Maison d'Être Philosophy Bookstore
Philosophy Film Festival
Films to stimulate thought, whether provocative dramas, or
films on the lives of philosophers and intellects, or documentaries
on abstract matters of philosophy – especially objectivist.
Film-Philosophy International Salon-Journal [est. 1996]
 | "Philosophy Goes To The Movies: An Introduction To Philosophy" [2002] by Christopher Falzon Routledge 9½x6¼ pb [3/2002] out of print/used Routledge 9x6¾ hardcover [3/2002] out of print/used |
 | "Philosophy Through Film" [2002] by Mary M. Litch Routledge 9x6 pb [6/2002] for $34.95 Routledge 10x6 hardcover [6/2002] for $100.00 |
 | "Philosophy Through Fiction and Film" [2003] by Burton F. Porter Prentice Hall 9½x5¾ pb [5/2003] for $61.20 |
 | "Cinema Nirvana: Enlightenment Lessons From The Movies" [2005] by Dean Sluyter Three Rivers Press 8x5¼ pb [2/2005] for $11.20 |
 | "Movies and The Meaning of Life: Philosophers Take On Hollywood" [2005] Edited by Kimberly A. Blessing & Paul J. Tudico Open Court 8¾x5¾ pb [4/2005] for $13.10 |
 | "Film and Philosophy: Taking Movies Seriously" [2008] by Daniel C. Shaw Wallflower Press 7¾x6 pb [12/2008] for $22.00 |
 | "Anime and Philosophy" [2010] Edited by Josef Steiff & Tristan D. Tamplin Analyzes anime films such as "Astro Boy", "Dragon Ball Z", "Ghost In The Shell", and "Spirited Away" (and others) aand how these tales grapple with the impor-tant questions in life: lessons on morality, justice, and heroism, as well as medi-tations on identity, the soul, and the meaning – or meaninglessness – of life. Open Court 9x6½ pb [3/2010] for $13.69 |
 | "Movies and the Meaning of Life: The Most Profound Films In Cinematic History" [2011] by Wayne Omura Bauu Institute Press 9¼x6 pb [6/2011] for $18.95 official book page |
 | "Thinking Through Film: Doing Philosophy, Watching Movies" [2011] by Damian Cox & Michael P. Levine Wiley-Blackwell 9¼x6 hardcover [9/2011] for $79.35 |
Be sure also to visit the
Existentialist Film Festival Page
"A Brief History of Time"
[NBC/Anglia/Channel Four 1992]
 | Prof. Stephen W. Hawking's surprise bestseller of 1988 in visual/aural form. Directed by Errol Morris; original music by Philip Glass Paramount color VHS [11/93] for $19.95 DVD/Blu-ray not available full credits from IMDb best-seller 1988 book Bantam 9x6 pb [9/98] for $11.96 |
"Animal Farm"
George Orwell's famed 1945 barnyard fable about revolution betrayed.
 | 1954 British animated feature co-written & co-directed by
Joy Batchelor & John Halas (Britain's first feature-length cartoon)
Home Vision color DVD [11/2004] for $22.46 Home Vision color VHS [11/2004] for $19.95 United American Video color VHS [8/97] out of stock/used full credits from IMDb |
 | 1999 Hallmark/TNT animated TV movie Directed by John Stephenson Hallmark color DVD [1/2000] for $$17.98 Hallmark color VHS [9/2000] for $9.98 full credits from IMDb |
 |
1945 novel by George Orwell Listed on Time Magazine's All-TIME 100 Novels (10/2005) Prentice Hall pb [4/96] for $6.95 Blackstone ABRIDGED audio [4/2001] for $21.95 Penguin UNABR audio [6/96] out of stock/used |
"Atlas Shrugged, Part I"
[Strike Prodns/Rocky Mountain Pictures April 2011]
  | After years of on-again, off-again 'development hell', the three-part version of "Atlas Shrugged" finally began filming in June 2010, intended for TV broadcast. Gone now are Baldwin Ent. Group, and Angelina Jolie or Charlize Theron as Dagny Taggart, or the script by James V. Hart & Randall Wallace. John Galt leads an intellectual strike to 'stop the engine of the world', while Dagny Taggart fights bureaucrats and mobs of looters to keep the Taggart Transcontinental Railroad alive. The Part I story ends with the disap-pearance of Ellis Wyatt and the burning of the oil fields.
