French

From medieval Gaul to the Age of the Internet, the French language has kept in step with history, changing and growing with the times yet never losing its unique character. This program stops at various points along the timeline to spotlight important chapters in the story of the evolution of a vibrant linguistic melange in locales as diverse as Europe, North America, and Africa. Many maps, representative texts from across the centuries, and newsreel clips help tell the tale. (French, 28 minutes)

His incendiary poetry assaulted the constraints of European society, helped to define the Symbolist movement, and influenced generations of later writers-including many Surrealists, Beat poets, and even rockers like Jim Morrison. This program combines a stunning visual biography of Arthur Rimbaud with excerpts from key texts, forging a unique study of the poet's personality and examining his relationship with his mother and with Paul Verlaine. Images and footage of the settings in which Rimbaud grew up, worked, loved, traveled, and lived out his final years provide a dynamic backdrop for readings from Le bateau ivre," Une Saison en Enfer, and several other works and letters. (59 minutes)"

This program covers how to greet friends, introduce oneself to strangers, talk about where one comes from, and tell what one does for a living. Settings include an exhibition of rare books, a yacht race, an opera festival, a youth orchestra performance, and numerous other locales. Bienvenue en France!" Original BBC broadcast title: Talk French, Program 1. (French and English, 16 minutes)"

Featuring film clips, reenactments, and dramatizations, this program examines the imperishable spirit of Don Quijote through the life of Cervantes and the literary masterpiece that bears Quijote's name. Topics range from the place of Don Quijote in world literature and its influence on later writers, to autobiographical parallels between Quijote and Cervantes, to the universal qualities of Quijote and Sancho Panza, to the eternal search for utopia. Commentary by Gunter Grass, Jose Saramago, Mario Vargas Llosa, and other authors and professors adds academic authority. Not available in French-speaking Canada. An RTVE Production. (56 minutes)

Hailed as one of the finest living poets writing in English, Derek Walcott grew up on an island where French, French patois, and Creole are also spoken. Filmed on St. Lucia, Walcott's birthplace and the wellspring of his poetic vision, this program presents the biography of a major figure in contemporary literature. The poet talks about his childhood and education, his influences and techniques, and how he actually started out as a painter. Matched with beautifully filmed segments of the island and its people, Walcott reads selections of his poetry, including passages from his epic Omeros. (54 minutes)

A notorious lothario, Dom Juan is the despair of his longsuffering servant, Sganarelle. He carries on his many seductions without a care, deceiving and leaving woman after woman-including the noble Elvire, whose brothers promptly swear vengeance against him. After successfully eluding them, Dom Juan mockingly invites to dinner the statue of a man he had recently killed. When the statue's arrival prompts him to fake a repentant change of heart, an overtaxed Providence cuts the scene short by opening a flaming abyss at his feet and dropping him into Hell. Not available in French-speaking Canada. (French, 2 parts, 62 minutes and 80 minutes)

This program weaves art, music, and literature with Western culture to explore the enormous impact of Cervantes' classic on our world today. Artists, critics, and others, from novelist Carlos Fuentes to General Norman Schwarzkopf, reveal how the work-the most translated in history-has affected their lives. Mixing discussions of the text with music, poems, other writings influenced by Don Quixote, and clips from the many film versions of the work, the program explores the conflict between imagination and reality, masculine and feminine attitudes toward love, and other themes. This is a rich resource for the study of Don Quixote and of the influence of art on life. Original BBC broadcast title: The Further Adventures of Don Quixote. (58 minutes)

This program spotlights the language of leisure. Topics of discussion include favorite athletic activities, such as hiking and the immensely popular petanque; landscape painting around Mount St. Victoire, immortalized by Cezanne; recreational shopping; and nightlife in Marseille, where outdoor restaurants and discotheques are always in vogue. Original BBC broadcast title: Talk French, Program 6. (French and English, 16 minutes)

When traveling, finding one's way around is a big part of the adventure. This program demonstrates how to ask for and give directions when touring in urban and rural settings and how to say where one lives and works. Architectural landmarks such as Le Corbusier's Cite Radieuse, in Marseille, and the magnificent mansions lining the Cours Mirabeau, in Aix-en-Provence, are featured. Original BBC broadcast title: Talk French, Program 3. (French and English, 16 minutes)

Fueled by an unflagging determination, Francois Mitterrand succeeded in revitalizing France's political left and then holding the nation's highest office for fourteen pivotal years. Drawing on interviews with Mitterrand, his former cabinet members, and others, this program sorts out the melange of triumphs, failures, rivalries, and scandals that made up the late president's career in power politics. Archival footage firmly sets the life of the magisterial leader of the French Socialist Party within the context of post-World War II-and post-Soviet Union-European history. (French, 56 minutes)French

Filmed in some surprising locales-Madagascar and Mauritius, Cambodia and Japan, and Louisiana as well-this program looks at how French has been adopted and adapted in many corners of the world where it is not the official language. For these Francophones, speaking la belle langue francaise is a matter of tradition...and an affair of the heart. (French, 28 minutes)

Composed of mini-chapters-one for each letter of the alphabet, plus the @ of e-mail-this program cleverly reinforces knowledge of French language and culture through a wide variety of topics, ranging from Accents, Babillage, and Crise...to Langues Regionales, Mots d'Ailleurs, and Nombres...to XXL, Yen/Dollar/Euro, Ziboulateur, and @ Demain. Commentary by well-known linguists and grammarians stresses the flexibility of the French language and its ability to rise to each new linguistic challenge. (French, 53 minutes)

A highly visual and humorously dramatic introduction to the concept of the negative in language and specifically to the nature and proper usage of ne, pas, plus, jamais, rien, and personne. Produced by the Inner London Education Authority, whose success in teaching French is attested to by the large number of Londoners who now speak a fluent, correct, and well-accented French. (25 minutes)

Filmed at a bustling cafe, a wedding, a christening, and a variety of other interesting locations, this program shows how to order and pay for beverages and how to express familial relationships and marital status. Commentary provides insights into cafe culture and family life in France. Original BBC broadcast title: Talk French, Program 2. (French and English, 16 minutes)

Fearful of falling victim to marital infidelity, bachelor Arnolphe schemes to marry his guileless young ward, Agnes, whom he has had raised in a convent specifically to be his model wife. However, his naive plan is spoiled when Agnes runs away with Horace-a fact that Arnolphe learns when Horace unwittingly asks him to conceal her at his home. Before Arnolphe can react, it is revealed that Agnes' wealthy father has formally arranged her marriage to Horace, dashing his hopes forever. This play-Moliere's greatest commercial success-drew heavy attacks for supposed moral and literary flaws. Not available in French-speaking Canada. (French, 2 parts, 67 minutes and 72 minutes)