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Author David Macaulay hosts CATHEDRAL, based on his award-winning book. Using a combination of spectacular location sequences and cinema-quality animation, the program surveys France's most famous churches. Travel back to 1214 to explore the design of Notre Dame de Beaulieu, a representative Gothic cathedral. The program tells period tales revealing fascinating stories of life and death, faith and despair, prosperity, and intrigue.
Aspiring actress Eva Duarte rises from a minor celebrity to the wife of a powerful Argentine dictator, but her all consuming fiery rage, ambition, and hatred eventually become her downfall.
Postwar France was slow to recover from the after-effects of the World War Two. The economy was doing poorly, and many people were poor and homeless, sleeping under bridges, etc. The winter of 1953-54 proved particularly difficult for these people, as it was one of the coldest on record. Father Pierre (Lambert Wilson), a parish priest, on seeing the suffering of these people (and their frequent death from the cold), was moved to write the French government seeking help for them. When his letter, which was published in the newspapers, succeeded in rousing overwhelming popular support for helping the homeless, he was able to form a charitable group (still active today) titled "Les Chiffoniers d'Emmaus," or "The Ragpickers of Emmaus" to channel help to them. This biographical film tells the true story of Abbe Pierre's successful efforts in those years.
King Azad gets locked in a dungeon by the British general Dyer who wants to take over his kingdom. Years later, Azad's son decides to put an end to Dyer's tyranny and comes to his father's rescue.
The movie consists of three novellas, the events of which take place during World War II. The first, "White Daisies", tells how a Polish priest saves a Jewish boy who survived a mass shooting. Another movie story, "Desolation," is about a ghetto boy in love who must, by all means, bring wildflowers to his beloved. The third novel, "The Cuckoo's Prediction," is about a prisoner who escapes from a POW camp. He escapes after his bunkmate tells him that he heard him speaking Yiddish in his sleep.
The life of King Henry the Sixth, in three parts.
After the defeat of the 1905 revolution, the underground fighter Gio is sentenced to 25 years of hard labor. However, he manages to escape eight years later. Having lost his wife and daughter during this time, he decides to take revenge on the gendarmes. Gio's younger brother joins him in the mountains...
An old teahouse in Beijing serves as the stage for a drama that unfolds over several tumultuous decades of modern Chinese history, from the waning days of the Qing dynasty to the eve of the People's Republic.
The seeming hopelessness of combatting an all-powerful government that will not tolerate political dissension is the focus of this excellent historical drama set in the mid-19th century in Hungary. In the opening scenes, Hungary has just lost its bid for independence from Austria and a Magyar officer, unable to bear the tragedy of defeat and what it means, says an affectionate good-bye to his beloved horse and then shoots the animal and himself. Two years later, Ferenc (Gyorgy Cserhalmi) is trying to eke out a living for his wife and her family -- and at the same time avoid any hint of sympathy for Hungarian independence because the Secret Police are everywhere. Just as life seems to be going well, Ferenc's former commanding officer (Lajos Oze) arrives and begins discussing revolution again -- a futile pursuit at this point in time. The next day, Ferenc is thrown into an insane asylum and everyone else is arrested as well.
October 1934. Poland. Famous bank robber Kwinto decided to quit his dangerous criminal job, but after his friend's death, he changed his mind and organized a burglary of famous and well protected bank which belonged to his former partner in crime, backstabbing and double-crossing Kramer. Kwinto designs a clever plan not to only rob the Kramer's bank but to make it look like Kramer himself did it.
This film depicts the life of Saint John Bosco, who dedicated his life to rescuing abandoned and exploited street children in Turin.
The two-part TV movie Hitler's SS: Portrait in Evil crystallizes that evil by concentrating on two Berlin brothers. In 1931, Helmut Hoffman a brilliant student and self-styled opportunist, joins Hitler's SS. At the same time, his younger brother Karl, a top athlete and idealist, becomes a chauffeur for the "S.A.".
Sangokushi is set in the waning days of the Han dynasty. Central rule has disintegrated, and the land is controlled by multiple warlords. Liu Bei Xuande is a warrior who aspires to build a just state and to serve the people.
The story of the Russian-born, Wisconsin-raised woman who rose to become Israel's prime minister in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
A movie based on the stories by Antanas Vienuolis.
Taiwanese historical drama about the Buddhist monk Huineng.
