Browse Special Interests. Religion & Spirituality

List Price: $39.92
Price: $29.99
You Save: $9.93 (25%)

The Jazz Singer (Three-Disc Deluxe Edition)

Actors: Al Jolson, May McAvoy, Warner Oland, Eugenie Besserer, Otto Lederer
ASIN : B00005JKSC
Sales Rank : 6246
Director : Alan Crosland, Bobby Connolly, Bryan Foy, Buster Keaton, F. Lyle Goldman
Brand : Warner Brothers
Studio : Warner Home Video
Region Code : 1
Format : NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0012569798892
UPC : 012569798892
Release Date : December 16, 2007
Publisher : Warner Home Video
Manufacturer : Warner Home Video
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : Warner Home Video
Running Time : 89

Product Description

A cantors son gets into show business much to the anger & disappointment of his family. Well-known for being the first talkie. Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 10/16/2007 Starring: Al Jolson Warner Oland Rating: Nr

Amazon.com

It's one of the most famous titles in film history, and everybody knows why: in a handful of sequences in The Jazz Singer, sound and image are excitingly synchronized. By 1927, some short subjects had already been "talkies," and a few features had synchronized music, but The Jazz Singer gets the prize as the breakthrough. Because the film is largely without dialogue, you can--even watching the film today--almost palpably sense the shift in movie epochs, as cinema takes an evolutionary leap from one form to the next. The movie itself, based on a successful Broadway show by Samson Raphaelson, is strictly melodrama of an ancient kind. Young Jakie Rabinowitz is expected to follow in the long line of family Cantors, but his heart yearns to sing "Toot Toot, Tootsie" instead of "Kol Nidre." Al Jolson plays Jakie (later Jack Robin of footlights fame), and you get a taste of why he was widely considered the greatest entertainer of his time; watch him with a tearjerker such as "Dirty Hands, Dirty Face" and you'll see the skillful, completely irony-free manipulations of a master storyteller. Equally fun is Jolson's non-singing patter--in fact, this is where you get the thrill of talking pictures, more so than the songs. "You ain't heard nuthin' yet," he burbles, and it's hard not to catch the excitement.

Jolson's numbers include his blackface act, a longstanding tradition of minstrel shows and music halls, and an unavoidable source of awkwardness for later viewers (see The Savages for an amusing account of the embarrassment this can cause). Blackface is a bizarre show business reality, and it's part of the movie, so some historical context is required.

Warner Bros. rightly considers The Jazz Singer a key moment in the studio's history, and this three-disc DVD package gives the deluxe treatment. The film itself is beautifully restored, and reproductions of original supporting materials (souvenir program, stills, ads) are fun. A booklet on early Vitaphone shorts clearly predates The Jazz Singer, for Jolson is mentioned only as a star of Vitaphone shorts, and George Jessel is tabbed as the future star of The Jazz Singer (he'd played Jakie on Broadway). A 90-minute documentary gives a fine account of how the Vitaphone system worked, and how other systems actually became the industry standard.

Supplemental short films are a true treasure trove. A Plantation Act is more Jolson blackface, Hollywood Handicap a studio short comedy directed by Buster Keaton, and I Love to Singa a hilarious 1936 Tex Avery cartoon--a spoof of The Jazz Singer starring a bird named Owl Jolson. A flabbergasting collection of Vitagraph shorts--over four hours' worth--makes up disc 3 of this set: utterly weird and wonderful performances by some of the strangest acts ever to kill vaudeville. There are a few names here: George Burns and Gracie Allen in a short called Lambchops, the Foy Family doing wacky stage business. But the cornball timed jokes of Shaw & Lee, the saucy songs of Trixie Friganza, not to mention "The Wizard of the Mandolin," Bernardo De Pace--these are gems, folks. Anyone with a taste for showbiz past will love them. --Robert Horton

List Price: $14.98
Price: $13.49
You Save: $1.49 (10%)

Witness to Hope - The Life of John Paul II

Actors: Rene Auberjonois, George Weigel
ASIN : B00096S412
Sales Rank : 10661
Director : Judith Dwan Hallet
Studio : Xenon
Region Code : 1
Format : Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0000799432921
UPC : 000799432921
Release Date : December 26, 2005
Publisher : Xenon
Manufacturer : Xenon
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : Xenon
Running Time : 116

Description

Shaped by the terrors of Nazi-occupied Poland and the subsequent brutalities of the Communist regime, John Paul II became one of the world’s greatest proponents of religious freedom and human rights. With rare historical stills and archival footage, along with new location footage taken in Rome and Poland, this richly textured film traces the personal life and struggles of the first non-Italian pope in over 450 years. Based on George Weigel’s book of the same title, Witness to Hope is a complete and intimate portrait of an extraordinary leader.

List Price: $14.98
Price: $13.49
You Save: $1.49 (10%)

The Secret Things of God

Actor: Henry Cloud
ASIN : B0010KHOR6
Sales Rank : 11499
Brand : TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT
Studio : 20th Century Fox
Region Code : 1
Format : Color, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0024543497837
UPC : 024543497837
Release Date : December 11, 2008
Publisher : 20th Century Fox
Manufacturer : 20th Century Fox
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : 20th Century Fox
Running Time : 87

Description

Noted author and psychologist, Dr. Henry Cloud (Boundaries) explores the Judeo-Christian perspective on The Secret phenomenon, revealing age-old truths about the powerful attraction that exists in the between God and the creation whom He loves. Unlock spiritual realities that make life work: true joy, inner peace, sustaining hope and powerful purpose.

