Documentaries

.Biographies

[add all]

American Movie

submitted 2004-09-01 22:41:07
Airdate: 1999-01-01

Struggling filmmaker Mark Borchardt is the subject of American Movie, and he may also be the most determined man you'll ever meet. The straggly haired, fast-talking, Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, native lists his greatest influences as Dawn of the Dead, Night of the Living Dead, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. He began making horror movies as a gangly adolescent, and is now set on finishing Coven (which he pronounces like "woven"), the "35-minute direct market thriller" he has worked on for two years. In the process, he steadfastly battles immense debt, the threat of losing his kids, and birds chirping gleefully through scenes set in the dead of winter. His mother would rather do her shopping than be an extra, his brother contends he's best suited for factory work, and his father just wants him to "watch the language."

Standing by him through it all is Mark's childhood buddy, Mike Schank, who is the strongest weapon against drug use a task force could ever hope for, and Uncle Bill, begrudging financier of Coven, who appears to be wasting away before our very eyes. In less perceptive hands these two could easily become caricatures--the burnt-out stoner and the crotchety old coot--but through director Chris Smith's lens we see why Mark loves them, why they love Mark, and why each of these stories is uniquely compelling.

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival, the film has been compared to Spinal Tap and Waiting for Guffman--two unquestionably hilarious mock-documentaries--and, indeed, American Movie has plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. But in the spoofs, we feel encouraged to point and giggle at the poor slobs trying to get a piece of the action. Smith, however, offers us a funny and overwhelmingly affectionate portrait; you may sit down expecting to laugh at Mark's pie-in-the-sky hopes, but you soon find yourself bursting with admiration. "The American dream stays with me each and every day," Mark says, and by the end, we want nothing more than for it to come true.

Catherine the Great

submitted 2004-07-20 03:11:39
Airdate: 2001-01-01

Documentary on one of the most powerful and fascinating rulers ever. Everything about her life and reign was extraordinary, and it's with good reason that she's known to this day as Catherine the Great. She held on to power for 34 years, changing Russia forever.

Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin

submitted 2004-07-21 16:17:13
Airdate: 2003-01-01

Veteran Time movie critic Richard Schickel crafts this extraordinary Charles Chaplin tribute whose world premiere was a highlight of 2003's Cannes Film Festival. Included are classic comedy bits; home movies of Chaplin playing tennis with Groucho Marx or working a routine that became The Great Dictator's famed Globe Dance; plus insightful interviews with Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese, Johnny Depp, Robert Downey Jr., Chaplin family members and more. Enjoy the genius of one of film's enduring icons. Then find any of the Chaplin films on the Warner label and prove for yourself why Chaplin's genius remains the same in modern living rooms as it did years ago in crowded nickelodeons: his movies still delight children and adults alike.

Che

submitted 2004-07-20 03:14:38
Airdate: 1995-01-01

In the United States, he is often remembered as little more than a 1960s relic; in Europe, he's become a leftist icon with little grounding in history.

Ernesto "Che" Guevara de la Serna remains perhaps the most enduring image of worldwide political revolution. This program explores the real story behind the legend.

Comandante

submitted 2004-10-06 19:12:15
Airdate: 2003-01-01

This documentary is a distinctive change of pace from the maker of Platoon — it's an unflinching portrait of one of the world's most significant political figures, Fidel Castro.

Shot in February 2002, Comandante is an unprecedented and entertaining chinwag with Fidel about everything from politics to guns to cheeseburgers. Stone chews the fat with the man who is still considered the bugbear of American foreign policy.

Fog of War

submitted 2004-07-22 03:17:36
Airdate: 2003-01-01

Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara
Documentarian Errol Morris directs THE FOG OF WAR, a captivating look at Robert S. McNamara, who served as the Secretary of Defense during the Vietnam War and the Cuban Missile Crisis. The movie does not exclusively focus on this part of McNamara's career, however, and instead gives a broad overview of the man he was, his multitude of roles--a Harvard Business School graduate, a Colonel in the Air Force during WWII, president of Ford Motor Company--and his opinions on a variety of historical topics.

Sharp as a tack, loaded with charisma, and generally fascinating, McNamara easily carries the film with his revealing interviews. Meanwhile, Morris's use of archival footage--along with maps and other effective visual aids--add context to McNamara's commentary, and Philip Glass's ominous pulsing score gives the film's important subject matter the gravity it deserves.

General Idi Amin Dada

submitted 2004-09-14 19:09:40
Airdate: 1974-01-01

Uganda's dictator, General Idi Amin Dada, accepts a foreign crew's request to interview and film him. He talks to the camera about his outreach to Arab nations, his goal of eradicating Israel, his views on economic policy, and his views of Nixon, Kissinger, and other world leaders. We also see him dressing down his ministers at a cabinet meeting (two weeks after this meeting, the foreign minister, whom Amin criticizes here, is murdered), supervising a war-game simulation of an invasion of Israel, visiting a village, and addressing a conclave of Ugandan physicians.

In the Mirror of Maya Deren

submitted 2004-11-07 20:33:20
Airdate: 2003-01-01

Deemed “Fellini and Bergman wrapped in one gloriously possessed body,” Maya Deren is arguably the most important and innovative avant-garde filmmaker in the history of American cinema. Using locations from the Hollywood hills to Haiti in the 1940s and ’50s, Deren made such mesmerizing films as AT LAND, RITUAL IN TRANSFIGURED TIME, and her masterpiece, MESHES OF THE AFTERNOON, which won a prestigious international experimental filmmaking prize at the 1947 Cannes Film Festival.

Starting with excerpts from these films, IN THE MIRROR seamlessly and effectively interweaves archival footage and observances from acolytes and contemporaries such as Stan Brakhage and Jonas Mekas with an original score by experimental jazz legend John Zorn. Documentarian Martina Kudlácek has fashioned not only a fascinating portrait of a groundbreaking and influential artist, but a pitch-perfect introduction to her strikingly beautiful and poetic body of work.

Son of God

submitted 2004-09-01 22:34:41
Airdate: 2001-01-01

The BBC series Son of God uses breakthroughs in archaeology, astronomy, forensic science and history to help viewers make up their own minds about the man who changed the world.

Computer technology recreates the world of Jesus, including Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Capernaum. The programme sheds new light on Jesus's Nativity, mission, and death.

Stoked: The Rise and Fall of Gator

submitted 2004-09-13 19:04:01
Airdate: 2002-01-01

STOKED: THE RISE AND FALL OF GATOR, is a biographical film about Mark "Gator" Rogowski, a legendary 1980s skateboarder. Beginning with the shocking news of Gator's demise--he brutally raped and murdered a woman, buried her in the San Diego desert, and received a 31-year prison sentence--the film then starts back at Gator's beginnings when he was just an innocent 14-year-old kid.

Gator set the stage for many of skateboarding's moves and styles as one of the most impressive "vert" performers of all time. Footage of Gator soaring off the ramp in a dramatic arc demonstrate his clear prowess. A devilish, cocky personality only helped propel Gator into the spotlight as the poster boy for Vision Street Wear--a brand that was once synonymous with the sport's image. As skateboarding became more mainstream and Gator got wealthy and sold out (the film features interviews with former girlfriend Brandi McClain who lived with him in a sprawling California mansion situated on an avocado grove) he soon lost his street cred and was dumped by the industry.

