Videos on the U.S. and American Studies

Bastards of the party 2006?

Former gang member Cle Sloan traces the history of the notorious Crips and Bloods in South Central Los Angeles. 1 videodisc (97 min.)

MEDIA 10-4121

 

Big Mama c2000

Tracy Seretean and California Newsreel (Firm)

In Big Mama, a devoted grandmother struggles to raise her orphan grandson alone in southcentral Los Angeles.  She deals with her own failing health, discrimination, and a bureaucratic and legal system that continually threatens to intervene and force them apart.  This Academy Award winning documentary helps to shed light on the changing role of grandparents in society and the changing and diverse composition of the family. 1 videodisc (40 min.)

MEDIA 10-1096

 

The Bigamist 199-?, 1953

Collier Young, Ida Lupino, Joan Fontaine, Edmund Gwenn, Edmond O'Brien, Larry Marcus, and Lou Schor

A traveling salesman from San Francisco marries another woman in Los Angeles, without revealing to her that he was already married. 1 videocassette (ca. 80 min.)

MEDIA 2-2658 10-2394

 

Birth of a nation, 4x29x92 200-?

Matthew McDaniel and  Newsreel (Firm)

"After criminal charges were dropped against four Los Angeles police officers accused in the brutal beating of Rodney King, L.A. erupted. This video offers a rare view of the rebellion that began within minutes of the verdict. It is a view from the street, shot at the epicenter of the rebellion where residents express their outrage, businesses burn, and neighbors are depicted as criminals on the nightly news; gangs call a city-wide truce while local rappers become prophets. With the hand-held immediacy of combat coverage, the video follows events over several days, shows conditions leading up to the verdict, the rebellion, and ultimately the arrest of black youth accused of rioting and violence as the chief of police and news cameras look on.". 1 videodisc (63 min.) :

MEDIA 10-2477

 

Boyz 'n the hood 1998

John Singleton, Steve Nicolaides, Larry Fishburne, Ice Cube, Cuba Gooding, and Morris Chestnut

For three young men growing up in South Central Los Angeles, the "hood" is a place of drive-by shootings, unemployment, drugs and pain. But their reactions to the world around them vary- one is an unambitious drug dealer, his brother is a college bound teenage father, and the brother's best friend is guided by a strong father who hopes for a better life for his son. 1 videodisc (112 min.)

MEDIA 10-45

 

Bugsy 1991/2006

Mark Johnson, Barry Levinson, Warren Beatty, James Toback, Annette Bening, Harvey Keitel, Ben Kingsley, Joe Mantegna, Tri-Star Pictures, Mulholland Productions, Baltimore Pictures (Firm), and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (Firm)

Benjamin 'Bugsy' Siegel is a brilliant and violent gangster who leaves behind his criminal empire in New York to run the powerful rackets in Los Angeles. But his tumultuous affair with a Hollywood starlet inspires him to build something even bigger than his growing infamy. By doing this, he enrages his criminal backers. Bugsy will go to any length to see his dream realized, even if it costs him his life. 2 videodiscs (ca. 149 min.)

MEDIA 10-1103

 

Catfish in black bean sauce c2001

Chi Muoi Lo, Paul Winfield, Mary Alice, Lauren Tom, Sanaa Lathan, First Look Home Entertainment, Ironhill Pictures, Warwick Pictures, and  Black Hawk Entertainment

Mai and Dwayne were refugee children in Vietnam when Harold and Dee Williams, an African-American couple living in Los Angeles, adopted them. Now that the children are adults, they remain close to their parents, especially Dwayne. Mai announces that she's located their birth mother, Thahn, and she's flying her to L.A. Dee takes the news hard: she sees herself being replaced. Harold is more sanguine, and Dwayne pretends to be indifferent. When Thahn arrives, tensions reach the breaking point between everyone. 1 videodisc (ca. 119 min.)

MEDIA 10-1597

 

Compaaneras the story of America's first all-female mariachi band c2009

Liz Massie, Matthew Buzzell, Celia Zaentz, Filmakers Library, inc, and Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles

A profile of America's first all-female mariachi band, Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles. Since 1994, this 12-member group has been taking on a male-dominated musical tradition to build the popularity of mariachi music. (Independent lens website). 1 videodisc (59 min.)

