Prices subject to change.
The MUSIC BOX COLLECTION presents the true and complete story of Who, from their inception to their rise to legendary status. Featuring rare and archive footage courtesy of numerous private collectors from around the world, this documentary provides a fascinating insight into their remarkable career.
September 09, 2006
Prices subject to change.
The Great Artists chronicles the lives, times and works of the men whose genius has captivated the art world for generations. Informative and entertaining, the series highlights important events in each artist’s life, explores their stylistic trademarks, and provides detailed explanations of their techniques.
The Great Artists also features expert commentary and analysis from leading authorities, art historians and scholars, new location footage and extensive period re-creations. The six programs in this series feature an in-depth look at the Dutch Masters.
Some art lovers believe that Rembrandt’s abilities as a portraitist have never been surpassed, and it is, perhaps, his famous series of self-portraits that best demonstrate his genius. Painted over the course of his life, they reveal nothing less than Rembrandt himself, as he was when he was alive.
There is often a sadness in these images, perhaps unsurprisingly as Rembrandt suffered many difficulties during his life, including: bankruptcy, torrid affairs, and the death of loved ones. His paintings characteristically depict group portraits, landscapes, and religious work. Many of these images were produced as etchings, confirming Rembrandt’s mastery of the line drawing as well as conveying the drama of great Biblical events. When he died in 1669, he left behind an incredible body of work whose qualities have been matched by few other artists of history, if at all.
Born in 1632, only three dozen canvases survive from Vermeer’s working life. A resident of the Dutch city of Delft, it is Vermeer’s subject matter that is the first point of interest in his work. Unusually, he chose to depict scenes of ordinary, everyday life. His images are calm and precise, almost mathematical in their organization, while his ability to depict the effects of light are also remarkable, though for a long time his skills were almost completely unknown. It would be two hundred years after Vermeer’s death before his status as a Dutch Master began to be fully recognized.
Born in Antwerp in 1577, the young Peter Paul Rubens traveled extensively in Italy, soaking up the artistic achievements of the High Renaissance, and slowly becoming one of the most important Flemish painter of the 17th century. Returning to Flanders, he began a career that combined Renaissance technique with a new boldness of approach towards color and brushwork. His mastery at depicting surface texture can be seen in his religious images commissioned by the Catholic Church. But Rubens was undoubtedly a man of the world, a charming individual who worked as a diplomat and whose connections resulted in a great number of portrait commissions. It is these portraits that are, perhaps, the most enduring achievements of a giant of art history.
The pupil of Rubens, Anthony van Dyck followed his master’s example by traveling to Italy as part of his artistic training. Like Rubens, he found inspiration in the Venetian Renaissance masters Titian and Giorgione. An enthusiasm for rich colors and a remarkable ability to depict the texture of fabric characterized Van Dyck’s best work. But even more than Rubens, Van Dyck focused his attention on the art of the portraiture. Appointed Court Painter to the English King Charles in 1632, the portraits he produced provide an unrivaled visual insight into the noble men and women of the day, as well as displaying his technical mastery of the genre.
The career of Hieronymus Bosch is among the most mysterious of all the great artists of history. Though he was well-known by the time of his death in 1516, virtually nothing of his life is known today. His surviving works are also deeply enigmatic, highly symbolic images filled with the spirit of the Middle Ages. But the appeal of Bosch’s work has long outlasted the late medieval age in which he lived. Though his art addressed the human follies of his own time, the satirical humor that he used can still be readily appreciated today. His intensely spiritual images of Christ and the Saints also continue to inspire many modern students, but it is Bosch’s remarkable visions of the fantastic that are, undoubtedly, his greatest achievement.
The life of Pieter Bruegel the Elder will always remain something of a mystery. We possess few details of his sixteenth century life, and we must rely fully on his surviving art to appreciate his genius. As an artist, he was inspired deeply by his great Dutch predecessor, Hieronymous Bosch. His work reveals typically Boschian themes such as the Follies Of Man, and he used a similar keen humor to convey his artistic message. Bruegel also followed Bosch in his choice of contemporary subject matter. His depictions of peasant life are amongst the greatest in western art. He was also one of the first masters of landscape painting, and his satirical drawings are as relevant today as they have ever been, while religious works combine simplicity and depth in their spiritual message.
June 06, 2006
Prices subject to change.
All Aboard! From Denver to D.C., America By Rail is a 4-DVD collection of rail videos that explores the heart of America’s scenic beauty and legendary trains. The journey begins with Colorado’s Scenic Train Rides. Continue on your way with America By Rail: Winter Wonderland, a stunning snowy trip through Kentucky and West Virginia aboard Amtrak’s Cardinal. Travel through the southwest from Chicago to Los Angeles on one of the last legendary trains with America By Rail: Route of the Southwest Chief. Finally, visit the Potomac river with All Aboard the Potomac Eagle, and view amazing vistas including the Trough which is home to the bald eagles that give the Potomac Eagle Excursion Train its name.