Testimonials from Gator's former friends--skating icons like Jason Jessee, Ken Park, and Tony Hawk--shed light on the sport as a counterculture movement while telling funny, sad, insightful, and often scathing stories about Gator. This documentary from director Helen Stickler paints a sometimes inspiring yet increasingly menacing portrait of Gator that illustrates how his crime cast a dark shadow over the otherwise fun and carefree world of professional skateboarding.

The True Meaning of Pictures: Shelby Lee Adams' Appalachia

submitted 2004-10-03 20:10:26
Airdate: 2002-01-01

Jennifer Baichwal (Let it Come Down: The Life of Paul Bowles) has established herself as one of Canada's premier documentary filmmakers, a significant achievement when you consider how many great documentarians this country produces. The True Meaning of Pictures focuses on contemporary photographer Shelby Lee Adams, who has been both praised and derided for his portraits of impoverished Appalachian families. Baichwal allows Adams, his critics and the subjects of his work to speak their minds, but the greatest strength of the film lies in the inclusion of Adams' personal video footage, which gives us the back stories of the various families he's photographed and puts his work into a context we can appreciate.

Trials of Henry Kissinger

submitted 2004-07-22 03:19:10
Airdate: 2002-01-01

Part contemporary investigation and part historical inquiry, documentary follows the quest of one journalist in search of justice. The film focuses on Christopher Hitchens' charges against Henry Kissinger as a war criminal - allegations documented in Hitchens' book of the same title - based on his role in countries such as Cambodia, Chile, and Indonesia.

Kissinger's story raises profound questions about American foreign policy and highlights a new era of human rights. Increasing evidence about one man's role in a long history of human rights abuses leads to a critical examination of American diplomacy through the lens of international standards of justice.

.Dinosaurs

[add all]

Land Of The Mammoth

submitted 2004-07-21 12:14:08
Airdate: 0000-00-00

LAND OF THE MAMMOTH is a sequel to the Discovery Channel's RAISING THE MAMMOTH, continuing where the first movie left off. Join French explorer Bernard Buigues and his team of scientists in an underground frozen cave as they analyze the remains of the 20,000 year old mammoth found in Siberia. Then watch as the team explores the Taimyr Peninsula in Siberia for other clues and evidence of the mammoth and other extinct species. Computer animation is used to simulate the mammoth's long lost environment.

We did release Raising the Mammoth but it doesn't have any sources when I last checked. Next oportunity I get I'll re-share it and mainpage the links here.

SuperCroc

submitted 2004-12-04 02:34:34
Airdate: 2001-01-01

Narrated by Sam Neill, National Geographic's SuperCroc is a crash course in all things crocodile. Although it's sure to appeal to those with an interest in prehistoric life, it's as much about the present as the past, since crocodilians still roam the earth and Sarcosuchus imperator wasn't much different--just a whole lot bigger (40 feet long). Paleontologist Paul Sereno would like to learn everything he can about the crocodile bones he has unearthed in the Sahara, so he and reptile expert Brady Barr travel the world in an attempt to re-create the life of the giant creature (animation also helps tell the story). The result is that Sereno is able to have a life-size model built. SuperCroc is a fascinating program that doesn't stint on details. Consequently, it isn't for the very young (6 or younger) as the footage of crocs chomping down on large mammals may prove disturbing.

When Dinosaurs Roamed America

submitted 2004-07-21 16:27:57
Airdate: 2001-01-01

Take a journey back to prehistoric America when mighty dinosaurs ruled the continent. From New York to New Mexico, these powerful animals lived, hunted and died in the very place you call home. Watch millions of years of violent evolution unfold before your eyes. By combining state-of-the-art computer animation with beautiful live-action landscapes, you’ll witness these fearsome creatures roar to life. Faster, stronger and fiercer than ever, these dinosaurs are based on the most recent and scientifically accurate research ever assembled. Faithfully recreated, these dinosaurs move, look and sound like you’ve gone back in time. You’ll meet the never-before-seen Zuniceratops, a uniquely North American creature that was first of its kind to have horns over its eyes. You’ll also visit all your favorites including the T-Rex, Triceratops, Stegosaurus and the ferocious Raptor, with a startling new appearance that’ ll surprise you. You won’t see more authentic and terrifying dinosaurs anywhere...except buried in your own backyard.

.Earth

[add all]

Amazing Earth - Part 1

submitted 2004-07-20 14:54:22
Airdate: 0000-00-00

Patrick Stewart narrates this eye-popping global spectacle that probes oceans and scales mountains to explain our planet's catastrophic past and violent present. What you don't know about your planet will thrill, amaze - and even frighten you. The facts featured in this video are as startling as they are fascinating. Did you know that each year an average of 18,000 meteorites hit the earth; that it's 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit just four miles below you or that the top of Mount Everest was once part of the ocean floor? Take part in the exciting story of Earth: scoop molten lava from an active volcano. Explore the Moon with Apollo astronauts. Be present at the world's largest subsurface exploration. See Earth's oldest geological artifact - a 3.7 billion-year-old rock in Australia. Discover how Africa and South America split apart millions of years ago. Witness the devastating effects of an earthquake as it happens. Flee from deadly lightning-fast lava flows from an erupting volcano, and much more. Buckle up, you won't believe the power of this amazing earth!

Amazing Earth - Part 2

submitted 2004-07-25 11:05:26
Airdate: 0000-00-00

Asteroids - Deadly Impact

submitted 2004-07-21 11:16:12
Airdate: 0000-00-00

Asteroids and comets: Every year, millions of these "stray bullets" streak through the skies, and tons of small meteorites strike our planet. Some 65 million years ago, dinosaurs were wiped off the face of the Earth - in what many believe was the aftermath of a massive cosmic collision. Could something like this happen again? Scientists believe that the impact of an asteroid only a mile wide would be globally catastrophic. Join renowned geologist Eugene Schoemaker and his wife, Carolyn, who together have remapped the heavens with their discoveries of more than 30 comets and hundreds of asteroids. Now that we know what's out there, how can we defend ourselves?

The third and final DVD in National Geographic's Restless Earth Collection

Born of Fire

submitted 2004-09-29 22:34:13
Airdate: 1983-01-01

National Geographic cameras travel to Iceland, Africa, Japan, California, and Greece to record how the huge plates of the earth's crust crash together and spread apart causing ground-shattering earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Follow scientists around the world as they search for clues to the causes of these powerful geologic events. BORN OF FIRE demonstrates that while man is capable of harnessing this tremendous power for his benefit, he must also prepare for the possibility of cataclysmic disaster.

Earth Ride

submitted 2004-09-01 22:29:38
Airdate: 2003-01-01

BBC documentary showing the never ending cycle that water takes around the planet using hi-tech graphics and wildlife film. Narrated by Bill Oddie.

Flight Over the Equator

submitted 2004-07-20 04:57:09
Airdate: 1996-01-01

Take an exhilarating and unlikely journey on the longest pathway around the Earth. Visit three continents and nine distinct societies as the Discovery Channel explores the cultures, beliefs, geography and the effects of globalisation on the people who inhabit the 'fifth ring' - the torrid zone of the Equator. Explore the planet's most exotic vistas and landscapes on a 25,000-mile odyssey. From the snow-capped Andes, to the plains of Africa. From the painted Kayapo children of Brazil, to the bustling business people of Singapore.

