Browse Items (35 total)
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In search of the real Kerouac
Review of the documentary film on Jack Kerouac, entitled, "Whatever Happened to Kerouac?" (Richard Lerner and Lewis McAdam, 1987). Film is a biographical portrait of the Lowell, Massachusetts, writer, featuring interviews with Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso, and William S. Burroughs, among others. Article written on the occasion of the film's showing in Somerville, Massachusetts. -
Bilingual Education Pays Off, New Documentary Says
Article of interview with filmmaker Marcia Jarmel on her and colleague Ken Schneider's new documentary, "Speaking in Tongues," about bilingual education in America. Features a Vimeo linked preview to the film. From the editor of New America Media: "To date, 30 states have passed English-only laws, and many American[s] are skeptical of bilingual education because they want their children to learn in English, not Chinese or Spanish. 'Speaking in Tongues,' the latest documentary by Bay Area filmmakers Marcia Jarmel and Ken Schneider, sheds light on the cognitive and developmental value of learning in two languages at a young age..." -
Class dramatizes the Franco-Mainer experience
Bowdoin College senior seminar in the French language culminates in a documentary film and a theatrical piece. Students used information learned through over 60 hours of interviews with local Francos. -
La Bonne Aventure
French-English bilingual educational television series for children. Designed "to expose the Franco American child to simple elements of his/her culture" (MPBN). Created in 1974 by Project FACTS (Franco-American Children's Television Series); produced by Maine Public Broadcasting Network and the University of Maine. Includes puppets, animation, and live-action video footage. Accompanied by Teacher Guides with thematic overview and synopsis of each episode, comments on cultural elements in each episode, suggested additional resources materials for teachers, and suggested activities for students. Description of episodes (20): Episode 1: Nouveaux amis / New Friends Introduction to series character children - Lise, Claude, Tit-Guy, Julie. The magical arrival of Dorik and Dondaine, two lutins of Franco American folklore. Features video footage of Augusta, Biddeford, Fort Kent, Lewiston, Madawaska, and Van Buren, Maine. Episode 2: Chez-nous / Our Place Finding themselves at the center of the children's attention, Dorik and Dondaine search for a place to be alone. Episode 3: Le rire / Laughter Dorik and Dondaine contemplate cultural difference as they encounter different perceptions of their English accent. Episode 4: La bonne aventure / The Good Adventure With the help of her friends, Julie confronts her fear of meeting new people and ventures out to create a film. Episode includes French Canadian fables. Features video footage of Augusta, Biddeford, Lewiston, the St. John Valley, and Waterville, Maine. Episode 5: Le travail / Work Lise and Tit-Guy help Dorik take pride and find value in his art work. Video footage and montage of different forms of work. Episode 6: L'horloge / The Clock The discovery of a giftbox with a clock set for 7:00PM opens up a discussion about "le Bonhomme Sept-heures" of Franco American folklore. Characters work to confront their fears. Episode 7: Le bazaar / The Bazaar Claude struggles to finish a series of collages he is supposed to bring to the next day's church bazaar. Characters learn about some of the differences between working independently and asking others for help.