MEDIA. MEDIA 10-1653 10-1707

 

Crash 2006

Paul Haggis, Cathy Schulman, Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Jennifer Esposito, William Fichtner, Brendan Fraser, Lion's Gate Films, DEJ Productions, Inc, and Lions Gate Home Entertainment

A provocative, unflinching look at the complexities of racial tolerance in contemporary America when a car accident brings together a group of strangers in Los Angeles. 2 videodiscs (115 min.)

MEDIA 10-665

 

The exiles c2009

Sherman Alexie, Charles Burnett, Kent Mackenzie, Anthony J Hilder, Yvonne Williams, Homer Nish, Tommy Reynolds, Revels (Musical group), Milestone Film & Video, Oscilloscope Pictures, United States Information Agency, United Artists Television (Firm), Wolper Productions, Churchill Films, Dimension Films (1962-1985), University of Southern California, Moving image archive, UCLA Film and Television Archive, and National Film Preservation Foundation (U.S.)

"[C]hronicles one night in the lives of young Native American men and women living in the Bunker Hill district of Los Angeles.  Based entirely on interviews with the participants and their friends, the film follows a group of exiles -- transplants from Southwest reservations -- as they flirt, drink, party, fight, and dance." -- Container. 2 videodiscs (73 min.):

MEDIA  MEDIA 10-1586      10-1407

 

The garden 2009

The 14 acre community garden in South Central Los Angeles was the largest of it's kind in the United States. It was started as a form of healing after the devastating L.A. riots in 1992. Since that time, the South Central Farmers have created a miracle in one of the country's most blighted neighborhoods. Growing their own food. Feeding their families. Creating a community. But now bulldozers threaten their oasis. The Garden is an unflinching look at the struggle between these urban farmers and the City of Los Angeles and a powerful developer who want to evict them and build warehouses. 1 videodisc (80 min.)

MEDIA 10-4474

 

The glass shield 2005, 1994

Charles Burnett, Thomas S Byrnes, Carolyn Schroeder, Richard Anderson, Michael Boatman, Ice Cube, Bernie Casey, Elliott Gould, Don Harvey, Miramax Home Entertainment (Firm), Buena Vista Home Entertainment (Firm), Miramax Films, and CIBY 2000 (Firm)

The first African American assigned to the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department uncovers a corrupt and racist precinct. 1 videodisc (ca. 115 min.)

MEDIA 10-1450

 

Gods and monsters 2003

Bill Condon, Ian McKellen, Brendan Fraser, Lynn Redgrave, Lion's Gate Films, Lions Gate Home Entertainment, BBC Films, Showtime Entertainment, Flashpoint (Firm), and Regent Entertainment (Firm)

"It's 1957, and Hollywood horror director James Whale's heyday as the director of "Frankenstein," "Bride of Frankenstein" and "The invisible man" is long behind him. Retired and a semi-recluse, he lives his days accompanied only by images from his past. When his dour housekeeper Hannah hires handsome young gardener Clayton Boone, the flamboyant director and the simple yard man develop an unlikely friendship"--Container. 1 videodisc (105 min.)

MEDIA 10-736

 

In a lonely place 2003

Robert Lord, Edmund H North, Nicholas Ray, Andrew Solt, Humphrey Bogart, Gloria Grahame, Frank Lovejoy, Carl Benton Reid, Art Smith, Jeff Donnell, Martha Stewart, Columbia Pictures Corporation, and Columbia TriStar Home Video (Firm)

A Hollywood screenwriter, questioned falsely for murder, is drawn to his neighbor when she confirms his alibi. However, his volatile nature eventually threatens to destroy their one last chance for real love. 1 videodisc (ca. 94 min.)

MEDIA 10-459

 

In her own time the final fieldwork of Barbara Myerhoff c2007

Lynne Littman, Vikram Jayanti, Barbara G Myerhoff, Center for Visual Anthropology, Embassy Television (Firm), Direct Cinema Ltd, and Act III Communications

Focuses on cultural anthropologist Barbara Myerhoff's study of the community of Hasidic Jews in Los Angeles's Fairfax neighborhood. Tells also how, after exhausting medical treatment for cancer, she found strength among the traditions, faith, and caring of these Orthodox Jews. 1 videodisc  (60 min.)