Hunt for the Supertwister

submitted 2004-09-14 19:25:48
Airdate: 2004-03-30

On May 3, 1999, one of the most powerful tornadoes ever recorded carved a path of complete destruction near Oklahoma City. To scientists, the supertwister held sobering lessons about the future for rapidly expanding cities in tornado-threatened areas. Most tornadoes form suddenly and with little warning. But now meteorologists are on the verge of a breakthrough that may solve the puzzle of how these killer storms spawn and where they are likely to strike. NOVA follows stormchasers as they probe the tornado's deadly secrets.

Note: Switch aspect ratio from 1.33:1 to 1.66:1 to view properly.

Living Rock - An Introduction to Earth's Geology

submitted 2004-09-26 01:37:54
Airdate: 2002-01-01

Have you ever wondered how are earthquakes created? And maybe why was the San Francisco earthquake so devastating when it isn't even on a fault line? How does a Volcano work? Find the answer to these and many more questions about earth's natural phenomena in this fun and entertaining look at Living Rock.

This one-hour educational program about the Earth's geology is targeted at High School grade levels, and introduces students to geology concepts such as Geologic Time, Continental Crust, Plate Tectonics, Volcanic Activity, Earthquakes, Subduction Zones, Erosion and Glaciers.

Nature's Fury

submitted 2004-07-21 11:21:04
Airdate: 0000-00-00

Earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods. For thousands of years, people have struggled to survive the devastating power of these savage natural calamities. Now, witness spectacular scenes of cataclysmic destruction - and inspiring human courage - captured by the acclaimed filmmakers of National Geographic. See the city-shattering power of earthquakes in urban epicentres from San Francisco to Tokyo. Go in search of killer storms, from raging tropical hurricanes to the seasonal terror that regularly sweeps though the Midwest's Tornado Alley. Witness incredible ruins wrought by monster floods from China to France. And experience the moving human side of the story, from tales of heroism and tragedy to the dedicated scientists racing to understand and, ultimately, better predict the deadly forces of Natures Fury.

The first DVD in National Geographic's Restless Earth Collection.

NOVA - Magnetic Storm

submitted 2004-07-20 03:05:35
Airdate: 2003-11-18

Like the plot of a sci-fi B movie, something weird is happening deep underground where the constant spin of Earth's liquid metallic core generates an invisible magnetic force field that shields our planet from harmful radiation in space. Gradually, the field is growing weaker. Could we be heading for a demagnetized doomsday that will leave us defenseless against the lethal effects of solar wind and cosmic rays? "Magnetic Storm" looks into our potentially unsettling magnetic future.

Volcano - Nature's Inferno

submitted 2004-07-21 11:18:34
Airdate: 0000-00-00

Travel around the world for a firsthand look at volcanoes - perhaps the most dazzling but destructive natural force on Earth. Massive volcanic eruption can turn day into night, releasing the power of an atomic blast and spewing toxic avalanches of lava, gas, and ash. National Geographic transports you to some of the worlds most notorious volcanoes, including Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines and Japan's Mount Unzen. Join volcanologists in their dangerous quest to forecast eruptions and save lives, as they put you in the middle of the explosive excitement and human drama.

Weather Extreme - Tornado

submitted 2004-07-26 13:01:23
Airdate: 0000-00-00

Weather Extreme - Tornado is both a fascinating and terrifying examination of the potential impact of a full-force tornado on crowded metropolitan areas. Immerse yourself in the fury of a devastating Force-5 tornado as it demolishes downtown Dallas. How well is Dallas prepared for these disasters? What's been planned? What's been neglected? Find out in these gripping, heart-stopping depictions of megastorm events that scientsits predict are actually close at hand. With dramatic footage from past disastrous storms, mesmerizing eyewitness accounts, and photo-realistic computer animation, you'll get as close as you'll ever want to be to Mother Nature's rage.

A Storm of Unimaginable Force. A Must-See Event!

.Geopolitics

[add all]

Africa Addio

submitted 2004-09-14 19:48:39
Airdate: 1966-01-01

As colonialism in Africa came to an end in the early 1960s, a continent of unstable nations was left tragically ill-prepared for their new-found independence. Over the next three years, Jacopetti and Prosperi would risk their own lives to be among the few eyewitnesses to Africa’s agony. From the genocide of Zanzibar to the Watusi and Mau Mau massacres, from mercenary assaults in the Congo to industrial complicity in South African apartheid, the most savage beast on the Dark Continent emerged as man himself. What began as a mere documentary soon became a picture postcard from hell; the directors’ first-person portrait of the civil wars, devastating famine and shocking slaughter that still plagues Africa today. This is their story. AFRICA ADDIO is their masterpiece.

Upon the release of AFRICA ADDIO, Jacopetti and Prosperi – who had narrowly escaped execution in Africa – would be accused around the world of racism, exploitation and even murder. The controversy would irreparably taint the film and haunt their reputations forever. Blue Underground is now proud to present the never-before-seen 139-minute Directors’ Cut restored from the original camera negative.

Bush's Brain

submitted 2004-09-16 23:33:09
Airdate: 2004-01-01

Not to be mistaken for an exploration of the 43rd US President's gray matter, BUSH'S BRAIN takes a look at the shadowy figure of the man behind George. W. Bush's rise to the Oval Office.

Karl Rove may be an unfamiliar name to many, but to the Bush family he is an invaluable political ally who has worked in a carefully disguised capacity for many years. Rove ghosted his way through Bush Sr.'s presidency with such silent ease that a mention of his name would have been met with indifferent shrugs and feverish head scratching. His attempt to pull off the same trick twice when Bush Jr. was elected almost came to fruition, until the publication of James Moore and Wayne Slater's startling exposé of Rove in their 2003 book, also titled BUSH'S BRAIN.

Filmmakers Michael Shoob and Joseph Mealey quickly picked up the baton from Moore and Slater, producing this damning filmic indictment of Rove and the Bush presidency. From political cover-ups, to an uncanny ability to manipulate facts and figures, the directors leave no stone unturned as they dig up the dirt on the little-known political aide. A scary, thoughtful film, BUSH'S BRAIN paints a worrying picture of Bush Jr.'s presidency, positing the believable theory that all has not been as it seems behind the walls of the White House.

Children of the Secret State: North Korea

submitted 2004-09-13 18:47:52
Airdate: 2000-01-01

It's one of the most secretive and isolated countries on Earth, but North Korea's horrifying levels of starvation, particularly among its children, is slowly being exposed to the outside world. According to some estimates, as many as 3 million of its residents have died of starvation in recent years and there are reports that human meat is being sold in markets.

In the documentary Children of a Secret State, the tragic lives of homeless North Korean children are captured on video filmed secretly by a photographer who calls himself Ahn Chol. Despite knowing that he will likely be tortured and executed if he is caught, Ahn Chol has made several trips into North Korea to document the desperate conditions there.

Commanding Heights: The Battle For The World Economy

submitted 2004-09-14 19:51:36
Airdate: 2002-01-01

The history and impact of the new global economy are made clear--and compelling--in Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy. This three-part, six-hour documentary does an astonishingly thorough job of dissecting and explaining macroeconomics and their current political and social importance without ever causing a loss of consciousness for the viewer.

Part 1, The Battle of Ideas, chronicles the history of economic thought from the start of the 20th century and its socialist reforms right through the deregulation of the 1980s.

Part 2, The Agony of Reform, explores the upheavals that such deregulation caused, focusing primarily on economic growth and gains and touching briefly on the wrenching consequences for the poor.

Part 3, The New Rules of the Game, explores the consequences of globalization, including terrorism and the contagion of market collapse. The series makes good use of both large- and small-scale examples, and features interviews with several major world leaders.

