Leonardo da Vinci
Florentine, 1452 - 1519
Ginevra de' Benci, obverse, c. 1474/1478
oil on panel, with addition at bottom edge: 42.7 x 37 cm (16 13/16 x 14 9/16 in.)
original panel only: 38.1 x 37 cm (15 x 14 9/16 in.)
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
1967.6.1.a
Photo courtesy the National Gallery of ArtGinevra's Story (1999)
Solving the Mysteries of Leonardo da Vinci's First Known PortraitLeonardo da Vinci painted only three portraits of women, and the earliest, a painting of Ginevra de' Benci that now hangs in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., is the subject of this entertaining documentary narrated by actress Meryl Streep. The story of who Ginevra was and how she came to know the young Leonardo is told as sites from their lives are visited. The painting itself is examined carefully, and experts from the staff of the National Gallery of Art, which produced the video, speak about some of the more peculiar aspects of the painting, including the fact that Leonardo painted the wooden panel containing the painting on both sides. A fascinating look at an enigmatic work of art.
Age 7 in America
DocumentaryMeryl narrated this adaption of the British TV series. This documentary chronicles the lives of a group of economically, racially & socially diverse 7-year olds living throughout America in 1990.
Ancient Tower: Rainer Maria Rilke
AudioRilke's poetry narrated by Meryl Streep, with music by The New York Voices.
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NewYorkVoices.com
Arctic Refuge: A Vanishing Wilderness
DocumentaryIn late spring each year, the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is the site of an extraordinary animal gathering. Now the oil and gas industry wants to drill on this same 100-mile stretch, the last remaining north coast wilderness. Narrated by Academy Award winning actress Meryl Streep.
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A.I. (2001)
Directed by Steven SpielbergA mother and father grieving for a child locked in cryogenic freezing because of a currently incurable disease. It is into this home that David, the robot child, is introduced. The mother struggles with her need for a child but can she love something artificial? And what about her son lying frozen and alone in a hospital waiting for a cure? Can David, the artificial intelligence, cope with being thrust into a world that he loves but may not love him in return? What follows is an exploration of love and loyalty, prejudice and hope, fantasy and reality. Meryl provided the beautiful voice for the Blue Fairy.
Babar the Elephant (Released 9/15/96)
Mother Goose SuiteProceeds benefit The Audrey Hepburn Hollywood for Children Fund. Narrated by Meryl Streep, this Babar CD contains music by Poulene and the Mother Goose Suite by Ravel as recorded by Mona & Renee Golabeck and the New Zealand Symphony.
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For Yourself: A Guide to Breast Self-Examination
Visit the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Guttman Diagnostic Center's website to learn more about Breast Self-Examination. You will also find out how you can order the video "For Yourself: A Guide to Breast Self-Examination." Narrated by Rita Moreno, Jessye Norman, and Meryl Streep.Related Link:
The John Cheever Audio Collection (Released June 2003)
John Cheever's first novel, The Wapshot Chronicle, won the 1958 National Book Award. In 1965 he received the Howells Medal for Fiction from the National Academy of Arts and Letters, and in 1978 The Stories of John Cheever won the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Pulitzer Prize. Shortly before his death in 1982, he was awarded the National Medal for Literature from the Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. This CD features archival recording of the author reading, with the author's preface read by Benjamin Cheever, and featuring the voice talent of Meryl Streep, Edward Herrmann, Blythe Danner and others. Meryl reads The Enormous Radio and The Sorrows of Gin.
Chrysanthemum
The little mouse is thrilled about her name - until she starts going to school and the others all laugh at her except for Mrs. Twinkle, the music teacher, who also thinks that Chrysanthemum is an absolutely fabulous name! Meryl Streep provides the narration and all the voices about a little girl named Chrysanthemum—her parents are taken with her perfect name, and initially so is she, but the other kids at school think that it's too long, too weird, and just plain goofy. Mrs. Twinkle, the music teacher, gives little Chrysanthemum a boost, and soon her classmates change their tune. One of the great pleasures of this story is Meryl Streep's vocal performance, providing a dozen or so perfect little characterizations. Winner Certificate of Merit, Animation, Adult Jury Chicago International Children's Film Festival, 1999.Related Link:
Harold Clurman: A Life of Theatre (Released June 16, 1993)
Meryl Streep narrates this video which profiles the career of celebrated director/producer Harold Clurman. A man known for his passionate commitment to working with actors, Clurman devoted his life to the theatrical arts, serving not only as a director and producer, but as a respected critic as well. The program features footage of Clurman on the job delivering thought-provoking lectures and helping actors construct roles. Stella Adler, Karl Malden, Julie Harris and other noted artists are interviewed. Harold Clurman has been called the most influential figure in the history of the American theater. Between 1935 and 1980, he directed over forty plays, including Jean Giraudoux's TIGER AT THE GATES, Eugene O'Neill's TOUCH OF THE POET, and Arthur Miller's INCIDENT AT VICHY. He authored seven books, and from 1953 until his death in 1980 he was a drama critic for THE NATION. As the passionate and talented leader of the Group Theatre, Clurman invigorated American theater with his political and artistic idealism. VHS. 56 mins.
