http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_feQFEDLIjs

Dave Sweeney works with a nuclear free campaign for the Australian Conservation Foundation. He gives a firsthand account on the tragic event, remembering the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown that devastated the north east coast of Japan. Sweeney acknowledges that the uranium used to create the Fukushima reactor was made in Australia and that it is time for a change.

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Change After Fukushima appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pgcuk_R51HQ

Nat King Cole’s daughter, widow, and others explain what Cole’s “The Christmas Song” means to them and their relationship with the beloved icon. They also touch on the challenges the singer had to experience in his personal life with his health and the racism he endured throughout the 1940s and 1950s.

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The Christmas Song appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqGYwAaYpDo

Muppets creator, Jim Henson and Joan Ganz Cooney, founder of the Children’s Television Workshop, talk in 1989 about the original purpose and impact of Sesame Street. Discover how Cooney hopes that the show will contribute to peace in the Middle East, and more about the spread of the show from the United States to Germany, Latin America and the Arab/Israeli world.

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Jim Henson & Joan Ganz Cooney Remember 20 Years of Sesame Street appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fy-GMcgymKk

Edward Brooke, former Massachusetts senator during Richard Nixon’s administration, discusses how he became the first republican to openly ask President Nixon to resign on November 4, 1973, shortly after the Watergate Scandal. According to Brooke, Nixon had lost the confidence of the American people, and because of that he should “spare the country from impeachment proceedings.” He also describes Nixon’s response, recalling that the former president said that this would be “taking the cowardly way out.”

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Asking President Nixon to Resign appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaz8sVaK8s4

Between the years of 1966 and 1976, Chinese Chairman Mao Zedong helped to lead what is now known as the Cultural Revolution. This was a time when his Communist Party was worried that capitalistic beliefs were going to take over Chinese society. Because of this threat, Mao Zedong and his group of young followers known as the Red Guards created a rebellion that turned violent very quickly. Within this video, victims of the Cultural Revolution, as well as former members of the Red Guards, talk about witnessing this violent time in Chinese history. Images of temples and villages being ransacked are seen as some victims such as Yu Luowen talk about their family homes being raided as they watched their parents get beaten for being capitalists. Others who were members of the Red Guards, like Xiao Ming, explain why they thought they were doing the right thing during this time period. Ming says he felt that his victims were responsible for the cultural imperialism that had hurt people like him in the past and deserved to get punished. Zhu Danian, another witness, explains that Zedong legitimized the widespread brutality because his political strategy has always been to start a revolution.

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Voices of Victims and Mao’s Red Guards appeared first on Witnify.

“Your second idea is quite acceptable to me…”

The following is a letter written by novelist Vladimir Nabokov to film director and producer Alfred Hitchcock in response to his question on writing a screenplay for a film together. In this letter, Nabokov replies to Hitchcock by telling him that his second idea for a screenplay was “very acceptable.” Nabokov goes on to propose two ideas of his own for a possible film and the first idea is about a rising star falling in love with a “budding astronaut.” The second of Nabokov’s ideas corresponds well with Hitchcock’s own idea and is about a defector coming “from behind the Iron Curtain to the United States.” The letter:

Russian novelist and short story writer Vladimir Nabokov. (1969). Source: Horst Tappe, Creative Commons.

November 28, 1964, Montreux

Dear Mr. Hitchcock,

Many thanks for your letter. I find both your ideas very interesting. The first would present many difficulties for me because I do not know enough about American security matters and methods, or how the several intelligence bureaus work, separately and together.

Your second idea is quite acceptable to me. Given a complete freedom (as I assume you intend to give me) I think I could turn it into a screenplay. But there would be the matter of time. What delays did you have in mind? I am at the present very busy winding up several things at once. I could devote some thought to the screenplay this summer but could hardly settle down to work on it yet. Please let me know what are your ideas about this.

In the meantime I, too, would like to give you a short resume of two ideas of my own. You will find them, very baldly jotted down, on the separate sheet attached to this letter. Please let me know what you think of them. If you like them, we might discuss their development.

