Directing

Calvin Skaggs

Known for

Directing

Credits

15 titles

Known for

On Valentine's Day poster
5.7

In 1917, Elizabeth defies her wealthy parents by running off and marrying Horace Robedaux, a young man of humble prospects. Her parents have not spoken to her since - even though the couple lives in a rooming house nearby, they are struggling financially, and she is pregnant.

On Valentine's Day

1986

Go Tell It on the Mountain poster
6.3

Over a single, pivotal Saturday in 1930s Harlem, 14-year-old John Grimes wrestles with his religious calling and his fraught relationship with his abusive, hypocritical stepfather, Gabriel. Extended flashbacks explore the oppressive Southern past and personal histories of John's mother, his aunt, and Gabriel, ultimately illuminating the generational trauma and complex family secrets that shape his life.

Go Tell It on the Mountain

1984

The Jilting of Granny Weatherall poster
4.0

Granny Weatherall (Geraldine Fitzgerald) is a spunky old lady of eighty who bosses around her doctor and her children. She seems so strong and in control, and yet she has never had the upper hand in her destiny. One morning, a flood of long-forgotten memories bring her to the realization that of all her accomplishments, she cannot console herself for the shame-filled day she was left standing at the alter. Still, her indomitable will to live and act independently infuses the last day of her life. Adapted from the short story by acclaimed writer Katherine Anne Porter ("Ship of Fools"), The Jilting of Granny Weatherall reminds us of the plight of many women who wait for life to claim them, rather than seek life out for themselves.

The Jilting of Granny Weatherall

1980

Barn Burning poster
5.4

Ab Snopes (Tommy Lee Jones) is a Southern tenant farmer whose unrelenting and violent nature proves to be his undoing in William Faulkner's Barn Burning. Snopes sets his employer's barn on fire when he thinks he's been treated unfairly. His son, Sarty, is horrified. Snopes escapes justice for lack of proof, but he and his family are told to move on. No sooner do they move than Snopes is offended by his new rich employer. Torn between trying to win his father's acceptance and his aversion to what his father will do, Sarty must make a decision and act quickly. Adapted by Academy Award winning screenwriter Horton Foote, Faulkner's complex world of class divisions and hostile family relationships comes to life through a boy's attempt to liberate himself from hatred and poverty.

Barn Burning

1980

Lincoln and the War Within poster
8.0

First few weeks of Lincoln's presidency where crucial for the direction the country would take. He had to bridge the gap between the victorious North and the jaded South and William H. Seward, his Secretary of State, played a crucial role.

Lincoln and the War Within

1992

The Sunset Gang poster
7.0

Three stories about the Jewish elderly in Florida: in "Yiddish," a man and a woman, both married to others, form a bond through their native language; in "The Detective," a married couple who have grown apart come together again as they pursue a thief in the neighborhood; and in "The Home," a woman struggles against her grown children, who want to place her in a nursing facility.

The Sunset Gang

1991

Behind the camera

On Valentine's Day poster
5.7

In 1917, Elizabeth defies her wealthy parents by running off and marrying Horace Robedaux, a young man of humble prospects. Her parents have not spoken to her since - even though the couple lives in a rooming house nearby, they are struggling financially, and she is pregnant.

On Valentine's Day

1986

Go Tell It on the Mountain poster
6.3

Over a single, pivotal Saturday in 1930s Harlem, 14-year-old John Grimes wrestles with his religious calling and his fraught relationship with his abusive, hypocritical stepfather, Gabriel. Extended flashbacks explore the oppressive Southern past and personal histories of John's mother, his aunt, and Gabriel, ultimately illuminating the generational trauma and complex family secrets that shape his life.

Go Tell It on the Mountain

1984

The Jilting of Granny Weatherall poster
4.0

Granny Weatherall (Geraldine Fitzgerald) is a spunky old lady of eighty who bosses around her doctor and her children. She seems so strong and in control, and yet she has never had the upper hand in her destiny. One morning, a flood of long-forgotten memories bring her to the realization that of all her accomplishments, she cannot console herself for the shame-filled day she was left standing at the alter. Still, her indomitable will to live and act independently infuses the last day of her life. Adapted from the short story by acclaimed writer Katherine Anne Porter ("Ship of Fools"), The Jilting of Granny Weatherall reminds us of the plight of many women who wait for life to claim them, rather than seek life out for themselves.