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Dance on a Moonbeam
Entire Proceeds to Children's CharitiesBill Crofut, the charismatic musician whose career spanned a half century, encompassing folk, jazz and classical music in venues such as Carnegie Hall, the White House and Tanglewood, made his last recording from his bed just days before succumbing to cancer in January 1999. Crofut's vision was to create a recording of his best children's music to benefit children's causes. This enchanting collection of traditional songs is interspersed with snippets of Shakespeare passages read by the inimitable Meryl Streep. The recording features an all-star cast of Bill Crofut's recording partners including singers Dawn Upshaw, Julianne Baird, Ben Luxon and Frederica von Stade, as well as the London Symphony Orchestra, Chorus Angelicus, and instrumentalist, Chris Brubeck. The CD is available ($15.95, call 1-800-833-8668) online at the link below. The CD booklet includes comments by Streep and fanciful illustrations by Crofut's daughter, Erika.
As I spent those few magical hours with Bill in his living room,
recording the sounds of Shakespeare,
I felt especially honored to be able to participate in this last project of his.
-meryl streepRelated Link:
Fifty Poems of Emily Dickinson (Audio)
After Emily Dickinson's death in 1886, her sister discovered 1,775 poems bound in small packets - a collection that is now considered some of the best poetry in the English language. Only 7 of these, however, were published before her death in 1886. The others were first published in 1890, attracting unexpected attention in literary circles. With spare, precise language, Emily Dickinson conveyed a penetrating vision of the natural world and an acute understanding of the most profound human truths. Ms. Dickinson's poems come alive beautifully in these collections:
Volume I. These works -- sometimes witty, sometimes sorrowful - - are read by a talented group of actresses, including Stephanie Beacham, Glenda Jackson, Sharon Stone, and Meryl Streep. The first volume includes such selections as "Forbidden Fruit," "I Had a Guinea Golden," and "Love's Baptism." There are several pieces about one of her favorite themes, the sea, which she describes as "an everywhere of silver."
Volume II. Fifty of Dickinson's most penetrating and insightful works are gathered in the next volume of this praiseworthy series. Among the many treasures in this collection are "Angels in the Early Morning" and "Your Riches Taught Me Poverty." Read by award-winning actresses Jill Eikenberry, Nancy Kwan, Melissa Manchester, Sharon Stone, Jean Smart, Meryl Streep, and Alfre Woodward, these poems radiate with a burning intensity and gentle understanding seldom found in literature.
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What Should I Tell My Child About Drinking?
DocumentaryHosted by Meryl Streep, this video offers viewers advice both about good parenting and how to discuss alcohol. Developed by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. (NCADD).
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For Our Children (CD)
(10th Anniversary Edition)Meryl performs Gartan Mother's Lullaby on this collection of traditional and original children's songs.
Proceeds benefit the Pediatric AIDS Foundation:The Pediatric AIDS Foundation
2407 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 613
Santa Monica, CA 90403
(213) 395-9501
Freedom: A History of the U.S. (PBS)
"Freedom" is the overarching theme of this sixteen-part series, based on the award winning books by master storyteller Joy Hakim. Freedom is what has drawn to America countless human beings from around the world; it is what generations of men and women have lived and died for; it is, in a profound sense, our nation's highest calling. This is also the story of the chief obstacles to American freedom -- the "unfreedoms" that have littered our national story, and in some cases have called its very integrity into question. But despite all the mistakes and all the tragic setbacks, there is an overarching positive message to this series. This is a history of the United States as the unfolding, inspiring story of human liberties aspired to and won. Hosted by Katie Couric. Creative consultant: Christopher Reeve. Freedom's glittering cast includes: Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Kevin Kline, Glenn Close, Tom Hanks, Richard Gere, Brad Pitt, Joanne Woodward, Susan Sarandon, Kevin Spacey, Stanley Tucci, Robin Williams, Dana Reeve, Ralph Fiennes, Anthony Hopkins, Matthew McConaughey, Billy Crystal, John Lithgow, Julia Roberts, Sean Connery, Angela Bassett, Reese Witherspoon, and many others.