Episode 8: Le réveillon / Christmas Eve CelebrationThe children celebrate Christmas Eve together with their families, but Dorik and Dondaine are missing. Includes a discussion of Franco American foods. Episode 9: La legende / The Legend A trip to the shipyard with Claude, Lise, Dorik, and Dondaine turns adventurous when the four become trapped in an old ship. In the hopes of calming them, Dorik shares a legend with the children. Features video footage from Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. Episode 10: Les explorateurs / The Explorers Claude and Lise venture into the attic to explore through a trunk filled with their pépière's old belongings. After the children uncover stories from their Québec heritage, Tit-Guy explains his mémière's Acadian roots. Features video footage of Rhode Island Governor, Philip Noel, and a photo montage of St.-Jean-Baptiste Day celebrations. Episode 11: La déportation / The Deportation Playing hide-and-seek after talking about her Acadian heritage with Tit-Guy, Julie's cardboard box hiding spot is magically moved out of the house. Julie and Dondaine search for a way home. Information on the Acadian Deportation. Features video footage of Augusta, Biddeford, Lewiston, the St. John Valley, and Waterville, Maine, as well as footage from Manchester and Nashua, New Hampshire; Lowell, Fall River, and western Massachusetts; and Woonsocket, Rhode Island. Episode 12: Achale moé pas / A Problem of Feelings As Julie tries to draw a bowl of fruit, she is interrupted and upset in multiple ways by her friends. How she deals with anger and impatience. Episode 13: La bêtise / The Mistake Before a trip to the sugar shack, Lise accidentally unravels a scarf knitted for her by her mémière. Features video footage of "la tire sur la neige," or taffy on the snow, at a sugar shack during the maple sugar harvest. Episode 14: Le prix / The Prize Sibling tensions arise as Claude resents Lise's spelling bee victory trophy and the attention she receives. Features video footage of a community bean supper. Episode 15: La quête / The Quest After Julie falls asleep reading about French-speaking people in the history of America, the time-machine she had been tinkering disappears Dorik to parts unknown. Julie travels through American history - to colonial Boston, Philadelphia, and elsewhere - on a search for her friend. Features Robert de la Salle, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and other figures in American history. Episode 16: L'annonce / The Commercial Tit-Guy recites a poem he has prepared for a television station. His friends offer advice and critique his style in various ways, and he must choose the best way to perform. Features video footage from Franco American communities outside of Maine. Episode 17: Les plans / The Plans After Lise is informed she cannot go to the zoo, that her parents have other plans for her, she imagines running away from home. Discussion of Franco American fairs. Features video footage of Benson's Animal Farm in Hudson, New Hampshire. Episode 18: L'invention / The Invention As Julie tinkers with her malfunctioning new invention, a thought-reflection-projector box, she is confronted with gender stereotypes from her friends. Features video footage of a community beano game and the mayor of Lewiston, Maine. Episode 19: La trouvaille / The Lucky Find Tit-Guy finds a precious object and claims it his own as Dondaine realizes her rose bénite, the same object, is missing. Episode 20: Au Revoir is Not Goodbye Claude, Lise, Tit-Guy, and Julie reminisce on their happy times with Dorik and Dondaine. The children prepare a party before les lutins must depart.Tags Acadians, Augusta ME, Biddeford ME, Boston MA, Community: Customs and Social Life, Education, Fall River MA, Family, Film and Television, Folklore, Language and Linguistics, Lewiston ME, Lowell MA, Madawaska ME, Maine, Manchester NH, Nashua NH, New England, Philadelphia PA, Québec, Religion, St. John River Valley, Van Buren ME, Waterville ME, Woonsocket RI, Youth -
Speaking in Tongues
