PBS SpecialsTemporada 2009
TV-Y
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American non-profit public broadcasting television service with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. However, its operations are largely funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Its headquarters are in Arlington, Virginia.
PBS is the most prominent provider of programming to U.S. public television stations, distributing series such as PBS NewsHour, Masterpiece, and Frontline. Since the mid-2000s, Roper polls commissioned by PBS have consistently placed the service as America's most trusted national institution. However, PBS is not responsible for all programming carried on public TV stations; in fact, stations usually receive a large portion of their content (including most pledge drive specials) from third-party sources, such as American Public Television, NETA, and independent producers.
PBS is the most prominent provider of programming to U.S. public television stations, distributing series such as PBS NewsHour, Masterpiece, and Frontline. Since the mid-2000s, Roper polls commissioned by PBS have consistently placed the service as America's most trusted national institution. However, PBS is not responsible for all programming carried on public TV stations; in fact, stations usually receive a large portion of their content (including most pledge drive specials) from third-party sources, such as American Public Television, NETA, and independent producers.
Where to Watch PBS Specials • Temporada 2009
34 Episodes
- 400 Years of the Telescope
E1400 Years of the TelescopeA Journey of Science, Technology and Thought. This visually stunning program chronicles a sweeping journey, from 1609 when Galileo revealed mankind's place in the galaxy to 2009, the International Year of Astronomy. Narrated by NOVA's Neil deGrasse Tyson, the compelling program takes viewers on an adventure through the heavens and around the globe, visiting the world's leading astronomers, cosmologists and observatories. The Interstellar Studios production team traveled the globe to interview leading astronomers and cosmologists from the world's renowned universities and observatories. The producers sought the most acute minds at great astronomical centers including the European Southern Observatory, Institute for Astronomy, SETI Institute, Space Telescope Science Institute, Anglo-Australian Observatory, and Harvard University. They journeyed across five continents to visually write the story of the past and the future of telescopes, astronomy, and our ever-changing perception of the cosmos. Compelling interviews throughout the film leave no stone unturned. A carefully chosen array of today's leading astronomers explain concepts ranging from Galileo's act of revealing the telescopic cosmos to humanity and challenging religious teachings of the day, to the latest discoveries in space, including startling new ideas about life on other planets and dark energy – a mysterious vacuum energy that is accelerating the expansion of the universe. On the horizon, viewers learn of emergent telescopes the size of stadiums. With unprecedented resolution and light gathering, these enormous new instruments will look back to the initial moments of the Big Bang and – like Galileo's first telescopic observations – will reshape our model of the universe. - Silence of the BeesE2
Silence of the BeesIn the winter of 2006, a strange phenomenon fell upon honeybee hives across the country. Without a trace, millions of bees vanished from their hives. A precious pollinator of fruits and vegetables, the disappearing bees left billions of dollars of crops at risk and threatened our food supply. The epidemic set researchers scrambling to discover why honeybees were dying in record numbers — and to stop the epidemic in its tracks before it spread further. Silence of the Bees is the first in-depth look at the search to uncover what is killing the honeybee. The filmmakers of Bees take viewers around the world to the sites of fallen hives, to high-tech labs, where scientists race to uncover clues, and even deep inside honeybee colonies. Silence of the Bees is the story of a riveting, ongoing investigation to save honeybees from dying out. The film goes beyond the unsolved mystery to tell the story of the honeybee itself, its invaluable impact on our diets and takes a look at what’s at stake if honeybees disappear. Silence of the Bees explores the complex world of the honeybee in crisis and instills in viewers a sense of urgency to learn ways to help these extraordinary animals. - Forgotten Ellis Island
