A Century of Nobel Prize Winners

Describing a documentary’s style as “talking heads” isn’t usually a compliment. But in the case of “The Nobel: Visions of Our Century,” the heads that do the talking are so distinguished that it’s worth paying attention.

The hourlong film (8 p.m., KCET) uses the occasion of the Nobels’ 100th anniversary this year to explore some prominent prizewinners, their contributions and the sometimes double-edged nature of their achievements.

Filmmaker Bonni Cohen lets the laureates speak their minds directly, even choosing South Africa’s Nadine Gordimer, a 1991 winner for literature, as her narrator. Sometimes this works well, as when Desmond Tutu discusses world affairs and says, with humor and humility, that he won the peace prize in 1984 because he has an easy-to-remember name and face. Other times, the effect is tedious.

In all, 21 laureates are featured, in original interviews (including Elie Wiesel, Tutu and Murray Gell-Mann) and in archival footage (including the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Linus Pauling and Richard Feynman). There are an awful lot of stories to tell in such a short time; indeed, every laureate profiled could easily be the subject of his or her own hourlong film.

What we get here is a sampler of the Nobels’ hits (though there have been some missteps too) that often whets the appetite for more but occasionally leaves you wanting less.