Discover the story behind the infamous Rivonia Trial, where Mandela and his co-defendants fought for the freedom of South Africa, in this new film. Directed by former high court judge Sir Nick Stadlen, the film follows the 10 leading opponents of apartheid and their lawyers and supporters through the trial. It is an inspiring story of immense courage and self-sacrifice on the part of a small group of multiracial idealists. Though the defendants were saved from the death penalty, eight of the ten were sentenced to life imprisonment, Mandela among them. When Mandela was released 27 years later, he had a vision of multiracial democracy for South Africa.
China, the “Middle Kingdom,” has long been thought to have developed independently from the West. Mighty mountains and the inhospitable Taklamakan formed insurmountable barriers. But the belief in China’s isolation has been challenged by surprising discoveries. Mummies from the Bronze Age are turning this assumption upside down and recasting the cultural relationship between east and west.
A bizarre iron age grave has been uncovered in the United Kingdom, archaeologists expect that this site will help unlock the hidden story of the violent birth of Roman Britain.
Kutsher's Country Club is the last surviving Jewish resort in the Catskills. One of the legendary Borscht Belt hotels during its heyday, Kutsher's has been family-owned and operated for over 100 years. Exploring the full Dirty Dancing-era Catskills experience-- and how it changed American pop culture in the comedy, sports and vacation industries-- this documentary captures a last glimpse of a lost world as it disappears before our eyes.
In 1980s Communist Czechoslovakia an emerging generation took inspiration from alternative culture to create their own worldview, politics and eventually, a revolution. 25 years later, this unique generational perspective is explored for the first time.
The 2008 election of Barack Obama led many to believe we had entered a post-racial America, one in which the nation's traumatic and painful history of racism had finally been erased. In the years since, it's become increasingly clear that the deep roots of racism and white supremacy continue to run through our political, cultural, and religious institutions. Based on interviews and current research, the documentary film White Savior explores the historic relationship between racism and American Christianity, the ongoing segregation of the church in the US, and the complexities of racial reconciliation. Featuring interviews with Lenny Duncan, Soong Chan Rah, Jacqueline Woodson, Jim Bear Jacobs, Dominique Gilliard, and more.
Blending drama with the explanations of passionate historians and specialists, this enriched historical reconstruction traces 60 years in the life a man who transformed the Middle Ages and laid the foundation of modern Europe, William The Conqueror.
Follow the story of the Bible's controversial history into the twentieth century, as the work of Westcott and Hort would transform biblical scholarship, inspire the work of various Bible Societies, and pave the way for the cause of ecumenical unity between Evangelical Protestants and Rome.
The dramatic story of the bombing of the German city of Cologne. Polish refugee pilots join the British officers of the Royal Air Force to fly in a historic bomber stream that turned the war in favor of the Allies.
This is the definitive biography of the saint from Pietrelcina, Italy. With one hour of filmed material, much of which has never been seen before, this film introduces the faithful to every aspect of the life, spirituality, and work of this 20th century saint.
Take a journey 6000 years back in time to the late Neolithic and early Bronze ages, which is when the first over-water settlements on stilts, which are described here, were built.
The Dead Sea Scrolls are widely considered to be one of the greatest archaeological finds in modern history. More than a half century after their discovery, scientists are still trying to solve the mystery of who wrote them. With special access to the scrolls, National Geographic goes beyond the enclosed glass case to examine the actual texts up close and explores the caves where they were found. Witness as a new clue to the identity of the scrolls' writers is deciphered-a 2,000-year-old cup inscribed with a strange text. Could analysis of this finding unravel the mystery?
This documentary is a visual encyclopaedia of the bombers deployed and their strategic use, by both the Allied and Axis Forces during the Second World War. The programme includes detailed accounts of the Lancaster, Wellington, Blenheim, Liberator, Flying Fortress, Heinkel HE 111, Stuka, Mitchell, Superfortress, Heinkel HE 177 Greif, Marauder, Whitley, Halifax, Hampden, Stirling, and more.
A rare insight into the military career and personal life of Germany's most famous Second World War commander, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. Told from the perspective of his son Manfred, it tells what happens when a career soldier runs afoul of a dictator. Highly decorated and one of Hitler's favourite commanders in the early years of World War II, the 'Desert Fox' was something of an enigma. Never a member of the Nazi party, Rommel detested the blending of politics and war. He would quickly discover that both were always in play in Hitler's Germany. Greg Kinnear narrates.
Literary history's greatest mystery? Who created the greatest works of iambic thunder in the English language, and who lived the courtly life that is written about in the works of Shakespeare. An uneducated tradesman from Stratford?
The film, along with the incredible action and spectacle of the 150th reenactment, features over 60 breath taking colorized images of the leading figures of the battle by Denmark-based artist, Mads Madsen.
Cape Cod National Seashore was authorized in 1961 to preserve a portion of this fascinating, ever-changing landscape. Four stories about Cape Cod have been asembled into a collection of classic short films prepared by the National Park Service.
The small Belgian army held up the German advance, the British Expeditionary Force fought its first battle and the invincible German army was brought to a standstill in Belgium. This film traces that first month, the battles of Liège, Antwerp and Mons. In reconstruction it uses the words of those who took part and looks at the remains of the battlefields and the fortifications that still exist.