There is a slight teenybopper feel to The Battle for the World's Economy's admiration for today's celebrity economists, but the contagious enthusiasm is part of what makes the series so interesting. Big ideas are made extremely accessible to the average viewer (without condescension). Well worth watching.

Conspiracy Theories - Bush & the Bin Ladens

submitted 2004-07-19 00:26:18
Airdate: 2003-10-29

In a special CBC investigation, the fifth estate's Bob McKeown finds that even the most outlandish conspiracy theory may have its basis in a legitimate question. In the course of separating fact from fiction, Bob delves into the labyrinthine and surprising ties between the Bushes and the Bin Ladens. What he finds out may startle you as much as any conspiracy theory. For a quarter of a century, the fifth estate has been Canada's premier investigative documentary program, acquainting viewers with a dazzling parade of political leaders, shady characters and ordinary people whose lives were touched by triumph or tragedy. In addition to its impact among viewers and on society, the fifth estate is also recognized by its peers. It has won a remarkable 227 awards, including an Oscar for best documentary, three international Emmy Awards, 28 Geminis, 20 awards and certificates for investigative reporting from the Canadian Association of Journalists and dozens of honours from The New York and Columbus International film and video festivals.

Control Room

submitted 2004-10-05 03:52:08
Airdate: 2004-01-01

Startling and powerful, Control Room is a documentary about the Arab television network Al-Jazeera's coverage of the U.S.-led Iraqi war, and conflicts that arose in managed perceptions of truth between that news media outlet and the American military. Egyptian-American filmmaker Jehane Noujaim (Startup.com) catches the frantic action at Al-Jazeera headquarters as President Bush stipulates his 48-hour, get-out-of-town warning to Saddam Hussein and sons, soon followed by the network's shocking footage of Iraqi civilians terrorized and killed by invading U.S. troops. Al-Jazeera's determination to show images and report details outside the Pentagon's carefully controlled information flow draws the wrath of American officials, who accuse it of being an al-Qaida propagandist. (The killing of an Al-Jazeera reporter in what appears to be a deliberately targeted air strike is horrifying.) Most fascinating is the way Control Room allows well-meaning, Western-educated, pro-democratic Arabs an opportunity to express views on Iraq as they see it--in an international context, and in a way most Americans never hear about.

Deadline Iraq - Uncensored Stories of the War

submitted 2004-07-20 06:50:13
Airdate: 2003-11-23

These are the stories that weren’t told by the media during the Iraq war. CBC NEWS goes straight to the source, to journalists, camera operators and photographers from news organizations around the world, who reveal the lethal risks they faced, as well as the untold horrors they witnessed.

George Orwell Rolls in his Grave

submitted 2004-08-08 00:17:36
Airdate: 2004-01-01

A searingly insightful documentary on the political threat posed by a corporate media aligned with a radical right wing White House. "Orwell Rolls in His Grave" is all the more remarkable because it was directed, financed, produced, edited and narrated by one man: Robert Kane Pappas.

Pappas, on a bare bones budget, assembles the "A-team" roster of media critics and then weaves their comments together with music, reflections, documentary footage and titling that keeps you mesmerized with its brilliant insight.

Ghosts of Rwanda

submitted 2004-08-15 23:21:22
Airdate: 2004-04-01

Rwanda was supposed to be easy.

Ten years ago, when the United Nations sent peacekeepers to this small, Central African nation -- with the full support of the U.S. government -- most of the policy-makers involved believed it would be a straightforward mission that would help restore the U.N.'s battered reputation after failures in Bosnia and Somalia. Few could imagine that, a decade later, Rwanda would be the crisis that still haunts their souls.

"Ghosts of Rwanda," a special two-hour PBS Frontline documentary to mark the 10th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide -- a state-sponsored massacre in which some 800,000 Rwandans were methodically hunted down and murdered by Hutu extremists as the U.S. and international community refused to intervene -- examines the social, political, and diplomatic failures that converged to enable the genocide to occur.

Inside The Vatican

submitted 2004-09-01 01:50:36
Airdate: 2002-01-01

The power of the place is inescapable—and a long way from its humble origins as a graveyard. For nearly 2,000 years, its story has captured the imagination of millions. From here a religious faith grew to dominate the western world—crusades were launched, great inquisitions were convened, governments were made and broken. It is an accumulation of remarkable buildings and art; it is the smallest sovereign nation, and yet one of the most powerful. If it had a gross national product it would be measured not in money, but in souls. Its leader is Europe's last absolute monarch, but a man who is elected by his peers, a man who carries one of the most awesome burdens borne by any leader—the spiritual care of more than one billion people. It is the seat of power of one of the oldest continually running organizations on the planet. Once the fulcrum of power, it wields it yet. It is where saints are proclaimed, where popes reign, where much of Western history can find its source. It is a divinely inspired, human invention known as the Vatican.

Israel's Secret Weapon

submitted 2004-12-13 00:33:27
Airdate: 2004-01-01

The United States and Britain are preparing to wage war on Iraq, for its undisclosed weapons of mass destruction.

Israel's nuclear, biological and chemical capabilities have remained un-inspected.

Meanwhile Mordechai Vanunu has been imprisoned for 16 years for exposing Israel's secret nuclear bomb factory to the world.

Vanunu is seen as a traitor in his own country.

He has been abandoned by most of his family and has spent 11 years in solitary confinement.

Today only an American couple, who have legally adopted him, are among the few visitors he is permitted.

This film is the story of the bomb, Vanunu and Israel's wall of silence.

Lethal Attraction: Why Americans Love Guns

submitted 2004-09-23 15:50:24
Airdate: 2004-09-21

SkyOne documentary offering an insight into America's love affair with guns. Ross Kemp travels to the US to asks citizens, both ordinary people and informed commentators, why the US permits and in many ways encourages, gun ownership.

Michael Moore vs. Bill O'Reilly

submitted 2004-07-30 02:08:43
Airdate: 2004-07-27

It was a match-up the media and political observers have longed for. No, not George W. Bush against John Kerry. It's Michael Moore against Bill O'Reilly.

Moore, the director who made "Fahrenheit 9/11" (search) and created one of the election season's biggest uproars, said he wouldn't go on "The O'Reilly Factor" until O'Reilly saw the entire movie. And he said any conversation would have to be aired without any editing and with the opportunity for Moore to ask O'Reilly questions.

All of the demands were met and Moore sat down with O'Reilly in the FOX News skybox high about the floor of the Democratic National Convention.

Nuclear Nightmare: Understanding North Korea

submitted 2004-09-01 22:37:50
Airdate: 2003-01-01

Witness the story of North Korea's bizarre leader and how he has brought the world face-to-face with the unimaginable.

Meet Kim Jong II, leader of North Korea – a nation imprisoned by poverty and with a population so hungry, people eat bugs and grass. Now this megalomaniacal dictator is holding the civilized world hostage with what many see as a cunning strategy of extortion, threatening to develop an arsenal of nuclear weapons. It's a strategy by which the United States has indicated it cannot abide. In a joint production between the Discovery Channel and the New York Times, go behind the headlines to discover the little-understood origins and almost-stranger-than-truth facets of this dangerous confrontation. See a side of Kim Jong Il rarely revealed – his love of slasher flicks and his affinity for prostitutes – and learn why the United States may have no other palatable option than to play ball with Kim, allowing him to continue his weapons development program. It's quite literally a race against time – if North Korea, as it promises, goes into nuclear production mode, giving Kim as many as 10 nuclear bombs within six months, it would create a destabilizing offensive nuclear capability that could touch off a regional arms race...and even nuclear war. It's a game of international intrigue and high-stakes military strategy. But more importantly, it's the story of destitute North Korea and its bizarre leader, and how he has brought the U.S. and the world face-to-face with the unimaginable.

