Africans in America: America's journey through slavery by
A four part series portraying the struggles of the African people in America, from their arrival in the 1600s to the last days before the Civil War. The first episode, Terrible transformation, examines the origins of one of the largest forced human migrations in recorded history. After the arrival of the first Africans in Virginia in 1619, the British colonies laid the groundwork for a system of racial slavery which generated profits that ensured the colonies' growth and survival. In the second episode, Revolution, while the American colonies challenge Britain for independence, American slavery is challenged from within as men and women fight to define what America will be. When the War of Independence is won, black people, both enslaved and free, seize on the language of freedom even while the new nation's Constitution codifies slavery and oppression as a national way of life. In the third episode, Brotherly love, during the first 50 years of the new nation, freedmen and fugitive slaves in Philadelphia push the country to live up to the promises made in its Constitution. But with the invention of the cotton gin, slavery expands into America's western frontier, and a revolution in Haiti inspires slave rebellions throughout the souther United States. In the fourth and final episode, as the nation expands westward slavery becomes the most divisive issue in American life. Abolitionists struggle to bring the institution down and the nation is tested as never before. When tensions over slavery erupt into violence, Americans are forced to consider how long the country can continue as a democracy built on the profits of bondage.
American History X
Derek Vinyard, the charismatic leader of a group of young white supremacists, lands in prison for a brutal, hate-driven murder. Upon his release, ashamed of his past and pledging to reform, Derek realizes he must save his younger brother, Danny, from a similar fate. A groundbreaking controversial drama about the tragic consequences of racism in a family.
The American president by
Ten one-hour documentaries that focus on different aspects of character and governing style of the men who have served as president of the United States.
And The Band Played On by
Follows the struggle of a handful of strong-willed men and women who took on the fight to save lives in the face of a mysterious illness now called AIDS.
Armenia: A Genocide Denied
This program investigates evidence of an Armenian genocide by visiting sites of mass burials and presenting testamonials from survivors and their descendants. Leading figures on both sides of the debate are interviewed, including Turkish historian Halil Berktay, Israeli author Dr. Yari Auron, and Arslan Terzioglu, head of the Turkish government's Armenian Research Institute.
Caligula by
The story of Rome's mad Emperor, Caligula. His reign was cruel and bizarre because of his sexual passion for his sister, marriage to a sex worker, and method of disposing of those who would oppose him.
Crusaders by
Chronicles the origins of the Crusades and traces the Crusaders' routes across Europe and details the massacres and looting along the way.
Darfur Diaries: A Message From Home by
A brutally honest inside look into the current tragedy befalling the Darfur region. This film seeks to provide space for the victims of atrocities to speak and to engage with the world. Amnesty International will use the film to educate its members.
Eyes On The Prize: America's Civil Rights Movement by
Awakenings (1954-1956) : Covers two events that helped to focus the nation's attention on the rights of black Americans: the 1955 lynching in Mississippi of 14-year-old Emmett Till and the 1955-56 Montgomery, Ala. boycott. Also shows southern race relations at mid-century and witnesses the awakening of individuals to their own courage and power.
Fighting back (1957-1962) : Covers stories detailing the confrontation between state and federal governments over enforcement of the law of equality, which marked an escalation in the struggle for civil rights from which there was no turning back.
Flags Of Our Fathers by
The life stories of the five Marines and one Naval officer that were forever immortalized as a symbol of WWII by raising the American flag at the battle of Iwo Jima.
Flowers of Rwanda: making peace with genocide.
Can killers and survivors coexist in peace? That is the crucial question facing Rwanda a dozen years after the genocide that claimed the lives of approximately 800,000 people-and the subject of this multi-award-winning documentary. Using interviews with Joseph Habineza, Minister of Education and Culture; Freddy Mutanguha, director of the Kigali Genocide Memorial Center; and numerous survivors, Flowers of Rwanda considers whether forgiveness and reconciliation can truly be achieved so the country can eradicate the ignorance and extremism that paved the way for monumental atrocity. Viewer discretion is advised.
Free Tibet
A documentary about the first Tibetan Freedom Concert, held in San Francisco and the significance of massive rock concerts that support social causes.
Gettysburg by
Civil War drama depicting the events and personal struggles of the Union and Confederate soldiers at the Battle of Gettysburg.
Ghost Of Rwanda by
Through interviews with key government officials, diplomats, soldiers, and survivors, this documentary examines the state-sponsored genocide in Rwanda in 1994. Explores the reasons why the international community and the United States did not intervene as Hutu extremists killed some 800,000 Tutsis.
History of Slavery: Black Leaders
From terrible times rise leaders whose voices stand strong against the tyranny of injustice. The 'History of slavery, black leaders,' compilation partner's two of slavery's greatest lecture[r]s, teachers, and leaders, Frederick Douglass and Booker T Washington. Two men focused on education, learning, and equality, their stories inspire us to reach for one's dreams, for a better tomorrow and a world [untainted] by prejudice
Hotel Rwanda
The deeply moving true story of a five-star-hotel manager who used his wits and words to save more than 1,200 lives during the 1994 Rwandan conflict.
The Inventory by
This program depicts the lives and lifestyles of a typical lower-middle-class family in the mid-eighteenth century. Showing the struggle for survival and likely course of events that follow the death of the father in early middle age, we learn what such a family had in the way of possessions and how it valued them, and what their range of options was.