Documentary film on multilingual and multicultural education in the United States. The personal, social, and political implications of teaching in languages other than English, and the complex realities of immigrant families' hopes for their children's education. Set in California, in the context of various states considering "English only" legislation. Considers the developmental benefits of multilingual youth education. From PatchWork Productions: "In a time where 31 states have passed English Only initiatives, one urban school district is exploring the provocative notion that speaking a foreign language can be a national asset. We follow four diverse students and their families as they encounter the challenges and delights of becoming fluent in two languages. As we witness their journey, we see how speaking more than one language changes them, their families, their communities, and maybe even the world." -
Milltown
Theatrical portrayal of a girl seeing her ancestors in their belongings, their letters, and the mills in which they worked. Reenactment of life in the Amoskeag mill complex in Manchester, New Hampshire. Many video clips and photos of that same complex, much of which has since been demolished. From WorldCat: " From WorldCat: "Essai cinématographique de style impressionniste sur l'immigration et la vie des franco-canadiens dans les petites villes du textile de la Nouvelle-Angleterre durant les années 1880-1930, aè partir de l'exemple de Manchester, au New Hampshire. Illustration d'objets et de photos d'époque. Regard sur la démolition des entrepoêts et des filatures actuellement en cours. Film sans commentaire." -
Quittons Pour Mieux Vivre, Let's Leave for a Better Life : A Story of Franco-Americans in Maine
Dramatic student portrayal of French Canadian immigration to Maine at the beginning of the twentieth century. Contains scenes of family life in Quebec, dramatic reenactment of work in the mills of Maine, prayer and party in the United States, and various music and dance. Film adaptation of a stage production. -
Roughing the Uppers : The Great Shoe Strike of 1937
From the Lewiston Sun Journal: "The documentary tells the story of a strike that involved thousands of shoe workers and more than a dozen factories in Lewiston and Auburn [Maine]. Seeking higher wages and recognition of their union affiliation with the newly formed Congress of Industrial Organizations, the largely Franco-American workers called for a strike on March 24, 1937, during a mass meeting at Lewiston's city hall." -
Le Grand Jack
Part-fiction documentary on the life and works of Jack Kerouac, a writer from Lowell, Massachusetts, most famous for his Beat Generation novel, "On the Road." Pris de l'ONF: "Docufiction sur Jack Kerouac, un des membres les plus importants du mouvement de la Beat Generation. Sur la route , une de ses œuvres les plus connues a rendu l'écrivain et poiète américain célièbre apriès sa mort en 1969. Ses textes ont grandement contribué à la révolution culturelle, sexuelle et sociale des années 1960. Archives, photos, entrevues et reconstitution d'époque, servent de trame au réalisateur pour décortiquer le mythe du héros." -
Paul Marion : The Poet of Lowell
Short online streaming video produced by Yankee Magazine. A "Web Exclusive" for the magazine's November/December 2009 edition. A brief look into the city of Lowell, Massachusetts and the man - poet Paul Marion - who has dedicated a public literary life to it. Marion is also known for his involvement with the small press, Loom Press, and for his compilation of Jack Kerouac's early writings, "Atop an Underwood." -
"Bonjour" with Chantal Plante & Celine Baribeau
A public television broadcast out of Bedford, New Hampshire, "Bonjour" features highlights of Quebec and New England for the purpose of re-educating New Hampshire about the breadth of its French heritage, seen across the state in its Franco Americans. This episode is the inaugural broadcast, featuring an extended interview with co-host and professional photographer Celine Baribeau. -
Bonjour: Fondue
The second broadcast of Bedford, New Hampshire's "Bonjour." Chantal, Celine, and their special guest, Luci, talk to us while they show how to make and cook la fondue. -
Bonjour: Travel Tips
The third episode of Plante's and Baribeau's public broadcast, "Bonjour," taking its viewers on a trip through Montreal and Quebec City and giving plenty of advice to vacationers-to-be. -
Bonjour: Franco-American Centre
The fourth episode of public television's "Bonjour" takes place on site at Manchester, New Hampshire's Franco-American Centre, featuring interviews with some of the staff there and a special feature on the 2010 New Hampshire Franco-American of the year. -
Les tisserands du pouvoir
Un drame télévisé sur l'émigration canadienne française à la Nouvelle-Angleterre au début de la vingtiième siiècle, et les travailleurs des usines textiles de l'époque industrielle aux Etats-Unis.