Shamed - Iraqi Prisoner Abuse

submitted 2004-07-19 00:15:17
Airdate: 2004-05-19

A BBC Panorama Special reports on the scale of the abuse and torture of prisoners in Iraq and elsewhere. Jane Corbin investigates who had command responsibility for American and British forces implicated in this scandal and asks which officers, diplomats and politicians knew what, when.

The 50 Years War - Israel & The Arabs

submitted 2004-09-25 06:43:31
Airdate: 1999-01-01

The conflict in the Middle East between Israel and its neighbors is given comprehensive treatment in this two-video set produced by PBS. Using archival footage and extensive interviews with participants, the production begins by explaining conditions in Palestine at the end of World War II and the crisis created by the exodus of European Jews who went to the Middle East after the Holocaust. The withdrawal of the British, who had controlled Palestine for decades, is detailed, as is the creation of the state of Israel. Much of the region's history is complex, with the local struggles being conducted at times as a part of the cold war between the United States and the Soviet Union, but these videos do an admirable job of explaining the complexities of the situation. The segment on the Six Day War, for example, is masterful, with the scenes shifting from Israel to Egypt to Washington to Moscow, the story developing before the viewer's eyes. The 50 Years War is often a tale of mistrust and betrayal, but this production strives to present a balanced view of history, and is not only impressive for its command of the facts but for its skillful and often dramatic presentation of history.

The Big One

submitted 2004-08-02 00:19:17
Airdate: 1997-01-01

Comedic documentary filmmaker Michael Moore takes his film crew throughout the U.S. for The Big One, a behind-the-scenes video diary of the promotional tour for his book Downsize This! He appears at several chain bookstores throughout the nation, signing autographs and delivering wicked political commentary to audiences. Along the way, he stops at various small-town parking lots and malls, gathering brief interviews with assorted Americans. Some of his interview subjects include an ex-convict who was hired as cheap labor for TWA airlines while in prison and a group of Borders employees who organize a union. Brief celebrity appearances include Garrison Keillor, Studs Terkel, and Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen.

In his typical ambushing fashion, Moore makes several cleverly unexpected visits to people in powerful positions. One attempt finds Moore bringing laid-off working mothers to visit a local government official with the intent of cleaning his office to show that they want a job. In Centralia, IL, Moore visits the Leaf candy company, who plans to move their factories to Mexico, resulting in massive layoffs. The camera crew heads into their administrative offices and attempts to meet with the CEO in witty trademark fashion. Other corporate targets include Johnson Controls, Pillsbury, and, finally, Nike, where CEO Phil Knight grants Moore some dialogue.

The End of Suburbia

submitted 2004-07-31 23:47:23
Airdate: 2004-01-01

Since World War II North Americans have invested much of their newfound wealth in suburbia. It has promised a sense of space, affordability, family life and upward mobility. As the population of suburban sprawl has exploded in the past 50 years, so too the suburban way of life has become embedded in the American consciousness.

Suburbia, and all it promises, has become the American Dream.

But as we enter the 21st century, serious questions are beginning to emerge about the sustainability of this way of life. With brutal honesty and a touch of irony, The End of Suburbia explores the American Way of Life and its prospects as the planet approaches a critical era, as global demand for fossil fuels begins to outstrip supply. World Oil Peak and the inevitable decline of fossil fuels are upon us now, some scientists and policy makers argue in this documentary. The consequences of inaction in the face of this global crisis are enormous. What does Oil Peak mean for North America? As energy prices skyrocket in the coming years, how will the populations of suburbia react to the collapse of their dream? Are today's suburbs destined to become the slums of tomorrow? And what can be done NOW, individually and collectively, to avoid The End of Suburbia ?

The FBI

submitted 2004-07-31 23:58:53
Airdate: 2003-01-01

National Geographic: The FBI - A Revealing look inside the bureau.
After decades of pursuing mobsters and drug kingpins, the FBI is struggling to broaden its mission in the aftermath of September 11 attacks. Now, enter the inner sanctum today's FBI with unprecedented access granted to National Geographic. Witness the Bureau's top-secret Strategic Information & Operations Center (SIOC) at work. See rare footage of the FBI in action around the world and hear from special agents as they share their personal struggles, hopes and fears in the face of danger. Explore the history of the FBI, from the early days of J. Edgar Hoover's legendary G-men, to the Robert Hanssen spy case and the unique challenges of our modern, high-tech era. Narrated by Dennis Haysbert, star of the TV show "24."

The Hunting of the President

submitted 2004-09-16 04:52:23
Airdate: 2004-01-01

From the best-selling book by journalists Gene Lyons and Joe Conason comes The Hunting of the President, a documentary by filmmakers Harry Thomason and Nickolas Perry. Going back to Bill Clinton's time as Governor of Arkansas and tracing through his impeachment while President of the United States, the Morgan Freeman-narrated film attempts to shed light on the alleged organized campaign to topple the charismatic statesman. Along the way, Thomason and Perry attempt to explore on a more general level the effect and influence of the media and slander-machines on contemporary politics. Interviews with such contrasting figures as James Carville and Jerry Falwell are included alongside never-before-seen Clinton-era footage. The Hunting of the President premiered at a special screening during the 2004 Sundance Film Festival.

The Lost Temples of India

submitted 2004-09-01 01:58:14
Airdate: 1999-01-01

The temples of southern India provide an inside look at the Indian civilization that is largely unknown to western tourists. Explore this temple civilization, one of the greatest and least known cultural centers in world history in Mysteries of Asia: The Lost Temples of India.

The Panama Deception

submitted 2004-08-04 01:55:25
Airdate: 1992-01-01

This Academy Award-winning film documents the untold story of the December 1989 U.S. invasion of Panama; the events which led to it; the excessive force used; the enormity of the death and destruction; and the devastating aftermath. The Panama Deception uncovers the real reasons for this internationally condemned attack, presenting a view of the invasion which widely differs from that portrayed by the U.S. media and exposes how the U.S. government and the mainstream media suppressed information about this foreign policy disaster.

The Panama Deception includes never before seen footage of the invasion and its aftermath, as well as interviews with both invasion proponents like Gen. Maxwell Thurman, Panamanian President Endara and Pentagon spokesperson Pete Williams, and opponents like U.S. Representative Charles Rangel (D-NY.), Panamanian human rights workers Olga Mejia and Isabel Corro and former Panamanian diplomat Humberto Brown. Network news clips and media critics contribute to a staggering analysis of media control and self censorship relevant to any news coverage today, particularly during times of war.

Among the film's excellent reviews are: "meticulously researched" (Hal Hinson, Washington Post); "outstanding" (Betsy Sherman, Boston Globe); "tough....provocative....moving....beautifully edited" (Vincent Canby, New York Times); and "lays out simply and forcefully the case against the 'official' version" (Peter Rainer, Los Angeles Times).