The Iron Lady by
A surprising and intimate portrait of Margaret Thatcher, the first and only female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. One of the 20th century's most famous and influential women, Thatcher came from nowhere to smash through barriers of gender and class to be heard in a male-dominated world.
Islam: Empire of Faith by
Documents the rise and growth of Islam throughout the world, from the birth of Prophet Muhammad in the 6th century through the peak of the Ottoman Empire 1000 years later. Discusses the impact of Islamic civilization on world history and culture.
Ivan The Terrible by
Part I starts with the coronation of Ivan the Terrible and concludes with his return to power after the death of his wife. Part II covers the attempt to assassinate him in 1564. The third part of the saga was never made due to the death of Eisenstein.
Japan: Memoirs of a secret empire by
Explores the period between the 16th and 19th centuries in Japan by examining the lives of shoguns, samurais, geishas, and the very few Westerners allowed into Japan. Japan was then a world unto itself, closed to outsiders, and ruled by shoguns with absolute control. During this period, Japan transitioned from chaos and violence to a land of ritual refinement and peace.
Judaism: Kristallnacht and the birth of Israel by
Following 'The Night of Broken Glass, ' the world reacted with horror and did nothing. So began the Holocaust. This emotionally charged, highly realistic program cinematically dramatizes the events surrounding two days that did much to define the fortunes of Jewry in the 20th century, indelibly capturing both the courage and the fear that etched the annals of the times. Original BBCW broadcast title: Kristallnacht and the Birth of Israel.
Killing Hitler by
Fast-paced action combines with true-life facts in this thrilling portrayal of the 1945 Allied plot to assassinate Hitler.
The King's Speech by
The story of King George VI of Britain, his impromptu ascension to the throne and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch become worthy of it.
King Arthur and medieval Britain by
or centuries, the adventures of King Arthur and his fabled court of heroes, the Knights of the Round Table, have dominated the imagination of the western world. This special collection presents five original specials that will help separate fact from fiction.
The Life Of Leonardo DaVinci by
Shows many of Da Vinci's triumphs, including the creation of The last supper and the Mona Lisa, and some of his bitter defeats including the crash-landing of his flying machine, as well as the bitterness of his rivalry with Michelangelo. DVD extras include a look at the rise of Renaissance Italy, Leonardo's masterpiece paintings and inventions, a look at the works and contrasting styles of Da Vinci and Michelangelo, including a timeline.
Marie Antionette by
Tells the story of the 14-year-old ill-fated Archduchess of Austria and later Queen of France. Marie Antoinette has became one of the most misunderstood and abused woman in history, from her birth in Imperial Austria. And how the young woman must grow up in front of the entire country of France.
Martin Luther by
Learn how one man reluctantly took on the most powerful institution of his day and won. Martin Luther is credited with expounding a new vision of man's relationship with God and, by extension, a redefinition of man's relationship with authority. Filmed across Europe -- from the rustic rural Germany to the opulence of the Vatican City -- you'll witness the collapse of the medieval world and the birth of the modern age.
A midwife's tale by
Dramatic exploration of the life of Martha Ballard, a woman who lived through the economic boom and bust and political and social turmoil of the decades following the American Revolution.
More Than Bows And Arrows by
Deals with the role of the American Indian in shaping various aspects of American culture, ranging from food and housing to the democratic way of life.
PBS by
Tells the story of the emperors, slaves, poets, and peasants who wrested order from chaos, built the most cosmopolitan society the world had ever seen, and shaped the Roman Empire in the First Century.
The Real Olympics by
To mark the Olympics' 2004 return to its birthplace of Athens, this series tells the 'real' story of the original games. It combines lavish reconstruction of the ancient Greek games with dramatic highlights from the modern olympics.
Recount by
Explores one of the most dramatic and controversial events in recent U.S. election history, which shook a nation's faith in the ability to stage a fair and open election.
The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow
HIS 109; History
Offers the first comprehensive look at race relations in America between the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement. This definitive four-part series documents the context in which the laws of segregation known as the "Jim Crow" system originated and developed.
The Road to Brown
Presents the role of Charles Hamilton Houston in the cases which led to the landmark Supreme Court case of Brown vs. Board of Education. Gives a history of segregation, Jim Crow Laws, the NAACP and biographical information on persons influential in the desegregation movement.
Rome: Rise and Fall Of An Empire by
Filled with dramatic re-enactments and action-packed battle scenes, watch the dramatic story of one of history's greatest empires, from its first major battle to its remarkable military feats and through its eventual fall.
Roots by
Follows several generations in the lives of a slave family. The saga begins with Kunta Kinte, a West African youth captured by slave raiders and shipped to America in the 1700s. The family is depicted up until the Civil War where Kunte Kinte's grandson gains his emancipation.
Sometimes In April by
Based on the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, where over the course of 100 days an estimated 800,000 people were killed in a terrifying purge by Hutu nationalists against their Tutsi countrymen.
The Times of Harvey Milk by
Documents the life, career, and assassination of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay person elected to public office in San Francisco. Milk was shot to death, along with mayor George Moscone, by city supervisor Dan White on Nov. 22, 1978; White was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and was paroled in 1985. Examines Milk's life leading up to his assassination, his successful efforts to politically represent San Francisco's gay community, and the city's reaction to the assassinations through extensive news footage and personal recollections.
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