Rossellini's history films. Renaissance and enlightenment
(DVD or VCD)

The age of the Medici and Blaise Pascal originally released as motion pictures in 1972 and Cartesius in 1974.

The age of the Medici: cinematography, Mario Montuori ; screenplay by Roberto Rossellini, Luciano Scaffa, Marcella Mariani ; editor, Jolanda Benvenuti ; music, Manuel De Sica.

Cartesius: screenplay and dialogue by Roberto Rossellini, Luciano Scaffa, Marcella Mariani ; cinematography, Mario Montuori ; editor, Jolanda Benvenuti ; music, Mario Nascimbene.

Blaise Pascal: screenplay by Roberto Rossellini [and others] ; dialogue by J.D. de La Rochefoucauld ; cinematography, Mario Fioretti ; editor, Jolanda Benvenuti ; music, Mario Nascimbene.

The age of the Medici: Marcello Di Falco, Virginio Gazzolo, Mario Erpichini, Tom Fellegy, Adriano Amidei Migliano, Ugo Cardea, Goffredo Matassi, Sergio Nicolai, Bruno Cattaneo, Lincoln Tate.

Cartesius: Ugo Cardea, Anne Pouchie, Gabriele Banchero, Kenneth Belton, Vernon Dobtcheff, Renato Montalbano.

Blaise Pascal: Pierre Arditi, Rita Forzano, Giuseppe Addobbati, Christian De Sica, Livio Galassi, Bruno Cattaneo, Bepi Mannaiuolo, Marco Bonetti, Teresa Ricci, Christian Aleny, Bernard Rigal.

"In the final phase of his career, Italian master Roberto Rossellini embarked on a dramatic, daunting project: a series of television films about knowledge and history, made in an effort to teach, where contemporary media were failing. Looking at the Western world's major figures and moments, yet focusing on the small details of daily life, Rossellini was determined not to recount history but to relive it, as it might have been, unadorned but full of the drama of the everyday. This selection of Rossellini's history films presents "The Age of the Medici," "Cartesius," and "Blaise Pascal"--Works that don't just enliven the past but illuminate the ideas that brought us to where we are today"--Container

Not rated.

DVD; full screen (1.33:1); Dolby Digital mono.; region 1; NTSC.

The age of the Medici, Cartesius: Italian or dubbed English dialogue with optional English subtitles. Blaise Pascal: French or dubbed Italian with optional English subtitles.