Amazon.com

A rewarding treatise on living a better and happier life, The Secret Things of God can be just as meaningful to secular viewers as it is for practicing Christians and Jews. Based on psychologist Henry Cloud's book The Secret Things of God: Unlocking the Treasures Reserved for You, this DVD finds the focused but comforting Cloud giving a seminar about the path to acquiring true happiness, getting the most out of relationships, utilizing talents and skills to the maximum, and enhancing one's spiritual life. Cloud's approach begins where, he says, many people think their search should end: by being more open to God's plan for each individual. Seek God, Cloud says, and He shows up, though usually not in the way one expects or hopes. Often, he says, God answers prayers with silence or greater darkness or more woe, so that people more fully appreciate their ability to advance their destinies once solutions finally begin to come together. One can't have Easter, says a clergyman (one of several commentators in this production, including popular psychiatrist Dr. Drew Pinsky), without going through the sufferings of Good Friday. Elsewhere, Cloud applies that same wisdom about experience-based growth to issues of trust (which comes when one is vulnerable and open to love); happiness (there is no such thing as being happy and disconnected from others); relationships (good ones come from having the skills to produce them, e.g., learning to listen and validate before doing anything else); and finding God (a good life does not depend on good circumstances; it's one's relationship to others and God that is under one's control). --Tom Keogh

List Price: $19.98
Price: $15.99
You Save: $3.99 (20%)

Moses (The Bible Collection)

Actors: Ben Kingsley, Frank Langella, Christopher Lee, Anna Galiena, Enrico Lo Verso
ASIN : B0006J28KA
Sales Rank : 32221
Director : Roger Young
Studio : Turner Home Ent
Region Code : 1
Format : Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Subtitled, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0053939689624
UPC : 053939689624
Release Date : December 15, 2005
Publisher : Turner Home Ent
Manufacturer : Turner Home Ent
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : Turner Home Ent
Running Time : 182

Product Description

The inspiring story of a young man chosen by god to lead the israelites form slavery in egypt to the promised land. Studio: Turner Hm Entertainm Release Date: 09/06/2005 Run time: 182 minutes Rating: Nr

List Price: $19.95
Price: $14.99
You Save: $4.96 (25%)

NOVA: Newton's Dark Secrets (2005)

Actors: Scott Handy, Chris Oxley
ASIN : B000BKDNY4
Sales Rank : 10997
Studio : WGBH Boston
Region Code : 1
Format : Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Letterboxed, NTSC, Widescreen
Binding : DVD
EAN : 9781593753238
ISBN : 1593753233
UPC : 783421389199
Release Date : December 28, 2006
Publisher : WGBH Boston
Manufacturer : WGBH Boston
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : WGBH Boston
Running Time : 56

Description

He was a 17th century Einstein, who reduced nature’s chaos to a single set of laws and revolutionized the thinking and outlook of his age. But in the midst of his astonishing breakthroughs in physics, optics, and calculus, Isaac Newton was also searching out hidden meanings in the Bible and pursuing the covert art of alchemy, or the changing of base metals into gold.

With vivid docudrama scenes starring Scott Handy (Henry VIII) as Newton, NOVA recreates the unique climate of late 17th-century England, where a newfound fascination with science and mathematics coexisted with extreme views on religious doctrine. Unknown to most, Newton shared both obsessions.

Besides revealing his secretive and vindictive personality, this NOVA special shows how he made the bold intellectual leaps that transformed science, such as the universal law of gravitation. Newton’s Dark Secrets also recreates one of Newton’s little-known alchemical experiments using his secret recipes, which have only recently been deciphered. With these lively glimpses of a brilliant and obsessive mind, NOVA explores how Newton became the giant on whose shoulders all later scientists would find a place to stand.

Special DVD features include: materials and activities for educators; a link to the NOVA Web site; scene selections; closed captions; and described video for the visually impaired.

On one DVD5 disc. Region coding: All regions. Audio: Dolby stereo. Screen format: Letterboxed.

List Price: $19.95
Price: $10.99
You Save: $8.96 (45%)

2012: Science Or Superstition

Actors: Graham Hancock, Daniel Pinchbeck, John Major Jenkins, Alberto Villoldo, Jim Marrs
ASIN : B001IF5PCE
Sales Rank : 2687
Director : Nimrod Erez
Studio : The Disinformation Company
Region Code : 0
Format : Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0826262005191
UPC : 826262005191
Release Date : December 27, 2009
Publisher : The Disinformation Company
Manufacturer : The Disinformation Company
Availability : Not yet released
Label : The Disinformation Company
Running Time : 78

Product Description

December 21, 2012: the end date of the sophisticated Long Count Calendar created by the ancient Maya in central America. Countless books and websites, magazine articles and newspaper headlines debate its meaning, with enthusiasts in two camps: those forecasting apocalypse the end of time and those who see a coming renewal, a rebirth of consciousness.

Adding fuel to the debate, some scientists see the increasing number of natural disasters in recent years as evidence of a catastrophic climax of events in 2012. How much of what we re hearing is science and how much is superstition? In this film the leading researchers, writers and scientists in the field tell us exactly what this date means to them, why it s important, and what we should expect.

Featured in the film are Graham Hancock, John Major Jenkins, Daniel Pinchbeck, Alberto Villoldo, Anthony Aveni, Robert Bauval, Jim Marrs, Walter Cruttenden, Lawrence E. Joseph, Douglas Rushkoff, John Anthony West and Benito Vegas Duran.

Browse Religion & Spirituality Online

The Jazz Singer (Three-Disc Deluxe Edition)

Product Description

Amazon.com

Witness to Hope - The Life of John Paul II

Description

The Secret Things of God

Description

Amazon.com

Homecoming Picnic

Jacob (The Bible Collection)

Product Description

Moses (The Bible Collection)

Product Description

NOVA: Newton's Dark Secrets (2005)

Description

2012: Science Or Superstition

Product Description

VeggieTales - The Bumblyburg Superhero Value 4-Pack

St. John in Exile