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1870's America. A Chinese immigrant falsely accused of murdering a white woman is viciously hunted down; he'll have to prove his innocence in a time when people of color had "no legal rights" and could be bought and sold for a profit. Railroad to Hell: A Chinaman's Chance explores the exploitation of Chinese workers during the building of American railroads. The workers not only spent long hours, but the work was often dangerous and fatal. The Chinaman is a fugitive on the run, and all odds are against him. While stealing a horse was a hanging offense in the Old West, our fugitive knows that killing a Chinaman is not a crime.
The film is about the revolution which began bacause of dissemination of Bolshevik ideas among workers.
When the Civil War ended in 1865, more than four million slaves were set free. Over 70 years later, the memories of some 2,000 slave-era survivors were transcribed and preserved by the Library of Congress. These first-person anecdotes, ranging from the brutal to the bittersweet, have been brought to vivid life in this unique HBO documentary special, featuring the on-camera voices of over a dozen top African-American actors.
1907. Magnifica, young Costa Rican harpist, is preparing for her concert at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels where she studies with her fiancé. Inspired by the life of Pacifica Zelaya.
In 1894, French officer Alfred Dreyfus is wrongly convicted for the treasonous acts of another man, Major Esterhazy. When investigations begin into the dubious evidence used in the trial, an institutional coverup begins, aided by fears of army disgrace and anti-Semitic paranoia against Dreyfus. But a determined group, headed by prominent author Émile Zola, leads a mounting public call to reopen the Dreyfus case.
The story of Sultan Agung Hanyakrakusuma, the king of Mataram when he was still a teenager until he becomes a king.
In 1960, Martín and Marcos are forced by their difficult personal circumstances to travel to Switzerland in search of work, leaving their families in the Madrid of Franco's Spain. But they undertake more than a simple journey; they begin the road to a new life.
Based on the famous historical novel by Alessandro Manzoni, and set between 1628 and 1630 in Lombardy, Northern Italy, during the Spanish domination, the film displays the marriage between two young textile workers, Renzo and Lucia. The 1922 version is one of the most ambitious and spectacular films in all Italian silent cinema, with remarkable mass scenes and some images that sparked controversy.
In September 1941, lieutenant Ilya Streltsov, who graduated from the flight school, was assigned to the fighter aviation regiment guarding the sky of Moscow. He meets in part the nurse Zoya, with whom he grew up in the same yard and with whom he has long been in love. During the first training flight on the "Seagull", lieutenant Streltsov shot down a German plane and received the nickname "Lucky." Streltsov is jealous of the squadron commander to nurse Zoya, believes that he is finding fault with him. For a whole month he is not allowed to fly sorties. In October 1941, lieutenant Streltsov made his first sortie, he shot down one plane and rams the second. For this battle, he is awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union.
'Hannah' tells the story of Buddhist pioneer Hannah Nydahl and her life bringing Tibetan Buddhism to the West. From her idealistic roots in 1960's Copenhagen to the hippie trail in Nepal, Hannah and her husband Ole became two of the first Western students of His Holiness the 16th Karmapa - the first consciously reincarnated lama of Tibet in 1110. Hannah went on to become an assistant and translator for some of the most powerful Tibetan lamas and a bridge between Buddhism in the East and the West.
Switzerland in the 1950s: Electricity consumption is rising steadily. Two officials are commissioned by the city to convince the inhabitants of the Gettlichtal to leave voluntarily so that dams and reservoirs can be built. But the mountain farmer Marie, who has spent her entire life here, finds it difficult to leave the valley.
A biographical two-reel series starring Joseph Kilgour as Washington. The first part, "Washington Under the British Flag" (released June 29), focused on Washington's early life and French and Indian War experiences as a British colonial officer. The second part "Washington Under the American Flag" (released July 3) continued his story through the Revolution and presidency, portraying his journey from surveyor to commander and first president, aiming to educate audiences on America's founding father.
"In order to preserve all our achievements for posterity it is necessary to resort to the aid of the motion picture, which will be a great contribution to the immortalization of our art. The years are passing by, and we hope that our achievements, registered on film, will aid future generations to learn and perfect themselves. In the not too distant future our first experience in this field will be shown to a wide public: pictures of the methodology of classical ballet at the Moscow and Leningrad Ballet Schools. This film will be a scientific aid in outlying districts as well." - Agrippina Vaganova
A documentary on nuclear victims. From 1950 to 1990, France, the USA, and the UK dropped hundreds of nuclear bombs on the Pacific islands, at the cost of sacrificing the local populations. Each country played the clock and hoped for the silent disappearance of the victims of the first generation. But the atom left more traces than expected; genetic abnormalities and pathologies appeared in new generations.
Sicilian photojournalist Letizia Battaglia began a long battle against the ruthless Cosa Nostra when she first photographed the sinister scene of a brutal murder. Documenting the barbaric rule of the Italian Mafia, she was an unwavering witness to its crimes. Her art and courage helped end the horrific and bloody reign of the Corleonesi clan.
After a harrowing escape from the front line, 15-year-old Hans Jokisch and his family return to their village in Silesia. But their beloved home is occupied - by the Schöppe family. They have no choice but to share the house from now on. Over time, the Jokisch house also becomes a home for the Schöppe family and Hans befriends the young Bruno Schöppe.
John Simpson looks back at his extraordinary 60-year career at the BBC - reporting on the biggest global stories of the era. In a frank, personal and revealing documentary, he reflects on the changing world he has witnessed: the revolution in Iran that seemed destined to fail, his brutal kidnapping in Beirut, the fall of the Berlin Wall, two wars in Iraq, the invasion of Afghanistan and a mind-altering trip up the Amazon.
King Charles III was Prince of Wales for more than 60 years. From the controversy around his Investiture, to his charity work, his love of the countryside and tradition and his keen patronage of the arts, this programme reflects on the effect Wales and the Welsh have had on the new monarch.