Scorsese is one of the most influential men of contemporary film. He's helped restore four classic films from the 1950s which he says had a profound influence on his own work: "Force of Evil," "Johnny Guitar," "Pursued" and "A Double Life."
Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews the new film "Don Juan de Marco" starring Johnny Depp, Marlon Brando and Faye Dunaway -- a cast full of attractive magnetism.
Record producer Willie Mitchell. A new retrospective album of the 60's and 70's "Hi Label" hits has been released. Mitchell was one of the hit makers for the Memphis-based label in its early days and later was the influential producer who made the sounds of soul greats Al Green, Ann Peebles and Otis Clay so well known.
Director Winifried Bonengal made the film "Profession: Neo Nazi," which follows Ewald Althans, a rising leader on Germany's neo-nazi scene. Althans is different from the stereotypical neo-nazi: intelligent, successful and well-dressed. The move ignited one of the fiercest debates on documentary film making in Germany's history. It was barred from many states and the distributor was forced to withdraw it from circulation.
World music critic Milo Miles remembers two musicians who were recently assassinated: Rachid Baba Ahmed, a producer and musician of Algerian Rai Music, and Tejano music's Selena.
Terry Gross talks with the Croatian writer about her book Have a Nice Day: From the Balkan War to the American Dream. Part memoir, part short story collection, the book chronicles the writer's transplanted life as a lecturer in Middletown, Connecticut, a world away from the brutal Balkan war.
Classical music Critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a new recording of a major Tchaikovsky opera that hasn't gotten much attention in the United States. It's called "Mazeppa."
Biographer Tad Szulc has a new book called Pope John Paul II: The Biography. It details the Pope's early years in Poland through his climb to the papacy after being elevated to archbishop in 1963. Szulc traveled with the Pope extensively, had access to many of his private papers and interviewed many of the Pope's old schoolmates, friends and fellow priests. Szulc is a former New York Times bureau chief.
In light of the release of the first full-length biography on the African American baseball player, commentator Gerald Early reflects on the life Jack Robinson.
Simms is the creator of the new NBC sit-com "News Radio." He previously worked as writer for both the "The Larry Sanders Show," and "Late Night with David Letterman."
Rock historian Ed Ward looks back on the West Coast label SST, which was responsible for launching the careers of several seminal punk and alternative bands.
Fresh Air rock historian Ed Ward takes a look at the record label, which emerged as a subsidiary of All Platinum Records. It promoted rap music soon after it first emerged in New York nightclubs.
Kaminer's new book, It's All the Rage offers insights into our culture's larger questions of individual responsibility, victimization, punishment, innocence and guilt. Kaminer is also a contributing editor to the Atlantic Monthly and Public Fellow at Radcliffe College.
Haggard has been on the country music scene since the early sixties and has more number one hits than any country music star except Conway Twitty. Recently, two tribute albums of his songs were released: Mama's Hungry Eyes and Tulare Dust. Haggard was also recently inducted to the Country Music Hall of Fame.
We continue our interview with NPR reporter and All Things Considered producer/host Linda Wertheimer. In this segment, she talks about her experiences as a woman during the early days of her career.
Rock historian Ed Ward continues this week's five part series on the influence of several key record companies on the music world. Today, Ward looks at Casablanca, a big producer of disco hits, and its founder Nick Bogart.
