Even in his first paintings, Rembrandt positioned himself in the scene. In the following years, at least 100 times he used his face as the only subject in engravings, drawings, and paintings. Such single-mindedness, unique in the history of art, was very widely interpreted. This program explores his self-portraits and attempts to determine the secret meanings hidden in the various versions of Rembrandt's face.

Carla works in a real estate office and has a hearing problem. Carla makes the acquaintance of Paul, a small-time criminal who has just been released from prison on parole. Before long, it becomes obvious that Paul is having an influence on Carla's normally stable nature. Carla and Paul's actions go from malicious to seriously criminal when Paul hatches a scheme to rob a nightclub owner to whom he owes money -- a scheme that involves Carla's keen...

The Flagellation is considered one of the most mysterious paintings in the history of art. Although approximately thirty hypotheses have been formulated to try to explain its political meaning, the painting by this scholarly Renaissance artist defies all attempts. This program makes one more attempt, and reveals its overall identity as a manifesto of a new school of art and Renaissance thought.

Unmarried at 31, Zaza has become an embarrassment to his family. With one potential bride after another trotted out in front of him, he somehow manages to never tie the knot. Curious, his family investigates and discovers his secret relationship to a divorcée. Upset, the entire family decide to intervene.

Giorgione or Titian? The identity of the artist who painted one of the world's most famous paintings, Le Concert champetre, remains uncertain to this day. What does this pastoral scene represent? Why do two nude women appear next to two clothed men? What music are they playing? This program attempts to answer these and other questions by delving into 16th-century Venetian culture, and by examining its more recent counterparts, such as Manet's Partie...

Crucifixion is a rather surprising painting coming from Picasso, a man who had little interest in religion or religious themes. This program explores the reasons why he might have placed a number of strange, indecipherable figures within this classical representation of Calvary. Many allusions found in the work's enigmatic composition seem to indicate that the painting may have been created during a personal crisis.

L'Armee des Ombres is a stark and unvarnished story about Resistance fighters in Vichy France in 1942-43 when the French leadership allowed the Nazis to occupy the country. The members of this army are cold, hungry, desperate men and women, with false names and no addresses, who can be betrayed in an instant by a traitor or an accident. They know they will probably die. A meditation on the nature of resistance and the price of courage, these heroes...