Top Rated History Movies on Free Services - Page 101

Leon Trotsky: A Personality in the 20th Century

2013

Leon Trotsky: A Personality in the 20th Century

2013
Leon Trotsky is considered one of the most controversial revolutionary figures of his time. Was he a practical revolutionary or a naive idealist? On the practical side, he was the mastermind behind the Bolshevik seizure of power in 1917, and was totally ruthless during the ensuing Civil War. As an idealist, he was committed to the pursuit of international revolution, but created many political enemies. After Lenin's death, Trotsky lost in a power struggle with Stalin, and later was expelled from the Communist Party. Trotsky was exiled from the Soviet Union, eventually finding refuge in Mexico. In 1940, Stalin ordered his assassination, and Trotsky died after being struck in the head with an ice-pick. History records that Trotsky was a master theoretician, a skillful propagandist and a brilliant orator.
David Macaulay: Cathedral

1986

David Macaulay: Cathedral

1986
Author David Macaulay hosts CATHEDRAL, based on his award-winning book. Using a combination of spectacular location sequences and cinema-quality animation, the program surveys France's most famous churches. Travel back to 1214 to explore the design of Notre Dame de Beaulieu, a representative Gothic cathedral. The program tells period tales revealing fascinating stories of life and death, faith and despair, prosperity, and intrigue.
Jeepney

2013

Jeepney

2013
JEEPNEY visualizes the richly diverse cultural and social climate of the Philippines through its most popular form of mass transportation: vividly decorated ex-WWII military jeeps. The film follows jeepney artists, drivers, and passengers, whose stories take place amidst nationwide protest against oil price hikes that pressure drivers to work overseas to earn a living, far from their homes for years at a time. Lavishly shot and cut to the rhythm of the streets, JEEPNEY provides an enticing vehicle through which the rippling effects of globalization can be felt.
Lee & Grant

2011

Lee & Grant

2011
Produced with the cooperation of leading Civil War historian Winston Groom, author of Forrest Gump, Lee & Grant is a personal look at two iconic leaders of the Civil War. Surprising details reveal the bold choices and almost godlike power Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee summoned on decisive battlefields like Vicksburg and Gettysburg that, within days of each other, turned the tide of the war.
The Real Joan of Arc

2007

The Real Joan of Arc

2007
The myth of Joan of Arc has fascinated people the world over. In the collective memory, she is the young shepherd girl who died at the stake having saved France. But 15th century chronicles report that following events in Rouen, certain people refused to believe she was dead and that another woman was burned instead.
The Dragon Kid

1975

The Dragon Kid

1975
A fantastic martial artist and cat burglar puts his skills to use when he joins the Chinese resistance movement against the invading Japanese.
Children of Labor: A Finnish-American History

1977

Children of Labor: A Finnish-American History

1977
How Finnish immigrants came into contact — and conflict — with industrial America. Three generations of Finnish-Americans recount how they coped with harsh realities by creating their own institutions: churches, temperance halls, socialist halls, and cooperatives.
Fidel Castro: America's Nemesis

2016

Fidel Castro: America's Nemesis

2016
Fidel Castro, the former President of Cuba and one of the most controversial figures of the 20th century, passed away in November. He famously claimed that "history will absolve me", but will it? This special film considers Castro and his legacy.
After the Apology

2017

After the Apology

2017
Suellyn thought the Department of Community Services (DOCS) would only remove children in extreme cases, until her own grandchildren were taken in the middle of the night. Hazel decided to take on the DOCS system after her fourth grandchild was taken into state care. Jen Swan expected to continue to care for her grandchildren but DOCS deemed her unsuitable, a shock not just to her but to her sister, Deb, who was, at the time, a DOCS worker. The rate of Indigenous child removal has actually increased since Prime Minister Kevin Rudd delivered the apology to the ‘stolen generations’ in 2008. These four grandmothers find each other and start a national movement to place extended families as a key solution to the rising number of Aboriginal children in out-of-home care. They are not only taking on the system; they are changing it…
Hi, Neighbor

2011

Hi, Neighbor

2011
This experimental short film is about a little girl who lost her home to urban renewal, and asks her wealthy neighbor, "why?" The film is a prequel to Andrade-Watkins' documentary trilogy about the Cape Verdean community in Fox Point. "Hi, Neighbor" had its world premiere at the 2011 Cape Verdean International Film Festival and was awarded Jury Selection (first prize), in the 2012 Black Maria Film Festival.
Kinderblock 66: Return to Buchenwald