E3Forgotten Ellis IslandForgotten Ellis Island is the first film (and companion book) to be produced about the immigrant hospital on Ellis Island. Opened in 1902, the hospital grew to twenty-two medical buildings which sprawled across two islands adjacent to Ellis Island, the largest port of entry in the United States. Massive and modern, the hospital was America's first line of defense against contagious, often virulent disease. In the era before antibiotics, tens of thousands of immigrant patients were separated from family, detained in the hospital, and healed from illness before becoming citizens. 350 babies were born in the hospital, and many were named after the doctors and nurses that helped deliver them. Ten times that many immigrants died on Ellis Island — 3,500 were buried in paupers graves around New York City. - Jerusalem: Center of The WorldE4
Jerusalem: Center of The WorldFor over 40 centuries, untold numbers of Jews, Christians and Muslims have come to Jerusalem to look for God, while billions more have worshiped from afar. Jerusalem: Center of the World, a two-hour epic event in Hi-Definition by Emmy Award-winning producer/director Andrew Goldberg and Oregon Public Television, is the first documentary of this scope to delve into the historical facts and religious beliefs that have led so many thousands to live and die for this city. Host Ray Suarez of The NewsHour With Jim Lehrer, together with an outstanding roster of scholars, explores the founding of the city, and the birth and convergence of the world's three major monotheistic religions. He lends voice to the key events in the city's history as described in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles, the Talmud, the Hagaddah, the Koran, and the Hadith. - Vizcaya: Palace of Dreams
E6Vizcaya: Palace of DreamsVizcaya, a 60-minute stunning historical documentary film that tells the story of this grand estate, through an entertaining and educational combination of on-location visuals, rich narratives, and interviews with architectural and cultural historians, reservationists, and curators. Viewers will learn about the estate's rich history, dramatic landscape, and extraordinary architecture and collections through an informal learning experience that appeals to a broad audience. Viewers will also learn about the fragility of Vizcaya and other historic sites, and the challenges of preservation that threaten these bastions of our local and national heritage. - The Marshall Plan: Against the OddsE7
The Marshall Plan: Against the OddsGaze back across 50 years to measure the success of the Marshall Plan, history's most controversial rescue effort. With hunger, poverty and devastation stalking postwar Europe, retired general and war hero George C. Marshall called for a U.S. financed reconstruction of the battered continent. For the first time, hear European witnesses reflect on the legacy and consequences of Marshall's remarkable vision - Dead Reckoning: Champlain in AmericaE8
Dead Reckoning: Champlain in AmericaDead Reckoning ~ Champlain in America focuses on Champlain’s years of exploration in North America, and his successful adaptation to the ways of the Amerindian people, who taught him how to explore and survive in the wilds of North America. Champlain began his voyages as a cartographer in the service of the king of France. By the end of his life, he was responsible for the future of New France in North America. - G-Man: The Rise and Fall of Melvin PurvisE9
G-Man: The Rise and Fall of Melvin PurvisPresenting "just the facts, ma'am," the documentary examines Purvis' life and sheds some light on his gruesome death. In the process, "G-MAN" explores the complicated relationship between Purvis and J. Edgar Hoover, the first director of the FBI and the man who some have said was responsible not only for Purvis' meteoric rise, but also his rapid descent back into obscurity. - Jim Thorpe: World's Greatest AthleteE10
Jim Thorpe: World's Greatest AthleteFrom winning two Olympic gold medals to his fall from grace in amateur athletics to his rebound in professional baseball and football, Jim Thorpe represents one of the greatest machines known to man. Beginning with Thorpe's boyhood days on the Sac and Fox Nation to his rise to athletic stardom, a new documentary, Jim Thorpe: The World's Greatest Athlete, reveals the athlete who rose to the top of the athletic world only to be stripped of his Olympic medals after being accused of professional sports play. - Forgotten War: The Struggle for North AmericaE11
Forgotten War: The Struggle for North AmericaTwo Hundred and fifty years ago an epic struggle for the fate of North America played out in New York, New England and Canada - we call it the French and Indian War. For five years, from 1755 to 1760, the battles raged at Lake George, Crown Point, Fort Ticonderoga, and Quebec as France. Britain and the native peoples of North America fought to decide who would control the crucial highway of rivers and lakes between New York and the city of Montreal. The program tells the story of conflict in a way it's never been told before; introducing viewers to fresh, diverse voices and the latest historical research. - Nixon's the One: The '68 Election (And How It Changed America)E14
