This half-hour BBC documentary offers a revealing look at Svankmajer at work on "Death of Stalinism in Bohemia," and uses excerpts from his earlier films to trace the development of his unique sensibility.
16,456 Matches Found
The story of how George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley's Wham! turned one song into a cultural phenomenon. As well as new interviews with Wham! fans and friends, figures such as Mary J Blige, Sir Bob Geldof, Neil Tennant and Sam Smith give their views on the song's themes of unrequited love and loss.
Wham!: Last Christmas Unwrapped
A short documentary study of hops, barley and yeast, and how they interact.
Brewster's Magic
A biographical look at the career of the acclaimed Margot Fonteyn. As a little girl called Peggy Hookham growing up in Shanghai, she told her mother she would one day become the greatest dancer in the world. Still performing at the age of 67 despite being almost unable to walk, hers is a story of courage and tenacity, of unbelievable devotion to her art and to those whom she loved. Those who ultimately left her penniless and alone, to be buried in a pauper’s grave.
Margot
This short travelogue depicts snippets of locations in Hollywood, California, most of them as seen from the streets. Considerable time is taken showing the kinds of architecture of private homes. There are images of various important buildings, and a depiction of the Hollywood Bowl. Finally, there is a sequence revolving around the premiere of the film “Dirigible” (1931) at the famed Chinese Theatre.
Round About Hollywood
A journey through the night that Princess Diana died and the four independent investigations in two separate countries that followed. Included: a look at Princess Diana's life through her sons.
Princess Diana: Her Life, Her Death, the Truth
British writer and actor Stephen Fry reports on the shocking increase of new HIV-infected people in Britain and in sub-Saharan Africa.
Stephen Fry: HIV & Me
Featuring exclusive access to their recent tour and their new album, this documentary reveals the fascinating world of Pet Shop Boys, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe.
Imagine… Pet Shop Boys: Then and Now
In The Road to Terror, revolutionaries tell how their dream descended into a nightmare of terror and execution. They speak as exiles in Paris, a city that is preparing to celebrate the glories of the first mass revolution of 1978. Behind its strange images, the struggle for power in the Iranian revolution has followed a pattern uncannily similar to many of the great revolutions of the past: just as 200 years ago in France, the Iranian revolution has gone down the old road from liberation to repression, the road to terror.
The Road to Terror
Ocean Secrets
With only an oversized shirt, black tights, and a chair, Elaine Stritch performs her autobiographical one-woman show at London's Old Vic Theatre featuring tales and songs from her 50-plus-year career on stage and screen.
Elaine Stritch at Liberty
Jasper Carrott travels to Tampa Bay, Florida (a city just like Liverpool, but with palm trees), to research the state of soccer in the USA, in general, and the local team, the Rowdies, in particular.
Carrott Gets Rowdy
From a 38-year-old wife, mother and successful corporate manager to a young Muslim who previously worked in the fashion industry, people from all walks of life have decided to quit their day jobs to appear in adult films.
The Dark Side of Porn: Diary of a Porn Virgin
Welcome to The Great Happiness Space: Rakkyo Café. The club's owner, Issei (22), has a staff of twenty boys all under his training to become the top escorts of Osaka's underground love scene. During their training, they learn how to dress, how to talk, how to walk, and most importantly, how to fake relationships with the girls who become their source of income. Join us as Osaka's number one host boy takes us on a journey through the complex and heartrenching world of love for sale in the Japanese underground.
The Great Happiness Space: Tale of an Osaka Love Thief
Actress Janet Fielding talks about playing the role of the popular character Tegan Jovanka and her time on Doctor Who.
Mouth on Legs
Delve into the mesmerising journey of the renowned stage production "Wicked" in this captivating documentary. Uncover the rich history behind the beloved book and stage adaptation, tracing its path to critical acclaim in the UK and beyond. Featuring exclusive interviews with past and present cast members, this documentary offers an intimate look at the enduring legacy of "Wicked."
Wicked: The Real Story
Ken Bruce celebrates the sound of the 1980s, as icons from the British music scene pick their favourite tracks that defined a generation, to create their ultimate mixtape.
Sounds Like the 80s
The BBC delves into its archives to discover British acting greats as they take their first tentative steps on the road to success. Long before they were knighted for their services to drama, we see early appearances from Michael Caine in a rare Shakespearean role, Ben Kingsley, Ian McKellen, Derek Jacobi and Michael Gambon. Featuring unique behind-the-scenes footage alongside a wealth of classic British productions like War and Peace, the Mayor of Casterbridge and the Singing Detective, it reveals many career-defining moments from the first generation of acting talent to fully embrace television drama.