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Black Robe
From the Canadian Film Encyclopedia: "Black Robe is a bleak but majestic film about the diverse cultures of the French settlers and the Algonquin people, and the clashes between them....The hostile wilderness of 17th-century New France is the setting for the story of Father Laforgue (Bluteau), a young, idealistic Jesuit whose ambitious mission is to save the souls of the 'savages' of New France. Upon his arrival from France, Laforgue embarks on a perilous journey by canoe, from Champlain's fort upriver to a desolate Jesuit outpost where it is hoped he will 'reap a harvest of souls.' He travels through the magnificent, nearly overwhelming landscape of the Canadian North with a group of Algonquin Indians as his guides." -
Discussion of "Reveil! Waking Up French"
A roundtable discussion led by writer Abby Paige about Franco American heritage in Vermont with respect to the themes in Ben Levine's film, "Reveil!" From the Center for Media and Democracy: " 'Réveil! -- Waking Up French' is a powerful documentary film by Ben Levine that explores the struggle for cultural survival among the French-Canadian communities of New England today. Abby Paige, writer-performer of 'Piecework: When We Were French,' will attend and lead a discussion after the film. Abby will be seeing 'Reveil!' for her first time. The film, now in the lending collection at the library, is closely related to the themes of her acclaimed 2009 play. Presented by the Fletcher Free Library community language programs." -
America and Lewis Hine
Documentary film about twentieth-century photographer and historian Lewis Hine, most famous for exposing poor working conditions and child labor in industrial America. Hine, as seen in this film, was also the photographer commissioned to capture on film the construction of the Empire State Building in New York City. -
Le Sel de la semaine: Seguin rencontre Kerouac
Du ''Sel de la Semaine'' animé par Fernand Séguin à Radio-Canada. Contiens une interview avec Jack Kerouac sur sa vie et ses oeuvres, un métrage de Lowell, Massachusetts des années 1960s, et des interviews publiques avec des hommes franco-américains à un club social. [Contains a Quebec interview with Jack Kerouac on his life and works, as well as some footage of Lowell, Massachusetts, from the 1960s, and some public interviews with Franco-American men at a Lowell social club.] De Radio-Canada: "L'entrevue que Jack Kerouac accorde à Fernand Seguin se déroule en français puisque l'écrivain est issu d'une famille canadienne française installée au Massachusetts. L'auteur parle de son enfance, de son goût pour les voyages, de sa façon d'écrire. Kerouac donne également sa définition du terme « beat generation », qui traduit la misière des Noirs de l'Amérique sudiste, la béatitude et le rythme jazz."
(NOTE: The titles of the clips below are additions made by the YouTube publisher. "Jack Kerouac is Quebecois" is not the official title of the episode.)
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What Happened To Kerouac?
Documentary about Franco American writer Jack Kerouac, the American literary and cultural movement spurred on by what is known as the "Beat Generation, and the countdown of Kerouac's final days. Features support from the following persons: Allen Ginsberg, Edie Parker Kerouac, Gregory Corso, William Burroughs, Steve Allen, William Buckley, Charlie Parker, Neal Cassady, Carolyn Cassady, Gary Snyder, Jan Kerouac, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Michael McClure, Herbert Huncke, Fran Landesman, Ed Sanders, John Clellon Holmes, Ann Charters, Ed White, Diane DiPrima, Father "Spike" Morissette, Joyce Johnson, Robert Creeley, Lewis Yablonsky. -
Inside, Looking Out
Memoir of famed television soap opera writer and playwright, Harding Lemay. From his tumultuous early youth - one of thirteen children - on a New York farm along the Canadian border, to his lonely escape to New York City at the age of 17 and the friends who find him there. His later military training and participation in World War II in Europe. Back to Manhattan to one failed and one successful marriage, and to live and work among books: in libraries, with publishing executives, and finally as a writer. His persistent love of books and struggles with language. -
The Oldest and Most Resistant Section of the Border
