A SMALL LIGHT Shines So Bright

 

Jeri Jacquin

Currently available from National Geographic Studios and ABC Signature in a limited series is the story of the Frank family and another part of the story from the view of A SMALL LIGHT.

Miep Gies (Bel Powley) was born in Austria but was adopted by a family in Holland. It is 1940 and she loves her family but they see she is not married and without a job and they are worried about her. That’s when Otto Frank (Liev Schreiber) comes into her life and a job that she wasn’t even qualified for happens.

Miep becomes close to the Frank family and enjoys the company of Edith (Amira Casar), Anne (Billie Boullet) and Margot (Ashley Brooke). She also meets Jan (Joe Cole) and finally makes the second thing her parents are worried about happen – she is married. Everything is going well for Miep even though things are a bit strange with the war begun by Hitler.

One afternoon in 1942, Mr. Frank asks Miep to come into the office to talk. He tells her that leaving Germany was for the protection of his family and now fears that he did not go further enough away. He asks that Miep help him to go into hiding with his family and she does not hesitate to agree. The story is that the Frank family has gone to Switzerland.

The plan is made for the Frank family to move into the upstairs small loft that was not being used and that no one knows about. During the day the family would have to remain silent and quietly move about at night. Miep is all in on the plans to get everyone to the loft before the Nazi’s arrive. Helping from the office as well is typist Tess (Eleanor Tomlinson) and Victor Kugler (Nicholas Burns).

Also going into hiding is Hermann Van Pels (Andy Nyman), wife Auguste (Caroline Catz) and son Peter (Rudi Goodman) and joined later by Dr. Pfeffer (Noah Taylor). Now the challenge begins on how to keep the family safe, fed and out of the reach of the Nazi’s. Once Miep tells Hans, who is a social worker who sees how wrong people are being treated, decides he also wants to be a part of the Dutch resistance.

As the Frank’s are hiding, Miep learns how to help run Mr. Frank’s pectin business and along with that are a few secrets that make things a little difficult. Jan starts his part by helping people with children get them to a safe place. Relationships are obviously strained as Miep learns who she can trust, who she cannot, how far people are willing to go to betray one-time friends and what will happen to them all?

This is a story of friendship, survival, loyalty and hope for the future!

Powley as Miep is exceptional in this role. She gives Miep a powerful voice, even if it does get her in trouble occasionally, and an equally powerful sense of right and wrong. Once she begins working for the Franks, Miep blossoms even more if that would be possible. She takes the Franks and others under her protection and takes on the role of protector, provider and keeper of secrets that could hurt them all. I just loved every time Powley was on screen as she truly is a force to be reckoned with. Taking on this iconic role, she made it look easy and brought out so many emotions from the first episode to the last.

Schreiber as Otto Frank is a big task for any actor yet Schrieber handle it with such grace and a sense of calm when everything around this character was in chaos. From accepting Miep and her ways to saving his family and a few others, it is clear that Frank was constantly thinking and staying as informed as he could. The relationship on screen with Powley is just breathtaking.

Cole as Jan has a rough beginning with Miep but when he sees how strong she is and the possibilities of doing right by others, he jumps right in. Cole gives his characters strength as a human being but also as a husband (and he needs it!). I thoroughly enjoyed his performance and teared up more than a few times as Cole’s portrayal of Jan is compassionate beyond measure.

There are so many strong performances in this limited series that I could write about them all day. Casar, Boulette and Brooke as the Frank women are trying to do their best but with all mothers and daughters – there are issues as it become a tense situation in the loft. Tomlinson as Tess does what she can and helps when she is able, including a little secret milk run. Burns as Office Manager Kugler also puts his life on the line to help the Franks and the intensity comes every time there is a knock at the door.

