Arena Season 1999

Mark Seen

The 40-Year Face-off Jan 2, 1999 An examination of the vexed and bizarre relationship between Cuba and the USA during the 40 years since the Cuban Revolution of New Year's Day 1959.

Mark Seen

Casanova Dec 20, 1999 The legendary 18th-century lover has been immortalised in books, films and on television, but are these fictionalised accounts historically accurate? Novelist Josephine Hart investigates the truth behind the many myths surrounding this enigmatic figure, and finds that, during his lifetime, he was famed for much more than sexual exploits. She provides evidence that Casanova was a charming man with a razor wit and fluent in three languages. Not only that, but he was also an astrologer, Freemason, businessman, writer, winner and loser of fortunes, and, last but not least, prison escapee.

Mark Seen

Salman Rushdie and the Ground beneath His Feet Apr 22, 1999 In Salman Rushdie 's new novel The Ground beneath Her Feet. singer Vina Aspara is caught up in an earthquake on Valentine's Day 1989, and never seen again. On that day Rushdie's own life was in upheaval as Ayatollah Khomeini pronounced the fatwa upon him. Rushdie talks to Francine Stock about the novel. There is also an interview with U2 singer Bono, who has based a song around lyrics from the book, and performs it with guitarist the Edge.

Mark Seen

Looking for the Iron Curtain Nov 7, 1999 The Iron Curtain ran north to south through Europe and divided the world for 50 years. American writer and broadcaster Reggie Nadelson joins former Soviet Union spin doctor Vladimir Pozner in an attempt to retrace the chilling and strange route of history's most astonishing border.

Mark Seen

Blondes - Diana Dors Dec 26, 1999 This second blonde-bombshell profile focuses on Britain's home-grown prototype, Diana Dors. The Rada-trained actress emerged as a sex symbol in the fifties through a run of low-budget British comedies. Hollywood success, however, proved elusive and, as her looks faded, Dors was reduced to cabaret appearances in northern clubs, although a series of cameo roles on stage and celluloid hinted at the talent that might have been.

Mark Seen

Blondes - Jayne Mansfield Dec 24, 1999 In 1957, Jayne Mansfield was riding high as the most photographed woman in the world. Yet, ten years later, she was reduced to stripping in seedy nightclubs to finance a serious alcohol problem and support her five children from three broken marriages. The first of three programmes on blonde bombshells from the arts strand hears from friends and relatives as it reassesses the star's roller-coaster life and career.

Mark Seen

Blondes - Anita Ekberg Dec 27, 1999 Perhaps best remembered as the shapely blonde who waded into the Trevi Fountain in La Dolce Vita , fifties sex symbol Anita Ekberg became a Hollywood icon and a cult figure in European cinema. This portrait, which concludes the documentary trilogy about screen sirens, tracks down the reclusive Swede in Italy and traces the path of a career that began to take off when she won a Miss Sweden beauty contest. Ekberg talks candidly about growing old, surviving personal disappointment, and the pressure that comes with being recognised as one of the world's most beautiful women.