La Belle Epoque (1890-1914)

Featuring Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Diana Vreeland, La Belle Epoque evokes "the beautiful era" (1890-1914), a time in which the wealthy upper classes of the western world gave themselves over to a life of elegance and pleasure, their eyes closed to the increasing social and political turmoil fermenting beneath the surface of society. The program uses period motion pictures, photographs, and sound recordings, as well as the arts and fashions of the period to supplement the spoken memories of the participating interviewees who actually lived La Belle Epoque.