History Collection

Life and adventures of lord George Gordon Byron. BBC dramatization of the poet's final thirteen years

Kim Sunmyung, a man with communist beliefs who refused to recant his ideals, would ultimately serve more than 42 years in prison. Based on a true story, the film tells of personal conviction and dignity.

Journeys through some of the most significant events in America's rise to power, reliving the improbabilities that demonstrate what the Founders always believed: that events unfolded according to a master plan.

A look at the confluence of the Red Scare, McCarthyism, and blacklists with the post-war activism by African Americans seeking more and better roles on radio, television, and stage. It begins in Harlem, measures the impact of Paul Robeson and the campaign to bring him down, looks at the role of HUAC, J. Edgar Hoover and of journalists such as Ed Sullivan, and ends with a tribute to Canada Lee. Throughout are interviews with men and women who were there, including Dick Campbell of the Rose McLendon Players and Fredrick O'Neal of the American Negro Theatre. In the 1940s and 1950s, anti-Communism was one more tool to maintain Jim Crow and to keep down African-Americans.

In 79 AD, one of the infamous natural disasters in human history occurred when Mount Vesuvius erupted. With speculative dramatizations of various inhabitants' final hours along with detailed documentation of the known facts concerning the eruption, the horrific day is vividly brought to life.

A comprehensive story of Hollywood's horror and science fiction films of the 1950s, told by the people who made them.

In the midst of the Siege of Osaka in the Sengoku period, a thrilling tale unfolds featuring a trio of ronin who manipulate a group of spies, a mysterious woman protecting a young lord, and the overwhelming roar of the Warring States captured on the silver screen.

Samon, who had left his position as a police constable, embarks on a journey. During his travel, he is attacked by a group of masked bandits and sufferes a deep wound on his way back to Edo at the request of Magistrate Toyama. Saved by Dr. Kazumichi, Samon is asked by Toyama to identify an informant among the members of the lightning gang, a group of cruel thieves wreaking havoc throughout Edo. Samon then becomes an assistant to the firefighter squad led by Naito Hayato-masamune. One night, while rushing to the oil merchant Tambaya, who is attacked by the robbers, Samon and his group discovered a trembling young girl Oso who is the only survivor of the massacre and has lost her voice due to terror.

The 1,000 Widows Brigade

In 1882, when Jelena Ilka Marković – the widow of Jevrem Marković, accused of participating in the Topolska Rebellion and summarily executed – attempted to assassinate King Milan Obrenović and thus avenge her husband. She was arrested, and a few months later she was found dead in her prison cell.

The last years of Bettino Craxi, one of the most important and controversial italian leader of the 1980's.

In the 11th century a missionary goes missing somewhere in the huge forests bordering the northern parts of Sweden. Among the rescue party chosen to find him is Nanna, a young woman on her first real mission and her first return to the part of the country where she was born. But what they will find deep inside those woods is something else entirely. Something dark. Something ancient. Something evil.

Ballard's trail jumpers attack the Wyatt Company wagon train, killing young John's parents and kidnaping his brother, Jim. In post-Civil War California, John Wyatt, now a man, pulls together a vigilante posse, The Singing Riders, who all ride white horses, dress alike, and ride the trails singing and rounding up outlaw gangs. Meanwhile, John is ever on the lookout for the gang that murdered his parents As a youngster John Wyatt saw his parents killed and his brother kidnapped. On a wagon train heading West he meets his brother who is now a spy for the gang which originally did the dirty work. He and his brother both fall for Mary Gordon When Ballard and his men attack the Wyatt wagon train, they kill all except two young brothers. Twelve years later one brother John has organized a vigilante group. The other brother Jim is now part of Ballard's gang and the two are destined to meet again

A tale of human connection, hope and resilience in the face of great tragedy, Under a Bamboo Sky uses new technology to bring to life an untold story of Australian soldiers held prisoner by the Japanese in WWII. Using their own words, their own voices, the film weaves the recollections of more than 60 former POWs with newly colourised archival material and new location footage to deliver a moving and revelatory first-hand account of their experience. Captured during the Japanese offensive and imprisoned in Singapore’s Changi Barracks, the film follows the years long journey of these soldiers through four countries. After bearing witness to some of WWII’s most history-defining events, they tell of returning home to families, wives and sweethearts, and of the price they paid for the trauma they endured. Shining through the horrors of war is the spirit of these men and an inspiring human capacity to find beauty in their surroundings and hold onto hope in the worst of circumstances.

June 27, 1980: a DC–9 flying over the Tyrrhenian Sea breaks up mid-air and crashes near the Italian island of Ustica, killing all 81 people on board. The official version blames the "structural failure" of the plane, but a young journalist smells a cover-up and starts to uncover the truth out of the 'invisible wall' of lies built by politicians and air force higher-ups.