It was good talking to you on the telephone.

With best wishes,

Sincerely yours,

Vladimir Nabokov

1.

A girl, a rising star of not quite the first magnitude, is courted by a budding astronaut. She is slightly condescending to him; has an affair with him but may have other lovers, or lover, at the same time. One day he is sent on the first expedition to a distant star; goes there and makes a successful return. Their positions have now changed. He is the most famous man in the country while her starrise has come to a stop at a moderate level. She is only too glad to have him now, but soon she realizes that he is not the same as he was before his flight. She cannot make out what the change is. Time goes, and she becomes concerned, then frightened, then panicky. I have more than one interesting denouement for this plot.

2.

While ignorant of the workings of the American intelligence, I have gathered considerable information regarding those of the Soviets.

For some time now I have been thinking of writing the story of a defector from behind the Iron Curtain to the United States. The constant danger he is in, the constant necessity to hide and be on the lookout for agents from his native land bent on kidnapping or killing him.

To read Alfred Hitchcock’s original letter click here.

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[Text] Nabokov’s Response to Hitchcock’s Request for a Film Collaboration appeared first on Witnify.

“Now this next idea I’m not sure will really appeal to you but, on the other hand, it might….”

Film director and producer Alfred Hitchcock writes a letter to novelist Vladimir Nabokov about the possibility of collaborating on a screenplay together. In this letter, Hitchcock proposes two story lines to Nabokov, hoping that he will like at least one of the two. One story is about a women who is romantically involved with a defector and the other story is about a young girl thrown into a family of crooks. He claims that his goal is to bypass the screenplay writers and go directly to Nabokov– “a story-teller”:

Studio publicity photo of Alfred Hitchcock. Source: Creative Commons.

November 19, 1964

Dear Mr. Nabokov:

Further to our conversation on the telephone regarding future projects I have in mind and for which I require stories, I would like to give you a rough outline of two of them with the hope perhaps that one or the other might interest you to develop into a story.

If perhaps you would become interested, I would like to point out that I do not require any rights except motion picture and television. Any literary rights would belong to you.

Now the first idea I have been thinking about for some time is based upon a question that I do not think I have seen dealt with in motion pictures or, as far as I know, in literature. It is the problem of the woman who is associated, either by marriage or engagement, to a defector.

I think in the case of the married woman, there is very little question that she sides with her husband. We have, for example, the case of Burgess MacLean eventually followed her husband behind the Iron Curtain, and obviously Mrs. MacLean had no other loyalties. The question I’m really interested in is what would be the attitude of a young woman, perhaps in love with, or engaged to, a scientist who could be a defector.

To give you a crude example, let’s imagine that Von Braun’s son is as brilliant as his father and has been working on very secret projects. He has become very American and, to all outward appearances, completely removed from any of his father’s background. But suddenly one day, he wants to go on a vacation and visit his father’s relatives—the old folks.

To the security people this excursion could be interpreted in a way that casts doubt upon his true intentions. In other words, they wonder perhaps whether he’s going to defect (naturally there could be other circumstances that would give them this idea).

The young man’s fiancee is the daughter of a senator and she was to accompany him on his excursion. The security people, having their doubts about the young man, endeavor to enlist her help.

The motion picture line for this story would develop into the journey behind the Iron Curtain and expressed in terms of action and movement, but within it all, would be the basic problem faced by the girl. Who knows? Maybe she goes over to the side of her fiance. It would depend upon how her character is drawn. It is also possible if she did this, she might be making a terrible mistake—especially if her fiance, after all, turned out to be a double agent.

The feasibility of a man posing as a defector, but in reality is an agent for the government, could arise entirely out of the close security methods within the government. We have seen examples of how the FBI is ignorant of what the CIA is doing, and sometimes the CIA is not always aware of what some higher-ups are doing in these intelligence jobs.