Nixon's the One: The '68 Election (And How It Changed America)In 1962, Richard Nixon's once meteoric political career lay in ruins. The former vice-president had suffered two bitter losses; one in the 1960 presidential race against John F. Kennedy, the other in a bid for the governorship of his home state of California. Yet, only six years later, Nixon would be elected President of the United States. How did it happen? Why did it happen? That is the historical riddle that Nixon's the One: The '68 Election (And How It Changed America) examines. Combining elements of biography with an exploration of the larger cultural, political, and historical landscape of the Sixties, the film argues that Nixon, far from being an improbable president, was the figure who most expertly exploited the tensions of the era, harnessing them for his own ends. - Kilauea: Mountain of FireE16
Kilauea: Mountain of FireKilauea continually molds Hawaii’s Big Island. Creating new land, shaping ancient forests and carving tunnels through the earth, the volcano fascinates a dedicated group of scientists and filmmakers who follow its every action. Using innovative new imaging technologies to map the magma chamber, following the lava’s heat along its journey underground, and listening to the constant noises of its movements, geologists map the shifting liquid earth as they work to understand its awesome force. - Dutch New York
E17Dutch New YorkHave you ever wondered what New York was like before it was a city? The year 2009 marks the 400th anniversary of explorer Henry Hudson's voyage to New York State and the river that bears his name. As we celebrate the anniversary of the voyage, historian Barry Lewis takes us back in time to rediscover the first European settlers in New York — the Dutch. This documentary looks at the Dutch influence on New York and on the American colonies. - Hallowed GroundsE19
Hallowed GroundsMany people are aware of the famous American military cemetery at Omaha Beach, Normandy, site of one of the D-Day landings in 1944. But few know there are twenty-one other American military cemeteries in eight different countries memorializing those who were not brought back to the United States after World War I and World War II. Each of these commemorative places is powerful and unique, and has is own stories to tell. These cemeteries, created and maintained by the U.S. government through the American Battle Monuments Commission, are permanent memorial sites, built to stand the test of time. Collectively they contain the remains of 125,000 Americans. There are 94,000 more names commemorated on Walls of the Missing. Dignified and serene, they were created to honor America's fallen, but they are also intended to inspire and teach the living. Hallowed Grounds is the first major documentary made about these remarkable shrines, and brings them all to life with stunning visuals and powerful storytelling. The program weaves elements of a historical documentary with contemporary scenes of the cemeteries. There are American World War I and World War II cemeteries in England, France, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, Italy, Tunisia and the Philippines. All are places of astonishing natural beauty, embellished with great architecture and powerful works of art. It is the contrast of these remarkable burial grounds with the horrors of war that gives them their profound impact. The documentary moves chronologically through both world wars of the 20th century. Most of the cemeteries are located on or near the major battlefields. The narrative provides a general history of the wars, and briefly recounts the battles and operations that took place in the areas where the cemeteries are located. Each cemetery contains tales of courage and unselfish service to comrades and country. Some of the fallen profiled in the program are well known: the poet Joyce Kilmer, the b - The Powder and the GloryE20
The Powder and the GloryBased on British author Lindy Woodhead's bestselling book War Paint: Madame Helena Rubinstein and Miss Elizabeth Arden, their lives, their times and their rivalry, this film focuses on two women from meager means who immigrated to the US nearly a hundred years ago, reinvented themselves and ultimately created the cosmetics, health, and beauty industry we know today. - Yellowstone: Land to LifeE21
Yellowstone: Land to LifeIn Yellowstone: Land to Life, filmmaker John Grabowska (Ribbon of Sand, Remembered Earth) presents a lyrical interpretation of the sweeping geological story of Yellowstone, from glaciation to mountain-building to the gigantic caldera of a supervolcano. Featuring breathtaking cinematography of this complex and charismatic landscape, Land to Life was filmed over two years in all seasons and delves deeply into the significance behind the scenery. - Things That Go Bump in the Night: Tales of Haunted New EnglandE22