Knights of Classic Drama at the BBC
A made for TV BBC documentary exploring Jack Donovan's antique automaton collection. The documentary focuses on the toys themselves, displaying their range of movements in plain settings while the narrator weaves stories and comments about them to the synth sounds of library music.
Princely Toys: One Man's Private Kingdom
A behind-the-scenes retrospective made for the twenty-fifth anniversary of the classic horror film, The Exorcist. Includes interviews with Linda Blair and the other stars of the film, along with commentary from the director and writer on some of the deeper meanings behind the elements they used to terrify their audiences, and previously unreleased footage including make-up tests and deleted scenes.
The Fear of God: 25 Years of The Exorcist
Guilty pleasure or genius, misfits or mavericks, noble or naff - how do we really feel about the Bee Gees? Are the brothers Gibb a cacophony of falsettos or songwriting maestros, the soundtrack to every office party or masters of melancholy and existential rage? Are they comedy or Tragedy? How deep is our love and how deep are the Bee Gees? With a back catalogue that includes hits like How Do You Mend a Broken Heart, Massachusetts, Islands in the Stream, Stayin' Alive, Chain Reaction, How Deep Is Your Love, Gotta Get a Message to You, Words, To Love Somebody and Night Fever, the Bee Gees are second only to the Beatles in the 20th-century songwriting pantheon, but while their pop success spans several decades, there are different Bee Gees in different eras. Is there a central glue that unites the brothers and their music and, if so, what is it? The Joy of the Bee Gees features a rare interview with the last remaining Bee Gee brother, Barry Gibb, many of those musicians and industry ...
The Joy of the Bee Gees
Watching My Name Go By is a 1976 BBC documentary on the birth of graffiti in New York City, and the fight to both prevent it, and expand it's artistic value. In 'Watching my name go by' kids in New York have a unique kind of occupation - sitting on the subway stations ' watching my name go by'. Eleven to 17-year olds compete to see how many times they can 'get their names up ' in a colorful way - a kind of graffiti cult game which has its own rules and regulations. It's illegal and dangerous-some New Yorkers think it's a kind of ' art others think it's disgusting.
Watching My Name Go By
Filmed mostly on a Mini DV camera Gavin has thought of a quick way to become successful and be the master of the world but he has to wait for it all to fall into place… he has to wait for the postman to start production documenting the process of being master of the world.
Become Successful and be the Master of the World
Renowned clairvoyant and International Society for Paranormal Research founder Dr. Larry Montz turns his attention to some of Britain's most intriguing haunted houses, including Belgrave Hall and the famed late 1990s sightings there. Featuring a mix of scientific research and psychic probing from eminent researchers such as Peter James, this fascinating documentary attempts to get to the bottom of these ghostly phenomena once and for all.
ISPR Investigates: Ghosts of England
The new found fans of the scene have created an economy for many young artists to thrive and have careers as full-time musicians. Here are their stories.
LDN
This film features some of the most important living Postmodern practitioners, Charles Jencks, Robert A M Stern and Sir Terry Farrell among them, and asks them how and why Postmodernism came about, and what it means to be Postmodern. This film was originally made for the V&A exhibition 'Postmodernism: Style and Subversion 1970 - 1990'.
Postmodernism: The Substance of Style
In this brand new episode, master illusionist and showman Derren Brown plans to pull off the perfect crime. He’s bet renowned art collector Ivan Massow that he can steal a painting from right under his nose. In true Derren style, he will tell Ivan exactly which painting he plans to target – a work by Turner-nominated British brothers Jake and Dinos Chapman no less – as well as what time the theft will happen. He’ll even give him a photograph of the person that’s going to take it.
Derren Brown: The Great Art Robbery
This documentary looks back at a career spanning over 20 years, defining the sport Down Under and a never faltering love for the game.
Simon Whitlock: Passion to Perform
A tale of one North Korean's struggle to leave behind the homeland, this stylised documentary unveils the depths of loss and longing, and the desire for legacy amongst a community of North Korean defectors who have escaped their homeland to live in the leafy London suburb of New Malden.
Little Pyongyang
Rise Up is a journey into the heart of Jamaica - the island that gave birth to the worldwide cultural phenomenon of Reggae. In a society where talent abounds and opportunity is scarce, three distinct and courageous artists fight to rise up from obscurity and write themselves into the pages of history. With music and appearances by legends Lee "Scratch" Perry, Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, and a slew of soon-to-be superstars, Rise Up follows artists in the dangerous streets, back alleys and crowded dance halls of Kingston and the countryside. These artists demonstrate the raw power of hope and courage in a land which is largely unseen, but certainly not unsung.
RiseUp
Charting Aubrey Gordon's journey from anonymous blogger to NY Times bestselling author and podcast host, and the complexities of making change. It’s a film about fatness, family and the deep, messy feelings all of us hold about our bodies.
