The Guardian 13 December, 2006
TV programs previewed:
Sunday Dec 17 — Saturday Dec 23
Some of the movies Margaret and David will be previewing for the summer holidays on At The Movies: Summer Special (ABC 6pm Sunday) include: Perfume — based on the novel of the same name and starring Dustin Hoffman and Alan Rickman; Notes On A Scandal — starring Cate Blanchett and Dame Judi Dench; Breaking And Entering — Anthony Mingella’s original screenplay starring Jude Law and Juliette Binoche; Running With Scissors — a film of Augusten Burrough’s best-selling book starring Annette Bening and Gwyneth Paltrow; Happy Feet — an animated film from Babe’s George Miller about a penguin that can’t sing but can tap-dance; Mary Antoinette — Starring Kirsten Dunst and Rose Byrne and directed by Sopia Coppola.
Of the nine million kids who took part in the 75th (1999) National Spelling Bee in the US, Spellbound (SBS 8.30pm Sunday) examines the motivation, preparation, attitudes and family environment of eight contestants.
The competition, from local schools through various elimination rounds, ends up in Washington with just 249 finalists; but there is ultimately only one winner, who takes home US$10,000 and a lifetime of pride. Children from all economic and multicultural backgrounds go head to head and the finals are televised on the ESPN cable sports channel, with the triumphant winner receiving their 15 minutes of fame.
This film from director Jeffrey Blitz, whose fascination with speech and storytelling originated from his own childhood stuttering problem, was nominated for the 2003 Best Documentary Academy Award, received the Most Popular Documentary Award at the 2003 Melbourne International Film Festival and the Audience Award at the 2003 Sydney Film Festival.
In the summer of 2005, more than 30 years after Roe v Wade established that access to abortion services is a fundamental right, the team behind The Last Abortion Clinic (SBS 1pm Monday) spent two months travelling across North America’s South where states have been particularly active in passing restrictions on abortion.
In interviews with abortion providers and their patients, staff at a pro-life pregnancy counselling centre and key legal strategists on both sides of the national debate, the program documents the success of the "pro-life" movement and the growing number of states with regulations limiting access to abortion. The procedure, while still legal, has become daunting and expensive in Mississippi and elsewhere.
Nationwide, there are now fewer abortion providers in the US than at any time since Roe v Wade was decided in 1973. The documentary looks at how the ever-increasing number of state abortion regulations and the steady decline in abortion providers will affect the level of influence the pro-choice movement will have in this enduring debate.
Cutting Edge: Spam (SBS 8.35pm Tuesday) is a look into the global culture of spam — one of the 20th century’s most annoying and harmful inventions. If you have a mailbox, you probably have spam. This film centres on Dave who decides to take it upon himself to get to the bottom of the mysteries surrounding spam. What if Dave were to actually take up these amazing deals or help those less fortunate who are asking for his assistance?
The film follows Dave as he endeavours to answer these unsolicited bulk emails that seem to be personally addressed to him. But what exactly is spam? And where does it come from? And who is sending it? On a quest to get to the bottom of the most annoying feature of the internet, Dave ventures to Hormel, meets Terry Jones from Monty Python, goes to the secret control room of AOL, talks with the world’s foremost anti-spammer, uncovers how cyber forensics works, tries to meet a spammer, and uncovers the real threat that spam poses.
As part of Worlds Aids Day, Why Must I Die? (SBS 2.30pm Thursday) celebrates the life of an AIDS orphan from South Africa. This film gives a voice to Sineipho, the South African teenager whose picture was used three years ago as the cover photo for the Global Funds for AIDS annual report as a symbol of their commitment to combat the disease. Three years on, this film asks what they have achieved and whether Sineipho can have any hope for the future. AIDS advocates will put the matter to government ministers, health professionals, activists and people who have been affected by AIDS.
In 1939 the world went to war, millions died in the bloodiest conflict ever witnessed. The tiny island of Malta was not spared. By 1942, Malta became known as the most bombed place on earth and Against All Odds — The Struggle For Malta (SBS 1pm Friday) chronicles these fateful years. The documentary looks at how Malta’s strategic and geographical location severely disrupted the steady flow of re-enforcements needed by Rommel’s troops in North Africa. Malta held the outcome of WWII in both the Mediterranean and African fronts.
The British could not give up Malta nor could the Nazis afford to lose such a valuable transit point. However, Malta was hopelessly surrounded by the enemy and was forced to defend itself with a pathetic air force comprising three archaic Gladiators from WW1. The program looks at the two years of brutal attacks on Malta, from a powerful enemy stationed only 80kms away and how this tiny island managed to defend itself and withstand the powerful forces surrounding it.
In The Art Of The War — Far From The Frontline (SBS 8pm Friday) the four-part documentary series, Betty Churcher brings her unique perspective to a collection of Australian art that was inspired or provoked by our involvement in conflicts over the past century.
In World War Two, women such as Sybil Craig, Stella Bowen and Nora Heysen were recruited for the first time as official war artists, recording in particular the contribution of woman to the war effort.
On the home front, Margaret Preston and John Brack along with Sydney trio William Dobell, Donald Friend and Russell Drysdale provided a different perspective of the war experience. Later, other artists would explore in their paintings legendary stories of courage and endurance that survive through the decades — with Sydney Nolan starting his Gallipoli series in 1955 and Jan Senbergs revisiting the 1942 sinking of HMAS Armidale nearly half a century later.
Masterpiece On Saturday: Acrobats And Maniacs (SBS 2.55pm Saturday) explores the art of Nouveau Cirque, a relatively new form of performing art where a story or a theme is conveyed by using the traditional circus arts. Nouveau Cirque is a concept where lots of different art forms are combined to entertain and convey a story. Such art forms include juggling, trapeze, acting and music. This program looks at the people who make the magic, the people who create it and the people who perform it.