Library of Congress

One of the great artistic forces of the 20th century, performer, choreographer, and teacher Martha Graham influenced dance around the world. Criterion presents a showcase of her impressive artistry, all in collaboration with television arts programming pioneer Nathan Kroll.

U.S. Goverment film about the creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority in the 1930s and 1940s.

On the coast of Yugoslavia lives fisherman Ivo Kralj, his wife Marie, son Vuk, and Ivo's mother in one happy home. Marie, who loves her husband and always looks forward to his return from sea, attracts Nikola, with whom Ivo, out of jealousy, has a scuffle at a dance. After the outbreak of World War I Ivo is mobilized. He ends up in a P.O.W. camp where he is subjected to hard labour. His family then receives news of his death. The years pass and the lonely widow Marie is occasionally visited by her friend Nikola. Ivo's mother would like her to remarry. Soon after the wedding Marie becomes pregnant. Ivo, who has been thought dead, succeeds in escaping the P.O.W. camp where he has spent several years. Upon his arrival home he finds his name on a memorial erected to the victims of the war...

A documentary about the conquest of Czechoslovakia by the Nazis just prior to World War 2.

A woman returning home falls asleep and has vivid dreams that may or may not be happening in reality. Through repetitive images and complete mismatching of the objective view of time and space, her dark inner desires play out on-screen.

"To Be Alive!" was designed to celebrate the common ground between different cultures by tracing how children in various parts of the world mature into adulthood.

A woman washes up on a beach and embarks on a surreal journey, encountering others and fragmented versions of herself in a quest for identity.

An intimate study of the life of a domestic cat, taking place over a period of months as she gives birth to a litter of kittens and cares for them as they grow.

A documentary featuring musicians including Artur Rubinstein, Jan Peerce-Nadine Conner, and Jascha Heifetz.

Two secretaries go out on a double date, but the inexperienced Mary flees when offered money for sexual favors. She takes refuge in a cafe and encounters a plebeian Prince Charming. The film recounts the simple progress of their romance after they go home together.

Andrea, the beautiful daughter of a railway gateman, is seduced by a rich passenger, who missed his train. Left pregnant, Andrea marries another man and moves to Prague, only to encounter her former lover and recover her former lust.

A cinematic poem with an impressive soundtrack that complements and completes the cinematic sketches of the folk culture of the Slovak nation previously made by ethno-photographer and director Karel Plicka. With its perfectly constructed dramaturgy, the documentary follows the beauty of the natural cycle of the seasons and shows peasant life in an isolated village in the Carpathian mountains of Slovakia from the end of winter through spring and summer to the traditional harvesting methods of autumn. This creates a tribute to traditional culture and the secular connection between man and nature. The aesthetically extraordinary visual representation of folklore comes to life through the editing technique influenced by the Soviet avant-garde and is complemented by poetic intertitles by the Slovak poet Ján Smrek.

Cashier Ferdyš Pištora goes to rob the villa of banker Rosenštok. At that moment, a fire breaks out and Ferdyš saves the banker's two young children. He is hailed as a hero by everyone and Rosenštok makes him a messenger in the bank. This changes Ferdyš's entire life. He becomes a moralist and bullies the whole neighborhood with his sermons. He falls in love with Terezka, a member of the Salvation Army. Ferdyš's former lover Irma is jealous of Terezka. The two women argue and Terezka, in anger, claims that she killed her child and buried it in the cellar. Ferdyš believes this fabrication. In order to save her, he wants to give her the money that he was supposed to hand over to the bank. Out of jealousy, Irma tells the police that Ferdyš wanted to rob the banker's villa, and Ferdyš is arrested. However, Rosenštok intercedes for him and Ferdyš is acquitted. Terezka confesses that she made up the child's murder and celebrates her wedding with Ferdyš.

Commissioned by the U.S. Office of War Information, this short film features conductor Arturo Toscanini leading the NBC Symphony Orchestra, tenor Jan Peerce, and the Westminster Choir in Verdi’s Inno delle nazioni. Originally composed in the 1860s as a musical tribute to Europe, Toscanini expanded the score to include The Star-Spangled Banner and The Internationale in honor of the Allied struggle and Italian partisans. Filmed in NBC’s Studio 8H, the documentary interweaves performance with scenes of Toscanini at home, emphasizing his anti-fascist stance and celebrating the liberation of Italy. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2010.

Madame Flora is terrified when she perceives a supernatural presence during one of her fraudulent séances...