Popular History Movies on Free Services - Page 70

The Mao Years: 1949-1976

1994

The Mao Years: 1949-1976

1994
7
CHINA: A CENTURY OF REVOLUTION is a six-hour tour de force journey through the country's most tumultuous period. First televised on PBS, this award-winning documentary series presents an astonishingly candid view of a once-secret nation with rare archival footage, insightful historical commentary and stunning eyewitness accounts from citizens who struggled through China's most decisive century. THE MAO YEARS examines the turbulent era of Mao's attempts to forge a "new China" from the war-ravaged and poverty-stricken nation.
Out of Ireland

1995

Out of Ireland

1995
6
Over the course of two centuries, seven million men, women and children abandoned their homeland for America's shores. In just one horrifying decade, two million left to escape a famine that left another million dead. This is the moving chronicle of the Irish immigrant experience.
Diego Rivera: I Paint What I See

1992

Diego Rivera: I Paint What I See

1992
8
The first biographical film on the famed Mexican artist, traces his life from childhood through his Cubist period, his leading role in the Mexican mural renaissance, his fame as a muralist in the USA, and his later years. The film explores Rivera's life and work, including his stormy relationship with Frida Kahlo and the destruction of his famous mural at Rockefeller Center. Shot on location in Mexico and the United States, the film includes a remarkable collection of archival film and photographs, much of which has not been seen before. The text is drawn from the writings of Rivera and Kahlo and from other historical texts. Using Rivera's own words, this richly detailed film brings to life the difficulty he faced in his transition from studio artist to public and political artist, and the conflicts that arose from that point onward.
Empire City

1985

Empire City

1985
9
A film essay contrasting the modern metropolis with its "golden age" from 1830-1930, with the participation of some of New York's leading political and cultural figures. Made at a time when the city was experiencing unprecedented real estate development on the one hand and unforeseen displacement of population and deterioration on the other. Empire City is the story of two New Yorks. The film explores the precarious coexistence of the service-based midtown Manhattan corporate headquarters with the peripheral New York of undereducated minorities living in increasing alienation.
The Boer War: 1899-1902

1992

The Boer War: 1899-1902

1992
5
Journey back in time to a different age, when the sun never set on the British Empire and her armies were great in number. The Boer War: 1899-1902 was a turning point in British military history and would revolutionize tactics, battlefield strategy, equipment, and training. Well known participants in the Boar Wars include: Harry "Breaker" Morant, Winston Churchill and Mahatma Gandhi.
David Macaulay: Roman City

1994

David Macaulay: Roman City

1994
9
The glories of Ancient Rome are explored in ROMAN CITY, based on David Macaulay's acclaimed book. This animated and live-action video recounts life in Verbonia, a fictional city in Gaul. A well-planned town with all modern conveniences, it is threatened by conflict between conquerors and conquered. Macaulay also visits Pompeii, Herculaneum, Ostia, Nimes, Orange, and Rome, to view actual Roman architecture and engineering greatness.
Lena: My 100 Children

1987

Lena: My 100 Children

1987
7
At the end of World War II Lena Kuchler arrives at a refuge camp in search of her disappeared family members. But at this place she can get no information in her case but only encounters hungry children.
The Forgotten Force

1994

The Forgotten Force

1994
6
After the atomic obliteration of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, over 36,000 Australian men and women, part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF), marched onto Japanese soil. They were assigned the toughest and most dangerous area of Japan: Hiroshima Prefecture, which included the atom-bombed city. The Forgotten Force tells for the first time the story of Australia's role in Japan. Rare archival and private footage, photographs and eyewitness accounts from both sides vividly recreate the atmosphere of post-war Japan - the horror of Hiroshima and its aftermath; the struggle to build a new "democratic" society while under the heel of military rule; the growth from suspicion and fear to friendship and trust between foes.
The Dambusters Raid

1994

The Dambusters Raid

1994
7
On May 17th. 1943 the Royal Air Force carried out one of the most remarkable bombing raids ever undertaken by a handful of skilled aircrew prepared to risk their lives attacking a seemingly impossible target.
Coney Island

1991

Coney Island

1991
6
Before there was Disneyland, there was Coney Island. By the turn of the century, this tiny piece of New York real estate was internationally famous. On summer Sundays, three great pleasure domes--Steeplechase, Luna Park and Dreamland--competed for the patronage of a half-million people. By day it was the world's most amazing amusement park, by night, an electric "Eden".
Thomas Jefferson: A View from the Mountain