Other cast include Liza Sadovy as Mrs. Stoppelman, Ian McElhinney as Johannes Kleinman, Laurie Kynaston as Casmir, Sebastian Armesto as Max Stoppleman, Bill Milner as Tonny Ahlers, Sean Hart as Willem, Preston Nyman as Kuno Van Der Horst, Hanna van Vliet as Frieda, Tom Stourton as Daniel Van Dijk, Daniel Donskoy as Karl Silberbauer, Dylan Edwards as Isaac Schwartz, Sarah T. Cohen as Maya Schwartz, Sinead Phelps as Anka, and Brian Caspe as Laurens.

National Geographic is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by National Geographic Partners, a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and the National Geographic Society. They support a diverse, international community of changemakers — National Geographic Explorers — who use the power of science, exploration, education, and storytelling to illuminate and protect the wonder of our world. For more information, please visit www.nationalgeographic.com.

ABC Signature is an American television production studio that is a subsidiary of Disney Television Studios, a division of Disney Entertainment, which is a division of The Walt Disney Company.

The episodes include Pilot, Welcome to Switzerland, Motherland, The Butterfly, Scheilfeld, Boiling Point, What Can Be Saved and Legacy

The cast is absolutely stellar as each of the directors Susanna Fogel, Leslie Hope and Tony Phelan seamlessly bring the story of Miep Gies and what her contribution was to the Frank family and the people of the Netherlands. The intensity is palpable and the heartbreak felt to the soul as Meip and Jan make it perfectly clear that a few can make a large difference.

From the loft, to the office to the streets, there is such a constant fear and yet a hope that the viewer will feel in each episode. Living in a time where being Jewish came with consequences, there was once a time no one could imagine what the war would cost them. It was also a time where good people put their own lives in jeopardy by doing the right thing for the Jewish community and humanity itself.

This series should be a must-see for educators because then it becomes a teaching tool. The Diary of Anne Frank became one of the most memorable books I ever read in school and I have re-read it so many times the cover is tattered. A SMALL LIGHT goes even further in explaining how things happened and what was happening on the other side of the bookcase door.  

A SMALL LIGHT is streaming on the National Geographic channel and available next day on Hulu and Disney+.

In the end – sometimes you have to risk everything!

 

 

SECRETS OF THE WHALES Comes to Disney+

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming this week to celebrate Earth Day from James Cameron, National Geographic and Disney+ is a stunning and intriguing look at the beauty of the sea and SECRETS OF THE WHALES.

Beginning this Thursday in a four-part documentary narrated by actress and conservationist Sigourney Weaver, is a look into the lives of Orcas around the planet. More and more is being discovered about this giants of the deep and the different pods.

Capturing them on film, what these creatures are teaching us all is that they have a culture all their own. Each pod has a language and a set of skills that meet the needs of the group. That is what is most amazing about these beautiful whales, they work together as a group and they grow as a group doing what is best for all.

The second episode in the four parts series speaks about the very large-finned Humpback whales. As scientists watch them, it also becomes clear that they also have their own culture. From amazing treks in large numbers (up to 30,000) through the oceans to their own meaning behind breaching and slapping their fins, what we will all learn is even more delightful.

The third episode is, and I will be honest here, speaks about the very smiley Beluga whale. Learning how groups stay close and babies learn from their mothers, scientists also believe that Beluga’s give each other names and that alone has me grinning from ear to ear. These every so lovely white whales’ flitter about as if constantly at play yet continue to be curious about their world.

Finally, the four episode lets us learn more about the Sperm whale. The most incredible for scientists is capturing a whale calf actually feeding from its mother recorded for the first time ever.

Filmmaker James Cameron joins Brian Skerry to immerse us all in the world of whales and, as he says, to “see life and love from their perspective”. It does not take much for viewers to be pulled into the world of whales, what makes this four-part series unique are the very different choices of sea life they follow.

National Geographic Magazine has The Ocean Issue available online April 15^th at www.natgeo.com/planetpossible. Planet Possible is a platform to inspire kicking off on Earth Day to celebrate the wonders of whale culture.