Produced by The Strike Productions & John Aglialoro; directed by Paul Johans-son; script by Brian Patrick O’Toole, based on the classic 1957 novel by Ayn Rand [1905-82]; starring Taylor Schilling {as Dagny Taggart}, Grant Bowler {as Hank Reardon}, Paul Johansson {as John Galt}, Michael Lerner, Matthew Marsdan, Graham Beckel {as Ellis Wyatt} & Jsu Garcia {as Francisco D'Anconia}
Fox widescreen color Blu-ray [11/2011] for $19.99 
Fox widescreen color DVD [11/2011] for $12.49
Rearden Steel Edition Blu-ray & DVD [12/2011] available only from producer website full credits at IMDb • official movie site • watch official trailer [2:26] |
 | Atlas Shrugged Movie Soundtrack Album [2011] by Elia Cmiral The Strike Prodns soundtrack CD [5/2011] 22 tracks for $8.99 |
"Atlas Shrugged, Part II" 
[Strike Prodns Nov 2012]
 | Although the Part 1 movie lost money, the indefatigable Objectivist crew has gotten the greenlight for "Atlas Shrugged Part 2" (of three}; filming will begin in April 2012, and release is planned for October 2012, with the intention of influencing the November 2012 presidential election. Produced by The Strike Productions & John Aglialoro, with film expert Duncan Scott DVD/Blu-ray not yet available latest credits at IMDb • official movie site • official teaser trailer [1:04] on YouTube |
"Bicentennial Man"
[1492/Columbia Dec 1999]
 | An unusual android experiences emotions like a human, and wants to become more and more human, over two centuries of time. An excellent look at what exactly it means to be 'human', to be 'mortal'. Directed by Chris Columbus; script by Nicholas Kazan, based on books by Isaac Asimov & Robert Silverberg; starring Robin Williams, Embeth Davidtz, Sam Neill & Oliver Platt
Disney color VHS [11/2000] for $9.99 Touchstone widescreen DVD [1/2002] for $17.99 Sony soundtrack CD [12/99] for $14.99 full credits from IMDb |
 |
"The Bicentennial Man & Other Stories" [11 stories; 1976] by Isaac Asimov [1920-92] story won 1977 Hugo Award for Best Novelette Orion Publng pb [3/2000] for $16.95 Doubleday hardcover [9/76] out of print/used |
"The Boy With Green Hair"
[R.K.O. Nov 1948]
 | This fable about a war orphan whose hair mysteriously turns green brings many questions into focus. Directed by Joseph Losey; script by blacklisted writers Ben Barzman & Alfred Lewis Levitt, from a story by Betsy Beaton; starring Pat O'Brien, Robert Ryan, Barbara Hale & Dean Stockwell
Terra Ent. color DVD [11/2003] for $12.99 Terra Ent. color VHS? [6/2003] for 18.98 full credits from IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia playscript, adapted by F. Andrew Leslie: Dramatist's Play Service pb [12/61] for $8.49 |
"The Cardinal" [Columbia Dec 1963]
 | While Preminger's film waters down and even cheapens the story, the hypocrisy of religious organizations (of all stripes) and their devotion to politics over the purported (religious) message is made very clear. Produced & directed by Otto Preminger; starring Tom Tryon, Romy Schneider, Carol Lynley, Jill Haworth, Dorothy Gish, Raf Vallone, John Saxon, John Huston, Burgess Meredith, Josef Meinrad, Cecil Kellaway, Ossie Davis, Chill Wills & Arthur Hunnicutt; nominated for 6 Oscars, including Best Director & Best Actor (JH)
Warner widescreen color DVD [2/2003] 2 disks for $23.99 (many extras) Warner widescreen color DVD [9/2005] for $12.99 Anchor Bay color VHS [6/89] out of prodn/many used Anchor Bay widescreen color VHS [6/95] 2 tapes - out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb |
 |
based on the novel by Henry Morton Robinson [S&S June 1950] Pocket mass pb [8/77] out of print/used S&S hardcover [6/50] out of print/used |
"Charly" [A.B.C. Pictures/ Cinerama Sept 1968]
 | Charly, a retarded adult, is given an experimental treatment that has raised the intelligence of a retarded mouse named Algernon. Charly becomes a sensation, for his new insight and intelligance are exceptional. But then Charly notices the latter stages showing up in Algernon. {When Cliff Robertson starred in the 1961 "United States Steel Hour" production of "The Two Worlds of Charlie Gordon", based on the novel "Flowers For Algernon" by Daniel Keyes, he bought the rights and later was responsible for turning that story into this film.} Directed by Ralph Nelson; script by Stirling Silliphant, based on a story by Daniel Keyes; original music by Ravi Shankar; starring Cliff Robertson, Claire Bloom, Lilia Skala, Leon Janney & Ruth White; won Oscar for Best Actor (CR) M.G.M. Home Video widescreen color DVD [3/2005] for $9.99 Fox Home Ent. color VHS [8/92] out of production/used Moving Image / Comet Records soundtrack CD [undated] out of prodn/scarce full credits from IMDb |
 | "Flowers For Algernon" [1959 novella, bestseller 1966 novel] by Daniel Keyes the novella won a Hugo Award; the novel won a Nebula Award Harvest Books mass pb [6/2004] for $7.99 Harvest Books 7¼x5¾ pb [5/2005] for $9.60 Harcourt 8¼x5¾ hardcover [4/95] for $11.56 "Algernon, Charlie, and I: A Writer's Journey" [2000] by Daniel Keyes Harvest Books 7x5¼ pb [9/2004] for $13.50 Challenge Press 9¼x6¼ hardcover [2/2000] out of print/used "Charlie and Algernon" Broadway musical play [Sept 1980] stageplay credits at IBDb |
"Chocolat" [David Brown/Miramax Dec 2000]
 |
Chocolate in its many forms may be an obvious metaphor as an antidote to repression, but what is marvelous here is how deftly (and how French-ly) the fairy tale is woven together. A forever-transient woman and her daughter open a chocolate shop in a river- side village in France; their happy non-conformity stirs up trouble with the rigid local mayor, who pressures the new priest to enforce the village's tradition of tranquility.
