American Women Of Achievement Video Collection; The Hispanic And Latin American Heritage Video Collection

On the heels of its excellent Black Americans of Achievement series (see VL-6/92 and VL-3/94), come two new sets of 10 video biographies. We watched Abigail Adams and Emily Dickinson, two excellent entries in the American Women of Achievement Video Collection. Writing to her husband John Adams, who was at the Continental Congress working on the ideas that would eventually give birth to an autonomous nation, Abigail implored: "I desire you would remember the ladies." A staunch advocate of women's rights in a time and place (18th-century America) that considered the term an oxymoron, Abigail Adams would become a crucial figure in the toddler years of the new republic, primarily through her influence on two presidents: one, her husband; the other, her son. As scholars point out, we are fortunate to have records of the beautifully written letters of Abigail to her husband John, and the video, while detailing the political upheaval rocking the nascent democratic nation, never loses sight of its main topic. Combining Adams family portraits, scenes from colonial life, and Abigail's stirring words, the program is an excellent introduction to both Abigail Adams and her times. Emily Dickinson, by contrast, played no part in the politics of her country: she was too busy being one of the greatest poets of all time. Though unknown (except as a curious recluse) during her lifetime, Dickinson left nearly 2,000 poems behind at her death in 1886. Mixing commentary from scholars with luminous examples of Dickinson's poetry, the program traces what little is known of the poet's personal life: her devotion to her father, her dramatic break from organized religion, and her almost complete withdrawal from the world in her later years. Although she left little mark on her immediate society, Emily Dickinson is today acknowledged to be the greatest woman author (and some would say greatest author, period) that America has produced. An inspiring portrait. (For a wonderful dramatic version of Dickinson's life, check out Julie Harris's portrayal in The Belle of Amherst, available from Kino-on-Video.) Other titles in the series include: Jane Addams, Marian Anderson, Susan B. Anthony, Clara Barton, Amelia Earhart, Helen Keller, Sandra Day O'Connor, and Wilma Rudolph. Highly recommended.Perhaps because of the concentration on Simòn Bolìvar's military victories, with less attention paid to his writings, this program in The Hispanic and Latin American Culture Heritage series isn't quite on a plane with the tapes on Abigail Adams and Emily Dickinson. Still, the story of "The Liberator," the singlemost important person in the struggle for Latin American independence from Spanish rule, is presented well in this biography. The video chronicles Bolìvar's passage from aristocrat to revolutionary, influenced by a pair of trips to Europe in 1799 and 1804. Charting Bolìvar's rising political and military career, the program uses maps to highlight his extraordinary military campaigns across the roof of South America, from 1817-1824, which led to the retreat of Spanish troops. Although internal fighting between various factions were not resolved at the time of his death in 1830, Bolìvar's role in the liberation of what is now known as Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, and, his namesake, Bolivia, assured his prominent place in history. The program on Joan Baez, on the other hand, is not nearly as good. It would be difficult to imagine a documentary about the Beatles that failed to mention the title or existence of any of their albums, but that's precisely what happens in this overview of Baez's life. With the exception of interview clips with folk giant Dave Van Ronk and a handful of others, the primary focus of the program isn't Joan Baez at all. It's the 60s: civil rights footage, political demonstrations, protests against the Vietnam War, love-ins and Woodstock--this was the social, political, and cultural milieu that Baez came to prominence in, and while her music served as a powerful tool in the advancement of worthy causes, Joan Baez the person doesn't come through in this video. There are few clips of Baez speaking, and a strong emphasis on her tangential social contributions rather than her measurable musical achievements (Joan Baez 2, for instance, was the first record from an independent label to ever go gold, but no one will learn that here). Biographies interest us in so much as they successfully capture the memorable arc of a human life: Joan Baez doesn't accomplish that. However, Simon Bolìvar does, and, to be fair, the other programs in the series are about better known historical figures than Baez. Because of that, we recommend the series overall. Other titles include: Cesar Chavez, Roberto Clemente, Hernàn Cortès, Ferdinand & Isabella, Pablo Neruda, Juan & Evita Peròn, George Santayana, and Pancho Villa. (R. Pitman)