Popular History Movies on Kanopy - Page 42

The Man Nobody Knew: In Search of My Father, CIA Spymaster William Colby

2011

The Man Nobody Knew: In Search of My Father, CIA Spymaster William Colby

2011
6.3
A personal exploration into the life of America's controversial former CIA Director told through the eyes of his wife and filmmaker son, Carl. Through extraordinary events in twentieth century history, this consummate soldier/spy stood at the center of the Agency's most clandestine activities and operations. The film reveals the 'cover life' of this CIA operative, who followed orders and took on the dirtiest assignments until the Nixon Administration ordered him to 'stonewall' Congress about the CIA's past abuses, but he refused. This film reveals why, for the first time, he could not obey.
Paul Robeson: 20th Century Renaissance Man, Entertainer & Activist

1994

Paul Robeson: 20th Century Renaissance Man, Entertainer & Activist

1994
Paul Robeson was a celebrated African-American Actor, Athlete, Singer, Writer, and Civil Rights Activist. Robeson's many achievements are chronicled in this program, ranging from playing with the NFL to graduating from Columbia Law School, performing on Broadway and in Hollywood films to founding the American Crusade against Lynching as well as Council on African Affairs. Robeson was one of the most talented performers of his time and a dedicated humanitarian who ultimately sacrificed fame and fortune for what he believed in. His association with Leftist Politics during the era of the Cold War, and frequent denouncing of American political parties led to his eventual blacklisting with other prominent writers and artists during the McCarthy Era. His talents in all areas are remarkable, and his dedication to attaining a peaceful coexistence between all the people of the world is truly admirable.
The VP Choice: Vance vs. Walz

2024

The VP Choice: Vance vs. Walz

2024
FRONTLINE investigates the lives and views of Sen. JD Vance and Gov. Tim Walz as they run for vice president. Drawing on interviews with those who know Vance and Walz well — friends, advisors, journalists and political insiders — the documentary traces how these two men from the middle of America found their opposing political voices and explores the ideas and influences they would bring to the White House.
The Trial of Socrates

1971

The Trial of Socrates

1971
First of the Man And the State series, dramatizing the character of Socrates in the context of his 339 B.C. trial, posing questions about if the state has the right to silence individuals.
The Surprising History of Sex and Love

2002

The Surprising History of Sex and Love

2002
8
The Surprising History of Sex and Love is a documentary presented by Terry Jones, looking at the different and surprising attitudes to sex and love throughout history. The documentary traces the story of changing social and religious attitudes to sex through a broad swathe of history. Starting with the place of ’sacred sex’ in the ancient world and ending with a discussion of the contemporary relationship between sex, marketing and prurience, the film offers some kind of map of how we got from there to here, and indicates that changes in sexual attitudes are connected with issues of power and control.
The Man Card

2020

The Man Card

2020
For years, right-wing politicians and pundits have repeatedly criticized the left for playing “the race card” and “the woman card.” This new film turns the tables and takes dead aim at the right’s own longstanding – but rarely discussed – deployment of white-male identity politics in American presidential elections. Ranging from Richard Nixon’s tough-talking, law-and-order campaign in 1968 to Donald Trump’s hyper-macho revival of the same fear-based appeals in 2020, "The Man Card" shows how the right has mobilized dominant ideas about manhood and enacted a deliberate strategy to frame Democrats and liberals as soft, brand the Republican Party as the party of “real men,” and position conservatives as defenders of white male power and authority in the face of transformative demographic change and ongoing struggles for racial, gender, and sexual equality.
Prosecuting Evil: The Extraordinary World of Ben Ferencz

2018

Prosecuting Evil: The Extraordinary World of Ben Ferencz

2018
6.3
A fascinating portrait of Ben Ferencz, the last surviving Nuremberg Trial prosecutor, who continues to wage his lifelong crusade in the fight for law and peace.
We Like It Like That

2015

We Like It Like That

2015
Latin boogaloo is New York City. It is a product of the melting pot, a colorful expression of 1960s Latino soul, straight from the streets of El Barrio, the South Bronx and Brooklyn. Starring Latin boogaloo legends like Joe Bataan, Johnny Colon and Pete Rodriguez, We Like It Like That explores this lesser-known, but pivotal moment in Latin music history, through original interviews, music recordings, live performances, dancing and rare archival footage and images. From its origins to its recent resurgence in popularity, We Like It Like That tells the story of a sound that redefined a generation and was too funky to keep down.
Käthe Kollwitz – Pictures of a Life

