Radiotelevisión Española.
Language
Español
Description
A child of Belgium, a speaker of French, and a Habsburg on his father's side, there was little Spanish about Charles V, yet Spain was the core of his kingdom. This program follows the cosmopolitan "Carlos Quinto," King of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor, through two coronations, a wedding, wars with France and the Ottoman Empire, the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation, and his retirement to the Monastery of Yuste. Dramatizations, maps, artwork,...
Language
Español
Description
This program delves into a period of violence and catastrophe in Spanish history as civil war and ongoing campaigns against the Moors, on the one hand, and the Black Death and economic and agricultural crises, on the other, ravaged the Iberian Peninsula. Dramatizations and maps, architecture and art, bring to life a narrative that spotlights pivotal events such as the Battle of Rio Salado and key personages-the Trastamaras, Pedro the Cruel, and others-who...
Language
Español
Description
Gabriel Garcia Marquez was born in 1928 in Colombia, where he was raised by grandparents in a house filled with countless aunts and rumors of ghosts. This program examines the Nobel Laureate's literary works for traces of a life story that has been as fascinating as any novel. Recollections by the renowned author, recounted in his own voice, bring to light some of his many memories of his childhood years, Aracataca/Macondo, his work as a journalist...
Language
Español
Description
The coronation of Juan Carlos I marked the third restoration of Spanish Bourbon rule. This program tracks the mixed fortunes of post-Franco Spain as it transitioned into a parliamentary monarchy and moved forward into the 21st century. News footage of policymakers and events addresses free elections, economic restructuring, membership in the E.U., educational reforms, and social security as well as the failed 23-F coup, high unemployment, labor strikes,...
Language
Español
Description
For nearly 40 years, the totalitarian regime of Generalisimo Francisco Franco defined Spain. This program draws upon archival footage and photographs to show what life was like for Spaniards during that era: on the one hand, post-war economic hardships, curtailed civil liberties, and stringent governmental suppression of opposition, while on the other, widespread modernization and, following the Spanish Miracle, an improved standard of living. Franco's...
Language
Español
Description
Believing that a philosopher's chief aim should be to challenge prejudices and useless traditions, Jose Ortega y Gasset promulgated a worldview based on "reason with life as its foundation." This program depicts the life and accomplishments of the famous Spanish intellectual, from his early studies in turn-of-the-century Malaga to his spectacular funeral in Madrid in 1955. Featuring interviews with Ortega scholars and some of his contemporaries-including...
Language
Español
Description
The union of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, two able rulers known jointly as the Catholic Monarchs, set the stage for the unification of Spain religiously as well as politically and economically. This program utilizes dramatizations, location footage of historical landmarks, and maps to illustrate their consolidation of power, including the final conquest of Granada, the expulsion of the Jews, and the establishment of the Inquisition...
Language
Español
Description
In existence for more than a century, the Mexican corrido-or musica de la frontera, as it has also come to be known-continues to be met with enthusiasm on both sides of the Mexico/U.S. border. Filmed on location in Mexico and San Diego, this program showcases performances of the following songs: "Terrible Cuerno de Chivo," by Los Sierrenos; "Ezequiel Rodriguez," by El Palomo y el Gorrion; "Operacion Pesada," by Los Tucanes de Tijuana; "Las Monjitas"...
Language
Español
Description
Starting with the birth of the universe, this program brings to light the geologic formation of the Iberian Peninsula, the flourishing of the dinosaurs, and the rise of humankind. Using extensive dramatization, En El Inicio de los Tiempos traces the advances of the earliest humans, rendering a detailed and highly plausible scenario of existence during the unrecorded chapters of human history. Maps and photos of archaeological artifacts provide additional...
Language
Español
Description
El Cid is unique among the world's great epics because it was composed so close to the actual historical events (a mere 40 years after the death of Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, el Cid himself) that we can distinguish between man and legend. Meticulous attention to historical detail, spectacular cinematic production values, and the swashbuckling plot itself make this medieval epic superbly entertaining as well as educational.
Language
Español
Description
Philip II ruled over Spain at its peak of world influence.and at the start of its long slide from prominence. This program depicts the life and times of this absolutist monarch through dramatizations, artwork, and maps. High-profile topics, including the Inquisition, the Armada, and the Battle of Lepanto, are presented while addressing controversies such as the imprisonment and death of the king's heir, Don Carlos. Cultural elements such as the Ommegang...
Language
Español
Description
Poet, editor, publisher, printer-Manuel Altolaguirre achieved success in all of these roles, living a life fully committed to Spanish literature. This program documents his career, travels, and romances, focusing on his membership in the Generation of '27, his actions during the Spanish Civil War, and his later years in Latin America. Featuring accounts of Altolaguirre's magazine and book publishing activities, the program sheds light on his friendship...
Language
Español
Description
After Columbus came the conquistadors: intrepid men who, for good and ill, have left an indelible mark on world history. This program dramatizes the conquests of Hernan Cortes and Francisco Pizarro in the Viceroyalties of New Spain and Peru, stories characterized by courage and brutality-on both sides. In addition, cultural exchanges between New World and Old and their effects over time are considered.
Language
Español
Description
Spain's Golden Age is recognized as the most fertile and glorious era in Spanish arts and letters. Miguel de Cervantes, Francisco de Quevedo, Calderon de la Barca, Diego Velazquez, and many others created works of enduring renown.even as their country fell into ruin. This program contrasts the marvels of the Siglo de Oro through dramatizations, film clips, artwork, and visits to important locales with the ineffectiveness of Kings Philip III and IV-a...
Language
Español
Description
Under Philip V, Spain at last began to recover from the long stagnation it had suffered during the twilight of the Habsburg dynasty. Employing dramatizations and maps, this program charts the reign of the first Bourbon king of Spain and the geopolitical forces that shaped the Europe of the Enlightenment-most notably the Spanish and Austrian wars of succession and their treaties. Bourbon reformism is also considered, and homage is paid to the arts...
Language
Español
Description
This program chronicles Rome's conquest and protracted pacification of the Iberian Peninsula-and the subsequent Romanization of its peoples as Hispania was integrated into an empire united by Roman law, Roman language, and the remarkable Roman road. A wide range of visuals brings this era of warfare and uneasy peace to life, including dramatizations, 3-D computer animations, paintings, mosaics, sculptures, edifices, artifacts, maps, and ruins in Girona,...
18) Alfonso XIII
Language
Español
Description
After reprising key events from Alfonso XIII's early years-most notably the loss of Spain's remaining colonies in 1898-this program traces his reign up to the military debacle at Annual. Vintage film and dramatizations bring early-20th-century Spain to life as they document major challenges to Spanish monarchal rule: Catalan agitation for autonomy, the spread of socialism and anarchism, the execution of Francisco Ferrer Guardia, labor violence, and...
Language
Español
Description
Beginning with the brief tenure of Amadeus I, continuing on through the short-lived First Republic, and concluding with the reign of Alfonso XII and the early years of Alfonso XIII, this program thoroughly acquaints viewers with the second Bourbon restoration. Using dramatizations, architectural landmarks, artwork, and film clips, it covers upsurges of regionalismo and cantonalismo, the Third Carlist War, Cuban separatism, socialism, ongoing industrialization,...
Language
Español
Description
After the disappearance of Tartessos, other Iberian locales rose to prominence and flourished-until their successes drew the unwanted attention of rival civilizations. This program tracks the history of Iberia during the era of Carthaginian and Roman expansion. Paintings, dramatizations, and maps reconstruct the course of the Punic Wars. In addition, the characteristics and cultures of these embattled regions are examined through re-creations of everyday...