Meryl's Characters:
Episode 1: Abigail Adams (1744-1818) Abigail Adams was one of the most learned and vital women in all of America.
Episode 10: Mother Jones (1837-1930) Mary Harris Jones (aka Mother Jones), was an American labor leader who helped to found the Social Democratic Party and the Industrial Workers of the World.
Episode 13: Margaret Chase Smith (1897-1995) served as U.S. representative (1940–1949) and senator (1949–1973) from Maine.Related Link:
ASSIGNMENT: RESCUE
The Story of Varian Fry and the Emergency Rescue Committee
Narrated by Meryl Streep.France, 1940: In the unoccupied southern part (Vichy), several thousand refugees are trapped in Marseilles and in French camps to be "surrendered on demand" to the Gestapo. Varian Fry is sent by the newly-formed Emergency Rescue Committee to Marseilles for three weeks to rescue 200 of the most famous intellectual refugees. USA, 1940s: The State Department and the U.S. Consulate in Marseilles oppose Fry's mission, yet, he persists for 13 months and rescues over 2,000 refugees, until he is expelled from France. Follow the link below to the Holocaust Center to learn more - you can also order the video at their website.
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I Will Sing Life: Voices from the Hole in the Wall Gang
Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward have released this collection of personal stories told by seven children who attend Newman's Hole in the Wall Gang Camp and other stories told by Hollywood stars. The six-hour recording features Danny Aiello, Karen Allen, Jacqueline Bissett, Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp, Michael Douglas, Whoopi Goldberg, Dustin Hoffman, Rhea Perlman, Sidney Poitier, John Ritter, Linda Ronstadt, Sharon Stone, Meryl Streep, Cicely Tyson, Robin Williams, B.D. Wong and Michael York. The recording went on sale September, 1995. It is six hours long on four cassettes. Proceeds go to Newman's Teddy Bear Fund, which distributes contributions to various charities, including the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp for terminally ill children near Disney World in Florida.Related Link:
The Living Sea
(DVD)This magnificent film features songs and music by Sting and is narrated by Meryl Streep.
The Living Sea is a voyage of discovery through a colourful and vibrant underwater world. Filled with exotic creatures and seafaring adventures, the film focuses on the fragile relationships between the ocean, its inhabitants and people.
Monet's PalateTM
Introduction by Meryl StreepMonet's Palate is a gastronomic view from the gardens of Giverny, with a special introduction by Meryl Streep. Come explore the food of Normandy and impressionist art through the eyes of Claude Monet. Featuring great chefs discussing and preparing the cuisine Monet adored. Special thanks go to Aileen Boardman for all her support! Now available through Amazon.com. If you love art, you'll definitely not want to miss their website, it's fabulous.
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PBS Documentary on Lyme Disease (1999)
DocumentaryConnecticut Public Television (CPTV) has produced a 60-minute documentary on Lyme disease, narrated by Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep. The documentary emphasized that Lyme disease is an emerging infectious disease and present a comprehensive strategy for its prevention and control. It highlights practical prevention and control steps that persons can take themselves to avoid the disease and its costly and potentially disabling complications. According to producer Mary Ann Shanahan, "Narration by Meryl Streep, Connecticut resident, actress, and mother of four children, will add warmth and credibility to the documentary." For ordering information, please contact Connecticut Public Television and Radio at (860) 278-5310.
The Philadelphia Chickens
("Those Chickens of Swing")
The Original Cast Recording of the Unforgettable (though completely imaginary) Stage SpectacularThe new Book/CD features music by Sandra Boynton and Michael Ford; Lyrics and Illustrations by Sandra Boynton; in a new collection of original songs sung by an incredible line-up of stars including Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Natasha Richardson and The Bacon Brothers. Meryl sings "Nobody Understands Me." :-)
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Poetry Society of America Reading (May 21, 2003: at 7:30 p.m.)