Also, the book SECRETS OF THE WHALES published by National Geographic contains photographer Brian Skerry’s own insight to whales. His photographs help hold up the theory that whales have their own culture through identity, song, and everything else they can teach about our planet if we just look and listen.

Filmed over three years in twenty-four locations, this journey we take with the whales is one of excellence and pure joy. If you do not believe me, watch any video of people watching for whales and the absolute excitement when they do see them. We have an interesting relationship with whales that only becomes more and more fascinating over time.

SECRET OF THE WHALES is a documentary that you literally can not take your eyes off of. The splendor and absolute beauty of these sea creatures engrosses us like no other creature. From the sleek look of Orcas and an appreciation for their cleverness, to the fantastic breaching of Humpback whales, to the nurturing of Sperm whales and finally, to the toothy grin of a Beluga, this series is also packed with information.

As someone who lives very close to the ocean, it is a wonder every time I see whales, dolphins etc. swim along the ocean surface. Sometimes they even take a moment to stop and delight everyone who looks to the horizon for a sign of them. Even if we miss a sighting, we can look over the vastness of the ocean and know they are there.

The documentary offers us a look at what we ocean dwellers do not see all the time, it offers those landlocked a view of the glory of the ocean, the blue sky and the intelligence of creatures that glide along with their families. There is something gloriously wonderful about that actually. Knowing they too have families, they too have a way of life, and they too have language, song and love.

Knowing all that, how can you not be humbled this Earth Day.

In the end – they welcome us to Earth Day!

 

 

 

 

AFTER ANTARTICA

 

Jeri Jacquin

In 1989, six explorers loaded up sleds, supplies and dogs heading out across Antarctica to be the first humans to do so. The purpose of the over 3,000-mile trek was to convince world leaders that there was rapid change there and to get leaders to renew the 50-year Antarctic Treaty to protect the area from those who would profit from drilling etc.

The diary keeper of the journey was Will Steger and at the age of 75 and cancer survivor, he has decided to take on the Arctic completely on his own. Pulling his own supplies in a aluminum canoe and two smaller sleds. While on the trip he recalls the ’89 trip, those who took it with him, the perils and how it has affected him to this day.

His memory is completely clear about the 3,741-mile journey that lasted through months and months of cold, a 40-day storm that was merciless, trying to stay alive but also discovering what was happening to the ice they were riding on.

Steger has spent his life on journeys that have taken him to some absolutely stunning places that most of us will never see. Those journeys have brought him early to the realization that he wanted to help protect and preserve such places of brutal beauty. Spending time away and in a home that is secluded near a river, Steger understands who he is through the years and has embraced his calling.

Through photos and recordings, AFTER ANTARTICA is a riveting experience (without the cold) that allows the viewer even the smallest glimpse of what happened to these men. Deciding to take a journey like this is one thing, actually doing it from start to finish is exceptional. Even debating whether to walk the last few miles or get help with a truck is something none of these men would even consider.

What would bring such a film to viewers? It is director Tasha Van Zandt that tells the story of how that came to be. “My journey with Will Steger began at a very young age. Growing up in Minnesota, Will Steger was a hometown hero. It felt like everywhere I went people were sharing tales of his legendary conservation-focused expeditions. I remember being gifted a National Geographic magazine that featured his expeditions. I was immediately inspired by the otherworldly images and the way he had used expeditions as a tool for international cooperation and using his platform as a means of effective change.”

Steger received the National Geographic Adventure Lifetime Award, became the National Geographic Society’s Explorer-in-Residence, testified before the US Congress on environmental issues, has met world leaders and founded the Climate Generation nonprofit to search for climate change solutions.

He has also authored the books Top of the World: Crossing Antarctica, North to the Pole and Saving the Earth.

What makes this documentary to stunning is the world that Steger chooses to protect is one that has needed attention for quite some time. Every journey he has taken is to present to the world the effects of what we do on our world. Whether we can walk on these places or not, ridding our view from everything but the ice – there is nothing that can be argued. It is here and now, and Steger puts it right in front of us.