The Song of Ceylon

submitted 2004-09-13 18:49:56
Airdate: 1934-01-01

Produced by John Grierson (GPO Film Unit for the Ceylon Tea Propaganda Board). One of the most beautiful and formally experimental of the Thirties documentaries, the film is revolutionary in its use of post-synchronised sound and asynchronised sound effects. Divided into four sections, Song of Ceylon both shows the country’s traditional culture and suggests the new perspectives that modern commerce would bring. It does, however, side-step the question of colonialism and the economic exploitation of the colonies.

The True Story of Blackhawk Down

submitted 2004-07-20 03:09:41
Airdate: 2003-01-01

Real footage is shown to prove that the film Black Hawk Down (2001) was very true to the real events that occured in Mogadishu in 1993. Actual militia and US rangers are interviewed to tell us the different sides of the conflict when Somalia was under the power of Aidid.

The Unauthorized Biography of Dick Cheney

submitted 2004-10-10 20:11:28
Airdate: 2004-10-06

American Vice-President Dick Cheney has walked the corridors of world power for three decades. Cheney's remarkable life story involves the relentless accumulation of power in every form and regardless of the outcome of this fall's election, he will continue to be one of the most powerful and well-connected men in the world. The CBC's the fifth estate will show how he accomplished this, what it involved in terms of costs for others and what history's judgement could be.

The World According to Bush

submitted 2004-09-11 21:59:26
Airdate: 2004-01-01

This hard-hitting investigation exposes the influence of the Christian rightwing on the Bush administration. It explores the Bush family’s business connections in the Middle East and outlines how certain business deals of senior White House staffers were in complete conflict with American foreign policy goals. It also details the lengths to which the Bush team would go to silence those who disagreed with them.

Uncovered: The War on Iraq

submitted 2004-09-26 16:01:50
Airdate: 2004-01-01

In his documentary feature, UNCOVERED: THE WAR ON IRAQ, filmmaker Robert Greenwald chronicles the Bush Administration’s determined quest to invade Iraq following the events of September 11, 2001.

The film deconstructs the administration’s case for war through interviews with U.S intelligence and defense officials, foreign service experts, and U.N. weapons inspectors – including a former CIA director, a former ambassador to Saudi Arabia and even President’s Bush’s Secretary of the Army. Their analyses and conclusions are sobering, and often disturbing, regardless of one’s political affiliations.

World in the Balance

submitted 2004-10-10 20:58:03
Airdate: 2004-04-20

It took all of human history until the year 1804 for our population to reach its first billion. Now a billion new people are added every dozen years. In the industrialized world—Japan, Europe, and the United States—birthrates are falling steeply while the senior citizen population is booming. In this two-hour Earth Day special, NOVA explores these and other trends in the relationship between people and the planet.

.Health

[add all]

A Miracle 'Baby Hope'

submitted 2004-09-27 20:22:29
Airdate: 2003-07-12

A documentary by CBS' "48 Hours Investigates".

Some would simply call this family's journey a miracle. At the least, it's a remarkable, uplifting story where dramatic advances in medicine help rescue a young child from a rare life-threatening disease.

Hunter Kelley, 7, suffers from Fanconi anemia, an incurable genetic disorder in which the bone marrow fails to produce healthy blood cells. The only treatment -- a bone marrow transplant, or a blood transplant from the umbilical cord of a baby.

Medical specialists tell Hunter's parents they can find the boy a perfect donor by making one themselves -- essentially having another child, designed in the lab to be Fanconi-free and an exact match. Having a child, to save a child. It's cutting edge science, but will it work? Join the family as they begin their incredible journey in search of a miracle.

Always a New Beginning

submitted 2004-10-16 13:02:04
Airdate: 1973-01-01

This Oscar-nominated documentary focuses on the work of Glenn Doman and Carl Delacato of the Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential in treating brain-damaged children throughout the world. It was filmed in over two-dozen countries over a five-year period. This highly-praised documentary explores their work encouraging the creation of enriching and stimulating environments for brain-injured children. It was Doman and Delacato's contention that such enrichment greatly enhanced such children's development, allowing many of them to contribute to society rather than be a burden on it.

Hofmann's Potion - The Early Years of LSD

submitted 2004-07-31 02:02:32
Airdate: 2004-01-01

Long before Timothy Leary urged a generation to “tune in, turn on and drop out,” D-lysergic acid diethylamide (or LSD) was being used by researchers to understand the human mind.

Discovered in 1943 by Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann, LSD was hailed as a powerful tool to treat alcoholism and drug addiction and to provide a window into schizophrenia and other mental illnesses. Much of that pioneering research was done by the team of Humphry Osmond, Abram Hoffer and Duncan Blewett, all working in Saskatchewan.

While researchers were establishing the medical benefits of LSD, others — like author Aldous Huxley — promoted the drug as a powerful tool for mental exploration and self-understanding. At Harvard, Timothy Leary, Ralph Metzner and Ram Dass (then known as Richard Alpert) became popular heroes after the university cancelled their research project into psychedelics.

Featuring interviews with many LSD pioneers, Hofmann’s Potion is much more than a simple chronicle of the drug’s early days. With its thoughtful interviews, beautiful music and stunning cinematography, it is an invitation to look at LSD — and our world — with a more open, compassionate mind.

John's Not Mad

submitted 2004-10-16 12:27:05
Airdate: 1989-01-01

A documentary which follows the life of a man who suffers with Tourette Syndrome. Filmed as a QED documentary by the BBC in 1989, John’s Not Mad follows John Davidson, a 15-year-old schoolboy from Galashiels who suffers from the most severe form of Tourette’s Syndrome, a complex neurological disorder. This fascinating and inspiring film explores the way in which John, his family and the local community deal with his extreme condition.

Life's Greatest Miracle

submitted 2004-10-10 20:59:36
Airdate: 2001-01-01

A sequel to the most popular NOVA of all time, "Miracle of Life," the program once again uses the extraordinary microimagery of Swedish photographer Lennart Nilsson to track human development from embryo to newborn.

Mean Girls: Mind Games

submitted 2004-09-20 00:33:20
Airdate: 2003-01-01

"Mean Girls: Mind Games" is a 50-minute documentary about the damaging effects of "emotional bullying" or relational aggression. Victims of relational aggression can be the focus of gossip, rumors, nasty notes and nasty looks. It's an extreme form of social harrassment. Teenage boys may throw punches when they're angry, but girls can find a way to hit harder with their form of psychological warfare. "Mean Girls: Mind Games" follows the lives of six girls who cover a spectrum of locations and lifestyles, schools and neighborhoods. You witness the sophisticated social cliques that are found in every school and in every neighborhood. You meet girls who manipulate their peers with the savvy of experienced politicians. You run with the popular crowd and you also see what it feels like to be pushed out of your social circle. Some girls are reduced to tears and rage as they are marginalized, as others cultivate the "right" attitudes, approaches and clothes to transform themselves into Alpha females who dominate the rest.

Some girls you meet in "Mean Girls: Mind Games" come from places where fists fly as quickly as words, and they have no problem punching out their enemies. You also meet a girl who was so deeply humiliated she attempted suicide. Woven through these compelling personal stories is commentary from two leading experts in the field of teenage girl behavior.

The Gene Hunters

submitted 2004-08-01 23:57:51
Airdate: 2001-01-01

Alan Alda meets some of the brightest and most charismatic scientists hunting genes in this Scientific American: Frontiers episode. Their work could unlock the mysteries of human disease.

