This classic, beautifully filmed program tells the story of George Gordon Byron and Venice, the city in which the poet made his home and found both the perfect symbol of his literary aesthetic and the material with which to express it. His Venetian era is brought to life through biographical reenactments and dramatic readings of his poetry, such as “Ode to Napoleon,” The Two Foscari, and selected cantos from Don Juan. Benita Eisler, Byron’s biographer, and several scholars discuss the poet’s influence on other artists, including Giuseppe Verdi and Eugène Delacroix, whose paintings Marino Falieri and The Death of Sardanapalus also illustrate the program. Produced by the Open University. (50 minutes)