Portrait: Jane Campion and the Portrait of a Lady (International)- In this hour long, unusually extensive and intimate study of a filmmaker, Jane Campion directs Nicole Kidman, John Malkovich, Barbara Hershey, Shelly Winters, and Richard E. Grant.
Irish Actors: Brosnan and Byrne (Ireland)- In these remarkably candid interviews, Pierce Brosnan and Gabriel Byrne talk about their identities as Irish actors and reveal how their accents have hurt their careers. Viewer interactive.
First Person Singular: I.M. Pei (International)- World-renowned Chinese architect I.M. Pei tells the secret of his success in this excerpt from the award-winning full length documentary.
Gabriel (Belgium)- A beautiful film about a boy named Gabriel who believes he's a real angel.
Kaal (France, India) - A poignant portrayal of the life of a humble Indian shoemaker who practices his trade on the streets of Bombay. With director commentary.
Kite (Hong Kong)- This stunning blend of traditional and 3-D animation was inspired by William Turner's artwork. Director commentary and additinal tracks describe the animation process.
Gorky's Zygotic Mynci - Before playing live in Austin, TX, this hilarious Welsh band explains their wacky name and reputation.

There's also a beautiful short film from Belgium called GABRIEL which is about a little boy raised by nuns. It's stunningly shot and stays with you for quite some time. As does the other fictional film, which is about a shoemaker in India. That film (which is on the DVD cover) seems really, really long -- but that's clearly the filmmaker's intent. It's worth sticking it out -- because it's very poetic and really special.

There's also some nice animation and a portrait of a rock and roll band.

Quite a lot to digest!


best & poetic !   December 15, 2000
3 out of 15 found this review helpful

Do not miss this one out; it is better then hundreds of long features! Women are ruling the magic of movies and poetry; Campion and De Betak's films are sublime!