Special Interest

Six musical film clips and eight film trailers make up this profile of the legendary Dorothy Dandridge. Released by Passport Productions, Dorothy Dandridge: Singing at Her Best features the beloved entertainer performing such songs as "Swing for My Supper" and "Blow Out the Candles." ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

This two-hour video consists of two programs. First, Hollywood Musicals of the 40s provides footage and sequences from such musical movies as Moon Over Miami (1941), directed by Walter Lang and starring Don Ameche and Betty Grable; Holiday Inn (1942), directed by Mark Sandrich and starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire; Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), directed by Casablanca director Michael Curtiz and starring James Cagney; Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943), directed by David Butler and starring Eddie Cantor; Cabin in the Sky (1943), featuring a mostly black cast directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Lena Horne and Louis Armstrong; and Easter Parade (1948), directed by Charles Waters and starring Judy Garland and Fred Astaire. The second program is a musical short titled Hollywood Victory Caravan, from World War II, featuring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and other stars singing to promote war bonds. ~ Steve Blackburn, All Movie Guide

In 1955, Orson Welles prepared a series of six travel documentaries for British television under the title Around the World with Orson Welles. While no prints survive of the series' final episode, "The Third Man Returns to Vienna," the other five installments are collected on this home video release. In "St. Germain Des Pres," Welles visits the Parisian bohemian district and introduces us to Jean Cocteau and Juliette Greco. "The Chelsea Pensioners" examines the life of the elderly residents of London. A trip to Spain and the contrasting glamour and violence of the bullring is preserved in "Madrid Bullfight." And finally, a lengthy trip to the Basque country is captured in "Pays Basque I and II." ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In the aftermath of the 1992 L.A. riots, something truly remarkable happened at the intersection of 41st Street and Alameda Avenue thanks to an uncharacteristically charitable move by the city government; where once existed a barren field littered with garbage and syringes suddenly appeared a 14-acre community garden. Dubbed the South Central Farm, the produce garden soon began yielding fresh lettuce, ripe tomatoes, and sweet papayas. Now the local farmers could enjoy their own crops rather than relying on food stamps for subsistence. Not only that, but it also replaced a scene of urban blight with a scene of unusual beauty. For over a decade, the South Central Farm thrived, though in December of 2003 it appeared that the days of this inner-city oasis may be numbered. As the farmers receive eviction notices and bulldozers prepare to level the garden to make room for warehouses, filmmaker Scott Hamilton Kennedy documents the two-and-a-half-year court battle to save the South Central Farm. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Celebrity photographer Michael Grecco takes a behind-the-scenes look at the AVN Awards in this documentary based on the book of the same name. Humorous, introspective, and full of surprises, Naked Ambition reveals a side of the adult film industry rarely glimpsed by those on the outside. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide