Titles available on DVD and streaming video as of April 2011.
Most streaming videos listed are available exclusively to AU students, staff and faculty after an online authentications by AUID#.
This is a selective list of video holdings in the American University Library. Filmographies are created by doing multiple keyword searches in the ALADIN catalog to capture as many titles on a topic as possible. For complete up-to-date holdings (including VHS tapes) please refer to the library ALADIN catalog (www.catalog.wrlc.org)
42nd street. 2006. 1 videodisc (89 min.). The movie musical that introduced the choreography of Busby Berkeley, 42nd Street also contains the classic plot involving a tyrannical director, egotistical leading lady and wide-eyed ingenue, all set to a standout musical score. DVD 2068.
All that jazz. 2003. 1 videodisc (120 min.). The story of an obsessed, pill-popping chain-smoking choreographer/ director dancing simultaneously with love and death. But even while dying, he creates some great dancing. Based on the life of Bob Fosse. VHS 6726 and DVD 668.
An American in Paris. 1999. 1 videodisc (114 min.). Presents the romantic adventures of a carefree young artist in post-WWII Paris. DVD 273.
Babes on Broadway: Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland collection. 2007. 1 videodisc (118 min.). One of the famous old musicals that combines captivating music and lavish production numbers by the master, Busby Berkeley. The story is the standard tale of two struggling Broadway hopefuls, and is filled with 16 song and dance numbers. DVD 7875.
The band wagon. 2005. 1 videodisc (112 min.). A musical comedy satirizing theatrical production problems. Hollywood song-and-dance man Tony Hunter is persuaded by his friends Lester and Lily to star in a Broadway musical. He joins the show in New York where he is confronted by a prima ballerina, a jealous and hostile choreographer and a pig-headed producer-director. When the show flops at its New Haven opening, Tony must raise money and take over the production which becomes a Broadway smash. DVD 1271.
Billy Elliot. 2001. 1 videodisc (111 min.). Eleven-year-old miner's son Billy Elliot is on his way to boxing lessons when he stumbles upon a ballet class. Billy secretly joins the class, knowing that his blue-collar family would never understand. Location - GLBT Center; B
Bodas de sangre = Blood wedding. Eclipse: Eclipse. Series 6, Carlos Saura's flamenco trilogy: Eclipse (Criterion Collection (Firm)). 2007. 1 videodisc (71 min.). Flamenco dance adaptation of Garcâia-Lorca's play about a bride who elopes with her lover on her wedding day, presented as though in studio rehearsal. The drama is preceded by a slice-of-life sequence depicting the company's arrival, backstage preparations, and warm-up. VHS 2937 and DVD 4317.
Broadway Goes Hollywood: Musical Comedy in American Cinema. 2008. 1 streaming video file (52 min.). Beginning with the release of The Jazz Singer in 1927, this program provides a detailed look inside that most distinctly American of film traditions, the musical comedy. Interviews with dancer Cyd Charisse, famous for her starring roles in MGM musicals, and Hermes Pan, renowned choreographer and collaborator with Fred Astaire, help to illuminate the advent and evolution of the genre. Excerpts and behind-the-scenes accounts from Singin' in the Rain, 42nd Street, Second Chorus, Flying Down to Rio, The Wizard of Oz, and many other films are included. Specific topics include the impact of the Hays Code, the influence of African-American dance styles, and the decline of the musical during the 1960s. Not available in French-speaking Canada. (52 minutes). Streaming video
http://proxyau.wrlc.org/login?url=http://digital.films.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?aid=8604&xtid=40694
The Busby Berkeley collection. 2006. 6 videodiscs (650 min.). Five remastered classics include: 42nd Street (1933), Gold Diggers of 1933, Footlight Parade (1933), Dames (1935), Gold Diggers of 1935, plus a bonus disc with more than 20 complete musical numbers from Busby Berkeley. DVD 2073.
Cabaret. 2003. 1 videodisc (124 min.). An egocentric American girl dreams of becoming a star while working in a third-rate Berlin cabaret. VHS 574 and DVD 41.
Carlos Saura's flamenco trilogy. Eclipse. Series 6, Carlos Saura's flamenco trilogy: Eclipse (Criterion Collection (Firm)). 2007. 3 videodiscs (ca. 275 min.). "One of Spanish cinema's great auteurs, Carlos Saura brought international audiences closer to the art of his country's dance than any other filmmaker, before or since. In his "Flamenco Trilogy" -- Blood Wedding, Carmen, and El amor brujo -- Saura merged his passion for music with his ongoing exploration of Spanish national identity. All starring and choreographed by legendary dancer Antonio Gades, the films feature thrilling physicality and electrifying cinematography and editing."--Container. DVD 4317-4319.
Carmen. 2002. 1 videodisc (50 min.). Mats Ek's version of the fiery tale of passion and murderous jealousy is an exciting suspenseful mix of bravura dancing and inventive, powerful storytelling. DVD 749.
Carmen. Eclipse: Eclipse: Eclipse (Criterion Collection (Firm)). 2007. 1 videodisc (101 min.). Carlos Saura's biggest interntaional box-office success was this self-reflexive meditation on Prosper Merimee's Carmen story. DVD 4318.
Chicago. 2003. 1 videodisc (113 min.). At a time when crimes of passion result in celebrity headlines, nightclub sensation Velma Kelly and spotlight-seeking Roxie Hart both find themselves on Chicago's famed Murderess Row. They also share Billy Flynn, the town's slickest lawyer with a talent for turning notorious defendants into local legends. DVD 626.
A chorus line. 2003. 1 videodisc (118 min.). In preparation for a Broadway musical, a group of aspiring stage performers is put through their paces by a veteran stage director using some singular techniques. DVD 6893.
Les demoiselles de Rochefort = The young girls of Rochefort. 1996. 1 videodisc (125 min.). "In the picturesque seaside village of Rochefort, Delphine teaches dance while her twin Solange composes and gives piano lessons. As the girls dream of success and romance in the far-off big city, they don't realize that true love may be just around the corner!"--Container. DVD 309.
Dil se. 2000. 1 videodisc (165 min.). Romantic drama set in an atmosphere of political turbulence; incorporates fantasy sequences of dance and song. DVD 1621.
Dirty dancing. 1999. 1 videodisc (105 min.). Summer romance between a dance instructor and a guest at a hotel in the Catskills. DVD 296.
El otro lado de la cama = The other side of the bed. 2004. 1 videodisc (114 min.). The story of two couples, along with a collection of their friends and co-workers, whose switching back and forth between their lovers leads to lies and heartache and lots of song and dance. DVD 3308.
Fame. 2010. 1 videodisc (110 min.). Passions will be tested and young hearts will be broken. Ultimately, talent, dedication and hard work will triumph. Centers around a group of dancers, singers, musicians and actors at the New York City High School of Performing Arts, and their spirited drive to live out their dreams of stardom. In an incredibly competitive atmosphere, each student must shine amidst the tumult of school work, deep friendships, budding romance and self-discovery. DVD 7043.
Flashdance. Widescreen DVD collection. 2002. 1 videodisc (95 min.). Alex Owens is a fiercely determined and beautiful 18 year old woman who works as a welder by day and as a dancer at a local bar at night. Alex struggles to gain independence, finds love, and realize her dream--to dance at the Pittsburgh Conservatory of Dance. DVD 6089.
Flying down to Rio. 2006. 1 videodisc (89 min.). This film, containing the first of many Fred Astaire - Ginger Rogers partnerships, concerns a band in Rio. Songs include "The Carioca," "Orchids in the Moonlight," and the title song. Pilot and band leader Gene Raymond woos Dolores Del Rio, and then learns that she is engaged to a friend of his, after he flys her home to Rio. Fred & Ginger provide the musical moments. Notable for a brilliantly photographed finale with chorus girls on the wings of flying airplanes, the movie was the musical that broke with the rather contrived Busby Berkeley production and moved toward a closer integration of musical and narrative elements. Astaire's dance numbers come not as interruptions but as extensions of the plot. VHS 3570 and DVD 7428.
Footlight parade. 1990. 1 videodisc (108 min.). Chester Kent (Cagney) is a diligent musical comedy director who is continually warding off snoopers hired by his competitors to steal his ideas. He succeeds and what results is a parade of stars, songs, and lavish production numbers. Film features showstopping Busby Berkeley productions choreographed with the colossal imagination and scope that became Berkeley's trademark. Includes the classic "Human Waterfall" number that displays countless beautiful chorus girls costumed in little more than ropes of pearls and showered in a colored mist from 300 tiny water sprays. DVD 2072.
Footloose. 2004. 1 videodisc (107 min.). City-boy Ren McCormick finds he has been moved into an uptight Midwestern town where the local officials have banned dancing and rock 'n roll music. Ren revolts with his best friend Willard and the minister's daughter. A timeless struggle between innocent teenage pleasures and adults' need for rigid morality. DVD 7044.
French cancan une comédie musicale. Criterion collection: Criterion collection (DVD videodiscs). 2004. 1 videodisc (105 min.). Nineteenth-century Paris comes alive in Jean Renoir's tale of the opening of the Moulin Rouge. Jean Gabin plays Danglard, who makes the cancan all the rage while juggling the love of two beautiful women: an Egyptian belly-dancer and a naive working girl-turned-cancan star. Includes a cameo by Edith Piaf. DVD 1275.
Funny face. 2007. 1 videodisc (103 min.). A Cinderella story about an inconspicuous salesgirl who is whisked off to Paris by a group of fashion magazine sophisticates and is transformed into a dazzling model with whom the magazine's photographer falls in love. DVD 5486.
Gold diggers in Paris. 2008. 1 videodisc (97 min.). When the representative of the Paris International Dance Exposition arrives in New York to invite the Academy Ballet of America to compete for monetary prizes, the taxi driver mistakenly brings him to the Club Ballé, a nightclub on the brink of declaring bankruptcy. The owners, Terry Moore and Duke Dennis, jump at the chance to go, despite being aware of the mistake. They hire ballet teacher, Luis Leoni, and his only pupil, Kay Morrow, to join the group, hoping to teach their two dozen show girls ballet en route to Paris by ship. Also going along and rooming with Kay is Mona, Terry's ex-wife, who wants to keep an eye on her alimony checks. Naturally, Kay and Terry fall in love. After the ship is underway, Padrinsky, the head of the real ballet academy, reads about the departure and also heads to Paris, bringing with him his ballet loving gangster patron, Mike Coogan, with orders to eliminate the pair of imposters. Things look bleak for Terry as Kay becomes angry and severs her relationship with Terry when she learns that Mona was once married to him and he never told her that. And Padrinsky gets a deportation order for the whole group on the day they were to perform in the contest. DVD 4742.
Gold diggers of 1935. 2006. 1 videodisc (95 min.). A medical student working as a clerk in a ritzy New England hotel falls in love with a rich woman's daughter. DVD 2070.
The Great Ziegfeld. 2004. 1 videodisc (185 min.). Ziegfeld is a theatrical impresario, whose show business empire begins when he stage-manages a tour for a strongman. With almost no money in the bank, he charms European stage star Anna Held to headline his "Follies". From 1907, Ziegfeld stages annual editions of Broadway's most fabulous revue. Eventually, Ziegfeld abandons Anna in favor of other beauties. Ziegfeld comes to realize that his new romance with Follies-girl Audrey Dane, is all wrong, settling instead for good-natured actress Billie Burke. Bankrupted by the Depression, Ziegfeld dies as he plans a spectacular comeback. DVD 1979.
Grease. 2006. 1 videodisc (110 min.). It's love when a greaser falls for a good girl in this classic musical depicting young life in the fifties. DVD 7086.
Hairspray. The John Waters collection. 2001. 1 videodisc (92 min.). Tracy Turnblad, a teenager with huge hair, a big grin, and all the right moves, becomes the queen of Baltimore's number one dance revue. DVD 2951 - 2958.
Hairspray. 2007. 2 videodiscs (117 min.). In 1962 Baltimore, all the kids watch the Corny Collins Show. Every day after school Tracy Turnblad, an overweight teenager with all the right moves, and her best friend Penny run home to watch and drool over teenage heartthrob Link Larkin. When one of the "Council Kids" goes on a leave of absence, Tracy auditions to be the replacement, is sent to detention for skipping school, and thereby meets Seaweed--who shows her how to really shake 'em down. Helped by Seaweed, Link, Penny, Motormouth Maybelle, and her parents, Tracy sets out to integrate the show ... without denting her 'do! DVD 2955.