Article describing the historical and cultural conditions of the North American border between United States and Canada, particularly its shapes between the United States and the province of Québec. The author's argument that the Canada-US border persists precisely because of the distinctiveness of Québec culture and politics. Québec's relationship with the United States in terms of 18th and 19th century political disputes; migration; industrialization; trade; Québec's movement toward sovereignty; cultural affairs; and party politics dynamics in the 20th century. How popular attitudes toward the United States compare between Québecers and other Canadians; how international borders compare to interprovincial borders.Tags Acculturation and Assimilation, Business and Economics, Canada, Emigration and Immigration, Film and Television, Government and Politics, Great Britain, Language and Linguistics, New England, New York, Nonfiction -- Government and Politics, Nonfiction -- History -- Economic and Industrial, North America, Ontario, Québec, United States, Vermont -
The Franco File : Teacher Guide
A teacher's guide to accompany 10 half-hour episodes of the children's television program, "The Franco File," produced by the Eastern Educational Television Network and New Hampshire Public Television. This program, designed to improve the self-esteem of Franco American children, explores contemporary, intergenerational Franco American life in a northeastern mill town. The teacher's guide introduces the program with summaries of each episode and profiles of each character. The guide contains intended learning objectives for each episode, a brief cultural and historical background for each episode's content, and suggested questions and materials for facilitating classroom discussions. Includes summary and guide for the following episodes: I. Songbook II. The Tutor III. It's a Long Story IV. Adieu, Millville! V. Where the Memories Live, Part VI. Where the Memories Live, Part II VII. Face the Music VIII. Les Voyageurs IX. Le Parrain X. The Election -
Recapturing a Heritage : Franco-American Programming in Maine
Essay on Franco American children's public television programming in Maine in the 1970s. Provides historical context for two such programs - "La Machine Magique" and "La Bonne Aventure." The reasoning and goals of this programming, its conceptual origins, local and federal efforts toward its production, and the attitudes of those involved. Franco American children's programming as an effort in "affirmative action," and a part of the then-growing movement in bilingual education. Subtitled, "Bilingual programming by the Maine Public Broadcasting Network promotes cultural plurality and positive self-images among the state's Franco-American children. Viva La Difference!" Written by the Director of Programming Services for the Maine Public Broadcasting Network. -
La situation du Français aux États-Unis
Un rapport démographique et culturelle sur les réalites de la présence francophone et franco-américaine aux Etats-Unis. Ce rapport fournit des chiffres et autres données descriptives relatives aux efforts du patrimoine français dans les affaires, le divertissement, et l'éducation langue française aux États-Unis. Dans les annexes sont publiés des listes d'organismes et journaux franco-américains. Préparé pour le Conseil de la langue française.Tags Acadia Parish, Alabama, Amesbury MA, Androscoggin County ME, Berlin NH, Bristol County MA, Central Falls RI, Chicopee MA, Community: Customs and Social Life, Coos County NH, Cumberland County ME, Demography, Durham NH, Ethnicity and Collective Identity, Evangeline Parish LA, Fall River MA, Film and Television, Franklin VT, Greenville NH, Hartford CT, Hillsborough NH, Holyoke MA, Iberia Parish LA, Lafayette LA, Lafayette Parish LA, Lafourche Parish LA, Lawrence MA, Lewiston ME, Lowell MA, Lynn MA, Manchester NH, Middlesex County MA, Nashua NH, New Bedford MA, Nonfiction, Nonfiction -- Demography, North Carolina, Orleans County VT, Pawtucket RI, Providence RI, Radio, Salem MA, Springfield MA, St. Landry Parish LA, St. Martin Parish LA, Tennessee, Terrebonne Parish LA, US Midwest, Vermilion Parish LA, Washington, Woonsocket RI, Worcester MA -
La Bonne Aventure : A Formative Evaluation
A presentation of data collected on the pilot programs of a children's French language television series (La Bonne Aventure) produced by the Maine Public Broadcasting Network and created by Project FACTS. Intended as a review and a "validation" of the program's intentions and achievements. Data is shown in table form with accompanying summary reports of the meanings of certain figures and categories. Includes in the appendices transcripts of the pilot episodes, as well as workbook questions for children viewers, and a questionnaire for parents allowing their children's participation in pilot testing. -
In search of the real Kerouac
Review of the documentary film on Jack Kerouac, entitled, "Whatever Happened to Kerouac?" (Richard Lerner and Lewis McAdam, 1987). Film is a biographical portrait of the Lowell, Massachusetts, writer, featuring interviews with Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso, and William S. Burroughs, among others. Article written on the occasion of the film's showing in Somerville, Massachusetts. -
Bilingual Education Pays Off, New Documentary Says
