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American Masters Season 33 Episodes
Season 33 Episode Guide
12 Episodes 2019 - 2019
Episode 1
James Watson: Decoding Watson
Wed, Jan 2, 201985 mins
Thrust into the limelight for discovering the secret of life at age 25 with Francis Crick, influential Nobel Prize-winning scientist James Watson has thrived on making headlines ever since. His discovery of DNA's structure, the double helix, revolutionized human understanding of how life works. He was a relentless and sometimes ruthless visionary who led the Human Genome project and turned Harvard University and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory into powerhouses of molecular biology. With unprecedented access to Watson, his wife Elizabeth and sons Rufus and Duncan over the course of a year, American Masters explores Watson's evolution from socially awkward postdoc to notorious scientific genius to discredited nonagenarian, also interviewing his friends, his colleagues, scientists and historians. Controversial and unapologetic, Watson still thrives on competition and disruption. The film uncovers his signature achievements, complexities and contradictions, including his penchant for expressing unfiltered and objectionable points of view. Directed and produced by Mark Mannucci.
Episode 2
Sammy Davis, Jr.: I've Gotta Be Me
Tue, Feb 19, 2019115 mins
Sammy Davis, Jr. had the kind of career that was indisputably legendary, so vast and multi-faceted that it was dizzying in its scope and scale. And yet, his life was complex, complicated and contradictory. Davis strove to achieve the American Dream in a time of racial prejudice and shifting political territory.
Episode 3
American Masters: Charley Pride
Fri, Feb 22, 2019
The complicated history of the American South and its music through the life of country star Charley Pride. Raised in segregated Mississippi, his journey shows the ways that artistic expression can triumph over prejudice and injustice.
Episode 4
Holly Near: Singing for Our Lives
Fri, Mar 1, 2019
An outspoken political activist and singer-songwriter, Holly Near's music and life story illustrate how song can have the power to send a clarion call and influence the course of social justice.
Episode 5
Joseph Pulitzer: Voice of the People
Fri, Apr 12, 201984 mins
Discover the man behind the award. A journalist who became a media mogul with an outspoken, cantankerous editorial voice and two best-selling newspapers, Joseph Pulitzer championed what he regarded as the sacred role of the free press in a democracy.
Episode 6
Garry Winogrand: All Things are Photographable
Fri, Apr 19, 2019
Discover the life and work of Garry Winogrand, the epic storyteller in pictures who harnessed the serendipity of the streets to capture the American 1960s-70s. His "snapshot aesthetic" is now the universal language of contemporary image making.
Episode 7
Terrence McNally: Every Act of Life
Fri, Jun 14, 2019
Playwright, librettist, scriptwriter and outspoken LGBTQ activist Terrence McNally has long believed in the power of the arts to transform society and make a difference. The film lifts the curtain on the life, career and inspirations of the complicated and brilliant Emmy- and four-time Tony Award-winning writer.
Episode 8
Robert Shaw - Man of Many Voices
Fri, Jun 21, 2019
Narrated by David Hyde Pierce, "American Masters: Robert Shaw - Man of Many Voices" traces the journey of one of America's greatest choral music conductors. Renowned for his interpretations of classical music's choral masterpieces, Robert Shaw (April 30, 1916 - January 25, 1999) had no formal training yet inspired generations of musicians with the power of music. Known as the "dean of American choral singing," Shaw's career spanned six decades. He sold millions of recordings and received 16 Grammy Awards, a George Peabody Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Music in America, a Guggenheim fellowship and a National Medal of the Arts. Amidst the triumphs of his musical career, the documentary reveals the demons that haunted - and sometimes threatened to derail - this complex and flawed man.
Episode 9
Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin
Fri, Aug 2, 2019
Explore the remarkable life and legacy of late feminist author Ursula K. Le Guin whose groundbreaking work, including "The Left Hand of Darkness," transformed American literature by bringing science fiction into the literary mainstream.
Episode 10
Raul Julia: The World's a Stage
Fri, Sep 13, 201987 mins
Raúl Juliá: The World's a Stage is a revealing portrait of the charismatic, groundbreaking actor's journey from his native Puerto Rico to the creative hotbed of 1960s New York City, to prominence on Broadway and in Hollywood. Directed by Ben DeJesus, the film traces Raul's personal and professional journey, showcasing his groundbreaking performances and humanitarian activism. Before diversity and inclusion were part of the national conversation, Raul with his magnetic personality and charismatic talent was able to amass a varied body of timeless work that helped pave the way for many Latino actors today.
Episode 11
Rothko: Pictures Must Be Miraculous
Fri, Oct 25, 201954 mins
Mark Rothko, a master of abstract expressionism, created 835 paintings during his five-decade career.
Episode 12
N. Scott Momaday: Words from a Bear
Mon, Nov 18, 201985 mins
The mysterious life and mind of Pulitzer Prize-winning author and poet N. Scott Momaday, a formative voice of the Native American Renaissance in art and literature.
