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documentaries

Martin Scorsese’s “Italianamerican”

John Fea   |  July 7, 2023

In 1974, the famed filmmaker interviewed his parents and turned it into a documentary film. I thought I was sitting in the room with my own Italian grandparents. Oh the stories! I could listen to Catherine Scorsese talk all day. […]

Umberto Eco on books and libraries

John Fea   |  June 23, 2023

The Italian historian, cultural critic, and novelist Umberto Eco is one of the great thinkers of our time. Next week a film about his life and library opens in New York. It is titled “Umberto Eco: A Library of the […]

The adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb

John Fea   |  January 24, 2023

I am looking forward to watching the documentary “Turn Every Page: The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb“ Here is the trailer: Lizzie Gottlieb, the daughter of Robert Caro’s editor Bob Gottlieb, recently spoke with Literary Hub’s Lisa Liebman.. […]

Christian nationalists tackle William Penn

John Fea   |  August 23, 2022

Watch: Anyone who has studied colonial America with me will immediately recognize the irresponsible version of Whig history present in this video. This looks like a piece of conservative activist propaganda trying to pass for American history. By the way, […]

“Postcards from Babylon”

John Fea   |  July 28, 2022

During the pandemic I participated in this movie. It is now available, at least for the moment, for free. It is worth your time:

Facing Nolan

John Fea   |  July 27, 2022

This documentary is a must see for any baseball fan:

Benjamin Franklin is the subject of Ken Burns’s next documentary

John Fea   |  March 29, 2022

Here is Mackenzie Farkus of Boston Public Radio: Perhaps what most attracted Burns to document Franklin’s life wasn’t his status as one of America’s Founding Fathers, but rather how Franklin’s life relates to today’s world. “We don’t work on our […]

WBCN (Boston) and “The American Revolution”

John Fea   |  November 16, 2021

Coming to a PBS station near you:

Live-tweeting PBS’s Billy Graham documentary

John Fea   |  May 18, 2021

As a historian of American evangelicalism, I thoroughly enjoyed last night’s PBS documentary “Billy Graham: Prayer. Politics. Power.” As as an evangelical Christian, I also enjoyed it. Billy Graham’s message–the Good News–changed my life. I will always have a deep […]

“CARTERLAND”

John Fea   |  April 7, 2021

Earlier this year I wrote a short post about the CNN documentary “Jimmy Carter: Rock and Roll President.” Here is a taste of that post: This is a great documentary, but I wish Wharton would have said more about how […]