MEDIA 10-950

 

Los Angeles plays itself "Thom Andersen's landmark documentary explores the tangled relationship between the movies and their fabled hometown, as seen entirely through the films themselves. From its distinctive neighborhoods to its architectural homes, Los Angeles has been the backdrop to countless movies. Andersen takes viewers on a whirlwind tour through the metropolis' real and cinematic history, investigating the myriad stories and legends that have come to define it, and revealing the real city that lives beneath" --Container. 1 videodisc (170 min.)

MEDIA 10-5265

 

Made in L.A Hecho en Los Angeles 2007

Almudena Carracedo, Robert Bahar, Lisa Leeman, Semilla Verde Productions, Independent Television Service, American Documentary Films, P.O.V. (Firm), and California Newsreel (Firm)

Follows the remarkable story of three Latina immigrants, Lupe Hernandez, María Pineda, Maura Colorado, working in Los Angeles garment sweatshops as they embark on a three-year odyssey to win basic labor protections from a mega-trendy clothing retailer. 1 videodisc (70 min.)

MEDIA 10-1151

 

Route 66, an American odyssey c2002

John Paget, James Jenner, Bobby Troup, and Pacific Communications (Firm)

Documentary about the building of Route 66 and its golden days.  Route 66 was once the main highway from Chicago to Los Angeles. Covers the 1920s through the 1990s. 1 videodisc (115 min.)

MEDIA 10-1608

 

The savage eye  Inc 2000

The Savage eye follows a recently divorced woman as she explores the seamy side of life in Los Angeles. 1 videodisc (66 min.)

MEDIA 10-5138

 

Sweat equity c2001

Daniel P Tripoli, Chyrstal Jordan, Sharon Alsina, Metro Farming Film Project, and National Film Network

Documentary about the revitalization of urban communities by Los Angeles citizens who are creating community gardens from vacant city land. 1 videodisc (69 min.)

MEDIA 10-920

 

The battle over Citizen Kane 1996

David G McCullough, Thomas Lennon, Michael Epstein, and Richard Ben Cramer

William Randolph Hearst, the powerful newspaper magnate, was portrayed in Citizen Kane, an Orson Welles film. Hearst's reaction upon learning about the film was to work to supress it and destroy Welles. Major movie theater chains refused to show Citizen Kane, and Welles' masterpiece virtually disappeared for almost 25 years. Never again would Orson Welles gain control of a major Hollywood production. 1 videocassette (114 min.)

MEDIA. MEDIA 2-4070 cassette 1 2-4071 cassette 2

 

Beyond organic the vision of Fairview Gardens 2000

Michael Ableman, John De Graaf, Meryl Streep, Michael Ableman, and Michael Ableman

Tells the story of Fairview Gardens, a 12-acre farm located in the Galena Valley, north of Santa Barbara. Managed for the past two decades by visionary farmer/photographer/author, Michael Ableman, the farm is a model of sustainable food production and community development. 1 videocassette (33 min.)

MEDIA 2-5193

 

Big Mama c2000

Tracy Seretean and California Newsreel (Firm)

In Big Mama, a devoted grandmother struggles to raise her orphan grandson alone in southcentral Los Angeles.  She deals with her own failing health, discrimination, and a bureaucratic and legal system that continually threatens to intervene and force them apart.  This Academy Award winning documentary helps to shed light on the changing role of grandparents in society and the changing and diverse composition of the family. 1 videodisc (40 min.)

MEDIA 10-1096

 

Boyz 'n the hood 1998

John Singleton, Steve Nicolaides, Larry Fishburne, Ice Cube, Cuba Gooding, and Morris Chestnut

For three young men growing up in South Central Los Angeles, the "hood" is a place of drive-by shootings, unemployment, drugs and pain. But their reactions to the world around them vary- one is an unambitious drug dealer, his brother is a college bound teenage father, and the brother's best friend is guided by a strong father who hopes for a better life for his son. 1 videodisc (112 min.)

MEDIA 10-45

 

Bugsy 1991/2006

Mark Johnson, Barry Levinson, Warren Beatty, James Toback, Annette Bening, Harvey Keitel, Ben Kingsley, Joe Mantegna, Tri-Star Pictures, Mulholland Productions, Baltimore Pictures (Firm), and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (Firm)

Benjamin 'Bugsy' Siegel is a brilliant and violent gangster who leaves behind his criminal empire in New York to run the powerful rackets in Los Angeles. But his tumultuous affair with a Hollywood starlet inspires him to build something even bigger than his growing infamy. By doing this, he enrages his criminal backers. Bugsy will go to any length to see his dream realized, even if it costs him his life. 2 videodiscs (ca. 149 min.)