Phar Lap, the big bold chestnut reigned as the king of the turf in the depression that gripped Australia of the 1930s. From his humble beginnings the New Zealand bred horse raced on to become the hero of a nation.
A multigenerational story of the lives of several black women who call an inner-city tenement home.
The life of King Henry the Sixth, in three parts.
The film is about a young Georgian poet Mirza Gelovani, who died in WWII. It also tells the story of Mirza Gelovani’s contemporaries who sacrificed their youth to their homeland
The folktale about Bloody Lady Bathory, doomed to bathe in the blood of young girls in order to be forever youthful herself.
18th-century Turkmenistan. By the will of the rulers of the Khanate of Khiva, the once-blooming land was turned into a desert. In order to unite the scattered nomadic tribes and make his people independent, the elder of one of the tribes, Khodjanepes, secretly travels to St. Petersburg to seek help from Peter I. The tsar, who was interested in strengthening the southern borders, sent Prince Cherkassky's expeditionary force to Turkmenistan, but he made a grave mistake. After listening to the Khiva Khan, who had heard about Khodjanepes's visit to the Russian capital, the tsar divided the expedition into two groups, giving Khodjanepes an excellent opportunity to deal with his soldiers.
Ignacy Jan Paderewski returns to Poland. A journalist who is supposed to describe his arrival is called to the editorial office.
Based on the book by the same name, the film follows the exploits of Arturo "El Negro" Durazo, who was the head of the police department in Mexico City, we witness his crimes and his eccentric life, that will inevitably lead to his fall.
The story of one of Brazilian cinema's pioneers, Eduardo Abelim, from the start of his career, in Rio de Janeiro, until his filming of the 1930 Revolution. To promote his films, Abelim would even perform car stunts, give classes on the occult and offer guidance on mystical matters.
The fairy tale story of the actress who became a princess is told in this biography that traces her rise from Philadelphia socialite to Hollywood movie star.
Bahram Beyzai's poetic imagining of the circumstances that led to the death of Yazdgerd III, the last of the Sassanid kings of Iran. His death in 651, during the Arab invasions that brought Islam to this Zoroastrian realm, was mysterious: his corpse was discovered in a mill, but the cause of his death—and the whereabouts of his remains—are unknown.
Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas attempt to flight over Atlantic ocean.
Hanka Ordonówna is a star of pre-war Polish cabarets. The film begins in 1942 in the Middle East, in a British military camp located near the front line. Hanka runs a shelter for homeless Polish children. In her moments of respite, the singer, who is suffering from tuberculosis, recalls the various stages of her career.
The life and travels of adventurer Naomi Uemura, who disappeared in Alaska in 1984. A member of the first Japanese expedition to reach the summit of Mt Everest in 1970, Uemura also accomplished several "firsts". He was the first man to reach the North Pole solo, climb Denali solo, and float down the Amazon river solo. In the film, Uemura returns to Tokyo after a stint in Siorapaluk in Northern Greenland. In Tokyo, he reconnects with an old friend and, over coffee, shares his life story - from his days as a college dropout to his successful expedition to the top of Everest.
In a factory that prioritizes profits amid economic downturns, a female worker criticized for her poor performance commits suicide, prompting her colleagues to strike and demand improved working conditions.
Attorney Henry Strauss grew up in Germany, but left the country with his Jewish family during the rise of the Third Reich. Still wondering about what happened to his boyhood friend Konradin Von Lohenburg, Strauss travels back to Germany for the first time since he was a young man, bringing up some painful memories.
In August 1799, Russian troops under the command of A.V. Suvorov, having defeated the French in northern Italy, received an unexpected order. Instead of marching on Paris, they are ordered to go to the remote Swiss Alps, where there is a powerful and countless French army.
The film takes place in 19th Century British India and is the story of the fight for independence from the British in the years spanning from 1825 to 1875. It tells the story of two men who led the war against British Rule, Sanga and Bharat both of whom call themselves Kranti.
In the dead of night, a few hours after Mozart's death, the usual suspects are summoned to Mozart's room by Count Pergen, head of the secret police, who considered Mozart a potential revolutionary. Over the corpse, he interrogates them, trying to discover the true cause and significance of Mozart's demise.
A frightening atmosphere, full of chilling dampness and darkness, follows the fate of a desperate searcher who tries in vain to unravel the supposed secret of the altarpiece...