A journey in the footsteps of the most famous initiate of Italian Trecento, the author of the celebrated "Divine Comedy". A poet who has inspired some of the most outstanding minds in History.

On the night of September 29, 2008, the Irish government decided to guarantee the entire domestic banking system.'The Guarantee' tells the story of that night, and what led to it.

An exquisite period piece that skillfully explores the intersections of sex, race and politics takes place in 18th century South Africa, telling the passionate (true) story of two men caught in an unjust system rife with racism, homophobia and cruelty.

In the era of Japan's Meiji Restoration, an assassin regains his humanity.

The life of Vincent de Paul, the 17th-century author and priest who founded two religious orders.

A Greek soldier leads the fight against an invading Persian army.

No Woman is allowed into Karlstejn Castle! Yet the enamoured Daniele Kolářová and the equally enamoured Jana Brejchová manage to spend one night in disguise in the Castle despite the strict royal ban.

A retelling of the fateful Feast at Swan Goose Gate, a historical event that involved two rebel leaders opposing the Qin dynasty.

In the time of the Tang Dynasty, Yu Xiufeng, a porcelain maker from Mount Meicen, makes a ceramic statue of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara to consecrate at Mount Wutai to protect the princeling Li Yi.

Another adaptation of Tange Sazen.

Described as an unconventional biopic, 'akin to an autobiography', telling the story of Joni Mitchell's life from her point of view, while also offering her view on the world.

Crown of Castile, 1520. The Comuneros rise up against Charles I, king of Castile and Aragon and emperor of the Hispanic Monarchy. While Juan de Padilla, leader of the uprising, and his captains, Juan Bravo and Francisco Maldonado, fight against the imperial armies, his wife, María de Pacheco, rules the city of Toledo, capital of the rebels.

A young actress becomes politically aware within the Paris Commune of 1871.

The romanced story of Xica da Silva, a slave that used her "feminine atributes" in order to get power.

1916. Julien Delaunay is reported missing in action during the Great War. His wife, Julie, refuses to believe he is dead. 1919. When a photo of an amnesic drifter appears in the press, Julie immediately recognizes him as her beloved husband. They are reunited and, little by little, she helps him to fall in love with her again. Until another woman claims to be the man’s real wife…

The authorities summon many young men for forced labor in the Suez Canal, so Metwally leaves his sister Shafiqa alone with their old grandfather, whereupon Shafiqa is forced to succumb to the temptations of Diab, the district chief's son. As their sinful relationship is revealed, she is forced to leave for Asyut, where she becomes the mistress of Al Tarabishi, the supplier of slaves.

The life story of Blessed Zdislava of Lemberk, about whom legends rather than sparse historical references tell us that she was a deeply religious woman with healing powers who devoted herself entirely to the humble service of her sick and suffering neighbors.

Seville, Spain, 14th century. A group of black slaves brought from Africa form the Hermandad de los Negros, a Holy Week brotherhood that has survived over the centuries, despite the opposition of the powerful; still active, it is one of the oldest institutions in Europe.

Cupertino, Italy, 1623: A simple-minded and clumsy young man joins a Franciscan order as a hired hand, overcoming his intellectual and social challenges with a pure heart and a simple faith. God performs a miracle through him, quite literally raising him to sainthood.

Filmed on the rooftops of lower Manhattan, this performance film features the original Last Poets performing 28 numbers adapted from their legendary Concept-East Poetry appearance at New York's Paperback Theater in 1969. Described as “a conspiracy of ritual, street theater, soul music and cinema."

In 1905, Vergille Strauss is a young thief living in the small country of Apfelland. With the help of a local inspector named Fleischer, he rescues a girl from a group of foreign thugs. Her name is Frieda and she may be the key to a secret that is of great interest to other nations.

Komboodhi is the leader of a tribe that steals from the rich to survive. He befriends Varipuli, unaware of his past, only to learn that his village has been hunting him to offer his life to god.

In 1747, a handsome but rebellious Scotsman named Richard Abdee is auctioned off as a slave on a Caribbean island controlled by French and British sugar-planters. When caught having sex with his owner's wife, Abdee is given 100 lashes with the dreaded "dragonard" whip. This sentence is meant to be fatal but Abdee survives and later joins in a slave revolt which puts an end to the island's era of savage whippings.

A special agent of frontier force in Canton tries to find a spy called aunt Mei.