Directed by Lasse Hallström; script by Robert Nelson Jacobs, based on the novel by Joanne Harris; chocolate expert Walter Bienz; starring Juliette Binoche, Victoire Thivisol, Judi Dench, Lena Olin, Alfred Molina, Carrie-Anne Moss, Aurelien Parent Koenig, Peter Stormare, Hugh O'Conor, Johnny Depp & Leslie Caron; nominated for five Oscars, including Best Picture & Best Script; 8 BAFTA noms; won SAG Award (JD)
Disney/Miramax widescreen color DVD [8/2001] for $9.99 Walt Disney Video color VHS [8/2001] out of prodn/many used Sony soundtrack CD [1/2001] 18 tracks for $9.98 full credits at IMDb • French-language official website |
 | "Chocolat: A Novel" [1999 bestseller] by Joanne Harris
The happy ending in the movie did not come from the book, and the battle is between the free-spirit chocalatier and the town priest. Penguin 7¾x5 pb [1/2000] for $10.08 Penguin movie tie-in 7¾x5 pb [11/2000] out of print/hundreds used Viking 9¼x6¼ hardcover [2/99] out of print/many used |
 | sequel "The Girl With No Shadow" aka 'The Lollipop Shoes' [2008] Forced to flee the village, Vianne and her two daughters change their names and hide in the Montmartre district of Paris; when the owner of the patisserie shop where Vianne (now Yanne) lives & works dies, she gradually converts it into a chocolaterie. Harper Perennial 7¾x5¼ pb [1/2009] for $11.69 Black Swan mass pb [2/2009] out of print/used Wm. Morrow 9x6 hardcover [4/2008] for $19.96 |
"Discover The Gift" [indep. U.S. release 2010]
!["Discover The Gift" independent film [2010]](covers/dDLdiscoverthegift.jpg) | Co-produced, written & directed by Demian Lichtenstein; featuring actress Stacey Alysson, Shajen Joy Aziz, Rev. Michael Bernard Beckwith {of Agape Fellowship}, Jack Canfield, The Dalai Lama, Dr. Barbara De Angelis, Stewart Emery, Cheryl Hunter, Demian Lichtenstein, Niurka, Sir Ken Robinson, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Joe Vitale, Marianne Williamson, many others
Harmony widescreen color DVD [6/2011] for $22.49 full credits at IMDb • official movie site watch free on YouTube: screening event video [7:18] • official 2010 trailer [2:50] • official 2011 trailer [2:11] |
 |
"Discover The Gift: It's Why We're Here" [2011] by Shajen Joy Aziz & Demian Lichtenstein Harmony 8½x6 hardcover [6/2011] for $16.43 Random House Audio UNABR audio CD [6/2011] for $23.04 |
"The Dot and The Line"
[M.G.M. Dec 1965]
 | Ten-minute animated short along classic love story lines – boy meets girl, boy loses girl to another, boy expands his capabilities and wins her – except that the 'people' in question are a dot and a very straight line and a squiggle. Directed by Chuck Jones & Maurice Noble; narration by Robert Morley; nominated for Best Short Film at Cannes, won Oscar for Best Animated Short
full credits from IMDb; available as part of the |
 | "Warner Brothers Academy Awards Animation Collections" [2008] 3-disk set of 15 Oscar-winners & 26 Oscar-nominated cartoons Warner Brothers Home Ent. color DVD [2/2008] 3 disks for $37.99 or on the 1-disk version with the 15 winners only [2008] Warner Brothers Home Ent. DVD [2/2008] for $16.99 |
 | "The Dot and The Line: A Romance In Lower Mathematics" [1963] by Norton Juster SeaStar 6.6x5½ hardcover [12/2000] for $7.95 Random House pb [1/91] out of print/used |
"Dumbo" [Disney Oct 1941]
 | The 'magic' black feather that Timothy Q. Mouse and the crows give to the mute, floppy-eared Dumbo stands for every religion, belief system and dogma of Mankind. When Dumbo loses the magic feather atop the diving tower, he must take action in the face of his fears on his own, just like humans must do each moment. Directed by Ben Sharpsteen, adapted from a book by Helen Aberson & Harold Perl; voices of Sterling Holloway, Edward Brophy & Verna Felton
Disney 60th Anniv. color VHS [10/2001] for $20.99 Disney 60th Anniv. (Spanish) color VHS [10/2001] for $22.99 Disney 60th Anniv. color DVD [10/2001] for $23.99 Disney Records audio CD [3/2001] for $11.98 full credits from IMDb | theme music [2min:16sec] |
see also "The Tao of Dumbo" essay at Working Minds Philosophy website
"Einstein Revealed" [Nova/BBC 1996]
 | Understanding Albert Einstein – Time Magazine's 'Man of the Century' – opens us up to the possibility of genius among our fellows. Nova tv documentary, directed by Peter Jones WGBH Boston 2-hour color VHS [4/97] for $19.95 full credits from IMDb |
 | Marilyn Monroe & others barge in on Albert Einstein, to discuss relativity theory and politics and baseball. Directed by Nicolas Roeg, starring Michael Emil, Theresa Russell, Gary Busey & Tony Curtis Artisan color VHS [11/99] for $14.98 full credits from IMDb |
