American Portrait / 1940

This movie's preamble explains the importance of salesmanship after the great depression The industrial revolution has created a life of modern convenience for America, and there are more products available than most people can fathom. David, one of the main characters in this drama, is a life insurance salesman. His livelihood and profession rely on people willing to take out new policies. Throughout the beginning of the film, a narrator points out modern inventions like telephones, electric toasters, and other conveniences, and explains the significance of these items.

PBS American Portrait / 2021

Stories shared on this site are part of a national storytelling project. These stories are woven into the American Portrait docuseries & TV specials, airing on PBS member stations across the country.

The American Woman: Portraits of Courage / 1976

Developed from Anne Grant's book, Our North American Foremothers, this film recreates historical moments and women who fought for equality and freedom over the span of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries.

American Capitalism, A Self-Portrait / 2013

This found-footage film is made by cutting and pasting bits and pieces of institutional movies from the Prelinger archive fund. It aims at throwing light on American capitalism discursive dynamics.

Country: Portraits of an American Sound / 2015

'Country: Portraits of an American Sound' is a documentary film that explores the history and culture of country music through the lens of photography, which has portrayed the ideals, lifestyle and personalities of country music artists for over 80 years. The film features imagery and commentary from Grand Ole Opry photographer Les Leverett, the late celebrity photographer Leigh Wiener, documentary photographer Henry Horenstein, iconic music photographers Henry Diltz and Raeanne Rubenstein, and contemporary photographers David McClister and Michael Wilson. Over a dozen country music artists also appear, including Rosanne Cash, Roy Clark, Merle Haggard, Lyle Lovett, Charley Pride, LeAnn Rimes, Kenny Rogers, Tanya Tucker, The Band Perry and Keith Urban. The film weaves iconic images, historical footage and over 25 country music hits into a dynamic look at this uniquely American sound.

Bluesland: A Portrait in American Music / 1993

Blues as a genre shaped the sound of jazz in the early 20th century and directly led to the creation of rock 'n' roll in the '50s. The scales, chords, and progressions of blues as a musical form can be found in styles from jazz to rock to contemporary R&B.

Norman Rockwell: An American Portrait / 2002

Biography of the American Painter and Illustrator, Norman Rockwell.

American Presidents: Life Portraits

American Presidents: Life Portraits is a 41-episode, Peabody Award-winning series produced by C-SPAN in 1999. Each episode was aired live, and was a two- to three-hour look at the life and times of one particular President of the United States. Episodes were broadcast from locations of importance to the profiled president, featured interviews with...

Cowgirls: Portraits of American Ranch Women / 1985

The cowgirls in this documentary are modern-day women aged six to sixty, who ride, rope and tough out the elements just as well as their more famous cowboy counterparts. The film spans three generations, telling the inspirational real-life stories of women who are living their own "dream-come-true" existences.

An American, Portrait of Raymond Luc Levasseur / 2015

Posted on the FBI Ten Most Wanted List in 1977 for his involvement in bombings perpetrated by the United Freedom Front, he was arrested in 1984. From his prison cell in 1992, the political prisoner Raymond Luc Levasseur writes 'My Blood is Quebecois' in which he explains his rebellion and his radicalization by his status as a 'frog' and the racism he witnessed in a small mill town of Maine where his ancestors came to work in the factories. Released in 2004, he returned to his native Maine where he tells us about his career, from his childhood in a French Canadian family until today.

Beneath the Mask: Portrait of an American Ninja / 2005

Always Tomorrow: The Portrait of an American Business / 1941

Feature length promotional film presented by The Coca-Cola Company during World War II, focuses on a small town bottler as he looks back on his company's past and plans for an optimistic future.

Hometown: A Portrait of the American Opioid Epidemic / 2018

An intimate look at the human faces of America's current opioid epidemic. Seen through the eyes of a mother and the lens of a small town.

A Portrait of Sino-American Friendship / 2007

A portrait of sino-american friendship

John Adams: A Portrait and A Concert of Modern American Music / 2000

Peer into the world of contemporary composer John Adams with this documentary that blends performance footage with insightful interviews and commentary from his collaborators and the master himself. Highlights include performances of Adams's Grammy Award-winning operas “Nixon in China” and “El Niño” and excerpts from Penny Woolcock’s film adaptation of “The Death of Klinghoffer”. Works by Steve Reich and Conlon Nancarrow are also performed by the Ensemble InterContemporain at the Théâtre Musical de Paris-Châtelet.

American Massive (Sex, Drugs, Rave & Roll - Portrait of a New Generation?) / 2002

Shot on the Moonshine Overamerica 2000 tour, American Massive shows the rave scene from the participants' perspective: the DJs, the promoters, the artists, and the kids. 24 Cities, 13,000 miles in 32 days with some of the America's biggest names in electronic music, including AK1200, Christopher Lawrence, Carl Cox, Cirrus, D:Fuse, Dara, Micro, Frankie Bones and Keoki. American Massive is a documentary about the rave culture. Included are interviews with the people who attend the parties and the behind-the-scenes workers, as well as interviews and music from electronic music artists AK1200, Carl Cox, Christopher Lawrence, Dara, Frankie Bones, Keoki, and more. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Jacques d'Amboise: Portrait of a Great American Dancer / 2006

A dazzling compilation of previously unissued television appearances from 1956-1965 taken from Canadian TV and the Bell Telephone Hour. He dances Stars & Stripes, Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Afternoon of a Faun and Apollo.

Homeland / 2000

Following four Lakota families over three years, Homeland explores what it takes for the Lakota community to build a better future in the face of tribal and government corruption, scarce housing, unemployment, and alcoholism. Intimate interviews with a spiritual leader, a grandmother, an artist, and a community activist from South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Indian Reservation reveal how each survives through family ties, cultural tradition, humor, and a palpable yearning for self-reliance and personal freedom.