Ravi Shankar's name is known to all music lovers and he has been the greatest ambassador to the West for Indian Classical Music, which was relatively unknown and unappreciated in UK until the '50s, when I began to attend small concerts in London to hear great performers including the sarodist, Ali Akbar Khan, since when I have been writing about this arcane delight, whilst remaining still an ignorant devotee of this wonderful music, which requires years of study to begin to penetrate its mysteries. At a superficial level, it is easy to enjoy, and few will remain untouched by the beauty of the sitar, to see and to hear, with revealing close-ups showing exactly how it is played. To celebrate Ravi Shankar's 80th birthday here is a delightful and moving documentary, expertly compiled and filmed, with breathtaking scenes of life in India and the West. Ravi Shankar reviews his extraordinary life with warmth and humility, commenting with members of his family around him on the scenes which pass before him and us, expressing gratitude for his good fortune and long life. We are taken through his childhood, world tours as a dancer in a troup led by his brother Uday, the glamorous high life of Paris and New York, meetings and associations with all the greatest musicians of the time and, from eighteen, intensive study with his guru Baba Allauddin Khan which led him towards emergence as the great musician in the classical tradition who is revered the world over. Later Ravi Shankar contributed the music to Satyajit Ray's historic films, influenced musicians as diverse as Menuhin, John Coltrane and George Harrison, later retreating and withdrawing from the rock world super-stardom and taking great satisfaction in teaching pupils including his daughter Anoushka, now a sitar virtuoso in her own right. There is a short extract from one of his lessons and, to end, a short introduction to Indian music and to the sitar, with a demonstration of how they are made, followed by two Ragas played in concert in London, at Union Chapel, Islington, during the summer of 2002, the Raga Rangeela Piloo especially beautiful. from:

Bill Viola has been exploring video art since its beginnings in the 1970's, and is increasingly recognised as one of the most important visual artists working today. His work includes single-channel pieces as well as large scale sound and image installations. "Bill Viola : The Eye of the Heart", initially broadcasted in 1996, is the first portrait to have been made of this crucial artist. The film features Viola at work, extracts from some of his major works, and in-depth interviews with Viola himself. In the film Viola talks passionately about his life and the events and artistic influences that have driven his work: from his childhood memory of near-drowning, to the artistic exploration and political activism of his youth, and on to the death of his mother. The film explores as well the connection between Viola's work and the mystical traditions of East and West.

Legends Mario Lanza: Singing to the Gods

英国2010年最新纪录佳作。这部纪录片讲述的是关于钢琴家阿尔弗雷德·布伦德尔（Alfred Brendel 被公认为是世界上最伟大的古典钢琴家）和他的学生、才华横溢、年轻的天才作曲家基特·阿姆斯特朗（Kit Armstrong）之间的关系。影片主要表现了2008-2009年间布伦德尔的告别之旅表演期间，老师与学生之间感人故事，大师通过对生活的经验和智慧，如何引导他的非常有天赋的学生追求音乐的梦想。

From the early 19th century to 1946 Paris had many brothels that were tolerated and controlled by the state. These were sometimes rough places but more often were housed in richly designed buildings and serviced a clientèle from all walks of life. This documentary looks back at the Paris brothels through photographs, historians as well as memories from some who would frequent them as clients or work there as prostitutes.

BBC为纪念1956年匈牙利十月事件50周年而拍的电视纪录片，拍得不错，对东欧历史和革命感兴趣的人可以看看。4/5