia Earhart, an American Sweetheart whose true romance was with airplanes and flying. She quickly became an American icon, establishing first-of-a-kind records in aviation and promoted women's causes, soon garnering world-wide publicity, finding admiration by dignitaries, the rich and famous, and firmly established her mark in history.
   
   
   Calling upon archival film footage admixed with poignant interviews of relatives and friends, the writers forged a convincing biographic portraiture of Amelia as a courageous, enticing young woman who did her own thing, was a poised adventuress with peerless contagious spiritednes, even establishing her own unique fashionable clothing line. Her marriage to George Putnam, publicist and writer, was (perhaps) more as one of convenience than of true love, but it did promote her legendary career and helped her to amass funds for her flying career. Her final and fatal Lockheed Electra flight, which resulted in her mysterious disappearance July 2, 1937, upon departing Lae, had her leaving New Guinea to Howland Isle, enroute to California attempting to circumnavigate the equatorial globe. Some of her shortcomings as pilot in inclement weather demonstrated lessened abilities in radio-navigation and communication skills. After seeing this DVD story you will yearn to read more about the life, the love and the times of this aviatrix



5. AS a retired airline pilot and history buff I really enjoyed seeing the actual footage of her and her airplane. I just attended a lecture by archeologist Thomas F. King. He co-wrote "Amelia Earhart's Shoes". He is fairly certain that Amelia and Fred died on an island south of Howland. If you like this DVD the book will put an ending to the story.

2 comments about Bette Davis.

1. I love Bette davis, but i don't really enjoy other people talking about her; in that kind of reports i prefered the one hosted by jodie foster and featuring a lot of "bette davis on bette davis". i 'll recommend it to people who don't know much about Bette.



2. Biographies are difficult documentaries to create in a way that makes them unique and interesting. So much is well known about Bette Davis because she was and remains one of the greatest actors of all time. A&E's biography of the greatest 20th century actor employs Peter Graves to narrate, Robert Wagner (board member of the Bette Davis Foundation & her friend), Davis' & Merrill's son, Michael Merrill (who reveals intimate details of his mother's stellar character & impeccable work ethic and also a member of the Foundation board), and life-long friend to the end of Davis' life, Ann Southern (who co-starred in Davis' last dramatic lead role in "The Whales of August"). "If Looks Could Kill," couldn't be a more appropriate title for the biography of Bette Davis, who became so well known for stunning usage of her fiery turquoise eyes. Davis put many a strong leading man in his place with that defiant glaring gaze known as always her own device. The video includes vintage footage from her earliest films, spanning a 60+ year acting career, through it's fantastic heights in the 1940's to come back after come back of a relentless workaholic actor who was in the business for the love of motion picture making art. Neither the fame nor the money were Davis' primary pursuits. Being the best actor she could bring to a set & helping to create a classic movie (even with a lousy script!) became her legacy. A&E doesn't fail in their biography of Davis' personal life or acting career. To pack over 60 years of an acting legend's biography into 50 minutes is just like Davis would have wanted it: direct and to the key points. In fact, Davis herself makes many of the main those main points herself, filmed doing so in retropect, in 1983 at the age of 75yo. I'm glad to own this video and recommend it for a serious collector's film library.

5 comments about Nicholas & Alexandra.

1. The last czar of all the Russians was a most reluctant monarch, assuming the throne before he was ready and at a time when the contradictory forces were too powerful for such an absolute monarchy to survive. Despite its' vastness and backwardness, Russia was a great industrial power as the twentieth century arrived, and the strains felt in Europe were also pressing on it. This would have probably been enough to topple even the most forceful of men, but the last of the ruling Romanovs was not a strong personality.
   Unlike so many other monarchs, his relationship with his wife was a true love affair, which ironically proved to be part of his undoing. Had he paid less attention to her, it is more likely that he would have physically survived, and perhaps even as a ruler with vastly truncated power.
   The particulars of that love affair are a point of emphasis in this tape, with a great deal of quoting from their letters. In contrast to others who have ruled the Russians, Nicholas comes across as a romantic fluff, more capable and comfortable in professing love and devotion than in making the decisions that determined the lives and deaths of millions. From this tape, you learn the details of their relationship, the manner of their death and how their final resting place was discovered a half-century later.
   While historically accurate, there are some points where greater explanation should have occurred. The establishment of the Duma in 1905 is mentioned, but not one word of the disastrous war with Japan appears. Given that this was the impetus for the creation of the legislative body, such an omission is a glaring one. A second point that should have been mentioned was the assassination of Pyotr Stolypin, the reformist minister who was trying to modernize Russian society and was killed for his efforts.
   I was also impressed with the description of Rasputin, the monk who held such power over the Empress in their last years. He is often put forward as an evil manipulator, when he was in fact just another faith healer who managed to gain the confidence of a powerful person desperate for a cure for an incurable disease. Blaming the givers of bad advice is not the way to justify the fact that the rulers used it when they should have known better.
   During my last visit to the Soviet Union, it was visibly coming apart and one of the members of my delegation asked the question, "Will the Russian people ever forgive Lenin?" The forces that led to his rise and decades of brutal government were centuries in the making, but those with the last chance to avoid it were Nicholas and Alexandra. This is the story of their life together, pointing out the irony that love interests and ruling interests are often incompatible.



2. This was a wonderful film, it almost didn't feel like a documentry at all, but a real cinematic film. It is rich with the families private family videos and diary entries sharing their story through their point of view. There are also many videos of the 300th year anniversary of the Romanov Dynasty,and the powerful Russian music that accompanies them is a really nice touch. The film does not dab that much into political affairs but stays on the path of their family life which most people are truly fascinated with anyway. This film presents everything including their begining, their rule, war, imprisonment, death, and even their suspected remains found in siberia with great detail. If your are interested in this great family and how they lived and died than this film is for you.



