Land of the Quintuplets

In 1934, Elzire Dionne delivered five identical girls. The Dionne Quintuplets follows Cecile, Emilie, Marie, Yvonne and Annette through twenty-one years of strange upbringing. When the girls were just infants, the premier of Ontario issued a court order removing them from parental care. Cut off from the world and their family, over-publicized, viewed twice daily in a special viewing compound, they grew up as prize exhibits. Director Donald Brittain uses old newsreel footage, home-movie sequences and interviews to depict a historic event that became a tragic exploitation of a family.

Cécile, Annette, Yvonne, Émilie and Marie, the Dionne Quintuplets, turn five years old and have a private birthday party in their garden. Other than the five little French-Canadian princesses-of-the-world, the attendees at the party for the sheltered sisters are their doctor-and-mentor Roy Dafoe; a priest and two nurses; radio's "Town Crier" Alexander Woollcott; and RKO-Newsreel cameraman Harry Smith.

The novelty shop owner has gone home, and that means it's time for its items to animate and have fun.

A doctor has a rough time obtaining the money for his services in a lumber town until he delivers quintuplets.

Newspapers around the world proclaim the birth in Moosetown, Canada of the 3,000th baby brought into the world by the doctor, John Luke, known for delivering the famous Wyatt quintuplets. To honor the doctor on his retirement and to publicize their town, the Moosetown chamber of commerce decides to hold a reunion of all the babies delivered by the doctor, some of whom have become famous.

A publicity-minded French mayor reunites quintuplets and their earthy father, all six played by Fernandel.

A teenager goes to desperate lengths to get attention when her mother gives birth to quints.

Rival reporters compete to sign the Wyatt Quintuplets to be guests on their radio shows.

Looks at the emergence of lesbian feature filmmakers in the U.S. and how they produce films on a small budget. Interviews with directors Rose Troche (Go Fish); Sharon Pollack (Everything Relative); and Alex Sichel (All Over Me) as well as producer Dolly Hall, executive producer Christine Vachon and writers Sylvia Sichel and Guinevere Turner.

We all know Jack Nicholson the actor. But few know the history of Jack Nicholson the screenwriter, and especially Jack Nicholson the director. Nicholson's lifelong friend, filmmaker Henry Jaglom, reflects on the icon's behind-the-camera career, while film historian/filmmaker Daniel Kremer presents and analyzes the full scope of that history.

Onboard the Panerai container ship, the young sailor Rudmer dreams of becoming a captain himself one day.