1995

Thomas Jefferson: A View from the Mountain

1995
5
In this documentary, historians, politicians and actors (including Danny Glover and Sissy Spacek) try to illuminate the quixotic nature of founding father Thomas Jefferson, focusing on his views about slavery and rumored affair with his slave Sally Hemmings. Though many consider Jefferson America's most influential political logician, his life was a series of paradoxes. Edward Herrmann is featured as the voice of the conflicted aristocrat. [netflix]
John Wycliffe: The Morning Star

1984

John Wycliffe: The Morning Star

1984
10
This affecting biography chronicles the life and times of prominent European philosopher John Wycliffe, who was the first to translate the Bible into English. The 14th century, Oxford University scholar often found himself caught between opposing theological, political and societal forces: He defended England's autonomy against the pontiff's authority and championed the indigent against the wealthy's abuses.
The Tragedy of Richard III

1983

The Tragedy of Richard III

1983
6
Richard Duke of Gloucester, youngest brother of King Edward IV, will stop at nothing to get the crown. He first convinces the ailing King that the Duke of Clarence, his elder brother, is a threat to the lives of Edward's two young sons. Edward has him imprisoned in the Tower of London; killers in Richard's pay then drown Clarence in a barrel of wine. When news of Clarence's death reaches the King, the subsequent grief and remorse bring about his death. Richard is made Lord Protector, with power to rule England while his nephew (now King Edward V) is still a minor. Before the young king's coronation he has his two nephews conveyed to the Tower, ostensibly for their safekeeping. Richard's accomplice, the Duke of Buckingham, then declares the two boys illegitimate and offers Richard the crown, which after a show of reticence he accepts. After Richard's coronation, he and Buckingham have a falling-out over whether or not to assassinate the two children.
Henry VI Part 2

1983

Henry VI Part 2

1983
7
The life of King Henry the Sixth, in three parts.
Hiroshima Nagasaki August, 1945

1970

Hiroshima Nagasaki August, 1945

1970
6
This documentary is a compilation of silent black-and-white film footage shot by the Japanese in Hiroshima and Nagasaki shortly after the atomic bomb blasts in early August 1945. English-language voice-over narration has been added, along with a few scenes from American sources. The film shows the destruction and injury caused by the atomic bombs in graphic detail.
Héroïnes

2023

Héroïnes

2023
In 1940 Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore, two lesbian and Jewish artists, move from Paris to Jersey island to escape the Nazi persecution. Threatened by the arrival of German troops on the island too, resist. Armed with a 8mm camera, they create an army of "nameless soldiers" who panic the Nazi machine. A film about love, passion for art and the resistance of two heroines who challenge totalitarianism with the power of the imagination; a work that supports the radical flair of its protagonists by resorting to divergent narrative and stylistic registers, juxtaposing the analog creaks of surrealist ascendancy with more "contemporary", muscular, punk-looking forms of subversion typical of genre cinema.
Grandmother Told Grandmother

2018

Grandmother Told Grandmother

2018
The little-known story of Ukrainian children torn from their homes in the crush between the Nazi and Soviet fronts in World War II. Spending their childhood as refugees in Europe, these inspiring individuals later immigrated to the United States, creating new homes and communities through their grit, faith and deep belief in the importance of preserving culture.
Knights of Swing

2023

Knights of Swing

2023
Set in 1947, Knights of Swing is a feature film that chronicles a group of young jazz musicians whose dream is to form a “really swingin’ Big Band”. Unfortunately, things prove much more complicated when the community objects to the diversity of the band. Alliances form, and lines are drawn. What follows is soul searching, uplifting, and through music, our story illuminates forgiveness, healing and unconditional love.
A Sacrifice of All things: The Story of St. George and its Temple

2023

A Sacrifice of All things: The Story of St. George and its Temple

2023
How a small group of faithful, determined settlers carved the city of St. George out of an arid desert wilderness, and then tackled the additional challenge of building the first LDS temple in the western United States.
Her War, Her Story: World War II

2022

Her War, Her Story: World War II

2022
Explore the stories of women caught up in World War II, from the American Home Front to Auschwitz Concentration Camp in Poland. Included in this hour-long film are also the personal stories of the incredible women who served in a war that proved women were equal to men when it came to patriotism, service, or in some cases, self-preservation during watershed moments which called for steadfastness.