The Paris girl : the young woman who outwitted the Nazis and became a WWII hero / White, Francelle Bradford
Young woman who outwitted the Nazis and became a World War two hero
Written by her own daughter, this biography chronicles the astonishing courage Andře Griotteray, a teenage girl in Nazi-occupied Paris who would become a hero of the French Resistance through her harrowing work as an underground intelligence courier.

Carson the magnificent / Thomas, Mike

"In 2002, Bill Zehme landed one of the most coveted assignments for a magazine writer: an interview with Johnny Carson -- the only one he'd granted since retiring from hosting The Tonight Show a decade earlier. Zehme was tapped for the Esquire feature story thanks to his years of legendary celebrity profiles, and the resulting piece portrayed Carson as more human being than showbiz legend. Shortly after Carson's death in 2005 and urged on by many of those closest to Carson, Zehme signed a contract to do an expansive biography. He toiled on the book for nearly a decade -- interviewing dozens of Carson's colleagues and friends and filling up a storage locker with his voluminous research -- before a cancer diagnosis and ongoing treatments halted his progress. When he died in 2023 his obituaries mentioned the Carson book, with New York Times comedy critic Jason Zinoman calling it "one of the great unfinished biographies." Yet the hundreds of pages Zehme managed to complete are astounding both for the caliber of their writing and how they illuminate one of the most inscrutable figures in entertainment history: A man who brought so much joy and laughter to so many millions but was himself exceedingly shy and private. Zehme traces Carson's rise from a magic-obsessed Nebraska boy to a Navy ensign in World War II to a burgeoning radio and TV personality to, eventually, host of The Tonight Show -- which he transformed, along with the entirety of American popular culture, over the next three decades. Without Carson, there would be no late-night television as we know it. On a much more intimate level, Zehme also captures the turmoil and anguish that accompanied the success: four marriages, troubles with alcohol, and the devastating loss of a child. In one passage, Zehme notes that when asked by an interviewer in the mid-80s for the secret to his success, Carson replied simply, "Be yourself and tell the truth." Completed with help from journalist and Zehme's former research assistant Mike Thomas, Carson the Magnificent offers just that: an honest assessment of who Johnny Carson really was."--

Leonardo da Vinci / Burns, Ken

The film will tell the story of Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci, best known as Leonardo da Vinci, a fifteenth century Italian polymath of soaring imagination and profound intellect, who left behind artistic works of staggering beauty and detailed sketches of futuristic contraptions of warfare and flight that today are marveled at for their technical ingenuity and foresight. From his birth out of wedlock to a notary and peasant woman and apprenticeship to a distinguished Florentian painter, to his days as a military architect, cartographer, sculptor and muralist for hire, the film will offer an intimate portrait of a singular visionary whose Mona Lisa, The Last Supper and The Vitruvian Man are among the most celebrated works known to man, but whose artistic endeavors sometimes seemed an afterthought to his pursuits in science and engineering.

Leonardo da Vinci / Burns, Ken

The film will tell the story of Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci, best known as Leonardo da Vinci, a fifteenth century Italian polymath of soaring imagination and profound intellect, who left behind artistic works of staggering beauty and detailed sketches of futuristic contraptions of warfare and flight that today are marveled at for their technical ingenuity and foresight. From his birth out of wedlock to a notary and peasant woman and apprenticeship to a distinguished Florentian painter, to his days as a military architect, cartographer, sculptor and muralist for hire, the film will offer an intimate portrait of a singular visionary whose Mona Lisa, The Last Supper and The Vitruvian Man are among the most celebrated works known to man, but whose artistic endeavors sometimes seemed an afterthought to his pursuits in science and engineering.

Made in England : the films of Powell & Pressburger / Cohen Media Group
Films of Powell and Pressburger
Martin Scorsese first watched the films of Powell and Pressburger when he was a child, sitting in front of the family TV. When their famous logo came up on screen, Scorsese says, "You knew you were in for fantasy, wonder, magic--real film magic." With Made in England he tells the story of his lifelong love-affair with their movies, including The Life and Death Of Colonel Blimp, Black Narcissus, The Red Shoes and The Tales of Hoffmann. "Certain films you simply run all the time, and you live with them." Scorsese says. "As you grow older, they grow deeper. I'm not sure how it happens, but it does. For me, that body of work is a wondrous presence, a constant source of energy, and a reminder of what life and art are all about." Drawing on a rich array of archive material, Scorsese explores in full the collaboration between the Englishman Powell and the Hungarian Pressburger two romantics and idealists, who thrived in the face of adversity during World War II but were eventually brought low by the film industry of the 1950s. Scorsese celebrates their ability to create "subversive commercial movies" and describes how deeply their films have influenced his own work.

Merchant Ivory : the documentary / Bonham Carter, Helena

Merchant Ivory is the definitive documentary of the legendary Merchant Ivory partnership, which produced such award-winning masterpieces as A Room with a View, Maurice, Howards End, and Remains of the Day. It is anchored by an interview with James Ivory and forty-one collaborators detailing and celebrating their experiences of being a part of the "wandering company" helmed by legendary producer Ismail Merchant. With six Academy Award®-winners among the notable artists participating, including Emma Thompson and Vanessa Redgrave, the documentary provides new and compelling perspectives on a unique partnership that produced seminal films over four decades.

Made in England : the films of Powell & Pressburger / Cohen Media Group
Films of Powell and Pressburger
Martin Scorsese first watched the films of Powell and Pressburger when he was a child, sitting in front of the family TV. When their famous logo came up on screen, Scorsese says, "You knew you were in for fantasy, wonder, magic--real film magic." With Made in England he tells the story of his lifelong love-affair with their movies, including The Life and Death Of Colonel Blimp, Black Narcissus, The Red Shoes and The Tales of Hoffmann. "Certain films you simply run all the time, and you live with them." Scorsese says. "As you grow older, they grow deeper. I'm not sure how it happens, but it does. For me, that body of work is a wondrous presence, a constant source of energy, and a reminder of what life and art are all about." Drawing on a rich array of archive material, Scorsese explores in full the collaboration between the Englishman Powell and the Hungarian Pressburger two romantics and idealists, who thrived in the face of adversity during World War II but were eventually brought low by the film industry of the 1950s. Scorsese celebrates their ability to create "subversive commercial movies" and describes how deeply their films have influenced his own work.