American Masters

History Series / 14 Seasons

American Masters, committed to producing comprehensive film biographies about the broad cast of characters who comprise our cultural history.

Watch Latest: S39 E1

1h 23m / TV-14

Eames Outtakes: Pilgrimage

1m 41s / TV-G

Eames Demetrios, grandson of Ray and Charles and Richard Saul Wurman of TED Talk about how the eames house has lured people from all over the world and become a kind of pilgrimage site for modernists. Charles & Ray Eames: The Architect and the Painter premieres nationally Monday, December 19 at 10 p.m. (check local listings) as the 25th anniversary season finale of American Masters.

Woody Allen: A Documentary

2m 19s

Iconic writer, director, actor, comedian, and musician Woody Allen allowed his life and creative process to be documented for the first time. Filmmaker Robert Weide followed the film legend over a year and a half to create the ultimate film biography. Woody Allen: A Documentary premieres Sunday, November 20 from 9-11 p.m. and Monday, November 21 from 9-10:30 p.m. on PBS (check local listings).

Bill T. Jones: The Cutting Room Floor

5m 54s

In this mini documentary, originally produced for ITVS, see how the directors chose which scenes and storylines to cut from the final edit of the film and see footage from one of the cuts that was made. Bill T. Jones: A Good Man premieres nationally Friday, November 11 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings) as part of the first PBS Arts Fall Festival.

Bill T. Jones: A Good Man

2m 55s

The 90-minute film chronicles the intense creative journey of Bill T. Jones as he tackles the most ambitious work of his career and leads the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company in the creation of Fondly Do We Hope... Fervently Do We Pray, an original dance-theater piece in honor of Abraham Lincoln's bicentennial commissioned by Ravinia Festival.

Collaborations in the Dance Company

3m 20s

Creative Director Bjorn Amelan explains the process of collaboration between the production designers, technical crew, and artists when creating new work for Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company. Bill T. Jones: A Good Man premieres nationally Friday, November 11 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings) as part of the first PBS Arts Fall Festival.

Creating the Costumes

2m 4s

In this outtake from Bill T. Jones: A Good Man, see the dancers in their initial costume fitting with designer Liz Prince and the following critique by Bill T. Jones. Bill T. Jones: A Good Man premieres nationally Friday, November 11 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings) as part of the first PBS Arts Fall Festival.

Problems with Columns

1m 6s

In an outtake from Bill T. Jones: A Good Man, the crew experiences an unexpected problem when the columns, required to move about the stage during the piece, are unable to move smoothly across the stage. Bill T. Jones: A Good Man premieres nationally Friday, November 11 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings) as part of the first PBS Arts Fall Festival.

Jamyl's Jump

2m 29s

Jamyl Dobson, the actor in the production, describes how he adapted to Jones's physically-demanding staging, as well as how his experience with voice helped the dancers approach their speaking roles. Bill T. Jones: A Good Man premieres nationally Friday, November 11 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings) as part of the first PBS Arts Fall Festival.

Blowing in the Wind

55s

In this outtake from Bill T. Jones: A Good Man,the crew discovers that the curtains used for projections in Fondly Do We Hope... Fervently Do We Pray are subject to large movements from wind gusts in the open-air venue and finds a solution. Bill T. Jones: A Good Man premieres nationally Friday, November 11 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings) as part of the first PBS Arts Fall Festival.

Interview with Bill T. Jones

1m 30s / TV-PG

Bill T. Jones discusses his creative process, the origins of the documentary Bill T. Jones: A Good Man, and how President Abraham Lincoln and related subject matter has inspired his work for Fondly Do We Hope... Fervently Do We Pray. Bill T. Jones: A Good Man, premieres nationally Friday, November 11 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings).

Bill T. Jones: Interview with the Filmmakers

10m 42s

Co-directors Bob Hercules of Media Process Group and Gordon Quinn of Kartemquin Films discuss their verite approach, how they learned to shoot dance-theater, and their favorite moments from the documentary. Bill T. Jones: A Good Man premieres nationally Friday, November 11 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings) as part of the first PBS Arts Fall Festival.

Pearl Jam Twenty

3m

Director and music journalist Cameron Crowe creates a definitive portrait of the seminal band carved from never-before-seen footage, recent band interviews, and concert footage. The two-hour documentary gives an intimate glimpse into Pearl Jam's journey in honor of the band's 20th anniversary. Pearl Jam Twenty premieres nationally Friday, October 21 at 9 p.m. (ET/PT) on PBS (check local listings).

A Letter to Elia - Preview

30s

Director Martin Scorsese reveals Elia Kazan's life, his sense of himself as an immigrant and as an outsider. Scorsese also recounts his early experiences seeing Kazan's films for the first time - and being forever influenced. 7/12/13

Levine on his Childhood

2m 35s

In this outtake from James Levine: America's Maestro, James Levine remembers growing up with a father who led a dance band that broadcast from the Beverly Wilshire Hotel and recalls his first piano lessons.

James Levine Conducts The Bartered Bride

4m 52s / TV-G

Watch Layla Claire and Paul Appleby perform in the Lindemann Young Artists production of The Bartered Bride, conducted by James Levine, and talk about the experience working with Maestro. This clip is an outtake from James Levine: America's Maestro.

James Levine Conducts Simon Boccanegra

5m 19s / TV-G

In this clip from James Levine: America's Maestro, hear a story from David Langlitz, the Principal Trombone for the Met Orchestra, that illuminates Levine's unique sensitivity to sound and watch Levine conduct a dress rehearsal of Simon Boccanegra with Placido Domingo. James Levine: America's Maestro premieres Wednesday June 1st, 2011 at 8 p.m. (check local listings).

James Levine Conducts Beethoven's Symphony No. 5

3m 55s / TV-G

In this clip from James Levine: America's Maestro, Levine conducts the Met Opera Orchestra in their first rehearsal of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 at Carnegie Hall and engages the orchestra with his unique style of direction. James Levine: America's Maestro premieres Wednesday, June 1 at 8 p.m. (check local listings).

Supported by