In 1925 Luigi Pirandello brought his troupe to England as part of a worldwide tour. This program re-creates one day in London as "The Einstein of the Theater" watches his plays and, away from the footlights, confronts the paradoxical nature of his life. Portions of Six Characters in Search of an Author; Henry IV; Right You Are, If You Think You Are; and The Rules of the Game are meticulously staged, using actors' accounts, period descriptions, and...

This program paints a controversial picture of the events of September 11, 2001. It describes how the attacks on the United States have been elevated to a sacred, near-religious level - and that to challenge the orthodox view, regardless of the quality of the contrary arguments, is considered blasphemy and to be rejected.

This program follows the progress of women's rights and equal employment from the Contra war through the term of former president Violeta Chamorro. A former Sandinista fighter who lost a foot laying mines for the Contras wants the government to give her a job; a woman displaced from her job by men returning from the war objects; another whose daughter was murdered by the Somozist Guard wants justice. Dozens of others tell their stories, as Chamorro...

Also known as the Mexican - American war, it was an armed conflict from 1846 to 1848 in the wake of the 1845 U.S. annexation of Texas, which Mexico considered part of its territory despite the 1836 Texas Revolution. Follow this program as American forces invade and conquer New Mexico, California, and parts of what is currently northern Mexico, while another American army captures Mexico City and forces Mexico to agree to the cession of its northern...

In 2003, the Wide Angle program Time for School profiled children in seven countries-Afghanistan, Benin, Brazil, India, Japan, Kenya, and Romania-as they started their first year of school, often in the face of great adversity. Three years later this Wide Angle episode returns to visit each child, updating the progress of their educational and personal development. The similarities and contrasts that emerge among the lives of these young people provide...

A part of the series America in the 20th Century. Anyone who thinks the Civil Rights movement began and ended with Martin Luther King, Jr., will discover a new, eye-opening view of history in this program. It reveals a long-running struggle for racial equality starting with Civil War- and Reconstruction-era events, moving through the blight of Jim Crow and the formation of the NAACP and other groups, and depicting the drama of King's movement in varied,...

Babies born more than three months prematurely have low chances of survival, and a preemie that beats the odds may face serious-even lifelong-medical issues. This video describes the battle for life in a high-tech neonatal care unit and how parents of preemies can find support.

It's China's plan to guarantee its economic future: the movement of hundreds of millions people from rural areas to cities and their transition from from farmers into consumers. And while China is building bigger and faster, Premier Li Keqiang says he wants the urbanization drive to focus more on people's needs and to be environmentally-friendly. The government has pledged much-needed reforms of the Hukuo, or household registration system, to allow...

A single issue of The New York Times is said to contain more information than could be learned in a lifetime by a person living in the 15th century. This program traces the development of books, newspapers, and magazines in the Western world, from the invention of the printing press, metal type, paper, and oil-based ink to the present day. Experts from the Smithsonian Institution, Harvard University Press, MIT, and The New York Times discuss the effect...

Ancient Roots traces the family history of three quintessential voices in American life. All three descend from ancestors that were part of the wave of Greek immigrants that flooded America's shores in the early decades of the 20th century. But along the way, the stories of their Greek ancestors were lost. In recovering these stories, we'll find that their ancestors overcame terrible hardship, and showed remarkable courage in times of war. For Tina...