''The Miracle of Life'' is a documentary film about the human reproductive process. The film won multiple awards including a Peabody and an Emmy when it was broadcast as part of the American TV series ''

Nova A nova ( novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. All observed novae involve white ...

''. Photographed by Lennart Nilsson, the program originally aired in Sweden on November 26, 1982 under the title of "The Saga of Life." The

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

acquired the episode for the documentary series ''Horizon'' and aired it that same month. Many scenes were edited and the intro in both the ''Horizon'' and ''Nova'' versions are different, as well as the ending scene where the baby was born. The ''Nova'' version of the film was broadcast on PBS on February 15, 1983. It was written and produced by Bebe Nixon and narrated by Anita Sangiolo. A sequel called "''Life's Greatest Miracle''" aired on November 20, 2001 on PBS using microimagery taken by Lennart Nilsson with narration by

John Lithgow John Arthur Lithgow ( ; born , 1945) is an American actor. He studied at Harvard University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before becoming known for his John Lithgow filmography, diverse work on stage and screen. He has rece ...

Awards

The episode won the following awards: ;1984 * American Film Festival Blue Ribbon * American Film Festival Emily Award * Ohio State Award * San Francisco International Film Festival Award ;1983 *

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

George Foster Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in ...

* ALA Notable Children's Videos

References

External links

*
Life's Greatest Miracle
Video on PBS 2010s American documentary television series American educational television series American English-language television shows Peabody Award–winning broadcasts Science education television series PBS original programming {{tv-episode-stub