MEDIA 10-1103

 

Catfish in black bean sauce c2001

Chi Muoi Lo, Paul Winfield, Mary Alice, Lauren Tom, Sanaa Lathan, First Look Home Entertainment, Ironhill Pictures, Warwick Pictures, and  Black Hawk Entertainment

Mai and Dwayne were refugee children in Vietnam when Harold and Dee Williams, an African-American couple living in Los Angeles, adopted them. Now that the children are adults, they remain close to their parents, especially Dwayne. Mai announces that she's located their birth mother, Thahn, and she's flying her to L.A. Dee takes the news hard: she sees herself being replaced. Harold is more sanguine, and Dwayne pretends to be indifferent. When Thahn arrives, tensions reach the breaking point between everyone. 1 videodisc (ca. 119 min.)

MEDIA 10-1597

 

The Central city 1982

Eric Harrison, Julia Spark, Brian Nixon, and Charles Foster

Depicts the characteristics of central city and the central business district.  Compares Los Angeles, California and Manchester, England. 1 videocassette (20 min.)

MEDIA 2-1856

 

Colors 1988

Sean Penn, Robert Duvall, and Dennis Hopper

Two L.A. cops, one a veteran and one a rookie, try to bring peace to the war raging on the streets of L.A. 1 videocassette (127 min.)

MEDIA 2-690

 

Crash 2006

Paul Haggis, Cathy Schulman, Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Jennifer Esposito, William Fichtner, Brendan Fraser, Lion's Gate Films, DEJ Productions, Inc, and Lions Gate Home Entertainment

A provocative, unflinching look at the complexities of racial tolerance in contemporary America when a car accident brings together a group of strangers in Los Angeles. 2 videodiscs (115 min.)

MEDIA 10-665

 

The Decline of western civilization 1989

Penelope Spheeris, Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris, Alice Cooper, and Ozzy Osbourne

A fast-paced, humorous, and often outrageous look at the Heavy Metal scene. Candid and uncensored interviews with members of metal bands including Megadeth, Faster Pussycat, Lizzie Borden, London, Odin, and Seduce, all of whom are seen in performance, along with Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne, Poison and members of Aerosmith, Kiss and Motorhead, result in fascinating footage about the lives, dreams and fans of these heavy metal stars. 1 videocassette (ca. 90 min.)

MEDIA 2-3191

 

The Developing city 1982

Eric Harrison, Julia Spark, Brian Nixon, and Charles Foster

Examines the growth of a town into a city ; the center city, housing, suburbia and exurbia ; relocating business, industry and people, and the relationship between jobs, housing and transportation.  Compares the growth of Manchester, England with that of Los Angeles, California. 1 videocassette (20 min.)

MEDIA 2-1855

 

Drugs youth gangs 198-?

John Vogt and James Q Wilson

Some law enforcement officials say gangs are establishing satellite drug distribution systems in other cities, assasinating members of other drug dealing gangs, and permeating neighborhoods with drug selling bazaars.  Looks at Los Angeles, home of the Crips and the Bloods and looks at efforts to reduce crime and drug dealing by big-city youth gangs.  Guests on this segment are Steve Valdivia, Executive Director, Community Youth Gang Services, Los Angeles; Lorne Kramer, Commander, Los Angeles Police Dept.; and Malcolm Klein, Professor of Sociology, University of Southern California. 1 videocassette (ca. 30 min.)

MEDIA 2-1154

 

The exiles c2009

Sherman Alexie, Charles Burnett, Kent Mackenzie, Anthony J Hilder, Yvonne Williams, Homer Nish, Tommy Reynolds, Revels (Musical group), Milestone Film & Video, Oscilloscope Pictures, United States Information Agency, United Artists Television (Firm), Wolper Productions, Churchill Films, Dimension Films (1962-1985), University of Southern California, Moving image archive, UCLA Film and Television Archive, and National Film Preservation Foundation (U.S.)