1987

Käthe Kollwitz – Pictures of a Life

1987
5
Kathe Kollwitz was 47 years old, and already a well established artist in Germany and abroad when Peter, her youngest son, volunteered to join the German army in WWI and was killed two weeks later. This painful tragedy changed Kollwitz's life and art forever.
The White Line

2020

The White Line

2020
7
Framed by scenes of Namibia's formal independence as a newly formed African country in 1990, Desiree Kahikopo's historical romance takes us back to 1963, soon after the 1959 uprising in Old Location — an area segregated for black residents of Windhoek, the capital of Namibia (then a territory of South Africa). It is in this setting that Sylvia Kamutjemo (Girley Charlene Jazama, who also produces), a black domestic worker, meets Afrikaner police officer Pieter de Wet (Jan-Barend Scheepers) on a routine passbook check. As the pair exchange letters and a story of forbidden love across racial lines unfolds, Kahikopo explores an underrepresented period of Namibian history with compassion and hope.
Antietam: A Documentary Film

2000

Antietam: A Documentary Film

2000
Re-enactments illustrate the details of the three principle stages of the battle of Antietam, fought November 17th, 1862. Also features animated tactical maps, dramatic readings of personal papers, and expert narrative commentary.
Maestra

2012

Maestra

2012
Cuba, 1961: 250,000 volunteers taught 700,000 people to read and write in one year. 100,000 of the teachers were under 18 years old. Over half were women. MAESTRA explores this story through the personal testimonies of the young women who went out to teach literacy in rural communities across the island - and found themselves deeply transformed in the process.
Tehlirian on Trial: Armenia's Avenger

2015

Tehlirian on Trial: Armenia's Avenger

2015
8
On 15 March 1921, Talat Pasha, a high-ranking Turkish dignitary, was shot dead in a Berlin street by a young Armenian. A few months later, Soghomon Tehlirian, his assassin, appeared before a German court. He faced the death penalty. Yet, during the trial, the victim gradually changed into the guilty party, and the accused was finally acquitted.
Remembering the Man

2016

Remembering the Man

2016
7.6
At an exclusive Catholic boys school in Melbourne 1976, Tim Conigrave and John Caleo fell madly in love. Their passionate, tempestuous, operatic romance lasted for 16 years, facing disapproval, temptation, separation, and the looming shadow of the Grim Reaper. Their relationship has been immortalised in Conigrave's posthumous autobiography Holding the Man (now a major Australian film directed by Neil Armfield). This is the true story of how Romeo met Romeo and how first love can not only last but endure.
William The Conqueror

2015

William The Conqueror

2015
5.8
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.
Sabina - Tortured for Christ, the Nazi Years

2021

Sabina - Tortured for Christ, the Nazi Years

2021
8
A story of transformation and hope in a time of turmoil and terror
Julius Caesar

1979

Julius Caesar

1979
8.5
The assassination of the would be ruler of Rome at the hands of Brutus and company has tragic consequences for Brutus and the republic.
B. F. Skinner: A Fresh Appraisal

1999

B. F. Skinner: A Fresh Appraisal

1999
Other than Freud, no psychologist has been so discussed, critiqued and, at times, maligned as B.F. Skinner. Using both archival and new film, this video takes a new look at who the man was, and what he really said in his twenty books. Like other thinkers who broke new ground, Skinner had to invent his own vocabulary to describe the phenomena he was studying. In this film, his terms are introduced in context so the student understands how they were intended to be used and the research that produced them. The film lays to rest some myths and credits Skinner with contributions not often attributed to him. Understanding the complex man behind his work enables students to better evaluate the importance and relevance of the work he inspired. Murray Sidman, Ph.D., colleague and thoughtful practitioner of behavioral analysis, narrates.
Beethoven - Days in a Life

1976

Beethoven - Days in a Life

1976
5.2
Vienna, 1813-1819: Beethoven (played by Donatas Banionis) is at the peak of his fame. Orchestras all over the world play his music, but he lives modestly and is dependent upon private patrons. Nagged by his patronizing brothers, spied upon by officials for his republican beliefs and faced by his progressive hearing loss, the composer becomes more and more isolated. Seeman’s poetic film explores the joys, heartbreak and artistic spirit of the great composer as he works on his Ninth Symphony.
Abe's Honest Words: The Life of Abraham Lincoln

2016

Abe's Honest Words: The Life of Abraham Lincoln

2016
From the time he was a young boy roaming the forests of the unsettled Midwest, Abraham Lincoln knew in his heart that slavery was deeply wrong. The passion for humanity that defined Lincoln's life shines through in this portrait of a truly great American president.