The Jilting of Granny Weatherall

1980

Barn Burning poster
5.4

Ab Snopes (Tommy Lee Jones) is a Southern tenant farmer whose unrelenting and violent nature proves to be his undoing in William Faulkner's Barn Burning. Snopes sets his employer's barn on fire when he thinks he's been treated unfairly. His son, Sarty, is horrified. Snopes escapes justice for lack of proof, but he and his family are told to move on. No sooner do they move than Snopes is offended by his new rich employer. Torn between trying to win his father's acceptance and his aversion to what his father will do, Sarty must make a decision and act quickly. Adapted by Academy Award winning screenwriter Horton Foote, Faulkner's complex world of class divisions and hostile family relationships comes to life through a boy's attempt to liberate himself from hatred and poverty.

Barn Burning

1980

Lincoln and the War Within poster
8.0

First few weeks of Lincoln's presidency where crucial for the direction the country would take. He had to bridge the gap between the victorious North and the jaded South and William H. Seward, his Secretary of State, played a crucial role.

Lincoln and the War Within

1992

Lincoln and the War Within poster
8.0

First few weeks of Lincoln's presidency where crucial for the direction the country would take. He had to bridge the gap between the victorious North and the jaded South and William H. Seward, his Secretary of State, played a crucial role.

Lincoln and the War Within

1992

The Sunset Gang poster
7.0

Three stories about the Jewish elderly in Florida: in "Yiddish," a man and a woman, both married to others, form a bond through their native language; in "The Detective," a married couple who have grown apart come together again as they pursue a thief in the neighborhood; and in "The Home," a woman struggles against her grown children, who want to place her in a nursing facility.

The Sunset Gang

1991

The Fig Tree poster
NR

The plot centers around Miranda, a young girl who lost her mother at a very young age. She is troubled and withdrawn, pretend plays alone for hours and is obsessed with death. She creates elaborate little cemeteries using figs and sticks, burying dead insects or animals she comes across. Her family members relate stories and tales and slowly bring her out of her shell and help her cope better with life and death and all in between. A moving family piece that can help children deal with grief, life and death.

The Fig Tree

1987

No artwork available
8.0

With God on Our Side… is an excessive title about Christian church fundamentalism and how, like the Taliban, religious groups feel a God given right to institute a society of specific religious beliefs that not everyone shares.

With God on Our Side: George W. Bush and the Rise of the Religious Right in America

2004

No artwork available
8.0

With God on Our Side… is an excessive title about Christian church fundamentalism and how, like the Taliban, religious groups feel a God given right to institute a society of specific religious beliefs that not everyone shares.

With God on Our Side: George W. Bush and the Rise of the Religious Right in America

2004

Rappaccini's Daughter poster
7.2

Set in 18th Century Italy, RAPPACCINI'S DAUGHTER is the tale of a young scholar named Giovanni (Kristoffer Tabori) who falls in love with a beautiful, yet forbidden, girl who tends her father's poison garden. However, the strange and unearthly beauty of Beatrice (Kathleen Beller) masks a terrifying curse which Giovanni must tragically discover. Her father, the mysterious Dr. Rappaccini, has made her the subject of a diabolical experiment. In Giovanni's attempt to free Beatrice from the control of her father and to escape the poisonous effect she begins to have on him, he unwittingly destroys her. From the short story of master American novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne, two quintessential Hawthorne themes are explored: the sins of interfering with another's soul and the futility of trying to tamper with nature.

Rappaccini's Daughter

1980

A Road to Home poster
NR

A Road to Home tracks the lives of six homeless LGBTQ young people over 18 months. Their lives typify the experience of the 500,000 homeless youth on American streets every night, 40% of them LGBTQ.

A Road to Home

2016

A Road to Home poster
NR

A Road to Home tracks the lives of six homeless LGBTQ young people over 18 months. Their lives typify the experience of the 500,000 homeless youth on American streets every night, 40% of them LGBTQ.

A Road to Home

2016

To Tell the Truth: A History of Documentary Film (1928-1946) poster
NR

A detailed history of documentary filmmaking in the US and the UK from 1929 to 1945. The first part, Working for Change, focuses on 1929-1941 and the social movements of the times, The Great Depression, The New Deal, and the awakening of the Leftwing in the UK. The second part, The Strategy of Truth, focuses on 1933-1946 and explores the role of film as propaganda during World War II, and the different forms it took in the US, the UK, and Germany.

To Tell the Truth: A History of Documentary Film (1928-1946)

2012

No artwork available
NR

If, as the saying goes, information is power, then journalists can be seen as watchdogs of our government leaders and custodians of the public good, providing truthful information to help citizens build or preserve democratic societies. DEMOCRACY ON DEADLINE is a comprehensive look at journalists worldwide, working in different media and various languages, as they attempt to speak truth to power.

Democracy on Deadline

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