"[C]hronicles one night in the lives of young Native American men and women living in the Bunker Hill district of Los Angeles.  Based entirely on interviews with the participants and their friends, the film follows a group of exiles -- transplants from Southwest reservations -- as they flirt, drink, party, fight, and dance." -- Container. 2 videodiscs (73 min.):

MEDIA  MEDIA 10-1586      10-1407

 

Fear and learning at Hoover Elementary  1997

Laura Angelica Simón and Tracey Trench

A documentary by Los Angeles teacher Laura Angelica Simón, exploring the impact of California's Proposition 187 on the immigrant community. 1 videocassette (ca. 53 min.)

DANA 1902

 

The glass shield 2005, 1994

Charles Burnett, Thomas S Byrnes, Carolyn Schroeder, Richard Anderson, Michael Boatman, Ice Cube, Bernie Casey, Elliott Gould, Don Harvey, Miramax Home Entertainment (Firm), Buena Vista Home Entertainment (Firm), Miramax Films, and CIBY 2000 (Firm)

The first African American assigned to the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department uncovers a corrupt and racist precinct. 1 videodisc (ca. 115 min.)

MEDIA 10-1450

 

Gods and monsters 2003

Bill Condon, Ian McKellen, Brendan Fraser, Lynn Redgrave, Lion's Gate Films, Lions Gate Home Entertainment, BBC Films, Showtime Entertainment, Flashpoint (Firm), and Regent Entertainment (Firm)

"It's 1957, and Hollywood horror director James Whale's heyday as the director of "Frankenstein," "Bride of Frankenstein" and "The invisible man" is long behind him. Retired and a semi-recluse, he lives his days accompanied only by images from his past. When his dour housekeeper Hannah hires handsome young gardener Clayton Boone, the flamboyant director and the simple yard man develop an unlikely friendship"--Container. 1 videodisc (105 min.)

MEDIA 10-736

 

Grand Canyon 1992, 1991

Lawrence Kasdan, Meg Kasdan, Charles Okun, Michael Grillo, Danny Glover, Kevin Kline, Mary McDonnell, Steve Martin, Mary-Louise Parker, and Alfre Woodard

Two men from very different walks of life meet by accident and set in motion a chain of unsettling events that change their lives and the lives of their families and friends. 1 videocassette (134 min.)

DANA. MEDIA 433 2-3595

 

Heat c1996

Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, Diane Venora, Ashley Judd, Amy Brenneman, Jon Voight, Tom Sizemore, Michael Mann, Art Linson, Warner Bros, Regency Enterprises, Forward Pass Productions, and Warner Home Video (Firm)

Vincent Hanna is a brilliant L.A. cop following the trail from a deadly armed robbery to a crew headed by master thief Neil McCauley. The trouble is, McCauley's expertise is at least equal to Hanna's. 1 videocassettes (171 min.)

MEDIA 2-7113

 

In a lonely place 2003

Robert Lord, Edmund H North, Nicholas Ray, Andrew Solt, Humphrey Bogart, Gloria Grahame, Frank Lovejoy, Carl Benton Reid, Art Smith, Jeff Donnell, Martha Stewart, Columbia Pictures Corporation, and Columbia TriStar Home Video (Firm)

A Hollywood screenwriter, questioned falsely for murder, is drawn to his neighbor when she confirms his alibi. However, his volatile nature eventually threatens to destroy their one last chance for real love. 1 videodisc (ca. 94 min.)

MEDIA 10-459

 

In her own time the final fieldwork of Barbara Myerhoff c2007

Lynne Littman, Vikram Jayanti, Barbara G Myerhoff, Center for Visual Anthropology, Embassy Television (Firm), Direct Cinema Ltd, and Act III Communications

Focuses on cultural anthropologist Barbara Myerhoff's study of the community of Hasidic Jews in Los Angeles's Fairfax neighborhood. Tells also how, after exhausting medical treatment for cancer, she found strength among the traditions, faith, and caring of these Orthodox Jews. 1 videodisc  (60 min.)

MEDIA 10-950

 

Killer quake! 1994

Stacy Keach

Metropolitan Los Angeles is sitting on ground zero, and even as Southern California struggles to repair itself from the tragedy at Northridge, seismic pressure continues to build below the ground.  NOVA examines whether we can learn enough about these geological mysteries in time to minimize widespread destruction. 1 videocassette (60 min.)