The Trouble With Boys

submitted 2004-09-19 00:18:43
Airdate: 2002-01-01

From the time they are toddlers to the point when they become men, their loud, aggressive and sometimes violent ways are often dismissed with the notion that “boys will be boys”. But what does that, actually, mean? Is it true that “boys” are predestined to behave in a certain way? And, if so, how? Even as our society becomes less willing to tolerate the bad behavior the old cliché was often used to condone, the attitude still prevails that says boys/men should be strong, silent and resilient. But are they “naturally” so?

BOYS explores the fascinating new health science which indicates that males and females are biologically inclined to behave in certain ways.

Up Close and Personal

submitted 2004-08-02 00:13:56
Airdate: 1998-01-01

"All is quiet and David Suzuki, the award-winning host of CBC's science series, the nature of things, is asleep in bed with two million dust mites..."

So begins a fascinating 24-hour journey into the hidden world of our bodies and their extended family - a family most of us don't even know exists, although it lives inside, on, and near all of us. Our enthusiastic guide and narrator for this intimate tour is David Bodanis, author, lecturer, and expert on this secret world. The unwitting subject of the documentary is David Suzuki, erstwhile host of the nature of things, and his family.

The program is about the natural history of this invisible world: the things that float in the air around us, the microbes that live in the dish cloth on the kitchen counter, the fungi under our fingernails, and the visitors in the saucer under a house plant.

In this microbial world the sticky door handle of the refrigerator is like Times Square. For the most part they are benign and many of them are essential to the proper functioning of our immune systems. Seemingly innocent activities like sleeping, eating breakfast, or riding in an elevator will never be the same again as the precarious nature of life for most microbes is revealed in this look at one family's everyday routines and surroundings.

Bacteria, yeasts, fungi and mites flourish in the trillions on the 1.6 square meters of skin covering every healthy human body. It isn't clear who are the victims in the morning when our tooth brush dislodges some of the 500 species of bacteria comfortably ensconced in our mouths (only 20 have been named), or when we wash millions of helpless microbes down the drain while showering at the gym (new ones will quickly move into this nice clean habitat), and then later in the day, we unknowingly dislodge several generations of dust mites from the living room rug with the vacuum cleaner.

Using 3-D computer animation of scanning electron micrographs, time lapse, infrared, and macro photography interspersed with sequences showing the life of David Suzuki's family, the show reveals a hidden world we never see and are hardly aware exists.

Whole

submitted 2004-10-14 01:29:24
Airdate: 2003-01-01

Whole, a riveting new documentary by Melody Gilbert that recently premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival and will soon be shown at festivals in Calgary and London, is about an increasingly visible group of people who call themselves "amputee wannabes." Wannabes desperately wish to have their healthy limbs removed, and some have succeeded in having it done.

.History

[add all]

Dear America: Letters Home From Vietnam

submitted 2004-07-21 16:04:30
Airdate: 1987-01-01

There have been many great movies about Vietnam. This is the one that completes the story. It has no plot except that thousands of young men went to a faraway country and had unspeakable experiences there, and many of them died or were wounded for life in body or soul. This movie is so powerful precisely because it is so simple. The words are the words of the soldiers themselves, and the images are taken from their own home movies and from TV news footage of the war.

1421 - The Year China Discovered America

submitted 2004-09-01 22:36:41
Airdate: 2004-01-01

This special examines the theories outlined by Gavin Menzies in his best-selling book. An amateur historian and former submarine commander in the British Navy, Menzies poses an argument that could change the way we perceive global history forever -- that Chinese admirals discovered America and Chinese junks first circled the earth. Traveling across the continent, the film combines history, science and technology with adventure and exploration.

Ancient Apocalypse

submitted 2004-08-08 23:42:24
Airdate: 2001-01-01

Throughout the ages, civilisations have risen up and then disappeared. Traditionally, the disappearance of certain ancient civilizations has been left to the theologians and historians to explain. Now scientists have entered the fray. In this series geologists, archaeologists and climatologists explain their findings. Ancient Apocalypse seeks to explain how human achievements were destroyed by the forces of nature.

Episode 1: Death on the Nile
Egyptologist Professor Fekri Hassan explores the mystery behind the sudden collapse of the Egyptian Old Kingdom. The end was sudden and terrible, but its grandeur lives on in the Great Pyramids.

Episode 2: Mystery of the Minoans
The burning light of a magnificent civilisation, which awed the ancient Greeks, dimmed and then suddenly disappeared.

Episode 3: The Maya Collapse
Huge cities were swallowed up by the jungle, and Mayan wisdom and knowledge was lost to mankind for centuries. What brought down a society that had prospered for millennia?

Episode 4: Sodom And Gomorrah
Could the biblical story that recounts the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah be based on a natural apocalypse that occurred around the Dead Sea in the Middle East?

Cleopatra's Palace

submitted 2004-08-15 22:58:31
Airdate: 1998-01-01

This Discovery Channel production is a thoroughly entertaining documentary, narrated by Omar Sharif, on the undersea search for Cleopatra's lost palace. Locating the palace was as difficult as finding one needle in a pile of hundreds of thousands needles, because the geographical area has shifted greatly due to earthquakes, tidal waves, and storms. However, through state-of-the-art sonar technology and an eternal supply of perseverance, the science team was able to find this lost treasure. Omar Sharif's voice is captivating as we watch the underwater archaeological dig and he explains what they find. The team's discovery of statues, maps, and a mysterious shipwreck is thrilling. The narrator's objectivity allows the remarkable process of finding this rare treasure to shine on its own. According to the documentary, the artifacts can only be seen on this video, as they are not on display in a museum. But there is a book that accompanies the film: Cleopatra's Palace: In Search of a Legend.

Colosseum: A Gladiator's Story

submitted 2004-09-16 23:08:19
Airdate: 2003-01-01

Travel back in time to the glamour and bloodshed of ancient Rome's gladiatorial world, where men fought for their lives to satisfy the whims of a bloodthirsty populace.

Combining compelling narrative with state-of-the-art computer graphics and high-quality dramatic reconstruction, this production throws new light on the way gladiators really fought and trained, and reveals that many of them were the superstars of their age: even noblemen aspired to be gladiators.

What caused the notorious arena to be built, and what made Roman society demand such extreme entertainment to be played out there?

Colosseum: A Gladiator's Story revolves around the true story of Verus, who rises from slave to star gladiator, but who faces the ultimate challenge in one of the very few gladiatorial fights that was recorded and described by contemporary writers.

Discover Verus' story, live his journey and experience his quest for freedom.

Filled with exciting, behind-the-scenes programs, this disc also includes another 50-minute historical program, Pompeii: The Last Day, which uses state-of-the-art CGI to depict the terrifying last moments of a city caught in a volcanic death trap.

Cuban Story

submitted 2004-08-21 02:32:33
Airdate: 1958-01-01

Cuban Story takes an astonishing look at the Cuban Revolution--from the inside. This documentary owes quite a bit to fate. Writer-producer Victor Pahlen and film star Errol Flynn owned a business in Cuba when the revolution broke out. Realizing they had an amazing opportunity on their hands, they stayed, hung out with the revolutionary troops, and filmed right through Castro's ascent. The film is fascinating as an insider's look at the revolution, but also as a record of the times in many unintended ways: the narration refers to Castro's "girl soldiers," and we get a rare glimpse of a clean-shaven Castro. The filmmakers were in Cuba to witness and film the cruelties of Batista's reign, and thus take a decidedly pro-Castro stance. Viewers should be warned that the film also adopts what will come off to today's audiences as an oddly pro-terrorism point of view--is a sabotaged airport a brave blow for freedom or a senseless waste of life? Pahlen and Flynn follow the revolution beyond the end of the fighting as Castro reopens the university and tries to right some of Batista's wrongs. American viewers are rarely able to see such a pro-Castro piece and may find it alternately infuriating and thought-provoking.

