William Segal (1904 - 2000) was a philosopher, publisher, writer and painter who searched relentlessly and compassionately for meaning in the 20th century. The student of such diverse masters as G.I. Gurdjieff and D.T. Suzuki, Segal helped bring Eastern and Western spiritual traditions together, always stressing what connected humanity rather than what differentiated it. In the last decade of his life, Segal befriended the documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, and the two collaborated on this trilogy.
William Segal - The first documentary in the trilogy is filmed in Segal's art studio and garden. The film focuses on Mr. Segal as he paints and discusses the creative process and the intimate personal and spiritual relationship between the artist and the work of art.
Vézelay - The magnificent basilica at Vézelay in France has lured pilgrims from around the world for centuries. Its magnetism and serene beauty inspired Segal and Burns to examine the expansive question of search. Vézelay joyously probes the eternal question of individual identity and the obstacles and exhilarations of seeing, searching and being.
In the Marketplace - This documentary was shot throughout the streets of Paris and follows Segal's everyday life. The film visits the painter working in his studio and in a gallery as he prepares an exhibition of his lithographs. In his on-camera interviews, Segal talks about his life and the practices he uses to live in the moment, embracing all that is around him.
"We see our own reflections countless times a day…and we are curious, pleased, critical, vain. But we rarely have the courage William Segal had, the courage of self-portraiture, to ask with each fleeting glimpse of oneself: Who am I?" - Ken Burns
Subtitles are in English (SDH).
Producer: Ken Burns
Production Year: 2010
Copyright Year: 2002
Rating: TV-G
Talent: Wiliam Segal
Number of Discs: 1
Length: 80 minutes
Subtitle Languages: English (SDH)
Audio Format: Stereo
Aspect Ratio: 4x3 Full Screen