"The Elders: A Coming of Age Film"
documentary [SalmonRun Media 2011]
 | Co-produced & directed by Nathaniel Hansen DVD/Blu-ray not yet available credits at IMDb • official movie site |
"The Elegant Universe"
3-hour tv special [P.B.S./Nova aired Oct 2003]
 |
P.B.S./WGBH letterbox color DVD [1/2004] for $19.95
P.B.S./WGBH color VHS [1/2004] out of prodn/used full credits at IMDb • P.B.S. official program site "Physics: The Elegant Universe & Beyond": 3-hour P.B.S. program above, plus "Einstein Revealed" [1996] and "Einstein's Big Idea" [2005] P.B.S./WGBH color DVD box set [2/2006] 4 disks for $34.99 |
 | "The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions & The Quest For The Ultimate Theory" [1999] by Brian Greene Vintage 8x5 pb [2/2000] for $10.85 W.W. Norton 9¼x6¼ pb [2/99] out of print/used W.W. Norton 9½x6½ hardcover [2/99] for $13.57 |
"Field of Dreams" [1989]
 | "If you build it, they will come." Co-written & directed by Phil Alden Robinson; starring Kevin Costner, Amy Madigan & Ray Liotta
Universal Studios Home Ent. widescreen color Blu-ray [5/2009] for $21.49 Universal color DVD [3/2002] for $9.49 Universal color VHS [8/99] out of prodn/many, many used Universal widescreen VHS [8/99] out of prodn/used B.M.G. soundtrack CD [5/89] for $8.99 full credits from IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
"Forrest Gump" [Paramount 1994]
| The hilarious and profound epic story of a dim-wit nobody.
Directed by Robert Zemeckis; starring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright & Gary Sinise; won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Script, Best Actor (Hanks), Best Effects & Best Editing, nominated for 7 more
Paramount widescreen color Blu-ray [11/2009] 2 disks for $19.99 Paramount widescreen color DVD [8/2001] 2 disks for $8.49 Paramount color VHS [9/96] out of prodn/many, many used Sony soundtrack CD [8/94] out of prodn/many used Sony/Legacy soundtrack double CD [8/2001] for $14.99 full credits from IMDb • theme music [2min:47sec midi file] • movie entry at Wikipedia based on the 1988 novel by Winston Groom
|
"The Fountainhead" [Warner Bros. 1949]
  | Gary Cooper stars as architect Howard Roark, Ayn Rand's ideal individual. Directed by King Vidor [1894-1982]; screenplay by Ayn Rand; co-starring Patricia Neal & Raymond Massey Warner b&w DVD [11/2006] for $17.49 Warner b&w VHS [1/90] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb based on the 1943 novel by Ayn Rand [1905-82] Signet pb [8/96] for $8.99 |
"Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life"
[documentary Feb 1998]
 | Written & directed by Michael Paxton; Oscar nomination for Best Documentary Feature Strand Releasing Director's Vision DVD [10/99] 2 disks for $32.49 Image Ent. letterbox DVD [10/99] out of prodn/used Strand Releasing color VHS [3/2000] out of prodn/used full credits at IMDb | official website Gibbs Smith 11x8½ companion book [7/98] for $26.21 |
"Freakonomics: The Movie"
[Magnolia Pictures Oct 2010]
 | Filmed segments cover topics of naming children, cheating & sumo wrestling, incent-ives at school, and the results of Roe v. Wade, as well as the base theory of economist Levitt & journalist Dubner that economics is, at root, the study of incentives.
Produced by Chad Troutwine, Chris Romano & Dan O'Meara; directed by Heidi Ewing, Alex Gibney, Seth Gordon, Rachel Grady, Eugene Jarecki & Morgan Spurlock; featuring authors Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner DVD/Blu-ray not yet available full credits at IMDb • official movie site |
 | "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores The Hidden Side of Everything" [2005 N.Y. Times bestseller] by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner Harper Perennial 7¾x5¼ pb [8/2009] for $6.74 Ediciones B 9x6 Spanish-language pb [8/2006] for $12.21 William Morrow 9x6 hardcover [rev 10/2006] for $19.77 William Morrow Book Club 9x5¾ hardcover [4/2005] out of print/many, many used official dual book site • book entry at Wikipedia |
 | "SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance"[2009 N.Y. Times bestseller] by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner HarperCollins 9x6 pb [10/2009] out of print/used Penguin 9x6 pb [10/2009] out of print/used William Morrow 9x6¼ hardcover [10/2009] for $19.49 official dual book site • book entry at Wikipedia |
"The Gods Must Be Crazy"
 | A Kalahari bushman finds a Coke bottle dropped from the sky, but the new technological wonder disrupts his tribe, and so Xixo sets out to return the bottle to the gods. In the sequel, Xixo chases after a fast-moving truck where his children are accidental stowaways.