Hollywood Hotel. 2008. 1 videodisc (109 min.). Ronny Bowers, a saxophonist in Benny Goodman's band has won a talent contest an got a ten week contract with a film studio. On his first evening he is supposed to go with the studio's star Mona Marshall to a movie premiere. But this lady doesn't want to go, so the bosses decide to use for Mona a double, Virginia. When Mona finds out next morning that happened, she insisted to fire her double and Ronny. Ronny finds work as singing waiter in a drive in, and is spotted by a director of the same studio, who wants him to lend his voice for an leading actor in a musical. After the first screening the actor is invited by Louella Parsons to sing in her program "Hollywood Hotel". He accepts, but he doesn't know that Ronny Bowers does not want to lend him his voice again. So everybody starts to play his little game to solve his own problems. DVD 4743.
The little colonel. The Shirley Temple collection. 2005. 1 videodisc (81 min.). An old-fashioned Southern colonel has disowned his daughter for marrying a Yankee and resists all entreaties for a reconciliation until he succumbs to the charms of his little granddaughter. Previews of other Shirley Temple films precede feature. DVD 1893.
Mad hot ballroom. Widescreen DVD collection. 2005. 1 videodisc (106 min.). Eleven-year-old New York City public school kids journey into the world of ballroom dancing, and from their candid and hilarious perspectives, reveal pieces of themselves along the way. This school program started in 1994 and today has over 6,000 kids from 60 schools involved. DVD 6489.
Moulin Rouge. 2002. 1 videodisc (128 min.). Christian (McGregor), an idealistic and impoverished young writer who, newly arrived in Montmartre, is haphazardly inducted into a circle of young bohemians led by Toulouse-Lautrec. A comedy of mistaken identities ensues, quickly enmeshing the young poet in a love triangle involving the unobtainable and consumptive Satine (Kidman), queen courtesan of the Moulin Rouge, and the foppish Duke of Roxbury, his villainous rival for her affections. DVD 297.
Napoleon Dynamite. 2004. 1 videodisc (95 min.). Napoleon is a new kind of hero, complete with a tight red 'fro, sweet moon boots, and skills that can't be topped. Napoleon spends his days drawing mythical beasts, duking it out with his older brother, Kip, and trying to avoid his scheming Uncle Rico. When two new friends enter Napolean's life - shy Deb and mustachioed Pedro - the trio launches a campaign to elect Pedro for class president and make the student body's wildest dreams come true. But if Pedro is to beat stuck-up Summer, Napoleon will have to unleash his own secret weapon. DVD 1462.
Oklahoma! 2005. 2 videodiscs (145 min.). A young prairie woman is courted by a good-natured cowboy and a menacing hired hand. DVD 6340.
Rab ne bana di Jodi. p2009. 2 videodiscs (164 min.). "You might have a love story to tell? Maybe not! How can an ordinary man have a breathtaking, goose flesh igniting, awe inspiring love story of all things to tell? But guess what - love does not differentiate between the ordinary and the exceptional, the uninteresting and interesting, the unattractive and attractive. Because love knows no distinction. It can happen to anyone and once it does it engulfs us into it completely and gives us those miraculous experiences that only love can yeild. This is what happened to Surinder Sahni - a simple, clean hearted, honest man working for Punjab Power, leading a humdrum life, when he meets his total opposite and finds love in the flamboyant, fun-loving, vivacious - Taani for whom the whole world is her canvas and she paints her own life with the colours of rainbow all until unforeseen circumstances changes it all and brings them together"--Container. DVD 8088.
The red shoes. Criterion collection: Criterion collection (DVD videodiscs). 1999. 1 videodisc (134 min.). Centers on the dilemma of a young ballerina torn between the composer who loves her and the impresario determined to fashion her into a great dancer. DVD 105.
Satin rouge. 2003. 1 videodisc (95 min.). A Tunisian widow embarks on a journey of self-discovery when she is drawn to the world of cabaret belly dancers. DVD 6175.