The Great Hall, 7 East 7th Street at 3rd AvenueMeryl Streep isn't a big poetry reader. Like everyone else, she has too much to do. Another thing: The ''endless yammering'' of commercials makes her want to shut out words, not a good thing for an actor, she says. But when ''someone sits me down'' and gives her a poetry book -- like Neil Astley's Staying Alive: Real Poems for Unreal Times, a new collection that's a hit in England -- she thinks: ''That's why I'm here, that's why I am alive -- to get the printed word out into the air.'' Suddenly, Streep says, everything is ''pulled up short,'' into perspective. Her love of words, of poetry, is sated. At Yale, Meryl Streep took a course in sonnets (ostensibly a voice course), where she learned to read a short poem and sustain a single thought in one breath. ''No one ever taught me anything like that.'' You'd have to hear Meryl's lyrical voice as she then says, in one long breath: ''I understood that poetry, like music, has this amazing ability to move from the center of your being out through the body into someone else -- communication that's spiritual and deep and lasting.'' Meryl Streep is joined by Claire Danes, Liev Schreiber, Lucille Clifton, Sharon Olds, Philip Levine, Charles Simic, and Paul Muldoon as they read poems from a poetry anthology of great humanness and urgency: Staying Alive: Real Poems for Unreal Times.
Power Struggle (1985)
DocumentaryNarrated by Meryl Streep, the film POWER STRUGGLE was re-edited for schools and split into two parts: ENERGY SUPPLY and ENERGY EFFICIENCY. Each film stands alone and comes with a Teacher's Guide. ENERGY SUPPLY surveys the problems posed by our continuing reliance on conventional energy sources - particularly nuclear power and coal - and investigates the possibility of solving those problems through broader reliance on current renewable energy technologies such as photovoltaics, solar "power towers," wind farms, hydro, geothermal, biomass, and cogeneration. ENERGY EFFICIENCY covers how great a part can the latest improvements in energy efficiency play in meeting this country's energy needs. Amongst the areas investigated are standards for automotive fuel efficiency, appliances, and buildings; new housing designs, weatherization, and home energy conservation; and breakthroughs in commercial lighting, heating, cooling and ventilation.
Rings of Passion
Five Emotions in World Art: Love, Anguish, Awe, Triumph and JoyThis website was fantastic, and featured beautiful poetry readings narrated by Meryl, in Real Audio. You were able to explore the many other features of the site, including an area where you can curate your own art exhibit discuss your feelings and how you relate to these works of art, and much more. The Rings of Passion site has been retired from pbs.org.
SCHOOL: The PBS Series
Premiered September 3-4, 2001, 9:00 - 11:00 P.M. ET
Series narrated by Academy Award winner Meryl StreepSCHOOL: The Story of American Public Education, is a dramatic four-part documentary series that chronicles the development of our nation’s public education system from the late 1770s to the 21st century. Ten years in the making, SCHOOL journeys through history and across the nation, weaving archival footage, on-site coverage, rare interviews and expert commentary into an unprecedented portrait of America’s great education experiment. Designed to place today’s issues into historical context, SCHOOL takes viewers on a 200-year journey, from colonial times to the present, in four chronological episodes. Throughout the series are interviews with witnesses, both famous and relatively unknown, who play key roles in public education’s dramatic story. Leading experts in education history also lend their insights to each episode of SCHOOL, illuminating the issues and their implications.
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Orchestra of St. Luke’s Highlights Central Park 9/11 Gathering
Guest Artists include Meryl Streep, Billy Joel, and Lincoln Center Jazz OrchestraWith the moon shining on the Great Lawn, the stars came out Wednesday night for a reflective and stirring program featuring New York’s Orchestra of St. Luke’s conducted by Eric Stern and several distinguished guests. The performances capped a day of commemorative musical events marking the September 11 anniversary across the five boroughs, including the Brooklyn Philharmonic performing in Prospect Park, the Bronx Arts Ensemble in Van Cortland Park, the Queens Symphony Orchestra at Flushing Meadows Park, and the Staten Island Symphony at Snug Harbor. An affirmative, patriotic strain ran through the evening’s symphonic selections, highlighted by an inspired rendition of Copland’s Lincoln Portrait, with Meryl Streep narrating the stentorian verses honoring Abraham Lincoln. Other selections included Bernstein's "Simple Song" (from Mass) with tenor soloist Kurt Ollman, a selection from Hanson's Symphony No. 2, and Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, featuring piano soloist Andre-Michel Schub. The jazzy mood set in place by Gershwin continued as the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra took to the stage with a hard-swinging reading of Ellington’s “A Tone Parallel to Harlem.” Receiving the biggest applause was a grizzled yet animated Billy Joel who performed his signature tune, “New York State of Mind,” with the LCJO’s Wynton Marsalis joining him on trumpet.