Produced, written & directed by Jamie Uys; starring N!xao as Xixo
5 movie series entry at Wikipedia combo DVD with both "TGMBC I" & "TGMBC II" Columbia/TriStar widescreen DVD [2/2004] 2 disks for $20.97 "TGMBC" [1980; US release 1984]: full credits from IMDb Sony Pictures color DVD [6/2004] out of prodn/used Fox color VHS [9/90] out of prodn/used "TGMBC II" [1989]: full credits from IMDb Sony Pictures color DVD [6/2004] for $8.99 Col/TriStar color VHS [1/93] out of prodn/used |
"The Grand Illusion" [France 1937]
 | Complex, profound and heartbreakingly human look at the illusions inherent in war & heroism, social class & individual character, romantic love, religion – all are trapped in illusion. Co-written & directed by Jean Renoir; starring Jean Gabin, Pierre Fresnay, Erich von Stroheim & Marcel Dalio; Oscar nominated for Best Picture
Criterion b&w DVD w/English subtitles [11/99] for $34.76 TimelessVideo b&w VHS w/English subtitles [8/97] for $14.99 Criterion b&w VHS w/English subtitles [11/99] for $29.95 full credits from IMDb |
"Rules of the Game"
{aka 'La Règle du Jeu'} [France 1939]
 | Banned in France until 1956, Renoir's second masterpiece views life as both a comedy and a tragedy, showing a frenzied hunting weekend in the country against a back-ground of Europe's pending devastation during World War II. Indescribable: What you are left with is the sense that Life makes no sense whatsoever, which conclusion makes perfect sense. Co-written & directed by & co-starring Jean Renoir; also starring Marcel Dalio, Roland Toutain & Nora Gregor
Criterion b&w DVD w/subtitles [1/2004] 2 disks for $29.96 Home Vision b&w VHS w/English subtitles [7/93] for $29.95 full credits from IMDb |
"I Am" documentary [Feb 2011] /tt1741225/
"Lost Horizon" [1937]
 | An idealist/adventurer is shanghaied to Shangri-La, unknown utopian land of perfect peace, love, beauty and harmony. He is asked to succeed the High Lama, near death at the age of 200 years. What would you do? Produced & directed by Frank Capra [1897-1991]; script by Robert Riskin, based on James Hilton's novel; starring Ronald Colman, Jane Wyatt, Sam Jaffe {as The High Lama}, H.B. Warner, Edward Everett Horton, John Howard, Thomas Mitchell, Margo & Isabel Jewell; Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best A.D., Best Supporting Actor {HBW), Best Music (Dimitri Tiomkin) & Best Sound; won Oscars for Best Art Direction & Best Film Editing Sony b&w DVD [8/99] for $24.88 Sony b&w VHS [6/97] out of prodn/used Soundtrack Factory soundtrack CD [1/99] for $11.99 full credits from IMDb |
 |
"Lost Horizon: The Haunting Novel of Love In Shangri-La" [1936] by James Hilton [1900-54] Pocket mass pb [1/88] for $6.99 Harper 8x5½ pb [6/2004] for $9.97 Amereon 8¾x6 hardcover [6/93] for $24.95 Reader's Digest hardcover [1/90] out of prodn/many used book entry at Wikipedia; book/movie fansite |
Monty Python's "The Meaning of Life"
[Universal 1983]
 |
Universal color DVD [8/2005] for $12.99 Universal color VHS [1/98] out of stock/many used full credits from IMDb |
"Meeting of Minds" [P.B.S./KCET-TV 1977-1981]
 | 12 episodes, each in two parts, in b&w & color; filmed before a live audience; imaginary dinner parties placing famous thinkers and doers in conversation with people they never met, with the dialogue mostly culled from their published works; one 2-part episode has Wm. Shakespeare discussing the topic of love with Othello, Hamlet, Romeo & Dark Lady of The Sonnets; another 2-part episode brings together Thomas Aquinas, Theodore Roosevelt, Queen Cleopatra & Thomas Paine Written & hosted by Steve Allen; starring {his wife} Jayne Meadows {as Cleopatra, Marie Antoinette, Florence Nightingale, Shakespeare's Dark Lady of The Sonnets, Margaret Sanger & Catherine The Great}, Roscoe Lee Browne {as Frederick Douglass}, Stefan Gierasch {as Marquis de Sade}, Katherine Helmond {as Emily Dickinson}, William Marshall {as Othello}, Alexander Scourby {as Galileo Galilei}, and Harris Yulin {as William Shakespeare & Leonardo da Vinci}; won Peabody Award, 1978; won Emmy for Outstanding Informational Series, 1981
series credits at IMDb • series entry at Wikipedia • official series site |
2010 live performances at Working Stage Theater in West Hollywood, CA
2010 live performances at Center For Inquiry in Hollywood, CA
 |
"Meeting of Minds: The Complete Scripts" in four volumes [1989] by Steve Allen Volume 1 (blue): Prometheus Books 8¼x5¼ pb [11/89] for $20.68 Volume 2 (red): Prometheus Books 9x5¾ pb [11/89] for $22.98 Volume 3 (gold): Prometheus Books 9x5¾ pb [11/89] for $22.98 Volume 4 (green): Prometheus Books 8¾x5¾ pb [8/00] for $22.98 |
 | "Steve Allen's Meeting Of Minds" on video tape
Volume 1: Buena Vista Home Video VHS [undated] out of prodn/scarce Volume 2: Buena Vista Home Video VHS [undated] out of prodn/scarce Volume 3: Buena Vista Home Video color VHS [undated] out of prodn/scarce Volume 4: Buena Vista Home Video VHS [undated] out of prodn/scarce Volume 5: Buena Vista Home Video color VHS [undated] out of prodn/scarce Volume 6: Buena Vista Home Video VHS [undated] out of prodn/scarce |
"Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" [Fox Nov 2007]
 | Mr. Magorium is 243 years old and has decided to leave his Wonder Emporium business to the sad girl who manages the place for him; when the store finds out that Mr. Magorium is leaving, it rebels. Written & directed by Zach Helm; starring Dustin Hoffman, Natalie Portman, Zach Mills & Jason Bateman
Fox widescreen color DVD [3/2008] for $14.99 Fox color DVD [3/2008] for $19.49 full credits from IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
"1984" [Virgin Films Oct 1984]
 | Winston Smith endures a squalid existence as a clerk in a bureaucracy of the totalitarian superstate of Oceania, where everyone is under the constant surveillance of the Thought Police.Written & directed by Michael Radford, based on Orwell's novel; starring John Hurt, Richard Burton, Suzanna Hamilton, Cyril Cusack, Gregor Fisher & James Walker
M.G.M. Video widescreen color DVD [3/2003] out of prodn/many used Polygram Video color VHS [2/97] out of prodn/used E.M.I. Import soundtrack CD [12/84] 9 tracks on 2 disks for $10.98 full credits at IMDb |
 | "Nineteen Eighty-Four: A Novel" [1949 classic] by George Orwell [1903-50] Signet/NAL mass pb [1961] for $9.99 Plume Centennial Edition 7¾x5¼ pb [5/2003] for $10.37 Plume 8x5¼ pb [4/83] for $10.20 Everyman's Library 8x5 hardcover [11/92] for $13.60 book entry at Wikipedia |
"1984: The Opera" [2005]: official website • Wikipedia
"Orlando" [Sony Pictures Classics 1993]
 | Ordered never to age by
Queen Elizabeth I, Orlando (the stunning Tilda Swinton) lives thru 400 years of history, intrigue and exotic locales, and even an unexplained change of gender from male to female. Written & directed by Sally Potter from Virginia Woolff's novel Columbia/TriStar color VHS [7/95] for $19.95 Columbia/TriStar widescreen color DVD [8/99] for $25.16 Uni/Varese Sarabande soundtrack CD [6/93] for $13.99 full credits from IMDb |
 | "Orlando: A Biography" by Virginia Woolff [1928] A rambunctious comic masterpiece. Harvest 8x5¼ pb [5/93] for $10.40 |
"Pay It Forward" [Warner Bros. Oct 2000]
"Peaceful Warrior" [LionsGate June 2006]
 | An intense gymnastics hopeful has his leg and his life shattered, yet the coaching of a taciturn gas station attendant-philosopher prods him into performing at the Olympics. The direction & cinematography are superb.Directed by Victor Salva; cinematography by Sharone Meir; staring Scott Mechlowicz, Nick Nolte, Amy Smart, Tim DeKay, Ashton Holmes, Paul Wesley & B.J. Britt
video/DVD not yet available • full credits at IMDb • official movie site |
 | based on "Way of The Peaceful Warrior: A Book That Changes Lives" [1980 bestseller]" by Dan Millman This book (and film) are included here because the philosophical concepts are correct. However, the use of magic as the frame of the story prevents those who believe in magic from hearing the Important Wisdom, and those able/ready to hear the Important Wisdom have no need for the b.s. of the magical hooferaw. H.J. Kramer 8¼x5½ pb [4/2006] for $9.71 New World Library 20th Anniversary 8¼x5½ pb [9/2000] for $10.36 Houghton Mifflin hardcover [9/80] out of print/used Spanish-language edition: New World Library 8½x5½ pb [6/2001] for $11.01 |
 | "Wisdom of The Peaceful Warrior: A Companion To The Book That Changes Lives" [2007] by Dan Millman H.J. Kramer 8¼x5½ pb [1/2007] for $9.71 |
"People v. The State of Illusion"
[Samuel Goldwyn Films Sept 2011]
 |
"Questions the very nature of reality, through an examination of our perceptions, beliefs, and imagination." Produced & written by Austin Vickers; directed by Scott Cervine; featuring scientists & thinkers Dr. Thomas Moore, Dr. Candace Pert, Debbie Ford, Dr. Joe Dispenza, Dr. Robert Jahn, Dr. Peter Senge, Brenda Dunne, and Dr. Michael Vandermark
DVD/Blu-ray not yet available • credits at IMDb • official movie site |
Godfrey Reggio's Qatsi Trilogy
Godfrey Reggio's 'Qatsi Trilogy' Page at Magic Lantern
official website
"Shift Happens (Did You Know?)" [2008]
these powerful short films display factoids, statistics, and questions of worldwide significance
animation by Jeff Brenman; design by Scott McLeod & Jeff Brenman; no listings at IMDb
67-slide 2006 Power Point version
6 min 6 sec 2007 animated version {watch on YouTube}
5 min 16 sec 2008 animated version {watch on YouTube}
4 min 46 sec Sept 2009 animated version 4.0 {watch on YouTube}
5 min 19 sec Feb 2010 animated version {watch on YouTube}
2 min 35 sec Jan 2011 animated version {watch on YouTube}
Jeff Brenman's Apollo Ideas website
2 min 2 sec May 2009 animated satire {watch on YouTube}
"The Story of Mankind" [Warner Bros. Nov 1957]
 | The frame is a trial of Mankind before the High Judge (Cedric Hardwicke), somewhere in Outer Space, with The Spirit of Man (Ronald Colman) defending against prosecutor The Devil (Vincent Price); evidence vignettes are acted by 25 major Hollywood stars.