Praised for its fine photography and production design if not its narrative, Sergei Bondarchuk directed this adaptation of the tale by Alexander Pushkin. Boris Godunov came to the Czarist throne at the end of the 16th century, after the original heir to Ivan the Terrible had died. At first, things went well for Godunov (played by Bondarchuk), but when the Russian people began to believe he had killed Ivan the Terrible's son in order to gain the throne, an alliance sprang up against the new Czar. Events continued to spin out of control as a young monk was presented as the son Godunov had supposedly killed. Now he was openly accused of failing an assassination attempt, which seems to be even worse than succeeding. In addition to these woes, Boris Godunov began to suffer serious health problems. So much for the joys of kingship.
About the saints Kanaka and Purandara who led the Bhakti movement, which insisted that theological language be spoken in popular dialect rather than Sanskrit.
An aging Red Army veteran retraces the Long March grasslands with a group of young art students, his memories resurfacing in fluid flashbacks of the desperate silver-dollar escort mission that tested his comrades' faith and his own resolve.
This film within a film is based on the painting Las Meninas by Diego de Velazquez. A young boy enters the canvas of the famous picture of the Spanish king and his court. In order to return to the real world, he must convince the artist to create his famous painting. The other plot involves a film director who is not sure how his film within a film will be created. He is distracted by his troubled marriage and has difficulty focusing on his project.
During World War I, a poor black Southerner travels north to Chicago to get work in the city's slaughterhouses, where he becomes embroiled in the organized labor movement.
A historical drama focusing on the days leading up to Albania's declaration of independence from the Ottoman Empire in November 1912.
Vice Adm. Horatio Nelson's remarkable naval career and troubled personal affairs are brought to life in this miniseries, which tells his famous story through the narratives of those who knew him best.
A story based on true events about two explorers on a doomed journey trying to cross Australia on foot in the 19 century.
The Christmas of 1905 in Vigala is not a peaceful holiday. The manor house has just been pillaged during the peasant's revolt; the air is full of smoke of fire and there is the premonition of inevitable punishment. Bernhard Laipmann is a tenant farmer whose wife is asking him to leave home since her husband keeps drawing the attention of the authorities. Having doubts about leaving, Laipmann is inspired by endeavouring towards freedom and equality and alarmed by the violence of the revolution.
Jesus tries to impress at the Last Supper with some miracles but his final parlor trick does not end the way he would like.
A biographical feature on the Italian literary giant, Gabriele D'Annunzio. Set in late 19th century Italy and France when the artistic style, Decadentismo, was beginning to take shape, the film focuses on D'Annunzio's life when he was already an established poet and journalist in Rome. A staunch opponent of democracy and commoners, he searches for passion and pleasure among the wealthy and noble. One such noblewoman Elvira Fraternali Leoni, serves as the muse for his first novel - The Pleasure (Il Piacere).
Meredith Monk's "Ellis Island" is a haunting, reflective piece on Ellis Island and the immigrants who passed through there.
In 1901, Mexican American farmer Gregorio Cortez is forced on the run from Texas Rangers, evading a massive manhunt on horseback for days following a heated misunderstanding leads to the death of a lawman.
Johann Gottfried Schadow is only in his early twenties when he is put in charge of the royal sculptor's workshop in Prussia's capital Berlin. He is supported in this position above all by the fair ladies.
Francis Ford Coppola’s adaptation of Washington Irving’s classic tale about Rip Van Winkle, a carefree villager who wanders into New York’s Catskill Mountains, drinks with mysterious strangers, and falls into a deep sleep—awakening twenty years later to find the world around him transformed.
Old West highwayman Bill Miner, known to Pinkertons as "The Gentleman Bandit," is released in 1901 after 33 years in prison. A genial and charming old man, he re-enters a world unfamiliar to him, and returns to the only thing that gives him purpose — robbery.
This film illustrates the struggles of Canadian prairies women to achieve a more just and humane society within the farm movement and at large. During the early 1900s, women on the prairies looked for ways to overcome their isolation. Out of the resulting farm women's organizations grew a group of women possessing remarkable intellectual abilities, social and cultural awareness, and advanced worldviews.
Bio-drama tracing the life and career of Polish cardinal Karol Wojtyla from his days as a young activist in Poland to his rise and installation in 1978 as Pope of the Catholic world.
Cast ashore on a desert island after a fierce ocean storm, fifteen school boys find their lives changed forever. Who cut the lines that sent their ship to sea with no captain or crew? Why are pirates after the boys' new-found friend? Will they ever get home again? The excitement unfolds in scene after thrilling scene.