MEDIA 2-2572

 

L.A. confidential c1998

Curtis Hanson, Arnon Milchan, Michael Nathanson, Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, James Cromwell, Kim Basinger, Danny DeVito, James Ellroy, Warner Bros, Regency Enterprises, and Warner Home Video (Firm)

Three cops, a call girl, a mysterious millionaire, a tabloid journalist and the Chief of Detectives work against the backdrop of the corrupt and brutal L.A. police force of the 1950's. Using differing methods they seek to uncover a conspiracy behind the shotgun slaying of the patrons at an all-night diner. A lush tribute to tough film-noir crime films. 1 videocassette (138 min.)

MEDIA 2-7190

 

Lions love 1996?

Viva, Gerome Ragni, James Rado, and Agnès Varda

Ragni, Rado and Viva play themselves, waiting for their big Hollywood break and casually drifting into a ménage a  trois. Varda captures the quirky, laid back lifestyle of 1960's Los Angeles as her characters revel in a cool, hang-loose existence. 1 videocassette (115 min.)

MEDIA 2-2835

 

Los Angeles city of the future? 1992

Vic Lockwood and Kenneth Thompson

1 videocassette (50 min.)

MEDIA 2-2489

 

Made in L.A Hecho en Los Angeles 2007

Almudena Carracedo, Robert Bahar, Lisa Leeman, Semilla Verde Productions, Independent Television Service, American Documentary Films, P.O.V. (Firm), and California Newsreel (Firm)

Follows the remarkable story of three Latina immigrants, Lupe Hernandez, María Pineda, Maura Colorado, working in Los Angeles garment sweatshops as they embark on a three-year odyssey to win basic labor protections from a mega-trendy clothing retailer. 1 videodisc (70 min.)

MEDIA 10-1151

 

Maid in America 2004

Anayansi Prado, Leadingham Kevin, Impacto Films (Firm), and Women Make Movies (Firm)

This video takes a look into the lives of three Latina immigrants working as nannies and housekeepers in Los Angeles. The issue of worker' rights is introduced in the film. 1 videocassette (58 min.)

MEDIA 2-7214

 

Mi vida loca My crazy life 1994

Allison Anders, Angel Avilés, Seidy Lopez, Jacob Vargas, Panchito Gómez, Jesse Borrego, Daniel Hassid, and Carl-Jan Colpaert

"Gang members Sad Girl and Mousie, once best friends, are now enemies as they have both become pregnant by the same man, Ernesto, a local drug dealer.  But when Ernesto is murdered by a rival gang-leader, the balance of power on the street brutally changes and it's time to take sides.  As the Echo Park boys deal with Ernesto's murder by searching for revenge, the Echo Park girls arm themselves for another kind of struggle--the struggle to survive"--Container. 1 videocassette (100 min.)

DANA 479

 

Murder, my sweet 2004, 1944

John Paxton, Adrian Scott, Edward Dmytryk, Dick Powell, Claire Trevor, Anne Shirley, Otto Kruger, Donald Douglas, RKO Radio Pictures, inc, Turner Home Entertainment (Firm), and Warner Home Video (Firm)

A down-on-his-luck private detective searches for an ex-convict's missing girlfriend and finds himself in a dark world of mayhem and murder. 1 videodisc (95 min.)

DANA 95

 

Number our days 1978?

Lynne Littman, Barbara G Myerhoff, and Barbara G Myerhoff

Uses interviews conducted by anthropologist Barbara G. Myerhoff to document the lives of Jewish senior citizens who make the Israel Levin Senior Adult Center in Venice, Calif., the focal point of their existence. Intersperses the interviews with views of the center's activities, which serve to bring the spirited citizens together in a common bond of unity. 1 videocassette (30 min.)

MEDIA D-323

 

The "Rodney King" case what the jury saw in California v. Powell 1992

Dominic Palumbo, Peter Aronson, Fred P Graham, and Kristen Jeanette-Meyers

Condensed version of trial of four L.A. police officers on trial for beating Rodney King. 1 videocassette (116 min.)

MEDIA 2-1878

 

Sa-I-Gu 4.29 1993

Dai Sil Kim-Gibson, Christine Choy, and Elaine H Kim

Explores the embittering effect the Rodney King verdict and riot had on Korean American women shopkeepers who suffered more than half of the material losses in the conflict. Film underscores the shattering of the American dream while taking the media to task for playing up the "Korean-Black" aspect of the rioting. 1 videocassette (39 min.)