Anyway, Mr. Nabokov, the type of story I’m looking for is an emotional, psychological one, expressed in terms of action and movement and, naturally, one that would give me the opportunity to indulge in the customary Hitchcock suspense.

Now this next idea I’m not sure will really appeal to you but, on the other hand, it might.

Many years ago I started to work on an idea for the English company to which I was under contract. The idea was never completed because I left to come to America. I wondered what would happen if a young girl, having spent her life in a convent in Switzerland due to the fact that she had no home to go to and only had a widowed father, was suddenly released from college at the end of her term. She would be returned to her father, who would be the general manager of a large international hotel (at the time I imagined it would be the Savoy in London). This general manager, the father of our young heroine, has a brother who is the concierge, another brother who is the cashier, another brother one of the chefs in the kitchen, a sister who is the housekeeper, and a bedridden mother living in a penthouse in the hotel. The mother is about 80 years of age, a matriarch.

The whole of this family are a gang of crooks, using the hotel as a base of operations. Now into this setting comes our young 19-year-old girl. As you will see, the hotel setting—especially the “backstage” part—would be extremely colorful, especially when the bulk of the story would take place, not only backstage, but in the public rooms and even to the night club section. In other words, I was looking for a film that would give us the details of a big hotel and not merely a film played in hotel rooms.

Arnold Bennett, the famous English novelist, had quite a fascination for hotels. He wrote two books, one “Grand Babylon Hotel” and another, “Imperial Palace.” This latter book contained enormous detail about the Savoy Hotel, London, although it was actually a work of fiction.

Well there it is, Mr. Nabokov. I sincerely hope you could be interested in one or the other. Naturally I have just indicated the crudest conception of these ideas. I haven’t bothered to go into such details as characterizations or the psychological aspects of these stories. For example, in the hotel story I have in the original material, the development of the situation whereby the father of the young girl, having achieved the position of general manager, has no more interest in the unlawful pursuits of the rest of his family; and it is the advent of his daughter that makes his problem so much greater. As I indicated to you on the telephone, screenplay writers are not the type of people to take such ideas as these and develop them into responsible story material. They are usually people who adapt other people’s work. That is why I am by-passing them and coming direct to you—a story-teller.

Kindest regards.

Sincerely, Alfred J. Hitchcock

Read Vladimir Nabokov’s response here.

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[Text] Alfred Hitchcock’s Letter to Vladimir Nabokov on a Film Collaboration appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRqw-7KYpBg

Broadcast journalist Ted Koppel shares his opinions on what was most unsettling to him about the Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky scandal that emerged in 1998. In this video, Koppel says that Clinton having an affair with other women and being unfaithful to his wife was not what bothered him– what bothered him was that Paula Jones, who filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Clinton in 1994, did not get a fair hearing due to the former president lying under oath during his deposition. He then goes on to share an anecdote about a note he received from Clinton after he had gone on record with the New York Times Magazine saying Clinton was the toughest person to interview because he always felt that “he was two or three questions ahead” of him.

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Ted Koppel Discusses Clinton’s Political Scandal appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ynq9Aikz36Q

In this audio recording, former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill made a speech to incite confidence and inspiration to his countrymen on August 20, 1940 as the United Kingdom prepared for a German invasion during World War II. The Allies had suffered some demoralizing defeats in the past few months but Churchill tells his country that the Allies are looking stronger than ever. He states one of his most famous lines: “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few” with the Royal Air Force (RAF), who were fighting the Battle of Britain at the time, being “the few.” The success in the following battle by the Allies’ aircrew was thought to be in part due to these encouraging words spoken by this iconic British leader.

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Churchill’s ‘Never Was So Much Owed by So Many to So Few’ Speech appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqZceAQSJvc

In this video, Santana and his band perform “Soul Sacrifice” at the 1969 Woodstock Festival. The passion and connection to the music is seen in both the band and the crowd as Santana plays his guitar solo and a young Woodstock audience grooves to the music.

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Performance: ‘Soul Sacrifice’ at the Woodstock Festival appeared first on Witnify.