Not far from Windsor Castle, the Austrian composer Joseph Haydn visits the German astronomer Friedrich W. Herschel in the summer of 1792. But what begins as an informal afternoon ends in disaster for Haydn: his traditional world view is shaken by Herschel's cosmic experiences.
Here is an account of how the cross of Christ came to be the symbol and icon it is today. It presents a close-up look at an inscribed piece of wood, believed to be the actual headboard of Christ's cross.
The vast area of the American prairie tells the story of a 150 year experiment: the settlement of the American plains. The radical plan of a scientist couple from New York is to make the Great Plains public property, a common area, and reverse it to its original condition. A rise in tourism and efficient buffalo meat production will provide people of this region with security and a new future.
Ahmad Zakii Anwar may well be Malaysia's best-known artist. He became famous for his photo-realistic animal pictures, still life paintings and expressive portraits, which offer a timeless reinterpretation of modern Asian society. This documentary looks at the way Zakii's art continues to defy convention in an increasingly radical Islamic world. Ahmad Zakii Anwar's paintings of naked male bodies are both provocative and fascinating, especially in a country like Malaysia, where Islamic Sharia law prevails. It is a society that still regards nakedness and even being different as taboo. The 63-year-old Anwar, who is one of Malaysia's most sought-after artists in Western countries, sees himself as an urban realist looking for confrontation. It is the first time a documentary has looked at the painter and his work in detail and examined its meaning in both a radicalizing society and a liberal one.