Kherson, Ukraine's embattled city, has endured invasion, occupation, and liberation. On February 24, 2022, Russian tanks entered Kherson, leading to brutal occupation marked by violence. Despite being outnumbered, local defense forces resisted, and citizens protested under the slogan "Kherson is Ukraine!" An underground resistance formed, led by brave individuals like journalist Valentyna and others who risked arrest and torture to support the cause. After nine months, Ukrainian forces liberated Kherson, but Russian destruction left the city in chaos. Shelling and drone attacks became relentless, and in June 2023, a dam explosion flooded the city, causing further devastation. Despite these challenges, Kherson's spirit remained unbroken, with citizens embracing arts and resilience. By August 2024, drone attacks specifically targeted civilians, yet the city resisted, determined to rebuild and reclaim its identity, refusing to succumb to ruin.

A dramatic look at the inner workings of the Kennedy administration.

Centered around the 2002 massacres in Gujarat, the film tells the story of a happy family that is torn apart by the loss of their son Parzan.

The course of an organized strike by workers from North Moravian steelworks in 1931 to resist mass layoffs during the economic crisis.

Solidarity, peace, and brotherly love – especially in difficult times. The passion stands for values and has fascinated people for over 2000 years already. Now, Jesus Christ gets resurrected once again in ‘Die Passion’ (The Passion): During the RTL live music event, he awakes in modern times – accompanied by real pop hits. The modern depiction of the final days in the life of Jesus Christ is enacted in ‘Die Passion’ by an array of popular stars of the worlds of acting and music.

The movie Karolina Rijecka is loosely based on the legendary story of young Karolina Belinic. When the English fleet began firing cannons on the Adriatic port of Rijeka, young Karolina boarded the ship of English Admiral John Leard and negotiated a cease-fire to save the town from destruction.

The film is based on real historical facts of the First World War. The action takes place in Galicia. Metropolitan Andrey, the head of the Uniate Church, who wants to permanently link Western Ukraine with the Austrian crown, assigns Roman, a young cornet of the Austrian army, to guard the archives at St. George's Cathedral. But Roman, having familiarized himself with the contents of some materials, is going to make secret documents public...

France, 1640. Lawyer Maitre Pompignac has never won a case: all his clients are dead, either drawn and quartered, impaled or scalded... One day, a young woman comes to him and asks him to defend an inno- cent girl: 11-year-old Roxane, wrongly accused of killing a Marshal of France. Pompignac accepts, with- out realising that Roxane is in fact not an 11-year-old child, but a goat...

The story revolves around Kurt Bey's journey to defend the Ottoman Empire and rescue his brother. Malkoçoğlu Ali Bey is killed in battle. He leaves the plans for the location of Don Castillani's treasure, divided into two necklaces, to his twin sons, Doğan Bey and Kurt Bey. However, Prince Murat, who opposes the sultan, and his man Mahmut Bey, join forces with Duke D'Alvarez and kidnap Doğan Bey. Doğan Bey, who was kidnapped at a young age, grows up unaware of his father, as the son of D'Alvarez. Kurt Bey, upon reaching adulthood, goes to fight against the Black Knight, who is oppressing Prince Murat and the villagers in the Balkans, under the orders of Sultan Süleyman Han. During this time, he will both encounter his brother and infiltrate the ranks of his enemies.

A friendship started in childhood in Thessaloniki firstly turned into being comrade in arms and then a half-century brotherhood and fraternity following the same ideals until the death upon proclamation of the Republic; Ataturk & Salih Bozok Veda Ataturk (The Farewell Ataturk) is the story of a brotherhood, portrayal of milestones in Ataturk's life and the story of a commander commanding a generation that challenged the death to save the homeland.

The extraordinary story of the Irish War of Independence (1919-22): from the failed insurrection of 1916, the detailed account of how pro-independence Ireland rebuilt a movement whose efforts would eventually lead to the creation of a new nation. (Documentary film based on the miniseries of the same title.)

An account of the life and work of the famous Mexican journalist Manuel Buendía (1926-84) that seeks to unravel his murder and the links between Mexican politics and drug trafficking.

One night in Durham, North Carolina, a rape accusation set fire to the reputations of three college athletes and their elite university. As the Duke lacrosse players grappled with their transition from model student to the criminally accused, several wars were launched on different fronts.

French silent film pioneer Abel Gance directs this 1935 classic about Lucrezia Borgia, her brother, Cesare. and her father, Pope Alexander VI -- one of history's most ruthless and ambitious crime families.

Queen Christina of Sweden abdicates and travels to Rome to embrace the Catholic church.

Set in the Azuchi Monoyama period (the last third of the 16th century) when Goemon Ishikawa lived, it portrays Lupin and other characters boldly with the techniques and stage tricks of kabuki. It is the first official kabuki adaptation of the Lupin the Third franchise