2012

Kinderblock 66: Return to Buchenwald

2012
Kinderblock 66 is the story of four men who, as young boys, were imprisoned by the Nazis in the notorious Buchenwald concentration camp and who, sixty-five years later, return to commemorate the sixty-fifth anniversary of their liberation. The film tells the story of the effort undertaken by the camp's Communist-led underground to protect ad save Jewish children who were arriving in Buchenwald toward the end of the Holocaust. Kinderblock 66 also tells the story of Antonin Kalina, the head of the block who was personally responsible for saving 904 boys in Buchenwald.
The Whirlwind Knight

1969

The Whirlwind Knight

1969
Two halves of a treasure map owned by two brothers is the one thing that the Golden Dragon Gang wants to get, and they'll kill anyone who gets in their way. When the gang quickly dispenses with the two brothers in a blitz home invasion, their third brother, returning from ten years of wandering, arrives and teaches the gang a lesson they'll never forget--that is, if they survive at all! Henchman after henchman gets filleted like a brook trout as our hero literally cuts his way through a jungle of sword-wielding thugs, a trio of fancy-weapon gang leaders, and a masked ninja assassin that's killing people on both sides. Who will be left alive to claim the treasure? Find out in this high body-count wuxia classic.
The American Revolution

2016

The American Revolution

2016
Everyone knows the story of Paul Revere and his famous midnight ride to warn colonial forces of the British approach. But history books don't tell of the man who sent Revere on his mission: Joseph Warren, America's least remembered founding father. Uncover the forgotten history of Warren and stories of other unsung heroes in our fight for independence in The American Revolution.
The Red Orchestra

2003

The Red Orchestra

2003
The Red Orchestra was a Berlin-based resistance group that fought against the Third Reich within Germany. The Gestapo labeled them Communists and traitors, and so did the Allies. Only recently have historians recognized them as one of the most important resistance groups. This movie, made by the son of one of the survivors, tells their story for the first time to an American audience.
Six Rounds

2017

Six Rounds

2017
Amongst the 2011 London riots, a former boxer needs must choose between his past or a new future.
The Last of the Nomads

1997

The Last of the Nomads

1997
Like an antipodean version of Romeo and Juliet, it emerges that Warri and Yatungka became the last nomads because they had married outside their tribal laws and eloped to the most inaccessible of regions. In 1977 the land was stricken by a severe drought and their tribal elders mounted a search for them with the help of a party of white men led by Dr Bill Peasley and one of their own number, a childhood friend named Mudjon. The film takes Dr Peasley back into the desert to relive his momentous journey with Mudjon and culminates with poignant archival footage of the elderly couple found naked and starving.
Václav Havel - Living in Freedom

2014

Václav Havel - Living in Freedom

2014
Bohemian, playwright, and suddenly president at the end of 1989: Czech European Václav Havel played a decisive role in shaping the history of the continent in the second half of the 20th century. Andrea Sedláčková recounts Havel's almost novel-like life, drawing on a wealth of archival material. It is a story of dramatic highs and lows, and several defining moments in European history.
Remember Pearl Harbor

2016

Remember Pearl Harbor

2016
Narrated by veteran Hollywood actor Tom Selleck, REMEMBER PEARL HARBOR chronicles the personal stories of veterans and citizens who witnessed the surprise attack by the Japanese on the American Pacific Fleet on December 7, 1941, launching the United States into World War II. Using archival footage and photos and graphics, the documentary shows in detail the bombings on Oahu, along with the fiery explosion of the USS Arizona, the sinking of the USS Oklahoma, and the attacks on Hickam Field, as well as on other parts of the island. REMEMBER PEARL HARBOR documents the 75th anniversary, the tragic events and the courageous acts of those who were in or near Pearl Harbor on that day.
The American St. Nick

2015

The American St. Nick

2015
On Dec. 5, 1944, American soldiers, led by Harry Stuts, put their guns down for one day and organized a party celebrating the town's centuries-old Saint Nick tradition. Soldiers made hot chocolate from their D-rations, company cooks made donuts and cookies for the children, and 22-year-old corporal Richard Brookins from Rochester, NY played the role of Saint Nick. An emotional and heartfelt story, THE AMERICAN SAINT NICK illustrates how American soldiers and residents of the hamlet were able to bond over a moment in time, creating a tradition that continues to this day.
Smokin' Fish

2011

Smokin' Fish

2011
Cory Mann is a quirky Tlingit businessman hustling to earn a living in Juneau, Alaska. He gets hungry for smoked salmon, nostalgic for his childhood and decides to spend a summer smoking fish at his family's traditional fish camp. The unusual story of his life and the untold history of his people interweave with the process of preparing traditional food as he struggles to pay his bills, keep the IRS off his back, and keep his business afloat. By turns tragic, bizarre, or just plain ridiculous, Smokin' Fish tells the story of one man's attempt to navigate the messy zone of collision between the modern world and an ancient culture.