3. I could not put this book down. It gives the big picture.....the end of Russian imperialism and the beginning of communism...and then brings it down to the personal tragedy of the imperial family. I found myself grieving for them and wishing that they could have somehow survived. A thousand "what ifs" crossed my mind as I read this book. What if the Tsarevich had not been hemophilic....what if another country could have offered the imperial family assylum and had provided them with a way of getting out of the country before they were murdered...what if the Tsar would have been more in touch with the common Russian people...what if the Empress could have been more rational about her son's illness and about the insanity of Rasputin's interference in her husband's government. This book touches all the bases and has made a confirmed Romanov fan out of me.



4. This is a very informational and educational presentation of the last Imperial Tsar of Russia and his family. I would recommend it to anyone who desires more knowledge of this extrodinary family.



5. I found the film thoroughly enjoyable; the use of rarely seen film/photos and facts as presented were fascinating. The only thing that keeps this from a five star rating is that we needed a little bit more of the politics of the era, to make it all gel into a truly classic documentary.
   As it is now, we are moved and saddened... yet aggravated with Nicholas'
   apparent weaknesses; and left still wondering "why?" -- how could this possibly have happened? Russia was a great empire, and is still a great country. But tragedy after tragedy is what seems to make history. And this story does not fade lightly.

1 comments about Biography - Andy Griffith: Hollywood's Homespun Hero.

1. I purchased this video because I wanted to know more about Andy Griffith as a person, although I'm sure many folks wanted it as an addition to their Mayberry artifacts. Andy's pre-Mayberry days were explored in-depth and, of course, the entire Griffith Show saga was well-covered. I would have liked more insight into the period between 1968 and the late '70s, when Andy took roles in such departures as 1973's "Pray for the Wildcats". However, Biography did a nice job of cramming a lot of information into a one-hour program.

1 comments about Biography - Gilda Radner.

1. This video is very interesting. I knew a lot about Gilda Radner as she has always been one of my favourite comedians. However I didn't know very much that happened to her after her SNL career was over... this video was a very sad eye opener. She was so talented and funny I am glad I got to hear her story through this great video. Rest in Peace Gilda.

5 comments about Biography - Mahatma Gandhi.

1. This film on Gandhi's life is a classic. Mr Attenborough did a fantastic job in bring this 'documentary' to the screen. Ben Kingsley who plays 'Gandhi' could not have been a better choice. A story that span from South Africa to the vast sub-continent of India has some very panoramic sweeping views. If you want to understand India and its people under the Raj, this is a good starting place. The re-creation of the funeral procession was no small feat. I will strongly recommend FBIs (foreign born Indians) to view this view this film to get some understanding of their heritage.



2. I consider myself a serious student of the life of Mahatma Gandhi, and to some extent, a formal researcher... I loved Attenborough's movie -- though sentimental in spots, I believe it captured the essence of Gandhi, based on everything else I have studied about him. This documentary seemed a bit obsessed with the "journalistic" need to balance out their overview of Gandhi by outlining semi-deprecating hearsay alongside accolades. Gandhi wasn't perfect -- but please, be sure your facts are straight when reporting! For instance, Gandhi is alleged to have "slept naked with young Hindu girls" later in life to test his commitment to celibacy. Personally, I don't care who or what Gandhi slept (or whatever) with, or didn't (and I believe it was "didn't", per his celibacy vow), so I don't see this as a "slur" per se -- it's just as far as I know, it's simply inaccurate. In several other well-known volumes on Gandhi, his true nature of complete asexuality was expressed both by himself and close associates, and based on his entire life, it's unlikely he would "test" himself in this manner. Still, if you are unfamiliar with Gandhi, this could be a good introduction -- but again, I recommend the movie by Attenborough as being much better, and ironically (for a studio release) more accurate!!



3. I enjoyed BIOGRAPHY - MAHATMA GANDHI because it shows Gandhi in both his greatness and his humanness. I believe that Gandhi's legacy is best preserved by remembering that he was, after all, only human. The sense I got from viewing this documentary is that the liberation of India from the British empire was just one aspect of Gandhi's quest for truth, almost an outgrowth of his inner spiritual battles. I don't think he set out to be "the Mahatma." He even writes in his autobiography THE STORY OF MY EXPERIMENTS WITH TRUTH that the title "Mahatma" (meaning "great soul") often caused him pain because he didn't want to be seen as above others in stature or spiritual enlightenment.

   There are several people interviewed in BIOGRAPHY - MAHATMA GANDHI, reporters, biographers, politicians, even the Dalai Lama provides some brief comments (he mentions that deep conviction is necessary in order to maintain a nonviolent movement). But the two interviews that make the strongest impact are those with Arun Gandhi, Grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and founder of the "M. K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence" headquartered in Memphis, TN., and Lady Pamela Hicks, daughter of Earl Mountbatten (the last Viceroy of India). Both Arun Gandhi and Lady Pamela Hicks comment on something the Mahatma is not often known for: a sense of humor. Hicks says that his humor was almost "wicked," and Arun comments that the Mahatma got a good laugh out of the fact that some reporters made fun of him for supposedly looking like a monkey. "'Here's your monkey,' Grandfather would say."




4. After viewing this, I know why Einsteain had said that our future generations would wonder whether such a human being ever walked on this earth, and I also know why M.L.King, Jr had set his civil war movement on the lines of non-violence, after paying a month-long 'pilgrimage' to India



5. When I finally opened this to watch it, with my Mom, we were amazed when we found out he died on January 30th, bacause we were watching it on January 30th, 49 years after his passing. Isn't it amazing how these things happen??? We loved it and his life.