Suggested Viewing

Cinco de Mayo

Mother's Day

Memorial Day

Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo – V-Cass GT 4814 A2 C55 1995 / 22 min.  color
After a brief overview of the events leading up to May 5, 1862, the Mexican day of independence, the video shows various celebrations of Cinco de Mayo in present-day Mexico.

Motherhood

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood – DV-Disc PN 1997 D5834 2002  /  2002  116 min.  color  Languages: English, French  Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
Like mother, like daughter. Neither a hard-as-nails New York playwright nor her flaky Louisiana mother will take the necessary steps to mend their long-time rift. No, this is a job for the Sisterhood, sworn life-long friends who stage an outlandish "intervention" to bring daughter and mother back together again.

A Healthy Baby Girl – V-Cass RA 1242 D48 H43 1996  /  1996  57 min.  color
This film presents the filmmaker's experience of coping with her own hysterectomy for cervical cancer caused by her mother's use of D.E.S., a synthetic hormone administered to prevent miscarriage.

Measures of Distance – V-Cass DS 87.53 M43 1988  /  1988  15 min.  color
Letters from a Palestinian woman living in war-torn Lebanon to her daughter, whom she has not seen for years, and a series of photographs of the woman, convey the effects of war and exile on personal and cultural life, and nuances of family relationships.

Midwives… Lullabies… and Mother Earth – V-Cass RG 661 M54 1993  /  1993  52 min.  color
his program shows how Odent promoted the view of women giving birth as a natural act.  By designing intimate birthing rooms and giving mothers and midwives more status, Odent allowed women to more fully experience the miracle of giving birth.

The Mother (Subtitled) – V-Cass PN 1995.9 E96 M68 1994  /  Spanish, English  1994  69 min.  color
Explores the mythical figure of the mother from multiple viewpoints- documentary and fiction, Spanish and English, theory and experience. The director interviews people on the street, views Hollywood stalwarts of maternal sentiment like Stella Dallas, reads what feminist thinkers have to say on the subject and copes with life as a single Latina mother

Mother (THE JAPANESE FAMILY)(Subtitled) -- V-Cass PN 1997 O36 1987z  /  Japanese  1952  98 min.  b&w
A working class mother struggles to resurrect her family from postwar ruins.

Mothers and Sons: The Crucial Connection — V-Cass HQ 755.85 M68 1996 / 1996 32 min.  color
Olga Silverstein, a therapist with the Ackerman Institute for Family Therapy, discusses the importance of the ties between mother and son.

My Mother's Castle (Subtitled) -- V-Cass PN 1997 C4393 1992  /  French  1991  98 min.  color (French Title: Le Chateau de ma mere)
The story of Marcel Pagnol's childhood holidays in Provence continues in My Mother's Castle. During a Christmas in the region Marcel's affection for the area deepens and he also learns to love and appreciate his Mother's true nature.

My Story – V-Cass HQ 759.4 M94 1995  /  1995  60 min.  color
My Story is about three young women who became pregnant during adolescence. Each young woman tells her own poignant story of how pregnancy impacted her life and the people around her.

Refrigerator Mothers – V-Cass RJ 506 A9 R44 2002  /  54 min.  color
From the 1950s through the early 1970s, the American medical establishment thought it had found the cause of autism: poor mothering. Doctors presumed that the bizarre behaviors of autistic children - rigid rituals, difficulty with speech, extreme self-isolation - stemmed from their mothers' emotional frigidity. We now know that autism is a brain disorder, not the result of poor parenting. But for a whole generation of women branded as cold "refrigerator mothers," the damage had already been done.

Steel Magnolias – DV-Disc PN 1997 S72275 2000  /  1989  119 min.  color  Languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese  Subtitles: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, Thai
A young diabetic's decision to have a baby may cost her life. This choice leaves her own mother torn between love and anger, while her loyal friends support her and try to deal with their own feelings.

Terms of Endearment -- V-Cass PN 1997 T427 1984   /  1983  132 min.  color
A comedy-drama that spans 30 years in the lives of a mother and daughter.

Troop 1500: Girl Scouts Beyond Bars – DV-Disc HV 8884 T76 2005  /  2005  68 min.  color  Languages: English
Girl Scout Troop 1500 in Austin, Texas, arranged for daughters of women prisoners in Gatesville to interview their respective mothers to help strengthen their familial bonds, and to hopefully end the cycle of crime.

When the Bough Breaks – Children of Mother in Prison – V-Cass HV 8886 U5 W48 2001  /  2001  58 min.  color
his documentary looks at children coping with their mother's incarcerations and illustrates the policy gaps between the judicial and social service systems that are supposed to serve these children.

Women: The New Poor -- V-Cass HQ 1381 W654 1990  /  1990  28 min.  color
Follows the lives of four women in Connecticut who have become poor in various ways and explores how they cope with poverty.

Memorial Day

Korean War Stories – V-Cass DS 921.6 K67 2001  /  2001  60 min.  color
Veterans share their stories, their memories, thoughts and feelings of the Korean War.

Lines in the Sand -- V-Cass DS 79.72 L565 1991  /  1991  12 min.  color
A video essay examining the Persian Gulf War, the media and the military.

Men of Bronze -- V-Cass D 570.33 M46 1986  /  1977  60 min.  b&w-color
The story of the black American soldiers of the 369th combat regiment (known as the Rattlesnake Regiment), who served with the French Army in World War I. They spent 191 days in front line trenches, longer than any other American infantry unit.

Pearl Harbor – V-Cass PN 1997 P3964 2001  /  2001  183 min.  color (Includes the History Channel documentary Unsung Heroes and the Faith Hill music video There You’ll Be)
This real-life tale of catastrophic defeat, heroic victory and personal courage focuses on the World War II’s devastating impact on two daring young pilots and a dedicated nurse.

Regret to Inform – V-Cass DS 559.8 W6 R43 2000  /  1998  72 min.  color
Film maker, Barbara Sonneborn, makes a pilgrimage to the Vietnamese countryside where her husband died. She explores the meaning of war and loss on a human level and weaves interviews with Vietnamese and American widows into a vivid testament to the legacy of war.

Silver Wings and Santiago Blue -- V-Cass UG 633 S54 1988  /  1988  60 min.  color
One thousand women pilots of World War II – the WASPs – braved physical danger, hardships and prejudice to serve their country.  Although they served according to military regulations, they had to wait for an act of Congress to grant them recognition for their heroism 35 years later.

They Drew Fire: Combat Artists of World War II – V-Cass D 810 A7 T48 1999  /  1999  57 min.  color
Through the eyes of seven World War II artists, this video shows an intimate and often startling look at combat, and the task of transforming the horrors of war into stark, revealing, and enduring works of art.

The Wall That Heals — V-Cass F 203.4 V54 W365 1997 / 1997 50 min.  color
This exclusive video celebration of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial’s fifteenth anniversary is a moving remembrance of the power of “The Wall” and its ability to heal all who come to it.