Things That Go Bump in the Night: Tales of Haunted New EnglandNew England is a region full of beauty and history, but it also hides a dark heritage which many speak about in tales 'round the campfire on a crisp autumn evening... Things That Go Bump in the Night takes you on a journey throughout New England collecting tales of the supernatural, the unexplained and the mysterious - spooky stories of ghosts, spirits, witches... and even a vampire! - Legacy of WarE23
Legacy of WarThis program details the successful launch and execution of the Marshall Plan -- America's expansive commitment to re-build Europe at the end of the war. Walter Cronkite traces the complex and changing relationship between the United States and England and explores the dramatic shifts of the Cold War from the end of the war up to the present. - Cinema's Exiles: From Hitler to HollywoodE24
Cinema's Exiles: From Hitler to HollywoodSigourney Weaver narrates this documentary telling the story of a diaspora that resulted in some of the biggest names in the German film industry seeking their fortunes in Hollywood. When Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany in 1933, one of his earliest actions was to ban Jews from working in the country's film industry. The following years saw more than 800 film professionals fleeing their homeland and escaping to Hollywood. They included actors Hedy Lamarr and Peter Lorre; directors Fritz Lang, Billy Wilder and Fred Zinnemann; and composers Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Franz Waxman. Through film clips, rare footage, photographs and first-person accounts, the film traces the experiences of the exiles and examines their impact on the big screen on both sides of the Atlantic. Not all were successful, but some went on to play major roles in the history of American cinema, producing such classics as The Bride of Frankenstein, Ninotchka, To Be or Not To Be, Casablanca, Double Indemnity, Sunset Boulevard, High Noon, The Big Heat, and Some Like It Hot. The documentary features personal contributions from some of the actors and directors who exerted a profound influence on the culture of their adopted country. - Celtic Woman: Songs from the HeartE25
Celtic Woman: Songs from the HeartCeltic Woman vocalists Lisa Kelly, Chloe Agnew, Lynn Hilary and Alex Sharpe, with violinist Mairead Nesbitt, perform at Ireland's historic Powerscourt House and Gardens in Enniskerry, County Wicklow in their PBS special CELTIC WOMAN: SONGS FROM THE HEART. The musical repertoire ranges from spirited Celtic fiddle and bodhran pieces to lush arrangements of Irish classics, contemporary covers and original compositions. In addition to the six-piece band, the Aontas Choir, a film orchestra, the Discovery Gospel Choir, the Extreme Rhythm Drummers and a bagpipe ensemble join Celtic Woman for this event. - Elbert Hubbard: An American OriginalE26
Elbert Hubbard: An American OriginalThe life of Elbert Hubbard is a story of love, art, passion and controversy set against the backdrop of the Arts and Crafts Movement at the turn of the 20th century. As the flamboyant founder of the Roycroft artisan community in East Aurora, New York, Hubbard was an influential national figure who died as dramatically as he lived. - The Scots who Fought FrancoE28
The Scots who Fought FrancoOver 500 Scots fought in the Spanish Civil War which devastated Spain 70 years ago. Emotions and memories of this extraordinary conflict are still alive and poignant. This two-part documentary series, narrated by actor David Hayman, remembers the major conflict through unseen, unique archive interviews with Scots who joined the International Brigade, or Brigaders as they are known. - Shooting the War
E29Shooting the WarAmateur films from the Second Wold War which make a valuable source for historians. These have become more interested in them with the passing of time. The tapes shot by, in some cases, film club members, provide a rare insight of the lives of men, women and children during the most horrific war the world has known to date. - The UltraMind Solution: Defeat Depression, Overcome Anxiety and Sharpen Y our Mind With Mark Hyman, M.D.E33
The UltraMind Solution: Defeat Depression, Overcome Anxiety and Sharpen Y our Mind With Mark Hyman, M.D.Dr. Hyman presents the possibility that treating seven key biological imbalances, the body's natural healing takes over and heals the brain. - The Great Cities of EuropeE34
The Great Cities of EuropeThis special gives viewers an aerial overview of some of Europe's most interesting cities and locales - London, Amsterdam, the French Riviera and Monaco, Rome, Vienna, Budapest, Prague, Dublin, Florence, Venice and Paris - for the ultimate European tour.