Your Fat Friend
A close look at the Austrian far-left Friedrichshof Commune which was set up in 1972 by artist Otto Muehl. It was dissolved in 1990 when Muehl was convicted of the abuse of teenagers who lived in the commune.
Slaves in Paradise
Narrated by Sean Connery, this film takes us on a scenic and informative tour around the castles of Scotland.
The Castles of Scotland
With the introduction of the Master, the Doctor now had his very own Moriarty, who would be the dark figure behind every story in Season 8, and many more beyond that. This documentary discusses the enduring appeal of the character.
The Doctor's Moriarty
Derren Brown is a unique force in the world of illusion - he can seemingly predict and control human behaviour. He doesn't claim to be a mind-reader, instead he describes his craft as a mixture of magic, suggestion, psychology, misdirection and showmanship. Whatever you choose to call it, his unparalleled performances amaze and unsettle all those who watch him. This is a powerful and provocative form of entertainment, unlikely to be imitated for a long while.
Derren Brown: Trick of the Mind
BBC look at whether or not Snuff films really exist. Snuff as defined by the FBI and the film is a film that shows some one being killed which was produced for gratification of the viewer who pays to see the film. The film takes a look at the start of the rumors of snuff films, the latching on by exploitation producers and how the ability of anyone to shoot video with things such as mobile phones and put them up on the Internet have made the existence of a such a film likely. A very good very reasoned film that isn't really that graphic (at least with actual footage) the film looks at the subject with filmmakers and law enforcement officials and relates the chilling tales of the people who actually set out to make a film for themselves. The key element is the profit motive since its clear that killers and other people have been using home video equipment to record their nasty deeds, we just don't know if money has changed hands. A film to make you think.
The Dark Side of Porn: Does Snuff Exist?
Carlos Castaneda, sixties author and ‘celebrated godfather of New Age’ died in his Los Angeles home in 1998. Five women forming his ‘harem’ disappeared within days. In 2004, bones are found at the edge of Death Valley belonging to one of the disappeared women. In a series of Californian road trips, filmmaker Minou Norouzi reflects on what the women’s obsession with Castaneda may have been and begins to wonder if her own life isn’t mirroring theirs. She meets a concoction of Castaneda associates who are all invested in telling her about Castaneda, whilst the story of the women remains in shadow.
Anatomy of Failure
Natalie Berry is one of the UK’s leading female sport and competition climbers. Despite having lived in Scotland all her life, home to some of the best traditional and winter climbing in the world, she has yet to venture into the mountains so close to home. ‘Transition’ follows Natalie over the course of a year as she takes her first exploratory steps into a new world, closely following the highs and lows of the pursuit of a life in the mountains.
Transition
Documentary following English musician and actress Toyah Willcox for over half a year, capturing band rehearsals, studio recording sessions, play rehearsals and in her home, the famous Mayhem warehouse in Battersea, London.
Toyah
Legacy of an Invisible Bullet is a hybrid feature, exploring a collapsed time universe of a cancer-struck filmmaker as he fights to live, battles his demons and reinvestigates his life and film archive through his female avatar.
Legacy of an Invisible Bullet
The Fingertip Phenomenon
Lord Louis Mountbatten arrives in India in March 1947 as Britain's Last Viceroy. He is committed to transfer administrative and authoritative power to an independent and sovereign India. Six months later India indeed was set free, but it had also been partitioned and overwhelmed by an orgy of sectarian violence involving Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs.
The Last Days of the Raj
Jonas Mekas weaves an elegiac diary film from his 1971–72 return to Lithuania, chronicling a visit to his birthplace of Semeniškiai after decades in exile. Blending personal memory with documentary observation, the film becomes both a portrait of homecoming and a meditation on displacement, family, and the passage of time.
Reminiscences of a Journey to Lithuania
Documentary about the production of The Third Man (1949).
Shadowing the Third Man
Clarissa Dickson Wright tracks down Britain's oldest known cookbook, The Forme of Cury. This 700-year-old scroll was written during the reign of King Richard II from recipes created by the king's master chefs. How did this ancient manuscript influence the way people eat today? On her culinary journey through medieval history she reawakens recipes that have lain dormant for centuries and discovers dishes that are still prepared now.
Clarissa & the King's Cookbook
A history of and tribute to the children's book publisher
The Ladybird Books Story: The Bugs That Got Britain Reading
A BBC documentary uncovers, for the first time, the original manuscript where Newton forecast the date of the end of the world. Newton, the father of modern mathematics, dedicated a large part of his life to a quest to decode the Bible which he believed to be the word of God. For over 50 years, he studied the Bible trying to unravel God's secret laws of the Universe. He was fanatical in his quest to discover the date for the Second Coming of Christ and the end of the world. Scholars have spent years trying to unravel Newton's writings on the Book of Revelation to establish when he thought the apocalypse was coming.
