What is your idea of strong woman? Did you know you’ll find many of those same qualities in the women you see in favorite PBS series? Intelligence, tenacity, assertiveness, resilience, power, bravery. This Women’s History Month, look no further than Arkansas PBS Passport for riveting period dramas and specials exploring women’s roles in music and science. From the midwives in mid-1900s England, to a British soap opera star of the 1960s and ’70s; from an Austrian empress to powerful women making headlines, check out these women who left their mark on the world around them.
HOW TO WATCH
Get Members who contribute a tax-deductible gift of at least $5 per month or an annual gift of $60 or more are eligible for Arkansas PBS Passport – extended, on-demand access to more of your favorite PBS shows, films and specials.
As a reminder, you can watch on myarkansaspbs.org, or using the PBS App, available on your TV, phone or tablet.
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European Dramas
“Call the Midwife” – It is now 1969, and “Call the Midwife” returns as Poplar is coping with the popularity of home births under the auspices of the Sisters. Season 13 will also reveal stories of poor housing challenges and health issues for the nurses, midwives and nuns of the Nonnatus House.
“MASTERPIECE: Nolly” – Helena Bonham Carter stars in “Nolly,” the story of Noele “Nolly” Gordon, one of the most famous faces on British TV in the 1960s and ‘70s. Her unceremonious firing from her hit show at the height of her career was front-page news.
“Alice & Jack” – Andrea Risenborough and Domhnall Gleeson star in “Alice & Jack,” a modern love story. When Alice and Jack first meet, they’re bound by a connection so powerful it seems nothing can break it, but will their path lead them to a place of happiness and togetherness?
“Sisi: Austrian Empress” – Witness the rise of Empress Elisabeth of Austria – Sisi – from the perspective of her closest confidants. From “Walter Presents,” in German with English subtitles.
“Our Miracle Years” – Follow three sisters of an industrialist family in post-war Germany. In a politically, morally and economically destroyed country, these young women reinvent themselves and set the course for their future. From “Walter Presents,” in German with English subtitles.
“Victoria” – In 1837, a diminutive, neglected teenager is crowned Queen Victoria, and political intrigues of the Court, and soon rises to become the most powerful woman in the world. “Victoria” stars Jenna Coleman (“Doctor Who”) as Queen Victoria in this miniseries following the drama of the candid, spirited monarch.
“Marie Antoinette” – Marie Antoinette is just a teenager when she leaves Austria to marry the Dauphin of France. At Versailles, under the complex rules of the French court, she suffers from not being able to live her life the way she wants, under pressure to continue the Bourbon line and secure the Franco-Austrian alliance.
North American Stories
“Becoming Frida Kahlo” – Explore the life of celebrated artist Frida Kahlo in this three-part docuseries. See the major personal and political events of her life, including her stormy and devoted relationship with artist Diego Rivera, whom she married not once, but twice.
“Little Bird” – In 1968, 5-year-old Bezhig Little Bird was forcibly removed from Lone Pine Reserve, adopted into a Jewish family in Montreal, and renamed Esther Rosenblum. Eighteen years later, she embarks on a journey to unravel her history. Through this epic journey of connection and self-discovery, Bezhig Little Bird begins to find her lost family and put the pieces of her fragmented past back together.
Powerful Real Women
“Joni Mitchell: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize” – After getting her start in coffee shops Joni Mitchell went on to set a new standard, marrying music and lyrics with such songs as “Both Sides, Now.” While her early material is often categorized as “folk,” she became a household name with music that defies categorization.
“American Masters: Roberta Flack” – “American Masters: Roberta Flack” follows the music icon from a piano lounge through her rise to stardom. From “First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” to “Killing Me Softly,” Flack’s virtuosity was inseparable from her commitment to civil rights. Detailing her story in her own words, the film features exclusive access to Flack’s archives and interviews with Rev. Jesse Jackson, Peabo Bryson and more.
“NOVA: Picture a Scientist” – Women make up less than a quarter of STEM professionals in the United States, and numbers are even lower for women of color. But, a growing group of researchers is exposing long standing discrimination and making science more inclusive.
“Independent Lens: Hidden Letters” – The bonds of sisterhood, and the parallels of struggles among generations of women in China, are drawn together by the once-secret written language of Nüshu, the only script designed and used exclusively by women.
HOW TO WATCH
Get extended, on-demand access to more of your favorite PBS, shows, films and specials by signing up for Arkansas PBS Passport.