Culture Shock. [No. 1], Born To Trouble: Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn

"Culture Shock is a four-part historical series on controversial art, cultural values and freedom of expression. Each documentary tells the story of now-classic modern work in different art forms--literature, painting, film and music--that has been censored or challenged, and explores its present-day relevance.

"The programs are: Born to Trouble: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (90 min.), an evocation of the century-old conflicts surrounding Mark Twain's novel, first under fire for indecency, then attacked for racism; The Shock of the Nude: Manet's Olympia (60 min.), which chronicles the scandal of Manet's 1865 painting of a female nude, Olympia, now considered a masterpiece; The Devil's Music: 1920s Jazz (60 min.), an exploration of the subversive nature of jazz during its early years; and Hollywood Censored: Movies, Morality & the Production Code (60 min.), about movies deemed immoral during the 1930s Production Code era and beyond.

"The program on Huck Finn leads the series because it features a work of art that continues to be one of the most challenged books in American public schools. Because of the racial complexities and importance of this story, WGBH has created special education materials to deepen the program's impact (see supporting materials). The documentary, along with these publications, has been widely embraced in high schools across the country where the teaching of racially sensitive literature is a serious and sometimes divisive issue.

"Culture Shock as a whole aims to promote greater public understanding of the causes and effects of arts controversies. It places the problems of cultural censorship in a broad context, looking at the array of forces--social, political, economic, religious, aesthetic--which come together to ignite arts controversies at particular historical moments. The series examines conflicting values as well as celebrating the arts and their central role in society. It explores the power of new forms of art to enthrall and challenge us. It was conceived to enrich America's ongoing discussion about cultural values, artistic quality and the role of the arts in a democracy."--2000 Peabody Awards entry form.

Corporate Producers: WGBH Educational Foundation

Persons Appearing: Dion Graham (Narrator) | John Lithgow (Narrator) | Ellen Barkin (Narrator) | Courtney B. Vance (Narrator)