I could never imagine making such a journey as the men did in 1989, especially without the technology that we have today to keep track and help if needed. Those men were using a radio that would be useless today. When Steger makes his walk in Arctica, using a SAT phone once a day to stay in touch still had me jittery.

That being said, watching him make the trek alone with vast miles and miles of nothing pulling a canoe behind him shows the dedication he has to the environment. At the same time, Steger knows that he can handle being alone for such a long period of time. Listening to his writings it is clear he had no problem expressing himself then and has absolutely no problem expressing his emotions now.

AFTER ANTARTICA spends its time expressing the dangers and without preaching at the audience, instead uses the footage and interviews to reach that place that makes us, as the viewer, want to know more and become informed ourselves – helping one voice at a time until the planet hears us all.

In the end – he believes in the frozen world!

 

THE LONG ROAD HOME Begins from National Geographic

Jeri Jacquin

Beginning this week on the National Geographic channel is the global miniseries event with creator Mikko Alanne telling the story of THE LONG  ROAD HOME.

Aguero (E.J. Bonilla) is with the First Cavalry Division at Ft. Hood but also a family man leaving behind wife Amber (Katie Paxton) and two small children to serve overseas. His youngest son Elijah is not taking it well and Aguero explains that he must go with the other soldiers because he is their leader. His son takes it the wrong way but it weighs heavy on his heart.

The next morning the entire company boards their transport to leave for Sadr City in Baghdad, Iraq. Getting ready for transfer of authority Gary Volesky (Michael Kelly) prepares for the change working with Troy Denomy (Jason Ritter). Aguero, Sgt. Eric Bourquin (Jon Beavers), SPC Acevedo (Franklin Silverio), SPC Garza (Jorge Diaz), Sgt. Jackson (Joshua Brennan), Spc Carl Wild (Thomas McDonell) and the company are going through town learning the streets.

Stopping to visit with children along with translator Jassim Al-Lani (Darius Homayoun) they are being watched. Sgt. Miltenberger (Jeremy Sisto) makes it clear to the other soldiers that things aren’t always what they appear and that they need to be prepared for that.

Back home Gina Denomy (Kate Bosworth) begins working with Leann Volesky (Sarah Wayne Callies) in putting care packages together for the soldiers. Leann tells the families that help is only a phone call away and they should be afraid to reach out.

In Iraq, the platoon encounters weapons that are inside a mosque and when confronted, tensions rise. Calmed down by allowing the weapons to stay inside the mosque, the soldiers go on their way. Returning to their mission, the convoy is fired upon and they are trapped in an ambush. Taking fire from machine guns, they are forced to run through road blocks and into smoke laden streets where seeing is difficult at best.

At Camp War Eagle the wounded are being brought in and Volesky’s story is told. Celebrating Christmas early with his wife Leann and their young son Alex, the couple deals with last minute life things like changing the oil on the car.

Sadr City has become even more dangerous as the troops begin to search for those shooting at the convoy. This is a fire fight that isn’t going to stop soon.

Bonilla as Aguero is the leader of the group and it is clear why. He knows what needs to be done and leads his men. Trying to find positions to protect them all, he waits while Volesky decides on the next course of action.

Kelly as Commander Volesky believes in the mission of returning every soldier under his command home again. As the ambush breaks out, he must bring about the best plan to take more soldiers into for a rescue. Seeing the wounded men pushes him harder to find answers. Beavers as Sgt. Bourquin doesn’t settle fools lightly and is clear on what he must do. The first casualty brings up Bourquin’s suspicions of their interpreter as he finds it difficult to deal with.

Boseworth as Gina is raising a newborn while waiting word from her husband Troy. When it becomes clear that something is going on in Sadr City, she turns to Leann. Callies as Leann feels she has the trust of the women under her husbands command and does her best to keep them calm. Karina Ortiz is Lupita Garza who is the first to hear about the attack in Sadr City and wants answers.

