Examines the life and legacy of African American poet, memoirist, and civil rights worker Maya Angelou, from her upbringing in the Depression-era South to her work with Malcolm X in Ghana to the recitation of her inaugural poem for President Bill Clinton. Includes Angelou's own words woven together with archival photographs and videos as well as interviews with Angelou's friends and family.

Like everything else about General George Custer, his martyrdom was shrouded in controversy and contradictions. The final act of his larger-than-life career played out on a grand stage with a spellbound public engrossed in the drama. In the end, his death would launch one of the greatest myths in American history. Part of the Wild West collection.

Bing Crosby was, without a doubt, the most popular and influential multi-media star of the first half of the twentieth century, pulling audiences in with his intimate, laid-back voice and innate charm. Narrated by Stanley Tucci and directed by Robert Trachtenberg, this film explores the life and legend of this iconic performer, revealing a personality far more complex than the image the public had only thought they'd known.

Examine the visionary work and turbulent life of one of the greatest and most influential American writers: Ernest Hemingway. Intimate and insightful, the series weaves together Hemingway's biography with excerpts from his work. The film penetrates the myth of Hemingway to reveal a deeply troubled and ultimately tragic figure.

In the late 1980s, 61-year-old former pathologist Dr. Jack Kevorkian launched a crusade to provide what he considered a humane and dignified option for the terminally ill--assisted suicide. Aided by his loyal friend Neal Nicol, and his older sister Margo Janus, Kevorkian begins offering his "death counseling" services to a grateful and burgeoning clientele. He earns the support of Hemlock Society activist Janet Good and the wrath of the county prosecutor's...

Traces Close's painterly evolution from his first series of black-and-white heads. Follows him into the contemporary art community of New York where he encounters other artists.

Filmed on location at many places actually frequented by the real persons portrayed and featuring a script written from primary sources, this documentary tells the life story of American author Louisa May Alcott, chronicling her efforts to rescue her family from poverty and find wealth, fame, and happiness for herself. Includes animations and commentary from Alcott scholars, novelist Geraldine Brooks, and the "literary sleuths" who uncovered Alcott's...

Look behind the curtain of Washington politics, depicting the explosive 1991 Clarence Thomas Supreme Court nomination hearings where Anita Hill accused him of sexual harassment. The hearings brought the country to a standstill and became a pivotal moment in American culture forever changing how people perceive and experience workplace equality and gender politics.

Explore the life and legacy of August Wilson, the playwright some call America's Shakespeare, who chronicled the twentieth-century black experience. Features James Earl Jones, Phylicia Rashad, Laurence Fishburne, Viola Davis, new dramatic readings, and rare footage. Explores the life and career of American playwright August Wilson.

Before David Blaine and David Copperfield, there was one man whose name was synonymous with being the master of illusion and escape - Harry Houdini. It follows the man behind the magic as he finds fame, engages in espionage, battles spiritualists and encounters the greatest names of the era, from U.S. presidents to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Grigori Rasputin. The drama will chronicle the life of a man who can defy death through his stunts, his visions...