The Face: Jesus in Art (2001)

The Christian message has been spread throughout history by painters and sculptors who link beauty to truth. The Face: Jesus in Art, a two-hour PBS documentary, reverently examines the different ways Jesus Christ has been represented in art from the early third century until today. Director Craig MacGowan and writers James Clifton and Charles Oliver Cooper give a global scope to their subject, taking us from ancient Rome and the Sinai desert to medieval Europe, Japan and elsewhere. They use the latest digital and motion-control technology to capture the varied images of Our Lord.

We view Michelangelo's Pieta and the treasures of Chartres Cathedral and hear the stories behind the Byzantine icons of St. Catherine's monastery and the Mandylion of Edessa. The film shows us pilgrims climbing the stairs of St. John of Lateran to worship Jesus and then takes us deep into the catacombs beneath Rome. The informative commentary is narrated by Mel Gibson, Ricardo Montalban, Edward Herrman, Patricia Neal, Juliet Mills and others.

Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella (1965)

“Impossible things are happening every day,” the fairy godmother (Celeste Holm) declares. Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella, first shown as a TV special, captures the spirit of her words with sweetness and charm. The handsome Prince (Stuart Damon) wants to marry for love, but the King (Walter Pidgeon) and Queen (Ginger Rogers) care only about producing a suitable heir. The good-hearted Cinderella is cruelly mistreated by her stepmother (Jo Van Fleet) and stepsisters (Pat Carroll and Barbara Ruick). But her innocence and kindness shine forth when she offers a drink of water to the tired and thirsty Prince without knowing his true identity.

When the royal family throws a ball to introduce the prince to the most eligible maidens in the land, poor Cinderella is, of course, excluded until the fairy godmother waves her magic wand. The sets and special effects may at times seem lowbudget and corny by today's standards. But the wonderful score, which includes “Impossible” and “Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?” still casts its spell.

The Flying Tigers (1942)

It seems likely that future generations will get their history form Hollywood. If so, they may conclude that John Wayne won World War II. The Flying Tigers, the Duke's first war movie, sets the pattern for the films that followed. It's a fictionalized account of the American Volunteer Group which flew against the Japanese for Chiang Kai-Shek's China under the command of Gen. Claire Chennault before Pearl Harbor. Squadron leader Jim Gordon (Wayne) is a true-blue hero — two-fisted but fair. Each pilot receives $500 for every Japanese plane shot down. Gordon's second-in-command, the experienced Hap Davis (Paul Kelly), has failing eyesight. The new recruit, the wise-cracking Woody Jason (John Carroll), is a lone ranger who cuts in on the kills of his fellow pilots to grab the reward. Gordon pulls everything together to make the enemy suffer, grounding Jason until he gets his head right. Director David Miller mixes the personal conflicts with well-staged aerial combat footage. The American pilots come off as mercenary and patriotic, carefree and brave.