MEDIA 2-3260

 

Senior year 2002

Aaron Zarrow

"Follows the journey of 15 kids in the class of 2000 as they navigate through their last year of high school in Los Angeles."--Container. 3 videocassettes (ca. 370 min.)

DANA. DANA. DANA 1791 cassette 1 1791 cassette 2 1791 cassette 3

 

Spin 1995

Brian Springer

These excerpts from 500 hours of pirated "satellite TV feeds" taped by Springer during 1992 are a devastating critique of television's profound manipulativeness in the way it packages the news and politics. Includes pre-broadcast and post-broadcast footage from network sources (makeup sessions, off-camera discussions), broadcasts from various Presidential campaigns, Pat Robertson's televangelism, the influence of television talk shows such as Larry King Live, the presidential race of 1992 and the Los Angeles riots after the Rodney King verdict. 1 videocassette (58 min.)

MEDIA 2-3005

 

Street gangs of Los Angeles c1992

Hans Albert, Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen, and Films for the Humanities (Firm)

Documentary film of life in the streets of Los Angeles. 1 videocassette (ca. 44 min.)

MEDIA 2-7296

 

Sweat equity c2001

Daniel P Tripoli, Chyrstal Jordan, Sharon Alsina, Metro Farming Film Project, and National Film Network

Documentary about the revitalization of urban communities by Los Angeles citizens who are creating community gardens from vacant city land. 1 videodisc (69 min.)

MEDIA 10-920

 

Training day 2002, c2001

Jeffrey Silver, Robert Newmyer, David Ayer , Antoine Fuqua, Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, Scott Glenn, Tom Berenger, Harris Yulin, Raymond J Barry, Cliff Curtis, D. r. e. Dr., Snoop Dogg, Macy Gray, Warner Bros, Village Roadshow Pictures, NPV Entertainment (Firm), Outlaw Productions (Firm), and Warner Home Video (Firm)

Jake Hoyt, a fresh-faced rookie in the Los Angeles Police Department, gets a chance to join the elite narcotics squad headed up by 13-year veteran Detective Sergeant Alonzo Harris. Jake is to prove himself during a one-day ride-along. As the day wears on, it becomes increasingly clear that Detective Harris has blurred the line between right and wrong to an alarming degree, enforcing his own code of ethics and street justice. Eventually, Hoyt begins to suspect that he is, rather than having the opportunity to join the squad, being set up to take the fall. 1 videodisc (122 min.)

DANA 122

 

Twilight Los Angeles 2000

Anna Deavere Smith, Marc Levin, Ezra Swerdlow, and Anna Deavere Smith

"On March 3, 1991, an African-American man [Rodney King] was brutally beaten by four white Los Angeles police officers who stopped him for speeding. On April 29, 1992, when the jury's 'not guilty' verdict dismissed the officers on trial for the assault, the city ignited into three days of rioting, looting and violence that left neighborhoods smoldering. 'Twilight: Los Angeles,' adapted from Anna Deavere Smith's searing one-woman play, captures this tumultuous and challenging moment in America's race relations"--Container. 1 videocassette (ca. 90 min.)

DANA 1629

 

Watts riot or revolt? 2002

Bill Stout and Jack Beck

This news program, filmed just a few months after the Watts riots, presents a study of the principal events that ignited the conflagration in the summer of 1965 in Watts. 1 videocassette (55 min.)

DANA 1868

 

Zoot suit 1991, 1981

Luis Valdez, Peter Burrell, Edward James Olmos, Charles Aidman, John Anderson, Tyne Daly, and Daniel Valdez

A group of Mexican-Americans are sent to San Quentin unjustly for the death of a man at Sleepy Lagoon.  Based on the acutal case and zoot suit riots of 1940's Los Angeles. 1 videocassette (104 min.)

DANA. MEDIA 2-1826 2-1826

 

Zoot Suit Riots 2002

Guadalupe Leyvas and Joseph Tovares

Racial tensions between the Anglo and Mexican American communities in Los Angeles, California erupted into violence after the conviction of Henry "Hank" Leyvas and seventeen other Mexican American youths for the murder of José Díaz in what was perceived as an unfair trial in 1943.  Lorena Encinas, a witness to the murder, kept the real killer's identity a secret until the end of her life. 1 videocassette (60 min.)

MEDIA 2-1622