About this season
American Masters is a PBS television series which produces biographies on enduring writers, musicians, visual and performing artists, dramatists, filmmakers, and others who have left an indelible impression on the cultural landscape of the United States.
Episodes (8)
1. Jerome Robbins: Something to Dance About
Aired 18 February 2009 • 90 min
The work of the American dance pioneer and choreographer who brought ballet techniques to the Broadway stage.
2. Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts
Aired 8 April 2009 • 90 min
Scott Hicks' acclaimed 2007 film on a year in the life of the modern experimental composer.
3. Hollywood Chinese
Aired 27 May 2009 • 90 min
From the first Chinese-American film produced in 1916, to Ang Lee's triumphant Brokeback Mountain nine decades later, this films brings together a group of actors, writers, directors -- and iconic film images -- to examine Chinese contributions to an industry that was often ignorant and dismissive about race. Such artists as Wayne Wang, Joan Chen, David Henry Hwang, Nancy Kwan and Amy Tan share their experiences of being "the other." These stories and film clips from more than 90 films -- some dating back to the 1890s -- weave a rich tapestry and complex history.
4. Neil Young: Don't Be Denied
Aired 10 June 2009 • 90 min
The work of the legendary rock musician and his artistic and intellectual transitions over the decades.
5. Garrison Keillor: The Man on the Radio in the Red Shoes
Aired 1 July 2009 • 90 min
A retrospective on the famed radio personality and author centering on A Prairie Home Companion.
6. Trumbo
Aired 2 September 2009 • 90 min
An account of Dalton Trumbo, a powerful motion picture screenwriter who refused to succumb to the stigma of the Hollywood "blacklist" and rose to prominence once again.
7. Joan Baez: How Sweet the Sound
Aired 14 October 2009 • 90 min
The folk music career of Joan Baez and the progressive movements she both participated in and influenced.
8. Louisa May Alcott: the Woman Behind 'Little Women'
Aired 28 December 2009 • 90 min
The author of 'Little Women' is an almost universally recognized name whose reputation as a morally upstanding New England spinster masked a literary double life.