A Touch of Greatness
Top 2 Billed Cast
Himself
A Touch of Greatness
HomePage
Overview
In an era when Dick, Jane, and discipline ruled America's schools, Albert Cullum allowed Shakespeare, Sophocles, and Shaw to reign in his fifth grade public school classroom. Through the use of poetry, drama and imaginative play, Cullum championed an unorthodox educational philosophy that spoke directly to his students' needs. Many of Cullum's projects were recorded on film by then novice filmmaker Robert Downey, Sr. Weaving stunning black and white footage and rare archival television broadcasts together with interviews of Cullum and his former students, this is a portrait of a maverick teacher who transformed a generation of young people by enabling them to discover their own inner greatness.
Release Date
2005-01-11
Average
7
Rating:
3.5 startsTagline
Genres
Languages:
EnglishKeywords
Similar Movies
Mocha(es)
A collective work created by students of Bachillerato Popular Mocha Celis in Buenos Aires, the first of its kind in the world, the place offers transvestite and transgender adults the opportunity to complete their high-school studies. The films focuses on identity, inclusion, political activism and equal access to the right to education.
Democracy Is ...(en)
The film is a controversy on democracy. Is our society really democratic? Can everyone be part of it? Or is the act of being part in democracy dependent to the access on technology, progression or any resources of information, as philosophers like Paul Virilio or Jean Baudrillard already claimed?
Junge Leute(de)
A documentary about young people just starting their higher education and their professional life.
Nursery University(en)
Set in New York City, the epicenter of a phenomenon cropping up in communities across the United States, "Nursery University" reveals the oddly competitive process of nursery school admissions. The film tells the story of five families attempting to place their toddlers in preschool classrooms that have limited space and high price tags.
Precious Knowledge(en)
Disenfranchised high school seniors become academic warriors and community leaders in Tucson, Arizona's embattled Ethnic Studies classes while state lawmakers attempt to eliminate the program.
The Hidden Agenda for World Government(en)
From an archived interview originally recorded in 1982, this 1990 production reveals the findings of chief congressional investigator, Director of Research, Norman Dodd, and exposes the scope and purpose of various organizations in the findings of the 1953 Reece Special Committee on Tax Exempt Foundations.
Unstoppable Solar Cycles(en)
Concern over global climate change may be at an all-time high, but climate change is nothing new - the earth's climate always followed natural cycles of warming and cooling. In Unstoppable Solar Cycles, Dr. Willie Soon and Dr. David Legates challenge the popular idea that human-generated CO2, is causing catastrophic global warming. These scientists propose an alterantive theory - that the current warming has more to do with solar activity than with human activity.
Piaget’s Developmental Theory: an Overview(en)
The work of Jean Piaget has become the foundation of current developmental psychology and the basis for changes in educational practice. David Elkind, author of The Hurried Child and Miseducation, and a student of Jean Piaget, explores the roots of Piaget’s work and outlines important vocabulary and concepts that structure much of the study of child development. Using both archival film of Dr. Piaget and newly shot sequences of Dr. Elkind conducting interviews with children of varying ages, this film presents an overview of Piaget’s developmental theory, its scope and content.
FIT Hives: Sustainability - The Secret to Survival(en)
A documentary that introduces FIT Hives, a student-run organization whose mission is to educate the FIT community about the importance of bees to the environment, the use of bee-derived resources in the industries related to the majors at FIT and its goal to put a beehive on the roof. FIT Hives is a recipient of an FIT Innovation Grant which also supported the making of this documentary.
Caterpillars(fr)
Elvis Sabin’s assured debut follows Albert and André, two Central African Aka Pygmies, as they attempt to establish a new education system in their forest community. The last in their village still attending school, they are determined to pass their knowledge on, holding classes for other Aka children every afternoon. But their project requires funding and they are counting on the year’s caterpillar (known as “Makongo”) harvest to provide much needed income. Evocatively capturing the visual and sonic textures of the forest, Makongo is a layered ethnographic study of two men working to build a sustainable future for their community.
The Ability Exchange(en)
A documentary about an innovative Disability Studies class at NYU Tandon School of Engineering where engineering students and adults with cerebral palsy learn to communicate, connect, and cultivate their abilities by making movies.
How Summerhill Works(en)
An entertaining video filmed over two years. Kids, teachers, heads, parents, ex-pupils tell the story of this unique experimental school. “Kids don’t have to go to lessons at Summerhill and can wear and do mostly what they want. How does that work??!!
Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden?(en)
Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me) tours the Middle East to discuss the war on terror with Arabic people.