Galileo's Battle for the Heavens

submitted 2004-09-01 01:53:32
Airdate: 2002-01-01

In this two-hour special, NOVA celebrates the story of the father of modern science and his struggle to get Church authorities to accept the truth of his astonishing discoveries. The program is based on Dava Sobel's bestselling book, Galileo's Daughter, which reveals a new side to the famously stubborn scientist -- that his closest confidante was his illegitimate daughter, Sister Maria Celeste, a cloistered nun.

Industrial Britain

submitted 2004-09-26 16:12:42
Airdate: 1933-01-01

This vibrant gem of a documentary, released in 1934, details the manner in which the industrial revolution had effected Great Britain and its population, and demonstrated the lasting importance of craftsmanship, in a mass-producing machine age. The history of daily work in industrialised England is a history of "craftsmanship and skill for an emphasis on quality, which only the individual can give." However, by the 1930s, the new labourer might be a coal miner or glass blower or steelworker. England was becoming a nation of bridges and cranes, airplanes and locomotives and factories. The documentary deals with the worker and his immediate environment, and the pride a British craftsman takes in his work despite the onrush of mechanisation. The factual approach to the subject matter marks a turn toward more sophisticated documentary-type film production.

Infinite Secrets: The Genius of Archimedes

submitted 2004-09-23 15:53:47
Airdate: 2003-09-30

"This is one of NOVA's shining episodes--one of the most exciting works the venerable series has produced in recent years." -- The Christian Science Monitor

In 1991, a small Medieval prayer book was sold at auction. Miraculously, some original writings of Archimedes, the brilliant Greek mathematician, were discovered hidden beneath the religious text. Through scholarly detective work with the help of modern technology, this book now reveals Archimedes' stunningly original concepts, ideas, and theories--revelations that, if known sooner, might have reshaped our world.

Many historic figures have been hailed as ahead of their time. Few--if any--are said to be centuries ahead of their time. The Einstein of his era, Archimedes had a sophisticated understanding of mathematics, and designed marvelous war machines for his native Syracuse to use against the invading Romans. Many of Archimedes' works disappeared during the Middle Ages, but some survived to help inspire the scientific revolution in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. One document that seemed irretrievably lost was his final treatise The Method, which reputedly explained how he achieved his brilliant results--secrets he revealed nowhere else. Now, over 2200 years later, the discovery of The Method has experts and scientists dreaming of what might have been if Renaissance thinkers and other great minds had known of his ideas and been able to build on them.

NOVA explores Archimedes' rare writings, as well as the book's mysterious beginnings, tumultuous history and amazing discovery. As the ancient text comes back from the dead, it unlocks its revolutionary contents--the infinite secrets of one of history's greatest thinkers.

Lost Treasures of the Ancient World - The Seven Wonders

submitted 2004-10-30 12:03:47
Airdate: 2003-01-01

Discover extraordinary Greek and Roman architecture such as:

the Hanging Gardens of Babylon,
the Statue of Zeus,
the Temple of Artemis,
the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus,
the Colossus of Rhodes,
the Pharos of Alexandria, and
the Pyramids of Egypt

..through new location footage, stylish period reconstructions, 3D graphics and animation sequences, and interpretations and analyses by the world's leading authorities.

Noah and the Great Flood

submitted 2004-10-10 00:51:50
Airdate: 2003-01-01

Was Noah's Flood a symbol for real people who were driven from a real homeland by a real flood? In an extraordinary geological detective story, two of the world's greatest earth scientists travel to the Black Sea to reveal evidence of a mighty torrent that poured through the Bosphorus with the power of over four hundred Niagara Falls. Did this catastrophic event, only 7,500 years ago, become the stuff of ancient storytelling and the origin of the Biblical Flood?

Oceanographer Bill Ryan was part of the team that revealed how the Mediterranean was formed 5 million years ago, when rising oceans burst through the straits of Gibraltar. Fellow American Bill Pitman helped found the new science of plate tectonics. But it was British associate John Dewey (now Professor of Earth Sciences at Oxford) who first put up the ingenious idea that a similar cataclysmic flood could have accounted for the Biblical legend. In late 1991, Ryan and Pitman decided to begin their search. Five years later they were ready to announce their findings to the world.

Both experts now believe that the Flood was a real event that took place in the Black Sea region in 5600 BC. An impressive horde of evidence allows them to demonstrate that the Black Sea fell over 100 meters below the level of the world's oceans due to freezing in Northern Europe and Asia. As the Earth warmed, the oceans rose again, smashing relentlessly through the Bosphorous Straits with immense force and creating a legend that has survived until now. Filmed on location in Turkey, Bulgaria, Russia and the United States, this film follows the story of the discovery through the eyes and experiences of Bill Ryan and Walter Pitman. Noah's Flood swings from disappointment to despair, and then to euphoria, as Ryan and Pitman pursue their dramatic, but initially elusive, idea. They sift new geological evidence from the Turkish navy, drill into the bed of the Black Sea alongside a team of Russian scientists (already engaged in tracking fallout from Chernobyl), and patiently gather data from the world's leading experts in climate and tree ring data. Finally they are ready to test their finding on their colleagues at the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University and at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. But the story does not end there. For if Ryan and Pitman are right, and scientific evidence matches the stuff of ancient storytelling, the implications are far reaching for our understanding of Neolithic civilization in both Europe and Asia.

Pirates!

submitted 2004-07-21 15:56:48
Airdate: 1999-01-01

The pirates' story is inextricably linked to one of the most exciting and tumultuous periods of seafaring history. As Europe battled to extend her colonies and trade routes flourished, so men of all ages, hungry for adventure and keen to capitalise upon the New World, braved the open seas. Lured by the promise of golden treasure and an easy life, they soon joined ranks to sail under the black flag. Meet some of the wiliest and most cunning characters ever to have set sail. Many of the myths and romances that surround them are dispelled, but the reality proves to be just as colourful.

Rumrunners, Moonshiners and Bootleggers

submitted 2004-10-26 12:49:30
Airdate: 2004-01-01

They raced through the back roads and sailed the high seas for a decade, delivering a precious liquid cargo to a nation whose thirst could not be quenched by legislation. From high-toned clubs and hidden speakeasies to backwoods shacks, Prohibition did little to stop America's consumption of liquor--it just diverted the flow to different channels.

In RUMRUNNERS, MOONSHINERS AND BOOTLEGGERS, the History Channel revisits the rough-and-tumble days of Prohibition for a candid, inside look at the legacy of this tumultuous time. Former Rumrunners talk of their run-ins with the Coast Guard, and we'll see how NASCAR owes its existence to the failed attempt to dry out the nation. Authors like Philip P. Mason (Rumrunning and the Roaring Twenties) and Gary Regan (The Book of Bourbon) provide a historical perspective, while retired agents and prosecutors reflect on their difficult, dangerous and ultimately futile efforts to enforce a law that America clearly did not support.

Filled with extraordinary tales, rarely-seen footage and a host of captivating photos, RUMRUNNERS, MOONSHINERS AND BOOTLEGGERS is an unforgettable portrait of one of the most compelling eras in our history.

[add] ed2k://|file|Rumrunners,