Omnibus
Season 1997
Arts documentary series with concerts and experimental dramatizations.
Where to Watch Season 1997
23 Episodes
- Dancing Through DarknessE1
Dancing Through DarknessJust after the fourth anniversary of Rudolf Nureyev 's death comes this special programme about the last ten years of his life. It was the period of Nureyev's artistic directorship of the Paris Opera Ballet and, coincidentally, the time in which he faced up to contracting Aids. He continued to dance, to choreograph and he even toured the US in a musical. This film is about a man who literally tried to cheat death by dancing. - The WandererE2
The WandererFranz Schubert was born years ago this month. He knew no public success, never married, and died at the age of 31. He longed for peace and happiness, but in the end found them only in music. Pianist Andras Schiff visits Vienna and discusses the close connection between Schubert's life and music, especially his neglected piano works. - Balthus The PainterE4
Balthus The PainterBorn in 1908, this enigmatic painter of young girls, haunting landscapes and still lives is one of the world's most distinguished living artists. In this documentary about his life and work, he talks about his friendship with Giacometti, his Catholic faith, eroticism, childhood and the frustration of old age. - Stars and MasE5
Stars and MasIn celebration of Mothering Sunday, stars talk frankly about their mothers, and the mothers give an insight into the characters of their celebrity offspring. Spice Girl Emma Bunton and boxer Lennox Lewis talk about their close relationships with their mothers. Bob Marley 's mother Cedella Booker speaks of her devotion to her son, while actress Claire Bloom reveals a more complex relationship with her daughter. - Milos FormanE6
Milos FormanThe People vs Larry Flynt, Milos Forman's controversial new film, marks a welcome return to the screen for the Oscar-winning director of One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest and Amadeus (which can be seen at 12 midnight). Through interviews with Forman and many of his colleagues, this profile looks back over his early career in Czechoslovakia, his work as an American director and his commitment to freedom of speech. - George Lucas - Flying SoloE7
George Lucas - Flying SoloProfile of George Lucas as STAR WARS hits the cinema screens again, twenty years after its original release. With rare behind-the-scenes footage, Francis Ford Coppola, Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Ron Howard, Walter Murch & more... As the “Star Wars” films enter their period of new storylines, recurring characters, and calendar domination over the next decade, George Lucas only stands now to distance himself from his creation, and reportedly get to work on more intimate, experimental ventures. While we wait to see the results of those efforts, an older documentary on the man provides a close look on his life leading up and into his life-changing franchise. Commissioned to coincide with the 1997 “Star Wars” Special Editions, the BBC Omnibus “George Lucas: Flying Solo,” profiles the director as he discusses his formative years, as well as clips and insight into his 16mm short films, “Look at Life,” “Herbie,” and “Freiheit.” His experimental roots are indeed a large element of the documentary (directed by James Erskine), as an interview with Francis Ford Coppola poses Lucas' alternative path if the trilogy never happened. Interviews with his actors and collaborators -- Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, and Irvin Kershner -- are included as well, and the entire doc is worth a look just to see the personality behind the absolute behemoth that “Star Wars” would eventually become. - Jack, The LadE8
Jack, The LadThe arts documentary series marks its return by taking one of Britain's most acclaimed and prolific writers, Jack Rosenthal, on a retrospective journey to revisit the people and places which inspired his career over the first 30 years of his life, up to the point, in 1961, when he wrote the first of his 129 Coronation Street episodes. The film includes contributions from his family and friends from his days at school, university, and in the Navy, who provided influence for his work. - Anthony Green RA, 57 UpE9
Anthony Green RA, 57 UpPaintings by respected narrative artist Anthony Green have been exhibited at every Royal Academy Summer Exhibition since 1966, arousing anger and admiration in equal measure. Green's work, which has also appeared in galleries around the world, is based on his own life and many paintings intimately record his relationship with his wife Mary Cozens-Walker . Omnibus editor Nigel Williams , who directed two documentaries about Green's s life in the seventies, completes his film trilogy with a look at the 57-year-old artist's latest work, including a freestanding painting entitled Eden CB3 7HE that Green has submitted to this year's Summer Exhibition. - Oscar
E20OscarWriter Michael Bracewell presents an unusual and provocative look at the life and legacy of Oscar Wilde, the controversial Irish-born writer. Michael sets out to rescue him from the dangers of respectability by portraying him as an inspiration to generations of rockers and artists. Contributors include Neil Tennant from the Pet Shop Boys, playwright Tom Stoppard, actor Stephen Fry, and guest appearances from musicians Terry Hall and Shane MacGowan. (1997) - The Fame and Shame of Salvador Dali - Part TwoE22
The Fame and Shame of Salvador Dali - Part TwoIn the second and concluding part of the biography of artist Salvador Dali , Ian Gibson explores Dali and his wife Gala's wealth and celebrity in the USA. The programme looks at the commercialisation and the dominating themes of Dali's later work, which included impotence, sexual voyeurism and the latest scientific discoveries, and examines his controversial declining years which were plagued by tax problems, fakes of his work, and his physical decay.