Leopardi
In 19th-century Italy, Giacomo Leopardi channels his debilitating illness and isolation into poetry.
Browse popular History movies
In 19th-century Italy, Giacomo Leopardi channels his debilitating illness and isolation into poetry.
About one of the most famous composers of the 20th century, Dmitriy Dmitrievich Shostakovich.
A film about the gold panning adventures of Hans Söderström, an indigenous Swede. The story stretches from Scandinavia to Africa, via Asia and the Americas, but ultimately boils down to the simple boyish dream of finding gold. Lots of it. And oneself.
Khan Suranzan always revered the Flame Dragon and brought him gifts on the shores of Lake Baikal. But one day the dragon became angry and deprived little Galshi, the Khan's only heir, of his mind. The young man grew up kind, but stupid... The Khan decided to find a wise wife for his son, but then his enemies rose up. Both his own and others. Will Khan Suranzan cope with his enemies, will anyone love Galshi, and what is the secret of the dragon's tears?
In 19th century France, Jean Valjean, a man imprisoned for stealing bread, must flee a relentless policeman named Javert. The pursuit consumes both men's lives, and soon Valjean finds himself in the midst of the student revolutions in France.
Doctors of the Dark Side is the first feature length documentary about the pivotal role of physicians and psychologists in detainee torture. The stories of four detainees and the doctors involved in their abuse demonstrate how US Army and CIA doctors implemented the Enhanced Interrogation Techniques and covered up signs of torture at Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib. Interviews with medical, legal and intelligence experts and evidence from declassified government memos document what has been called the greatest scandal in American medical ethics. Based on four years of research by Producer/Director Martha Davis, written by Oscar winning Mark Jonathan Harris, and filmed in HD by Emmy winning DP Lisa Rinzler, the film shows how the torture of detainees could not continue without the assistance of the doctors.
Sugar is sweet, seductive, addictive - but built on human suffering. This feature-length reveals how an enticing luxury became the engine of a global system powered by slavery, exploitation and environmental destruction, a legacy still shaping the world today. From the 19th-century slave plantations to modern refineries in the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Reunion, India, South Africa and Europe, the series traces how sugar fuelled colonial empires, drove some of the worst aspects of international trade and commerce, and left deep social and ecological scars that are still present in labour abuses and exhausted landscapes today.
A short film about Antonio Luna’s aides-de-camp Jose and Manuel Bernal during the aftermath of Luna’s assassination.
The show tells the story of a man who renounces the material comforts and prestige of being the King's upholsterer to create a theater troupe with the woman he loves. But the road to success is long, and there are many obstacles.
The upstart Godai family conglomerate plans to strengthen ties with the hardliners in the Kwantung Army as they plan military expansion into Manchuria.
Günter Walcher, 40-years-old, is a hardworking, apolitical West German businessman caught in a moral conflict. He is offered a promotion to become the head of a division—on the condition that he find a reason to fire Zacharias, a communist and the work council chairman.
From the creator and director of the critically acclaimed documentary Dark Girls, award-winning filmmaker Bill Duke continues the conversation on colorism with Light Girls. Sharing the untold stories and experiences of lighter-skinned women, Light Girls dives deep into the discussion of skin color, preference, privilege, pain and prejudice. The documentary features interviews with Russell Simmons, Soledad O'Brien, Diahann Carroll, India Arie, Iyanla Vanzant, Michaela Angela Davis, Kym Whitley, Salli Richardson-Whitfield and more.
In 1938, Finland is slowly coming out of a recession. Large amounts of nickel have been found from Petsamo in Lapland and a mine is underway. Dreaming of a new life, metal worker Eino Forsell and his family head there for a new beginning.
A prisoner set on serving his time gets recruited to save a pregnant woman trapped in a tree during the Great Flood of 1927. A massive storm drives them farther from their destination and they soon must decide to go off on their own or find their way home.
The heartwarming tale of the dog who waits by the sea every day for the return of its departed friend.
In 1839, the slave ship Amistad set sail from Cuba to America. During the long trip, Cinque leads the slaves in an unprecedented uprising. They are then held prisoner in Connecticut, and their release becomes the subject of heated debate. Freed slave Theodore Joadson wants Cinque and the others exonerated and recruits property lawyer Roger Baldwin to help his case. Eventually, John Quincy Adams also becomes an ally.
Australia was colonized in the late 1700s. Pemulwuy, a man of the Bidjigal tribes — from the region that is today modern-day Sydney — led a 12-year resistance against British settlers moving into his people’s traditional lands.
Actress Sally Field looks at the dramatic life and successful career of the superb actress Barbara Stanwyck (1907-90), a Hollywood legend.
Although born a daughter of an aristocratic family, Jin-yi discovers the secret behind her birth and enters into a life in a brothel as a gisaeng.