Article of interview with filmmaker Marcia Jarmel on her and colleague Ken Schneider's new documentary, "Speaking in Tongues," about bilingual education in America. Features a Vimeo linked preview to the film. From the editor of New America Media: "To date, 30 states have passed English-only laws, and many American[s] are skeptical of bilingual education because they want their children to learn in English, not Chinese or Spanish. 'Speaking in Tongues,' the latest documentary by Bay Area filmmakers Marcia Jarmel and Ken Schneider, sheds light on the cognitive and developmental value of learning in two languages at a young age..." -
Class dramatizes the Franco-Mainer experience
Bowdoin College senior seminar in the French language culminates in a documentary film and a theatrical piece. Students used information learned through over 60 hours of interviews with local Francos. -
The Erasure of Grace : Reconnecting Peyton Place to its Author
Critical article on the connection between the public reception of the 1950s breakout novel, "Peyton Place," and the attitudes and public persona of its author, Grace Metalious. How Metalious' life might be read in the depictions and trials of her novel's female characters. How the fictional town of Peyton Place - based on Metalious' New Hampshire home - resonated with readers across the United States. -
Evangeline Resource List : A Selected Bibliography, Discography, and Filmography
A list of resources relative to the epic poem "Evangeline" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, compiled by the director of the Acadian Archives at the University of Maine at Fort Kent. Contains listings of different published editions of the poem, criticism and interpretations of it, and other writings or art (sculpture, painting, film, music) informed by the poem and its history. -
The Erasure of Grace : Reconnecting Peyton Place to its Author
Critical article on the connection between the public reception of the 1950s breakout novel, "Peyton Place," and the attitudes and public persona of its author, Grace Metalious. How Metalious' life might be read in the depictions and trials of her novel's female characters. How the fictional town of Peyton Place - based on Metalious' New Hampshire home - resonated with readers across the United States. -
"You're Putting Me on": Jack Kerouac and the Postmodern Emergence
Article exploring the self-referential literature of Jack Kerouac as cause, commentary, and resistance to his "Beat Movement" celebrity in the 1950s and 1960s. How Jack's engagement with fame is exercised in his literature, or in other public appearances, and signals a literary ground on which American letters can begin to see characteristics of what would become known as "postmodern." Analysis of Kerouac's television appearance on The Steve Allen Show; emphasis on his novels "Vanity of Dulouz," "Visions of Cody," and "The Subterraneans," with constant reference to the success and interpretation of "On the Road." Explorations of critical thinker Michel Foucault's ideas on the concepts of "guilt" and "punishment," and of Jean Beaudrillard's notion of the "simulacrum." -
The Oldest and Most Resistant Section of the Border
Article describing the historical and cultural conditions of the North American border between United States and Canada, particularly its shapes between the United States and the province of Québec. The author's argument that the Canada-US border persists precisely because of the distinctiveness of Québec culture and politics. Québec's relationship with the United States in terms of 18th and 19th century political disputes; migration; industrialization; trade; Québec's movement toward sovereignty; cultural affairs; and party politics dynamics in the 20th century. How popular attitudes toward the United States compare between Québecers and other Canadians; how international borders compare to interprovincial borders.Tags Acculturation and Assimilation, Business and Economics, Canada, Emigration and Immigration, Film and Television, Government and Politics, Great Britain, Language and Linguistics, New England, New York, Nonfiction -- Government and Politics, Nonfiction -- History -- Economic and Industrial, North America, Ontario, Québec, United States, Vermont -
Inside, Looking Out
Memoir of famed television soap opera writer and playwright, Harding Lemay. From his tumultuous early youth - one of thirteen children - on a New York farm along the Canadian border, to his lonely escape to New York City at the age of 17 and the friends who find him there. His later military training and participation in World War II in Europe. Back to Manhattan to one failed and one successful marriage, and to live and work among books: in libraries, with publishing executives, and finally as a writer. His persistent love of books and struggles with language.