Sister Wendy’s American Collection (Art)
Picture: C+
Sound: C+ Extras: C- Episodes: B-
One of the more recent unlikely and maybe even eccentric
stars of television brought to us by PBS is Sister Wendy Beckett, a nun who is
also an authority on world art. Sister
Wendy’s American Collection is a 3 DVD set with six episodes as she visits
six different museums in The United States.
They are:
- The
Art Institute Of Chicago
- The
Cleveland Museum Of Art
- Kimbell
Art Museum (Fort Worth, Texas)
- Los
Angeles County Museum Of Art
- The
Metropolitan Museum Of Art, New York
- Museum
Of Fine Arts, Boston
Each show runs about an hour as Sister Wendy shares her
insights into a vast and wide variety of sculptures, paintings, figurines,
clothing, artifacts and even a recreated garden. Now as fine as her observations are, you might want to watch with
the sound down first to make up your own mind about what you see before hearing
her facts and opinions. Otherwise, she
knows her subject and you can learn so much more about all kinds of artworks
from this set.
The letterboxed 1.78 X 1 image is not bad, but lacking
some detail and depth, though this is nicely taped otherwise, likely in digital
High Definition. The Dolby Digital 2.0
Stereo has no surrounds of any kind, but is nice, clean and clear
otherwise. Extras are few and include
weblinks and text section of additional products of interest. A book that ties into this series is also available. You’ll be surprised how wide ranging her
coverage is.
- Nicholas Sheffo
