American Masters Season 38 Episodes

Episode 1

HOPPER: An American love story

Tue, Jan 2, 202453 mins

Discover the secrets behind Edward Hopper's most iconic and enigmatic works. Known for "Nighthawks" and other evocative paintings of American life, Hopper has left a lasting impression on our culture.

Episode 2

Moynihan

Fri, Mar 29, 2024

Discover the life and legacy of former U.S. Senator and diplomat Daniel Patrick Moynihan. Going beyond the "Moynihan Report," President Joe Biden, Ta-Nehisi Coates and others reflect on his decades-long fight to end national poverty.

Episode 3

The Incomparable Mr. Buckley

Fri, Apr 5, 2024102 mins

See how one of the architects of the modern conservative movement, William F. Buckley, Jr., rose to prominence as a public intellectual and influenced generations of politicians, including Ronald Reagan and Barry Goldwater. As founder of the National Review and host of the public affairs program Firing Line for over 30 years, Buckley created new spaces for civic discourse that were accessible to the public.

Episode 4

Blake Edwards: A Love Story in 24 Frames

Tue, Aug 27, 2024

The life and career of screenwriter/director Blake Edwards is presented, his story told largely by contemporaries, colleagues and his family, the latter most notably his second wife of forty-three years, Julie Andrews, who has a unique perspective arguably knowing him the best both professionally and personally. Their marriage, which ended with his death in 2010, is not evidently obvious to outsiders who may view them solely by their individual filmographies, Edwards largely seen as the creator of American physical comedies, and Andrews largely seen as the prim and proper classically trained singing British nanny. Edwards' work on the screen and his one foray on stage are discussed largely in chronological order with the exception of works that are naturally grouped together, namely the series of Pink Panther movies, and Victor/Victoria (1982) in conjunction with its Broadway stage version fourteen years later, with movies highlighted that for one reason or another are considered milestones in his career. While he had some stalwart collaborators onscreen and behind the cameras, the special professional relationship he had with composer Henry Mancini is discussed in their careers often seen as being indelibly joined. His movie career is separated into three general phases, from the late 1950s to the late 1960s where he was seen as doing no wrong, the 1970s where he could do little right, and the turning point into the 1980s where a success with 10 (1979) allowed him to do the movies he really wanted to do, including many with Andrews and which included what are considered his two most autobiographical, S.O.B. (1981) on the professional side, and That's Life! (1986) on the personal side. This presentation is bookended by discussion of his work as a painter and sculptor, endeavors largely done for himself.

Episode 5

Julia Alvarez: A Life Reimagined

Tue, Sep 17, 202484 mins

Dominican-American poet and novelist Julia Alvarez burst onto the literary scene and blazed a trail for a generation of Latino authors. Her semi-autobiographical novel, 'How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents', was published in 1991, followed in 1994 by 'In the Time of the Butterflies', which sold over a million copies and raised global awareness about life under Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo. Spanning multiple genres and audiences, Alvarez's work includes three nonfiction books, three poetry collections, 11 books for children and young adults and seven literary novels. This new documentary opens a window into her extraordinary journey from an idyllic, privileged childhood in the Dominican Republic to a life of exile in New York City to a brilliant literary career that shows no sign of slowing down. At 74, she recently published the critically acclaimed novel The Cemetery of Untold Stories. Filmed in the United States and the Dominican Republic, 'Julia Alvarez: A Life Reimagined' features extensive interviews with Alvarez, her family, and her literary contemporaries. The documentary is produced and directed by Adriana Bosch, an award-winning documentary filmmaker who served as series producer on the PBS series 'Latino Americans' (2013) and 'Latin Music USA' (2009). Born in Cuba, Bosch has produced and written a number of films for the PBS series American Experience, including a film on Fidel Castro and several acclaimed presidential biographies. 'We're delighted to partner with American Masters to tell the story of one of the most influential Latina writers of our time', said Sandie Viquez Pedlow, LPB Executive Director and Executive Producer of VOCES. 'Alvarez's poetry and novels offer a unique perspective on the melding of her two cultures - American and Dominican - and are among the finest works about the American immigrant experience.' Says filmmaker Adriana Bosch: 'In our film, Dominican poet Elizabeth Acevedo introduces Julia by say that Julia belongs on the Mount Rushmore of Women Latino writers, along with Isabel Allende and Sandra Cisneros. She was among the pioneers in creating a new literature that expanded the meaning of the 'American Mainstream' and reminds us of the famous line by Langston Hughes - I too sing America.'

Episode 6

Brenda Lee: Rockin' Around

Fri, Nov 29, 2024

How Brenda Lee's early fame and life of poverty shaped her music, including the classic "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree".

Episode 10

Renegades: Daniel K. Inouye

Tue, Oct 8, 2024