This is only the first episode with Into the Unknown airing Tuesday, November 14^th at 10 p.m. on National Geographic. It is a series that is to be experienced in it’s telling of the eight-hour battle that happened in Sadr City on April 4, 2004. Told in real time it is a confrontation of innocent Iraqis and trapped soldiers whose families are at home waiting for news.

The film is based on the New York Times bestselling book The Long Road Home: A Story of War and Family by Martha Raddatz. She is the chief global affairs correspondent for ABC News and over a twenty year period she has covered the White House and conflict zones world wide. 

Please consider being a part of this experience from National Geographic. Also know that the scenes are intense and in that are the stories of these brave men. There is a frustration level in the first episode alone as these soldiers must come to terms with their situation and how to survive it.

Once again National Geographic has brought a compelling story to television. THE LONG ROAD HOME is just that – compelling and heartfelt in so many ways. This miniseries is worthy of discussion after just the first two episodes and I will be watching every single one of them.

In the end – it is a story of men, their families and a battle for survival.

GENIUS: The Last Chapter from National Geographic

Jeri Jacquin

In a special two-hour presentation from National Geographic on June 20^th at 9/8c is the finale of an amazing story developed by Noah Pink and Kenneth Biller with GENIUS: The Last Chapter.

Albert Einstein (Geoffrey Rush) and wife Elsa (Emily Watson) are settling in America but they constantly are thinking of those they left behind in Europe. Unsettling for Einstein is that scientists in Nazi Germany continue to study the splitting of the atom. He himself continues to work through quantum physics.

That all must be put aside when Elsa becomes ill and Einstein’s life becomes even more complicated. Being rushed by all sides to help with the formula needed for the atomic bomb, Einstein continues to avoid them all. He also becomes emotionally close to Marija Ruzic-Maric (Catherine McCormack) and doesn’t realize that there are two sides to her.

J. Edgar Hoover (T.R. Knight) is one man who wants to see Einstein sent back to Germany. Feeling the scientist humiliated him, it becomes Hoover’s goal to ruin the man. In 1947, scientists come together to try and contain the use of atomic bombs. Einstein doesn’t believe their use can be contained but sees it all as a threat to humanity.

With his lifetime of work, Einstein is brought face to face with an outburst from his son Hans that every member of the family knows he sees them as a burden. To make matters worse, Einstein is outraged when one of their scientists is forced before a committee for communism.

Eleanor Roosevelt brings Einstein before a television audience so that he may give his view on what bombs can do and Hoover becomes outraged. Personal secretary Helene (Emily Laing) is worried about Einstein as his heath begins to wane but his voice to reach out against man’s destruction is what he has left.

When a letter to a judge falls into the hands of Congress, the papers begin to denounce Einstein much to Hoover’s delight. All of the bad press sends the scientist into a sort of quiet seclusions. That is until a young girl named Alice knocks on his door to remind him of how exciting mathematics is and it’s like an awakening for him taking on the unified theory.

Learning of his illness, Helen encourages Einstein to reach out to his son and say the things that needs to be said between the two. It isn’t easy for him but it is a moment shared by father and son never to be forgotten. Albert Einstein would pass away in 1955.

To Einstein, every question must have an answer – and he wanted to find them!

Rush as Einstein is absolutely amazing. He might be one of the smartest men on the planet but he is equally flawed and Rush doesn’t hide that in his performance. From his frustration with his work, to the love of his wife, the constant pressure from the government and believing there was no hope for reuniting with his son – this is a performance that can only be called stunning.

Watson as Elsa is a woman who understands the complexities of her husband. That doesn’t mean she agrees with his behaviors but she forgives him in her own way for it all. McCormack as Marija offers Einstein a chance to love again but his heart gets in the way of the realities.

