Video entertainment for my grandfather
August 24, 2018 12:11 PM

My 95-year old grandfather needs some entertainment. Help me make a playlist of free online videos I can share with his caretakers! I've started collecting them here, to give you an idea: great full-length classical concerts, documentaries with clear visuals and narration (I added one on Ansel Adams; nature/engineering ones are also good), classic visually-arresting films low on dialogue (e.g. The Red Balloon, Buster Keaton), and calm shows like Great British Bake-Off he can zone in and out of.

Time-wise, videos should be 30 min to 1.5 hours.

They can be on YouTube, Vimeo, Internet Archive, PBS, NY Times, New Yorker, etc. Anywhere online and not behind a paywall.

Thanks!
posted by waninggibbon to Society & Culture (3 answers total) 11 users marked this as a favorite
He might enjoy the documentary that is on PBS occasionally about Dick Proenneke, who singlehandedly built his own log cabin in the woods of Alaska in the mid-60s. You can also find bits and pieces of it on YouTube. The filming is simple, the narration is of few words, the beauty of Alaska speaks for itself as he films himself building the cabin from scratch throughout the seasons.

PBS Description:
Dick Proenneke retired at age 50 in 1967 and decided to build his own cabin on the shore of Twin Lakes. The first summer he scouted for the best cabin site, and cut and peeled the logs he would need for his cabin. Dick Proenneke returned the next summer to finish the cabin where he lived for over 30 years. Dick filmed his adventures, and Bob Swerer later turned the film into a video so we can all watch this amazing man build his cabin by hand.
posted by HeyAllie at 12:42 PM on August 24, 2018


How about PBS Great American Railway Journeys (I think that is the name)? Or Smithsonian Aerial America? IIRC they have multiple episodes and are easy watching.
posted by jraz at 12:51 PM on August 24, 2018



posted by XMLicious at 3:12 PM on August 24, 2018


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