With humor, chutzpah and a piece of vinyl siding firmly in hand, Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Judith Helfand and co-director and award-winning cinematographer Daniel B. Gold set out in search of the truth about polyvinyl chloride (PVC), America's most popular plastic. From Long Island to Louisiana to Italy, they unearth the facts about PVC and its effects on human health and the environment.
Hosted by Jack Perkins (of A&E's "Biography" series), this documentary profiles the life of L.L. Bean, the Maine outdoorsman turned entrepreneur who created one of the most iconic brands in American history.
Easter Island has long been the subject of curiosity and speculation. A triangle of volcanic rock in the South Pacific, Easter Island is over 2000 miles away from the nearest population center, making it one of the most isolated spots on Earth. It is best known for the giant stone statues, known as the Moai, that dot the coastline.
Mark Bussler's film Civil War Life: Shot to Pieces chronicles the life of Harvard student William F. Bartlett, who leaves school to sign up with the Union Army. After losing a leg to Southern gunfire, he begins a relationship with Agnes Pomeroy. William eventually rejoins the war effort, but is captured by enemy forces. He attempts to survive his squalid conditions as a POW because of his love for Agnes.
For years, STAR WARS fan have squared off against STAR TREK fans over which space fantasy is the better choice. As a result, both franchises have been embroiled in a continuing battle for merchandise sales, publicity and box-office receipts. The science-fiction genre has never seen anything like it and, as these fictional universes continue to expand, the competition seems to be never ending. Star Wars vs. Star Trek: The Rivalry Continues compares the space opera worlds of George Lucas and Gene Roddenberry for a one-of-a-kind intergalactic documentary.
Sixty years ago, Norway’s Nazi invaders saw a perfect opportunity to further Himmler’s “Lebensborn” program, by encouraging their soldiers to have affairs with Norwegian women, often with Aryan features, and breed “racially superior children.” After the war the women children were sent to prisons and asylums.
For decades the secrecy around Area 51 has shrouded the airbase in mystery. Despite endless speculation about secret military test-flights and extra-terrestrial technology, there is little information available to the public. John Tindall's intriguing documentary examines the facts and the fictions of Area 51. Cert.12
Wrestling- Then & Now- The Movie is a documentary from noted underground film director Dwayne Walker and the Associate Producer of The Wrestler, Evan Ginzburg. Go on the road with Evan as he talks to the greats of the sport in a film that has something for everyone.
This retrospective of Elvis Presley's life and career uses excerpts from his performances and interviews to chronicle how the swivel-hipped young man from Tupelo, Miss., rose from poverty to become an American icon. The documentary also includes archival footage of Elvis on "The Ed Sullivan Show" and other TV appearances, clips from his Army days and film of his wedding to paint an extensive portrait of the King's public and personal lives.
Combining archival photographs, interviews with historians and dramatic reenactments starring Blair Underwood and Ed Asner, this documentary recounts the gripping story of the Civil War-era Underground Railroad that shepherded slaves to freedom. Harriet Tubman, Thomas Garrett and William Still, whose tireless public efforts and clandestine activities kept the Railroad running, are among the abolitionist personalities highlighted.
The 1992 suicide of a young Iranian refugee in a small Canadian town prompted filmmaker Masoud Raouf to examine his own past as a political prisoner in Iran who helped fight for democracy, only to be persecuted by the ayatollah's regime. Raouf's documentary features historical footage and interviews with veterans of the 1979 revolution, who watched with dismay as their homeland traded a despot for a religious dictatorship.
It's been seven years since the Wyoming Indian High School Chiefs have won a state championship in basketball. For most schools, this is a rather unremarkable statistic. But for the inhabitants of the Wind River Indian Reservation, who have experienced a century and a half of injustice, basketball is a form of empowerment, self-expression, and access to the world outside "the Rez." By using basketball as a vehicle, CHIEFS explores what it means to grow up Native American at the turn of the 21st century.
On the Antarctic periphery, bathed by the world's most violent waters, there is a lost island where southern nature is still intact, oblivious to man and its devastating impact. South Georgia is a world apart, a land swept by Antarctic winds known as the Furious 50 which require a constant struggle for survival.
Over Beautiful British Columbia is a spectacular scenic tour of Canada's Pacific province. Savor the grandeur of British Columbia as you join a helicopter adventure from elegant Victoria to rugged Fort Nelson, from the ski slopes of Whistler to the sun-drenched Okanagan shores, from the razor spine of Mount Robson to the primeval coast of the Queen Charlotte Islands.
1971's On Any Sunday is perhaps the best-known film ever made about the sport of motorcross. Three decades later, the filmmakers revisted the film for this 2001 follow-up. On Any Sunday: Motocross, Malcolm & More features footage left on the cutting-room floor from the original film as well as new interviews with those involved in the making of the classic
When a 2001 plane crash claimed the life of 22-year-old rhythm-and-blues singer Aaliyah, it left a void in the music world. This hourlong retrospective looks at her brief but prolific career, which included three chart-topping albums and film roles. Fans and recording industry executives share their thoughts about Aaliyah's life and untimely death in interviews peppered throughout the documentary.
This documentary examines the social and cultural underpinnings of the trilogy of The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, in an attempt to understand the work's phenomenal success and influence. The program looks for answers in the author's sources of inspiration, from the folk legends of Norway to the field of linguistics of which Tolkien was a lifelong student. It finds that the deep chord the story strikes owes its resonance to the author's use of archetypal imagery and language. Many examples of these recurrent themes and images are given, with readings from the work and other literature. Interviews with the book's illustrators, the brothers Hildebrandt, speak to the power of the imagery in the classic story. Scholars, Tolkien's children, and the author himself provide insight into the mythic themes and the spell they have cast over the vast readership of The Lord of the Rings.
The early days of The Beatles are captured in this fascinating film. Featuring behind the scenes clips, it traces the Fab Four's start as Liverpool lads playing the local clubs to 'making it' in Germany. Early press conferences and interviews reveal their charisma and knack for messing around - yeah, yeah, yeah!