Karen Silkwood Tribute (December 12, 1999)Meryl Streep sang "Amazing Grace" during the 25th anniversary commemoration of the death of Karen Silkwood. Ms. Streep played the title role in the 1983 movie, Silkwood and sang "Amazing Grace" in the film. "Karen Silkwood touched all of our lives," said Ms. Streep in a letter to other participants in the tribute. "She showed incredible bravery against impossible odds, and those of us who knew her through her union work or from the portrayal of her struggle in the film 'Silkwood' will always be moved by her courage." Ms. Silkwood worked in a lab at a now-closed Kerr-McGee Corp. plutonium processing plant in Oklahoma. An environmental and union activist, she was on her way to see a New York Times reporter when her car careened off a highway Nov. 13, 1974. She died in the crash. An autopsy showed she was contaminated with plutonium prior to the accident. Police declared it a single-car accident but her supporters contend she was bumped off the road by another car. Proceeds from the tribute - which also features appearances by folk singer Toshi Reagon, the film's director Mike Nichols and Ms. Silkwood's father Bill - benefit the Just Health Care Campaign, a union-sponsored health-care reform program.
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Stolen Childhoods
Documentary Narrated by Meryl StreepStolen Childhoods is told primarily in the words of laboring children, who live on four different continents across the globe, but who share a common fate. It also hears the voices of their parents, people working daily to help them, policy makers and government officials. Children are shown working in dumps, quarries, brick kilns, making charcoal, on fishing platforms, picking tobacco, coffee or vegetables, working in sweatshops, as domestics, making rugs, and selling their bodies on the street. The film places these children’s stories in the broader context of the worldwide struggle against child labor. Stolen Childhoods provides an understanding of the causes of child labor, what it costs the global community, how it contributes to global insecurity and what it will take to eliminate it. Shot in 7 countries; Brazil, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Nepal and the United States, the film includes slave and bonded labor footage never seen before. It has framing interviews with US Senator Tom Harkin (the leading legislative advocate for global action to eliminate child labor) and includes human rights advocates for children; Bruce Harris, Pharis Harvey, Inderjit Khurana, Wangari Mathai and Kailash Satyarthi. The film shows best practice programs that remove children from work and put them in school. The programs range from efforts to save migrant children from toxic exposure to pesticides, to Bolsa Escola, a model Brazilian educational subsidy, now in place in seven other countries, that reimburses families for wages lost when children go to school. In the words of the children, we see the effects of public policy, poverty, prejudice and multinational profit on the lives of our most helpless and exploited global work force. The film chronicles both stolen childhoods and the lucky former child laborers who can teach us how to create a more equitable world.
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The Velveteen Rabbit
VHS and CDNarrated by Meryl Streep, music by George Winston. The Velveteen Rabbit was written by Margery Williams in 1922 and more than a million and a half copies of this wonderful story have been read since. Its message about the power of love is universal and ageless. "Meryl Streep's reading recreates the intimacy of a mother reading to a child." The 20th Anniversary Edition includes for the first time in the U.S. a new Set 2 consisting of the entire piano solo soundtrack after the narration. The enhanced CD also includes printable sheet music for the song The Velveteen Rabbit, and a new solo piano bonus track Night Thoughts.
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VERMEER: MASTER OF LIGHT (PBS)
February 17, 2002This documentary is a visual pilgrimage in search of the style that makes a Vermeer work a "Vermeer." Narrated by Academy Award-winning actress Meryl Streep, the program explores the secrets of Vermeer’s technique, guiding viewers into each painting’s compelling use of light and composition. Stereo. 1 Hour.
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Voices That Care
(CD)Meryl participated in VOICES THAT CARE, a CD single created as a tribute for the troops in Operation Desert Storm, as one of the "voices that care" on the CD. Other voices (to name a few): Peter Cetera, Celine Dion, Garth Brooks, Michael Bolton, Mark Knopfler, Kenny G., Paul Anka, David Cassidy, Chevy Chase, Kevin Costner, Cindy Crawford, Billy Crystal, Sheena Easton, Whoopi Goldberg, Harry Hamlin, Mariel Hemingway, Al Jarreau, Carol Kane, Jon Lovitz, Ali MacGraw, Kathy Mattea, Dudley Moore, Donny Osmond, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helen Reddy, Kenny Rogers, Kurt Russell, Katey Sagal, Jane Seymour, William Shatner, Brooke Shields, Sissy Spacek, Stephen Stills, Linda Thompson Jenner, Tiffany, Michael Tucker, Blair Underwood, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Luther Vandross, Lindsay Wagner, Henry Winkler and James Woods. Music: David Foster and Peter Cetera; Lyrics: Linda Thompson Jenner.
