The Crossing
- Program
- The Crossing
- Producing Organization
- KTCA-TV (Television station : Saint Paul, Minn.)
- Contributing Organization
- The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia (Athens, Georgia)
- AAPB ID
- cpb-aacip-526-0k26970w39
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- Description
- Program Description
- "THE CROSSING is a documentary, in personal essay form about freedom and how the human spirit responds to the conflicting vastness and confines of a life at sea. It's an unusual, at times startling revelation of the meanings of their lives found by the seamen of The Federal Maas. "Why do sailors go to sea? Why do men and women with homes and families choose to spend most of the year on a ship, confined and isolated, far away from the pleasure and freedom of life on land? To find out, in Spring 1984 a KTCA-TV crew set sail aboard the Belgian freighter, The Federal Maas, carrying 25,000 tons of grain from Duluth to northern Europe. The result of this 5,000 mile, month-long journey is THE CROSSING. "This program was very well-received when it aired locally receiving a 9 rating/18 share and prompting a record 301 phone calls."--1985 Peabody Awards entry form. The documentary begins with the introduction of a Belgian freighter called the Federal Maas. It is a merchant ship carrying North American grain to Europe. Then the ships Chief Mate, Pierre Derenne, is introduced, and he gives an introduction into his life aboard the ship. The journey beings in Lake Superior where the ship is loaded with cargo. The voyage quickly comes to a halt as the St. Clair waterway is blocked with ice. Aboard the ship the crew celebrates Easter with a meal of French cuisine prepared by Chief Cook, John Verlooy, and the ship officers are introduced. The ship sits for weeks, but finally they clear the ice field. Many of the ship's operations are described and introduced including life in the belly of the ship where the roaring engine is located. The journey to the sea narrows as they pass through the Welland Canal and the St. Lawrence canal which contain many locks they must properly maneuver. The ship reaches Montreal where they load container cargo along with water and fuel for the journey across the ocean. The ship's radio officer, Daniele Impens, is one of few female radio officers in a highly male dominated world of merchant ships. She wields a great deal of power knowing exactly what's happening to the ship before anyone else but is rarely able to disclose such information. Lieven Marques, junior deck officer, describes his complex love for the freedoms he has lost and found aboard the Federal Maas, with one of his greatest pleasures being each sunset and sunrise. This ship enters the English Channel and continues to deliver sunflower seeds to Germany and wheat to Belgium. The documentary concludes with remarks from Pierre Derenne and his love for the golden jail of life at sea.
- Broadcast Date
- 1985-02-06
- Asset type
- Program
- Media type
- Moving Image
- Duration
- 01:00:19.497
- Credits
-
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Producing Organization: KTCA-TV (Television station : Saint Paul, Minn.)
- AAPB Contributor Holdings
-
The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the
University of Georgia
Identifier: cpb-aacip-2f2ba4a9010 (Filename)
Format: U-matic
Duration: 1:00:00
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- Citations
- Chicago: “The Crossing,” 1985-02-06, The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed April 26, 2024, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-526-0k26970w39.
- MLA: “The Crossing.” 1985-02-06. The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. April 26, 2024. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-526-0k26970w39>.
- APA: The Crossing. Boston, MA: The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-526-0k26970w39