GBH Openvault

New Television; Damnation of Faust: Charming Landscape

Part of New Television Workshop.

"Charming Landscape," the conclusion to Dara Birnbaum's "Damnation of Faust" trilogy, shows the debris of a demolished city playground. The self-exploratory narration of two teenage girls is played over images of crowd scenes (often violent) from the civil rights movement, student protests, and the Tianenmen Square demonstrations. The work, which is approximately six and one-half minutes long, is dedicated to Pam Hysinger and Georgeann Ditelli, the teenagers whose words serve as narration. Music is by Keith James and Mike Nolan as The Picassos. The work was broadcast as a segment of episode 313 (1987), and was also shown with the entire "Damnation of Faust" trilogy, as part of episode 106 (1991), of "New Television." Produced and directed by Dara Birnbaum Approximate date: 1987


License Clip
Series
New Television
Title

Damnation of Faust: Charming Landscape

Series Description

"New Television" began as a local pilot production of WNET (New York) in 1986. In 1987, WGBH signed on as co-producer, and the shows were aired in Boston and New York. In 1988 and 1989, KCET (Los Angeles) and WETA (D.C.) became producers in association. In 1991, PBS picked up "New Television," and it was broadcast nationally. The following year, the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, Ohio, replaced WNET, WETA, and KCET as co-producer with WGBH. In 1993, WGBH ceased to be a co-producer for the series, and the "home base" moved to Connecticut Public Television (CPTV) in Hartford, CT.

"New Television" commissioned, produced, and acquired programming. In its early years, "New Television" broadcast works commissioned by The Contemporary Art Television (CAT) Fund. Increasingly, experimental films as well as video works were broadcast as a part of this series. Many of the later episodes of "New Television" contain works that play with and deconstruct the documentary genre. Series release date: 1986

Asset Type

Clip

Media Type

Video

Subjects
Hysinger, Pam
Ditelli, Georgeann
Demonstrations
Teenage girls
Interviews
Birnbaum, Dara
Topics
Film and Television
Publication Information
WGBH Educational Foundation
Citation
Chicago: “New Television; Damnation of Faust: Charming Landscape,” GBH Archives, accessed November 24, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_D3611829C5EC4C92BE62ABB814A5CAA5.
MLA: “New Television; Damnation of Faust: Charming Landscape.” GBH Archives. Web. November 24, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_D3611829C5EC4C92BE62ABB814A5CAA5>.
APA: New Television; Damnation of Faust: Charming Landscape. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_D3611829C5EC4C92BE62ABB814A5CAA5
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