February 02, 2006
Prices subject to change.
directed by: Various
Trains Spectacular on DVD: scenery, side trips & steam locomotives!
4 Complete Videos:
All aboard for railroad excitement with Trains Spectacular, the 4-DVD collection of rail videos that explores the great trains and spur-line itineraries, past and present. America by Rail: The West Coast takes you on a 1,600-mile trek along the U.S. Pacific Coast from San Diego to Seattle, highlighting the breathtaking scenery and unusual whistle-stops along the way. Change direction with America by Rail: The Heartland, a coast-to-coast journey from D.C. to California on some of Amtrak’s most celebrated trains. Thrill to the steam-powered action captured by multiple cameras in Ohio Steam Spectacular, a video ode to the golden age of the Iron Horse. Challenger 3985 showcases the powerful majesty of the world’s largest operating steam-powered locomotive, Union Pacific’s #3985, aptly dubbed "Challenger". Whether crossing the Sierra Nevada Mountains or pulling in to Denver; aboard the Napa Valley Wine Train or a plume-spouting 1943 steam locomotive, these video rail voyages make! for a true Trains Spectacular.
The DVD Maximum line is an exclusive video series presenting the best from independent producers and filmmakers in 4-DVD boxed sets. Look for other themed boxed sets in the DVD Maximum library, available from TOPICS Entertainment®.
$80 Value if Sold Separately!
December 12, 2004
Prices subject to change.
starring: Bob Dylan
directed by: Robert N. Zagone
1965 was a pivotal year in Bob Dylan's career. In the early part of the year he released "Bringing It All Back Home", the first album that saw him move distinctly away from his folk music origins. In the summer he followed it with "Highway 61 Revisited", an out and out rock `n' roll album, and the single "Like A Rolling Stone" hit No.2 on the US charts. His appearance at that year's Newport Folk Festival saw him use an electric guitar on stage, a hugely controversial move at the time that saw him booed by much of the audience. Against this background, Dylan went into the studios of TV station KQED in San Francisco for a broadcast press conference hosted by Ralph J. Gleason, his only one from this era ever to be filmed.
October 10, 2006
Prices subject to change.
directed by: Bill Couturie
AWARD WINNER, SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL This beautiful and disturbing film recounts America's story from the environment's point of view. From the arrival of Columbus to the simple wilderness living of the 16th and 17th centuries, through the agrarian lifestyle of the 18th century, the changes from the Industrial Revolution, to the 20th century when most of the planet's resources have been depleted -- this film examines the North American landscape and all the wildlife destruction, deforestation, soil depletion and pollution that have been wrought to make the American Dream come true.
June 06, 2006
Prices subject to change.
starring: Dr. Leonard Horowitz
directed by: Dr. Leonard Horowitz
Based on the best-selling book Emerging Viruses, Dr. Len Horowitz presents a definitive exploration into the origins of the AIDS and Ebola viruses, and the dangers of viral vaccines. AIDS and Ebola are just a couple of examples of germs that are undoubtedly man-made creations, accidentally or intentionally transmitted via tainted vaccines in the U.S. and Africa.
Includes alarming details about the dangers of today's Vaccines and the potential motives of administrations responsible for this atrocity, and the methods they continue to use to deceive and kill unsuspecting populations.
Vaccines - Are they safe? Effective? Which ones are risky, and might they be causing the current and coming plagues? This is important information for every concerned parent and citizen.
June 06, 2006
Prices subject to change.
starring: Grant Goodeve
Probably no other sea animal has captured our affection and attention like the dolphin. Its intelligence and athleticism has fascinated observers for years. Dolphins seem to exhibit a friendly willingness to co-operate with humans…something very rare in the wild animal kingdom. We think we know them - racing through aquariums and performing at marine parks. But dolphins are more complex animals, with the capacity for language and affection. In DOLPHINS: Tribes of the Sea we travel the world to see how dolphin groups in different locales interact with humans. And we visit researchers as they discover just how intelligent and clever and intuitive dolphins really are.
April 04, 2006
Prices subject to change.
starring: Deb Fialkow
directed by: Hideki Miyamoto, Jun Ochiai, Kazuhiro Kitano, Kensuke Kishi, Toshihito Matsumoto
This series asks fundamental questions about how life on earth began, then explores the possibilities of the existence of life elsewhere in the universe.
May 05, 2006
Prices subject to change.
A life long dream of making a feature film turns into a comedic disaster for a New Jersey filmmaker.
July 07, 2006
