Top Rated History Movies on Kanopy - Page 35

The Ascent of Chimborazo

1989

The Ascent of Chimborazo

1989
3.8
The life of Alexander von Humboldt up to his attempt to climb the Chimborazo in 1802.
Farewell

1968

Farewell

1968
5.8
In August of 1914, amidst the public ecstasy surrounding the impending war, Hans Gastl, the young son of a Munich bürger, makes a decision: he will not take part in this war. This resolution signifies a turning point in his life; a farewell to his class and his family.
Fort McCoy

2014

Fort McCoy

2014
5.6
Unable to serve in World War II because of a heart condition, a barber moves his family adjacent to a Wisconsin army base and prisoner-of-war camp to provide his services. But even in rural America -- far from the frontline -- the war finds victims.
Your Day Is My Night

2014

Your Day Is My Night

2014
5.5
Immigrant residents of a “shift-bed” apartment in the heart of New York City’s Chinatown share their stories of personal and political upheaval. As the bed transforms into a stage, the film reveals the collective history of the Chinese in the United States through conversations, autobiographical monologues, and theatrical movement pieces. Shot in the kitchens, bedrooms, wedding halls, cafés, and mahjong parlors of Chinatown, this provocative hybrid documentary addresses issues of privacy, intimacy, and urban life.
Following the Ninth: In the Footsteps of Beethoven's Final Symphony

2012

Following the Ninth: In the Footsteps of Beethoven's Final Symphony

2012
8.8
Part road trip, part adventure story, FOLLOWING THE NINTH is an inspirational film about Beethoven's Choral Symphony, its majestic power to liberate us, to shield us against suffering, to provide hope and resilience during dark times. Filmed on five continents and in 12 countries, FOLLOWING THE NINTH is the story of four lives that have been transformed and repaired by the music, expressed most vividly in the prophecy of the Ode to Joy: “Alle Menschen werden Brüder”(All Men Will Be Brothers).
Levitated Mass

2013

Levitated Mass

2013
7.9
The artist behind the sensation of a $10 million, 22-city tour, and the international media storm that ensued.
The Wedding of Palo

1934

The Wedding of Palo

1934
5
The movie tells of the contest between two rivals for the love of an Inuk woman. The forces of nature will decide the winner.
Girls in Gingham

1949

Girls in Gingham

1949
6.5
A moving saga focusing on the women in a family that spans three generations and almost 70 years of German history, from the Wilhelmine period through the end of WWII. This film shows that it takes a combination of hard work, political consciousness and family work in tandem to face the tragedies of war, economic hardship and death.
Mabo

2012

Mabo

2012
7.6
The remarkable life story of Eddie 'Koiki' Mabo; a Torres Strait Islander who left school at the age of 15, yet spearheaded the High Court challenge that overthrew the fiction of terra nullius.
Granito: How to Nail a Dictator

2011

Granito: How to Nail a Dictator

2011
4.5
A story of destinies joined by Guatemala's past, and how a documentary film intertwined with a nation's turbulent history emerges as an active player in the present.
The Congress

1989

The Congress

1989
7.8
For 200 years, the United States Congress has been one of the country's most important and least understood institutions. In this elegant, thoughtful and often touching portrait, Ken Burns explores the history and promise of this unique American institution. Using historical photographs and newsreels, evocative live footage and interviews with David Broder, Alistair Cooke, Cokie Roberts, Charles McDowell and others, the award-winning film chronicles the personalities, events and issues that have animated the first 200 years of Congress and, in turn, our country.
Sorceress

1987

Sorceress

1987
5
Dominican friar Etienne de Bourbon visits a 13th-century French village in search of heretics for the Inquisition. Despite the opposition of the local priest and the indifference of the villagers, he finds a seemingly perfect suspect: a young woman who lives in a forest outside the village and cures people with herbs and folk remedies. In the process, he discovers the cult of the greyhound "Saint" Guinefort, and confronts his own troubled past.
Double Headed Eagle: Hitler's Rise to Power 1918-1933

1973

Double Headed Eagle: Hitler's Rise to Power 1918-1933

1973
8
Presents a unique and disturbing look at the rise of the Nazi party. The documentary, directed by Lutz Becker, attempts to remain as objective as possible, serving as a neutral observer of the years 1918 through 1933 in Germany. Via newsreel footage and clips of features from the era, the film offers a kaleidoscopic view of the many elements that fueled the rise of the Socialist Nationalist Party, including post-WWI poverty. Hitler occupies a central place in the documentary.
Raising the Bar: The Alma Richards Story

2025

Raising the Bar: The Alma Richards Story

2025
10
In 1908, eighth grader Alma Richards quits school to work as a ranch hand. A chance meeting with a professor motivates him to resume his education, leading him to compete in high jump at the Stockholm Olympics and win a gold medal.
The War on Disco

2023

The War on Disco

2023
6.7
The War on Disco explores the culture war that erupted over the spectacular rise of disco music. Originating in underground Black and gay clubs, disco had unseated rock as America’s most popular music by the late 1970s. But many diehard rock fans viewed disco, with its repetitive beat and culture that emphasized pleasure, as shallow and superficial. A story that’s about much more than music, The War on Disco explores how the powerful anti-disco backlash revealed a cultural divide that to some seemed to be driven by racism and homophobia. The hostility came to a head on July 12, 1979, when a riot broke out at “Disco Demolition Night” during a baseball game in Chicago.
Tommy Guns

2023

Tommy Guns

2023
2
In 1974, after years of civil war, the Portuguese and their descendants fled the colony of Angola where groups working for independence gradually claim their territory back. A tribal girl discovers love and death when her path crosses that of a young Portuguese soldier. Meanwhile, another group of Portuguese soldiers is barracked inside an infinite wall from which they will have to escape once the past comes out of the grave to claim its long-awaited justice.
The Royal

2022

The Royal

2022
5
The promising career of former Kansas City Royal slugger Willie Mays Aikens quickly turned disastrous because of drug addiction.
June Zero

2023

June Zero

2023
7.7
Israel, 1961. Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann, responsible for organizing the extermination of European Jews, is sentenced to death.
THE QUEST: Nepal

2022

THE QUEST: Nepal

2022
8.3
'THE QUEST: Nepal' is an epic journey to deeper understand and climb the most iconic mountain on earth, Everest, and to unveil the fascinating culture, history and nature of Nepal. From experiencing Mt. Everest like never before to witnessing remarkable rarely seen stories from one of the most unique countries in the world, 'THE QUEST: Nepal' is truly a one-of-a-kind cinematic journey like no other, and one which embodies the incredible human spirit of adventure that lives inside us all!
Lakota Nation vs. United States

2022

Lakota Nation vs. United States

2022
5.3
Poet Layli Long Soldier crafts a searing portrait of her Oyate’s connection to the Black Hills, through first contact and broken treaties to the promise of the Land Back movement, in this lyrical testament to resilience of a nation.