Laing as Helene is the one constant and steady thing in Einstein’s life and Elsa knew that before she died. She is the backbone of his life and I personally can’t imagine Einstein being able to keep his life going without her. Well done Laing in playing a role that isn’t front and center but is one of the most important in the series.

National Geographic has brought a series that is a must-see for everyone. It is a story about the history of one man yes, but it is also the story of those around him. Knowing that it isn’t easy to being partly responsible for creating the road to destruction but Einstein tries to undue what he can.

GENIUS. The Last Chapter is from Academy Award-Winners Brian Grazer and Ron Howard which is thrilling in itself but adding Academy Award winner Geoffrey Rush is nothing short of brilliant. Based on the book Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson, there is so much that I never knew about this man. This finale doesn’t leave any stone unturned in telling the life of this complex man.

In the end – he wanted to answer the secrets of the universe!

National Geographic’s MARS is an Epic Adventure that Needs to be Seen on Bluray!

Jeri Jacquin

On Bluray this week from National Geographic, 20^th Century Fox Home Entertainment and the Executive Producers Brian Grazer and Ron Howard is the series MARS.

The year is 2033 and a mission to Mars that is not starting off well. With the crew consisting of Commander Sawyer (Ben Cotton), Hana Seung (Jihae Kim), Amelie Durand (Clementine Poidatz), Robert Foucault (Sammi Rotibi), Javier Delgado (Alberto Ammann and Marta Kamen (Anamaria Marinca) they are being observed carefully by CEO of Mars Mission Ed Grann (Oliver Martinez).

On Mars the terrain is difficult as the crew of the Daedalus look for a place to set up a base camp. The story also unfolds as SpaceX works on a reusable rocket in the present and Kelly becomes the only person in NASA to spend the most time in space while Antarctica becomes a practice settlement.

Jumping four years on Mars, a massive storm means the crew must look for somewhere else to set up a camp. Walking through the blinding storm they find the most unexpected place to begin again.

At the same time some of the crew is suffering from “cabin fever” and the commander is made aware of it. It isn’t in time however as a botanist opens an airlock sending the camp into chaos and killing himself and other members of the team. So much is lost setting the mission back but repairs begin.

After everything that has happened to the crew and the question of whether to continue or return home is the topic of conversation. That could possibly be a useless conversation when the crew believes they have found life on Mars!

Other cast include Kata Sarbo as Ava, Antoinette Fekete as Sam, and Cosima Shaw as Leslie Richardson.

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment brings award-winning global product and new entertainment to DVD, Bluray, and Digital HD. There amazing collection offers fans an opportunity to expand their own home libraries with the best films. To discover what other titles they have please visit www.fox.com.

The series filled with realism mixing drama and documentary adds the appearances by Elon Musk, Neil deGrasse Tyson and Stephen Petranek. There is everything to be pulled in by MARS and it’s our human curiosity to know more about the planet that makes this series inviting.

This cast brings everything unique to each character and although they are sharing the same experience, they are experiencing it so very differently. Knowing that they must rely on one another, it isn’t as if they can call ‘home’ and get help.

I found myself jaw dropped, gasping for a breath (especially when the airlock opened!), curious, wondering, shocked, and more which is, I’m sure, exactly the intent of MARS. To bring out the amazing emotions that are engrained in our desire to know more about the red planet. Added to this is the breath taking cinematography and special effects that invite the audience to be on MARS with the crew.

The Bluray includes the episodes Novo Mundo, Grounded, Pressure Drop, Power, Darkest Days and Crossroads. The Special Features include Making MARS, BEFORE MARS – A Prequel, BEFORE MARS Behind the Scenes, Getting to MARS Featurettes, Living on MARS Featurettes, More MARS Featurettes, and Behind-the-Scenes Featurettes.

It is so worth the time to watch the special features of MARS because they are as amazing and stunning to see as the series itself. With two hours of cast and crew interviews, how often does a series give you a prequel on the same Bluray as the series? I can’t recall it happening.

In the end – we went to the moon because we wanted to; we went to Mars because we had to!