| | |  | NORTH AMERICA | Home » » Martha Graham - An American Original in Performance | | | | | | | Product Promotions: | | | | | Description: | | A true pioneer in the world of dance, Martha Graham became an American legend. She was a fearless explorer and a passionate artist, and she exemplified the American spirit in it's truest form. The program is in three parts. In a Dancer's World, Miss Graham and her company demonstrate the challenge and beauty of expression through movement. Developed during her European and Oriental tours, the format of the film - "exercises de style," as the French call it - takes us into her dressing room, the studio, and the spirit of dance itself. Directed and filmed by Peter Glushanok. (Filmed in 1957) Night Journey is Martha Graham's retelling of the legend of Oedipus, danced by Miss Graham as Jocasta, Paul Taylor as Tiresais, and Bertram Ross as Oedipus. This work has a score by William Schumann and set design by Isamu Noguchi, the internationally renowned sculptor and designer. "This film contains the essence of Graham and is among the two or three successful dance films ever made" (Clive Barnes). Directed by Alexander Hammid. (Filmed in 1961) Appalachian Spring is an American folk tale of a young pioneer, his bride, and a wandering revivalist preacher with a band of followers. The dance tells of the couple's wedding, the building of their home, the preacher's dire sermon, and the woman's gentle blessing as the couple begins a life in the wilderness. The Pulitzer Prize-winning score was composed by Aaron Copeland, and the sets were designed by Isamu Noguchi. Directed and photographed by Peter Glushanok. (Filmed in 1958) | | | Product Details: | | | Actors:
| Robert Cohan, Martha Graham, Bertram Ross, Paul Taylor | | Format:
| Black & White, DVD, NTSC | | Language:
| English | | Number of Discs:
| 1 | | Studio:
| Kultur Video | | Run Time:
| 93 minutes | | DVD Release Date:
| July 30, 2002 | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 12 reviews |
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| $10.45 | New | | | $10.46 | New | | | $10.96 | New | | | $10.98 | New | | | $11.00 | New | | | $11.06 | New | | | $11.07 | New | | | $11.50 | New | | | $11.59 | New | | | $15.93 | Used
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- Good | | | $24.46 | New | | | $24.46 | Used
- Mint | | | $38.60 | New | | | $53.19 | Used
- Good | |
| New | |
| $10.45 | New | | | $10.46 | New | | | $10.96 | New | | | $10.98 | New | | | $11.00 | New | | | $11.06 | New | | | $11.07 | New | | | $11.50 | New | | | $11.59 | New | | | $17.83 | New | | | $18.07 | New | | | $19.99 This item is eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. | New | | | $24.46 | New | | | $38.60 | New | |
| Used | |
| $15.93 | Used
- Mint | | | $15.95 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $15.95 | Used
- Mint | | | $22.35 | Used
- Good | | | $22.99 | Used
- Good | | | $24.46 | Used
- Mint | | | $53.19 | Used
- Good | |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
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 Martha Graham-Introduction and ExemplarMay 24, 2010
For those like myself, without any technical or connoisseurs knowledge of the Dance, this fine DVD serves as both Martha Grahams explanation of her approach to her work and examplars of that work. The first half hour of the 90 minutes of performance, all are in black and white and shot for the camera, contains her explanation of the dancer's life, together with studio demonstrations by her talented group. These are not exercises, they are designed for purpose and place by Graham and are quite impressive demonstrations of the art. The second and third self-contained dances are also conceived (and danced by Graham and her students), have visual designs by Isamu Naguchi, with music, first by William Schuman and second by Aaron Copland (Appalachian Spring). Once again, they are striking to my naive eyes, rewarding in themselves, and enlightening as to the nature of one of the influential forces in modern dance. I did not notice any fault with the film, although there may have been, since I am familiar with none of the numbers. Having been designed for black and white filming, good use is made of its strengths and little feels lost, the camera work is superior, thanks, no doubt, in part to the dance being focused on the camera as audience surrogate.
Others have recommended these films for the initiate; certainly, I can second that vote, by commending it to any viewer who simply likes to see the dance without any deeper appreciation through training or other educational mechanisms. It should be mentioned that Paul Taylor appears as one of Graham's students.
A great ResourceApr 15, 2009
This video is a great resource for all dance teachers, especially if you are in a public school setting. I am a dance teacher at an elementary school where I teach using dance standards, but I also go into the regualar classroom to teach their standards through dance. I have used this video for lessons on Drawing conclusions, westward expansion, and myths. This is a great video!
Great! 3 Wonderful Performances.Jan 09, 2009
If you are looking for examples of Martha Graham's works, this DVD gives you 3 lovely performances. However, if you want these performances explained and have a desire to have more background information about Graham and her company etc. I would recommend purchasing the 2 DVD set called "Martha Graham Dance on Film" which includes all 3 of these performances plus more.
 an American classicNov 02, 2008
This should be a staple for dance educators/dance history classes. The 30 minute intro shows Martha Graham speaking passionately about her work and shows her dancers in a studio setting. It really captures the era of early Modern dance.
1 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Martha Graham documentaryFeb 09, 2008
This is one ofa few realy good dance documentaries ever made. I wish all dance documentaries would be so useful. I think every dancer should have this in the library.
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