Saturday night fever. 2006. 1 videodisc (118 min.). The story of a Brooklyn store clerk who is a Saturday night disco king; he begins to question the narrowness of his perspective when he meets a girl who is shedding her origins for a more sophisticated life style. DVD 3123.
Show boat. 2000. 1 videodisc (108 min.). Musical extravaganza which celebrates the loves and heartbreaks of a Mississippi riverboat troupe, starting with a young girl whose heart is stolen by a dashing gambler. DVD 274.
Singin' in the rain. 2002. 2 videodiscs (103 min.). "Silent movies are giving way to talking pictures, and a hoofer-turned-matinee idol is caught in that bumpy transition, as well as his buddy, prospective ladylove and shrewish co-star"--Container. DVD 674.
Slumdog millionaire. 2009. 1 videodisc (120 min.). Jamal Malik is an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai. With the whole nation watching, he is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India's version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" When the show breaks for the night, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating. Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum where he and his brother grew up. He describes their adventures together on the road, of vicious encounters with local gangs, and of Latika, the girl he loved and lost. Every chapter of his story reveals the key to the answer to one of the game show's questions. Jamal's increasingly layered story reveals where he learned the answers to the show's seemingly impossible questions. When the new day dawns and Jamal returns to answer the final question, the Inspector and sixty million viewers watch to find out if he can answer the question of how anyone comes to know the things they know about life and love. DVD 5743.
Strike up the band: Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland collection. 2007. 1 videodisc (120 min.). Jimmy and Mary are two talented high school students ready and eager to climb the ladder of success. He's a band leader and she's his lovelorn singer. Together they sing and dance their way to the top, with a few bumps along the way. DVD 7872.
Sweet Charity. 2003. 1 videodisc (153 min.). A lovelorn New York dance hall hostess named Charity Hope Valentine dreams of old-fashioned romance but falls in love with one undeserving man after another. DVD 3846.
Swing kids. 2002. 1 videodisc (114 min.). Two friends in Nazi Germany must choose between their individual freedom or loyalty to the murderous Third Reich. DVD 533.
Tap. 2006. 1 videodisc (ca. 111 min.). Max Washington is a promising but disillusioned tap dancer who must resolve the conflict between his craft and the fast track life of a high-stakes thief. DVD 5842.
That's entertainment! That's entertainment : the complete collection. 2004. 1 videodisc (113 min.). A collection of popular dance and song numbers from the Golden Age of the MGM musicals including scenes and numbers cut from their original films. DVD 671 – 5674.
That's entertainment! That's entertainment : the complete collection. 2004. 1 videodisc (135 min.). The movies, the magic, the memories, the greatest moments, the brightest stars. The incomparable Golden Era of MGM musicals shines in this compilation of music and dance performances. DVD 671 – 5674.
They shoot horses don't they? 2004. 1 videodisc (120 min.). In the midst of the Depression, an entire generation sought out the dance marathon as a means of survival. Gig Young won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor as the contest promoter. DVD 1712.
Top hat. 2005. 1 videodisc (100 min.). Rogers and Astaire are caught up in a mistaken identity plot, in which Rogers assumes that Astaire is already married, and is alternatively charmed and repelled by his advances. DVD 1436.
Varsity show. 2006. 1 videodisc (80 min.). Winfield College students who are trying to put together the annual varsity show come into conflict with their faculty adviser, a stodgy old professor whose ideas are hopelessly out of date, and who won't even let the new swing music be played in the show. They decide to get ahold of a former student who is now a big Broadway star and have him direct their show. What they don't know is that this star's last three shows were big flops. DVD 4744.
Vengo. 2003. 1 videodisc (89 min.). After his brother has murdered a member of a rival gypsy clan and gone into hiding, Caco becomes both the de facto figurehead of his 'family' and protector of his handicapped nephew. As tension mounts between the two clans, the threats of revenge against the nephew for the crime of his father are played out against a backdrop of rapturous flamenco music and dance performances. DVD 972.
West side story. 1998. 1 videodisc (152 min.). This musical sets the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet against a backdrop of the rivalry of two street gangs, the Sharks and the Jets, in New York of the 1950s. A young woman who is sister to the Sharks leader has her first taste of love with the former head of the Jets. DVD 278