Arena - Season 2007

First aired: 10/14/2007 6 episodes

Episodes

1. The Other Side of the Mirror - Bob Dylan at the Newport Folk Festival

Aired: 10/14/2007

Murray Lerner's documentary features Bob Dylan's performances at the Newport folk festival between 1963 and 1965 - the time when Dylan changed the music of the world and changed himself from the fresh-faced cherub singing Blowin' in the Wind to the rock 'n' roll shaman who blew pop music apart when he went electric. The film No Direction Home told the story of how Dylan affected the world and the world affected Dylan, but this film brings you face to face with the work itself. Like the discovery of a hitherto unknown manuscript or an unseen masterpiece, this is a treasure trove, newly opened up.

2. Ken Dodd's Happiness

Aired: 12/24/2007

Comedian Ken Dodd turned 80 in 2007. Armed with his tickling sticks, stand-up routines and songs he continues to delight his devoted audiences all over the country with his Happiness show. Arena's exploration of Britain's most enduring variety entertainer reveals his personal analysis of humour and illustrates why Ken Dodd is acknowledged as one of the finest exponents of his comic craft.

3. Shadowing The Third Man

Aired: 12/31/2007

The fractured state of Europe after World War II was perfectly captured in Carol Reed's thriller The Third Man. Set in Vienna and with Orson Welles starring unforgettably as the mysterious Harry Lime, it showcased some of Graham Greene's finest screenwriting. With unlimited access to the original movie, Arena explores the filmmaking artistry, moral world and furious infighting behind the film.

4. Underground

Aired: 3/18/2007

The Tube is the world's oldest underground railway system, with its own unwritten rules of behaviour and protocol. This Arena begins 150 years ago in a Victorian London of slums and gaslight, and takes the viewer on a thrilling and mysterious adventure through Tube history. Using the voices of passengers and Tube staff, the programme is nothing less than a celebration of a parallel universe, underground. The film has been produced for Arena by Lone Star productions in association with London's Transport Museum.

5. The Comic Strip Hero

Aired: 9/30/2007

A look at the legend of 'Superman' and its portrayal in comic books and films.

6. Bob Marley: Exodus

Aired: 6/3/2007

Marley's legendary concert at the Rainbow in the summer of 1977 took reggae music and the message of Rastafaria to a world that hitherto had been exposed to neither. The programme is a visual evocation of the world of 1977, a world that seems very far away now, and of the spirit of Marley's most significant album.