Newton: The Dark Heretic
A behind-the-scenes look at the putting on of the successful West End stage musical, including footage of the cast rehearsing and the triumphant first night.
The Heat Is On: The Making of Miss Saigon
From the Sea to the Land Beyond is a film about the British coast made from 100 years of our film heritage stored in the British Film Institute collection, edited by Penny Woolcock with a soundtrack by British Sea Power.
From the Sea to the Land Beyond
An educational travelogue around William Shakespeare's birthplace, Stratford-On-Avon, detouring into the surrounding beautiful Cotswold villages.
Our Mr. Shakespeare
A filmed conversation between Winton Dean and Jonathan Balcon about their fathers Basil Dean (1888 –1978) and Michael Balcon (1896 –1977). Both men helped to pave the way for the British film industry.
The Uncles
A young couple battle entrenched tradition and hostile forces to bet on nature for the future of their failing, four-hundred-year-old estate. Ripping down the fences, they set the land back to the wild and entrust its recovery to a motley mix of animals both tame and wild, beginning a grand experiment.
Wilding
This was of course a fitting look into the world of Julia Donaldson, whose books have kept the BBC in Christmas animations for the last few years, and will probably do so for years to come.
The Magical World of Julia Donaldson
A biography of the Portuguese-born Brazilian singer Carmen Miranda, whose most distinctive feature was her tutti-frutti hat. From her arrival in the US as the "Brazilian Bombshell" to her Broadway career and Hollywood stardom in the 1940s.
Carmen Miranda: Bananas Is My Business
Down to the Earth’s Core takes viewers from the sidewalk to the centre of the planet in one epic unbroken shot. Using spectacular computer generated imagery; the camera smashes through almost 9 000 kilometres of solid rock to explore the hidden world beneath our feet. Experience an earthquake inside the San Andreas Fault, blast out of a volcano, encounter bizarre cave-dwelling creatures and enter caves full of giant crystals – all inside planet Earth. As the camera lowers into Earth's bosom, the planet’s extraordinary story, is laid bare layer by layer, showing how prehistoric forests became modern-day fuel, witnessing the dinosaur’s cataclysmic death, and watching as stalactites form and gold grows before our eyes. Deeper, beyond the reach of any mine, any drill, we find wonders beyond imagination: towering molten metal tornadoes, forests of solid iron crystals, until we reach the strangest, least understood place on the planet – the core.
Down To The Earth's Core
A young woman, Charlie, decides to reimagine/bring to light the film her sister Robin was making before dying in 2010 of an overdose at the age of 27. Robin’s film was a portrait of the musician Peter Doherty at the height of his fame, a project she was offered by her writer and filmmaker father Peter Whitehead, who had made a film with the Rolling Stones. Ten years after Robin’s death, Charlie discovers Robin’s rushes. This multi-layered family chronicle of love and loss is a story of a father and daughter; bound by their passion for authentically capturing the world; revealing the dangers of documentary filmmaking.
Robin
A story about four British scientists who have created a probe which will take a seven year long trip to the largest moon orbiting Saturn, Titan. Designing and building a vehicle that will travel more than 2 billion miles across space is not an easy task as it is shown in Destination Titan. The documentary follows the story behind the creation of a probe that is the culmination of a lifetime endeavor which will be strapped onto what is essentially a giant bomb and hurled out of earths atmosphere on a seven year long journey. will they succeed? This documentary is presented by John Zarnecki and features the famous TV host and astronomer Patrick Moore.
Destination Titan
A railwayman from St. Kitts, a bus conductor from Jamaica, a family of singers from Trinidad and a nurse from Barbados ... Philip Donnellan's Birmingham-based film gives a voice to West Indian immigrants who movingly describe their experiences of trying to integrate into a surprisingly unwelcoming ‘mother country’. Shot in 1964 the film provides an important snapshot of Britain in the early stages of momentous social change and first-generation Afro-Caribbean immigration.
The Colony
A secret document which sets out a procedure for dealing with child sex abuse scandals within the Catholic Church is examined by Panorama. Crimen Sollicitationis was written in 1962 in Latin and given to Catholic bishops worldwide who are ordered to keep it locked away in the church safe. Reporting for Panorama, Colm O'Gorman finds seven priests with child abuse allegations made against them living in and around the Vatican City.
Sex Crimes and the Vatican
Documentary chronicling the extraordinary life and tragic death of Mary Millington - Britain's most famous pornographic actress of the 1970s.