Memory Books(en)
In Uganda, AIDS-infected mothers have begun writing what they call Memory Books for their children. Aware of the illness, it is a way for the family to come to terms with the inevitable death that it faces. Hopelessness and desperation are confronted through the collaborative effort of remembering and recording, a process that inspires unexpected strength and even solace in the face of death.
Blindsight - Vertraue Deiner Vision(en)
Six blind Tibetan teenagers climb the Lhakpa-Ri peak of Mount Everest, led by seven-summit blind mountain-climber Erik Weihenmayer.
Bus 174(pt)
Documentary depicts what happened in Rio de Janeiro on June 12th 2000, when bus 174 was taken by an armed young man, threatening to shoot all the passengers. Transmitted live on all Brazilian TV networks, this shocking and tragic-ending event became one of violence's most shocking portraits, and one of the scariest examples of police incompetence and abuse in recent years.
To Be and to Have(fr)
The documentary's title translates as "to be and to have", the two auxiliary verbs in the French language. It is about a primary school in the commune of Saint-Étienne-sur-Usson, Puy-de-Dôme, France, the population of which is just over 200. The school has one small class of mixed ages (from four to twelve years), with a dedicated teacher, Georges Lopez, who shows patience and respect for the children as we follow their story through a single school year.
Recommendations Movies
Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked(en)
Playing around while aboard a cruise ship, the Chipmunks and Chipettes accidentally go overboard and end up marooned in a tropical paradise. They discover their new turf is not as deserted as it seems.
Fantomas Unleashed(fr)
In the second episode of the trilogy Fantômas kidnaps distinguished scientist professor Marchand with the aim to develop a super weapon that will enable him to menace the world. Fantômas is also planning to abduct a second scientist, professor Lefebvre.
George of the Jungle 2(en)
George and Ursula now have a son, George Junior, so Ursula's mother arrives to try and take them back to "civilization".
Re-Existences(pt)
“Re-Existence” is a documentary about migration stories of individuals from the Brazilian queer community.
Un Caso Excepcional(es)
A young actress arrives late to a casting, making up a great excuse without knowing a small detail.
Balto III: Wings of Change(en)
Balto and the other sled dogs are feeling dejected because the mail that used to be delivered by dogsled is now being delivered by airplanes. But when a mail plane crashes in the mountains, the dogs come to the rescue.
The Derby Stallion(en)
An alcoholic former horse-trainer perceives in a fifteen-year-old boy a unique gift of horsemanship and makes it possible for the boy to conceive his dream and pursue it.
xXx: Return of Xander Cage(en)
Xander Cage is left for dead after an incident, though he secretly returns to action for a new, tough assignment with his handler Augustus Gibbons.
Scooby-Doo! Ghastly Goals(en)
While on vacation in Brazil, Scooby-Doo and the gang encounter a mythical beast at a game of soccer.
Jennifer Lopez: Dance Again(en)
A documentary that chronicles Jennifer Lopez's life on and off-stage during her first ever world tour.
Let It Shine(en)
A young teenage rapper must use his musical talent to help his friend out and win the girl of his dreams by going through several events of betrayal, trust and agreement while his religious parents have strictly dislike his interests.
Shrek's Thrilling Tales(en)
SHREK'S THRILLING TALES is the ultimate Halloween DVD compilation for your family. Shrek's Thrilling Tales review Featuring the scariest, ugliest, and funniest characters from DreamWorks Animation's successful SHREK and MONSTERS VS. ALIENS franchises. DVD includes 'The Pig who Cried (Were)Wolf' and 'The Ghost of Lord Farquaad' from the Shrek movies, and 'Night of the Living Carrots' from Monsters vs. Aliens, featuring B.O.B.
Happily N'Ever After 2(en)
Fairy tales collide when Mambo and Munk tip the scales of good and evil once again.
I Didn't Do It!(fr)
Eleven-year-old Martin is a basically good boy. Unfortunately each time he decides to give a hand things end in disaster. This summer, he has been invited to spend a vacation at the Hotel Nautilus by his friend Vincent's parents. This is a great place for kids with its cabin hidden among the branches of a tree they call the "baobab". But this year a holiday camp is being built nearby...
Parental Guidance(en)
Artie and Diane agree to look after their three grandkids when their type-A helicopter parents need to leave town for work. Problems arise when the kids' 21st-century behavior collides with Artie and Diane's old-school methods.
The Secret(en)
An American loses all his money and finds himself stranded in England. He finds hope when he meets a female smuggler who has brought jewels into the country inside a teddy bear, but unfortunately, things quickly get out of hand.
The Tuche Family: The American Dream(fr)
Les Tuche, a modest french family, change his life after winning a super lottery. Thanks to the money of his parents, the son, Donald (aka "coin-coin) goes to Los Angeles to improve his english. On the L.A. University, he meets Jennifer, daughter of a famous American financier.