Poldark

Gilbert set the first act of his opera off the rocky coast of Cornwall, where a band of good-natured and inefficient pirates are celebrating the release of their young apprentice, Frederic (Rex Smith), from his indentures. Frederic, however, shocks them with his revelation that he intends to leave them to lead an honest life, since he became a pirate in the first place only by accident. As a little lad his father had instructed his nursery maid, Ruth (Patricia Routledge)—now the pirates' cook and washerwoman—to apprentice him to a pilot. Cast: Kevin Kline, Linda Ronstadt, Rex Smith, George Rose, Patricia Routledge, Tony Azito. (120 minutes)

Film clip (2 min. 29 seconds): "A Pennsylvania hospital built in 1751 exhibits in its design the very rational approach with which its patricians confronted the universe. There was no longer room for the occult in medicine."

Film Clip (1 min 31 sec ) "In the spirit of experimental science, Dr. Erasmus Darwin convinced Wedgwood to amputate his leg."

Film Clip (3 min 16 sec): "Pain was once understood as a necessary part of surgery. Chemist Humphry Davy experimented and found that nitrous oxide gas relieved pain. He theorized about its potential in surgery but went no further than to write about it. "