Films with: Calderon, Philippe

A la rencontre de l'autre. Encountering others ; they surveyed the world /

"During the 10th century, people routinely journeyed from one end of the huge Arab empire to the other--and even into non-Islamic lands far into the north and east. Who were these travelers, what did they seek? This program captures what it was like to be a pilgrim in a caravan bound for Mecca, an official carrying out the Caliph's orders, a scholar seeking knowledge, a merchant in search of new markets, and an explorer charting the seas. Some of the era's most memorable personalities--mathematician al-Khuwarizmi, the chronicler Abul Hasan Ali al Mas'udi, the cartographer al-Qasim Muhammad ibn Hawqal--are profiled"--Container.

DVD 2865

A la rencontre de l'autre. Encountering others.

"This program addresses the expansion of the Arab empire into Spain, where Muslims ruled with tolerance for more than seven centuries. The introduction and consolidation of Islamic power in Spain, the creation of the Umayyad emirate by the sole survivor of the Umayyad dynasty, the rise of Cordoba as a cultural rival of Abbasid Baghdad, and the gradual ebb of Arab rule on the Iberian Peninsula are all discussed. Special attention is given to the prosperous reign of Abdel Rahman III and the flowering of a Muslim culture that respectfully welcomed the contributions of Christians and Jews alike."--Container.

DVD 2864

Croire, imaginer, penser. Believe, imagine, dream.

Encompassing fairy tales, romances, legends, fables, parables, and anecdotes, "The thousand and one nights" is a composite of popular oral stories that developed over several centuries, mainly during the Empire of the Caliphate. This program scrutinizes the wonderfully audacious tale of Scheherezade and what it tells the attentive reader about the dreams of Arab men and women during the empire's golden age. Recurring themes such as hunger for adventure and a desire to be free from tradition are explored, as well as a conception of power that glorifies self-control and disparages violence.

DVD 2870

Croire, imaginer, penser. Believe, imagine, dream.

By replacing paganism with monotheism and tribal life with empire-building, the Arabs of the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties effected a complete paradigm shift in their worldview. This program studies the codification of Islamic law and assimilation of non-Arab texts--and the ensuing competition between the ulema, or doctors of the law, and the philosophers, who saw reason as an equal to divine enlightenment. The contributions of key figures, including the Caliph al-Maamun, Yaqub ibn Ishaq al-Kindi, Abu al-Nasr al-Farabi, Avicenna, Muhammad ibn Tufayl, and Averroes, are also examined.

DVD 2871

Embrasser tous les savoirs. Embracing all knowledge.

This program investigates the practice of medicine during the Abbasid Caliphate, offering profiles of Al-Ma'amun's House of Wisdom, Dioscorides, Rhazes, whose Kitab al-hawi outlines an exemplary clinical approach, Avicenna, universally known for his Canon of Medicine, and Abul Qasim al-Zahrawi, the father of modern surgery. The Islamic concern with the relationship between the body and the soul is also discussed, as is the founding of hospitals, one of the great achievements of Islamic society.

DVD 2868

Embrasser tous les savoirs. Embracing all knowledge.

Picking up mathematics and astronomy from where the ancient Greeks left off, Arab scholars paved the way for the Copernican revolution and the rebirth of science in Europe. This program reveals the development in the Islamic Empire of the Indo-Arabic decimal system, algebra, algorithms and the refinement of the science of optics and the Ptolemaic model of the solar system. The application of astronomy to sacred ends, such as accurately fixing the time for prayers, the direction of Mecca, and the start of Ramadan, is also considered.

DVD 2869

Empire surgi des sables. An empire rises from the sands.

"As the shadow of the Dark Ages fell across Europe, the scene for the advancement of Western civilization shifted to the Near East. This program charts the rise of the Arab empire from its roots in the long-standing rivalry between the Byzantines and the Sassanids. Nodes along that timeline include the dual role of Mecca as a place of worship and as a center for trade, the life of Muhammad and the birth of Islam, the rapid expansion of Arabia at the expense of Byzantium and the Sassanid kingdom, and the internecine struggle between Arab factions that led to the founding of the Umayyad dynasty"--Container.

DVD 2862

Empire surgi des sables. An empire rises from the sands.

"The victory of the Abbisids over the Umayyads signified much more than the replacement of one dynasty with another. With it, Islam saw the birth of a multiethnic concept of power, in which both Arab and non-Arab Muslims could share authority. This program presents the Abbasid Caliphate at its peak, enthroned in its prestigious capital city: Baghdad. The defining project of Caliph al-Ma'amun, the translation by an army of clerks of all the ancient writings his emissaries could procure, is spotlighted--an achievement that set the stage for an eventual showdown between religious and secular scholars."--Container.

DVD 2863

Éveil de l'Europe. Europe awakes.

As dissension mounted between the rival Arab dynasties in Baghdad, Cordoba, and Cairo, Christendom rallied to oppose the Muslims in Spain and Jerusalem. This program plots out the decline of the Caliphate and the acquisition of Arab knowledge by Europeans starved for Islam's intellectual riches. The rise of feudalism and papal authority, the gradual defeat of the Muslim rulers in Spain, the Seljuk usurpation of Abbisid power in the Near East, and the Crudades are explained, along with the concerted efforts of Catholic authorities to translate the vast libraries of Arab scientific and philosophical texts.

DVD 2872

Éveil de l'Europe. Europe awakes.

Why was Islamic philosophy, once the epitome of learning, eventually rejected by Muslims? And why, after assimilating it, did Europeans distance themselves from its formulators? This program seeks to understand the religious climate of the late Middle Ages, in which universities and madrassas became centers of power and models for evolving sociopolitical systems. The potentially heretical nature of philosophy is also analyzed--in Islamic lands the djinni of intellectuality was put back in the bottle, but in Christendom it escaped the control of those who used it, paving the way for Renaissance humanism.

DVD 2873

Public et le privé. Public and private life.

Although the first towns the Arabs founded during the expansion of Arabia were only vast campsites, it was not long before their temporary dwellings gave way to the magnificent signature architecture of Arabian culture. What was it like to live in the Arab cities of the Abbasid dynasty, grand oases of refinement and innovation? This program describes key centers of the Muslim town, including the mosque and the souk, and the roles of the prince, the doctors of the law, and the leaders of the various social groups in keeping order within the community.

DVD 2866

Public et le privé. Public and private life.

As life among the aristocracy in Damascus and Baghdad attained its zenith of refinement, another important cultural center was developing in Islamic Cordoba. This program focuses on the remarkable cultural contributions of Ziryab, a talented young musician who fled the East for Andalusia and became the era's preeminent arbiter of style and taste. After creating a popular new form of music, he went on to radically reshape Arab high society, inventing new fashions and hairstyles, introducing fine dining, and creating a thriving market for all manner of luxury goods.

DVD 2867