John W. Barnes

Deals with the Old Testament as a collection of literary forms. Combines paintings with narrative sculptures to relate the saga of the creation, the expulsion from Eden, and the murder of Abel

Dramatization short on British romantic poet John Keats.

Recreates the conflict of Roger Williams with the Puritan leaders of New England, including his attempts to achieve separation of church and state, freedom of conscience, and protection for minority groups; the heresy trial resulting in his banishment from the Massachusetts Bay Colony; and his decision to establish the new colony of Rhode Island. Starring Donald Moffat.

This is the first film in Barnes' 'Shaw vs. Shakespeare' series, considered by experts to be among the finest educational films ever made. Here is wonderful introduction to Barnes as an insightful and witty interpreter of Shakespeare on film, the opening film of the triptych focusing on George Bernard Shaw’s belief that, although Shakespeare’s play was superior to his own, the treatment of the character of Caesar was not. Shaw, as written by Barnes, prefers a Caesar whose strength-of-purpose is more in keeping with a conqueror, than Shakespeare’s pessimistic, indecisive leader. Starring Donald Moffat, Susan Grossman, Richard Kiley, and Frances Sternhagen. This is the first in a 3 part series.

An adaptation of the short story of the same title by Walter Van Tilburg Clark, in which four men who have survived a catastrophic war share memories of their past lives and a civilization which no longer exists. Here, a vintage recording of Debussy's Nocturne played by Walter Gieseking becomes the vehicle by which four lovers of the humanities hover together in a cold post-apocalyptic shack of sandbags to mourn weekly over lost art and loves gone by. Barnes, who must be considered among the greatest filmmakers ever to work in the educational world, forcibly illustrates, through flashback sequences and close-up shots, how the humanities --- music, painting, literature, and theatre --- are perhaps the most enriching of all human endeavors. Their ultimate and devastating loss may have never before or since been shown with such terrifying passion.

John Canaday analyzes the place of art among the humanities as an expression of man's attempt to define what it means to be a human being. Mr. Canaday shows how the masterworks of art and architecture have formed a visual history of man's thought, ideals, and most fondly-held beliefs.

A boy in Minnesota builds a toy boat and, after writing his name and address on the craft, sends the small vessel on its journey to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way, the boat's travels are aided by a Chippewa youth who rescues it from a tangle of reeds, through farmland tended by the descendants of Scandinavians and into the Deep South where a young African-American shows it to a white boy, a former playmate, rekindling their old friendship through a common interest.

The American Civil War (also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States from 1861 to 1865, fought between the northern United States (loyal to the Union) and the southern United States (that had seceded from the Union and formed the Confederacy). The civil war began primarily as a result of the long-standing controversy over the enslavement of black people. War broke out in April 1861 when secessionist forces attacked Fort Sumter in South Carolina shortly after Abraham Lincoln had been inaugurated as the President of the United States. The loyalists of the Union in the North, which also included some geographically western and southern states, proclaimed support for the Constitution. They faced secessionists of the Confederate States in the South, who advocated for states' rights in order to uphold slavery.

A detailed account of the life and artistic journey of Michelangelo.

This short explores the early planning innovations and the subsequent mistakes that resulted in developing urban sprawl, suburbia, and gentrification in modern day US cities as well as the effects it had on its populace and industry.

Follows Chaucer's pilgrims on their way to Canterbury, telling stories as they ride. Chaucer's England (1958) Shows some background scenery taken in England. Presents a dramatization of the 'PARDONER'S TALE.'.

This film presents aspects of day-to-day life in Venice, a city that is most renowned for its historic sites and large tourist trade. It tells a story about a boy who loses a prized model ship on the waterways of his city.

One in a series of twelve films in which the great French mime Marcel Marceau performs some works from his repertoire. In his introduction Marceau calls mime the essence of life and suggests that it can reach the soul through silence. In this pantomime he expresses life from the womb to the grave in a few minutes and illustrates one of the art's most notable characteristics - its ability to condense time and to create through time the pulse of humanity.

The story of Captain John Smith.

One in a series of twelve films in which the great French mime Marcel Marceau performs some works from his repertoire. In his introduction he describes this pantomime as having a theme that goes beyond time, an allegory showing a man trying to escape an enclosure of invisible walls. He also suggests that it stands for our freedom of choice, stating that for the limited span of our life on earth, we must struggle for the enlightenment of humanity and search for a way out of the cage

Follows the Pilgrims from England to Holland and to New England. Discusses the Mayflower compact and the hardships in the New World.

This Bip pantomime deals with his visit to a skating rink. Featuring Marcel Marceau.

The bible from the viewpoint of literature, including a small dramatization of the account of Job.

short from of Series “The Art of silence: pantomimes with Marcel Marceau and his partner Pierre Verry”. Mime makes the invisible visible and the visible invisible. Marceau’s sometimes comical - but always graceful - interpretation of The Painter in Central Park allows the viewer to “see” objects which are not there.

Presents man's use and misuse of land throughout the country. Includes conservation measures now in operation and suggests further steps.