Co-produced & directed by Irwin Allen; adapted by Irwin Allen & Charles Bennett from the 1922 children's book by Henrik Van Loon; featuring Jim Ameche, Francis X. Bushman, John Carradine, Charles Coburn, Helmut Dantine, Reginald Gardiner, Dennis Hopper {as Napoleon Bonaparte!}, Edward Everett Horton, Hedy Lamarr, Peter Lorre, Groucho & Harpo & Chico Marx, Virginia Mayo, Marvin Miller, Agnes Moorehead, Franklin Pangborn, Ziva Rodann, Cesar Romero, William Schallert, Marie Wilson & Marie Windsor
Warner Archive color DVD [10/2009] for $21.99 full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
 | "The Story of Mankind" children's book [orig 1922] by Henrik Willem Van Loon [1882-1944] - book won the first Newberry Prize Wilder Publns 9¼x6¼ pb [3/2009] for $9.99 Pocket mass pb [1940] out of print/used Cosimo Classics 9x6¼ hardcover [10/2006] for $31.45 Benediction Classics illustrated 9x6 hardcover [11/2010] for $31.49 book entry at Wikipedia |
"The Swimmer" [Columbia Pictures May 1968]
 | Athletic Burt Lancaster interrupts the lives of his neighbors on a quest to swim from pool to pool across the valley, an odyssey that leads from love and power to despair and ruin. Script by Eleanor Perry from a story by John Cheever; directed by Frank Perry & Sydney Pollack
Sony widescreen color DVD [4/2003] out of prodn/used Columbia/TriStar color VHS [9/94] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb |
"The Time Machine" by H.G. Wells
| The thing that Wells got right back in 1895 is the split of society in twain, and the realization of his prophecy is already too apparent at the beginning of the XXIst Century – the eloi and the morlocks are today's Haves and Have-Nots. The 1960 film is a sci-fi classic; the 2002 release altered the adventure tale into an unrecognizable and weak love story. |
 | M.G.M. feature film [1960] Directed by George Pal, starring Rod Taylor & Yvette Mimieux; won Oscar Award for Special Effects Warner letterbox color DVD [10/2000] for $15.99 M.G.M. Video Ltd Edition widescreen color DVD [12/2000] out of prodn/used Warner color VHS [3/2001] out of prodn/many used Crescendo soundtrack CD [4/89] for $10.98 full credits from IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
 | "The Time Machine: An Invention" [1895] Tor pb [12/95] for $3.99 Ace movie tie-in pb [12/2001] for $5.99 S&S ABR audio [4/97] for $12.60 S&S ABR 2-disk audio CD [4/97] for $14.00 |
 | "Morlock Night" [1979] by K.W. Jeter
"What happened when the time machine returned ..." A sequel to "The Time Machine" with the Morlocks invading Victorian London by time machine; considered the first 'steampunk' novel. {Call this the 'pulpy' sequel.} Grafton pb [5/89] out of print/rare (high priced} Daw mass pb [6/79] out of print/rare (high priced} |
 | "The Time Ships" [1995] by Stephen Baxter
The Time Traveler's return from the future has altered that same future, so he must hop around thru Time before he can return to the proper future and save Weema. {Call this the 'philosophical' sequel.} Eos mass pb [11/95] for $7.99 Voyager mass pb [9/95] out of print/used HarperCollins hardcover [2002] out of print/used |
 | DreamWorks/Warner feature film [March 2002] Directed by Simon Wells & Gore Verbinski; starring Guy Pearce, Yancey Arias & Jeremy Irons full credits from IMDb |
"Tin Drum" [Argos/Bioskop 1979]
 |
Günter Grass's novel, and the film adapted from it, use the tin drum as the perfect metaphor for That Little Voice Inside Your Head.
Co-written & directed by Volker Schlöndorff; German title "Die Blechtrommel" Criterion color DVD [5/2004] for $24.99 Kino Video widescreen VHS with English subtitles [11/96] for $39.95 Image Ent letterbox DVD with English subtitles [8/99] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb |
 |
based on the 1959 novel by Günter Grass Translation by Ralph Manheim Knopf/Vintage 8x5¼ pb [1/90] for $12.76 |
"Transformation: The Life and Legacy
of Werner Erhard"
[Screen Media Ventures / festival circuit 2006 / theatrical 2008]
 | "Get the real story behind the est Training with never-before-seen footage of actual est seminars and uncut interviews with Werner Erhard talking about his ideas" featuring Werner Erhard & family, R. Buckminster Fuller, Randy McNamara, Art Schreiber & Laurel Scheaf Co-produced, written, directed & edited by Robyn Symon Screen Media widescreen color DVD [5/2008] for $8.99 full credits from IMDb • official movie site • producer's official website see also the Werner Erhard Page at Working Minds Philosophy website |
"The Unbearable Lightness of Being"
[Saul Zaentz/Orion 1988]
 |
A beautifully-photographed meditation on love, politics & bliss seen thru an expatriate Czech doctor's reactions to the Russian invasion of Prague in 1968. Co-written & directed by Philip Kaufman; starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Juliette Binoche & Lena Olin Home Vision widescreen color DVD [8/2000] for $25.49 MGM/UA color VHS [8/2000] for $14.95 Fantasy soundtrack CD [7/91] for $15.98 full credits from IMDb |
 | based on the 1984 novel by Milan Kundera Translation by Michael Henry Heim A poetic mix of philosophy & fiction, lightness & darkness, constructed like a Beethoven quartet. Harper Perennial 8x5½ pb [5/99] for $10.40 Isis UNABR audio [1/99] for $69.95 Isis audio CD [12/99] 10 disks for $99.95 |
"Wings of Desire" [Argos/Orion 1987]
 | A brilliant, stunning, gorgeous subjective look at what it means to be human. "Luminously optimistic." Directed by Wim Wenders; German title "Der Himmel über Berlin" (Heaven Above Berlin); starring Bruno Ganz, Otto Sander & Peter Falk; many awards for Best Film, Best Director, Best Cinema-tography & more; listed on Time Magazine's All-TIME 100 Movies (10/2005)
Criterion Collection Blu-ray [11/2009] for $22.76 MGM/UA widescreen DVD w/English subtitles [7/2003] out of prodn/many used MGM/UA color VHS w/English subtitles [6/2000] for $9.98 Orion color VHS w/English subtitles [5/93] for $7.99 Fine Line import soundtrack CD [5/90] for $18.04 Nonesuch soundtrack CD [10/90] out of prodn/many used 11x17" poster at AllPosters.com • full credits from IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
"Faraway, So Close" [Bioskop/Sony 1993]
 | The sequel to "Wings of Desire" (above), this film is superb in its own right. Directed by Wim Wenders; German title "In weiter Ferne, so nah!"; starring Bruno Ganz, Otto Sander & Nastasia Kinski; several awards for direction & cinematography Col/TriStar widescrn DVD w/Engl subtitles [9/2000] for $22.49 Col/TriStar color VHS w/English subtitles [3/2000] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb |
And will somebody please make a movie of:
"Stranger In A Strange Land" by Robert A. Heinlein [1907-88]
The don Juan books by Carlos Castañeda [1925-1998]
Visit Our Other Online Film Festival Pages
Afro-American Film Festival Pages at Magic Lantern
Atomic Film Festival Page at Spirit of America
Ayn Rand Film Festival at Magic Lantern
Beatnik Film Festival at Maison d'Être Philosophy Bookstore
'Biker Movies' Film Festival at Magic Lantern
Culver City, California Film Festival at Magic Lantern
Economics Film Festival at Maison d'Être Philosophy Bookstore
Education Film Festival at Magic Lantern
Existentialist Film Festival at Maison d'Être Philosophy Bookstore
Films Noir Festival at BlackHat Mystery Bookstore
Gangster Film Festival at Magic Lantern
Hollywood Film Festival at Magic Lantern
Human Rights Film Festival at Magic Lantern
Labor Movement Film Festival at Spirit of America
Movie Musicals Film Festival at Magic Lantern
Muscle-Head Film Festival at Magic Lantern
Native American Film Festival at 'Readers of The Purple Sage'
Oscar-Winning Western Movies Page at 'Readers of T he Purple Sage'
Maison d'Être Philosophy Bookstore's Philosophy Film Festival «« you are here
Pirate Film Festival at Magic Lantern
Political Film Festival at Magic Lantern
Railroad Film Festival at Spirit of America
'Rat Race' Film Festival at Magic Lantern
Road Movies Film Festival at Magic Lantern
Samurai Films at Magic Lantern
Shakespeare On Film at Magic Lantern
Sherlock Holmes Film Festival at BlackHat Mystery Bookstore
Sports Film Festival Pages at Magic Lantern
War [& Anti-War] Film Festival Pages at Magic Lantern
Western Movies Film Festival at 'Readers of the Purple Sage'
... and others on the Online Film Festivals Index Page
Online sales in association with 
top of this page •• back to Maison d'Être Philosophy Bookstore homepage