Long before he played the corpulent Goldfinger, German actor Gert Froebe was a scarecrow-skinny comedian. In Berliner Ballade, Froebe makes his screen debut as Otto, a feckless Everyman who tries to adjust to the postwar travails of his defeated nation. Stymied by black-market profiteers and government bureaucrats, Otto begins fantasizing about a happier life at the end of that ever-elusive rainbow. Director R. A. Stemmle doesn't have to strive for pathos: he merely places his gangly star amidst the ruins of a bombed-out Berlin, and the point is made for him. Filmed in 1948, Berliner Ballade was later released in the U.S. as The Berliner.
12 August 2002 is the date which was printed on every shot in this film by the memory of the camera. On that day a huge tower which disrupted the north wing of an abandoned castle was torn down, floor by floor. The film is a record of the methodical disruption of this building by inhuman and all-powerful machines. The voice-over consists of a phone call by the author John Berger (1926), who has written numerous and radical opinion pieces in favour of the people of Palestine.
November 22, 1963, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. Through the perspective of various stakeholders, Patrick Jeudy attempts to trace step by step the progress of this black day in American History.
Here we present to the audience a subject taken near Mt. Golden, on which will thoroughly please all who are lovers of scenery. One minute you are running straight to the mountain of rock, and then when you expect to be dashed into it, suddenly turn and skirt the very side of this mountain over trestles, bridges, and finally stop where in front of you can be seen Mt. Hector at a distance of about twelve miles. In this film we present a most exciting ride on the engine of a Canadian Pacific R. R. train, and also afford the audience a most beautiful panoramic view.
As the Berlin Wall crumbles, four canisters containing biological weapons are stolen by European terrorists. The East and West must work together to stop the terrorists from selling the weapons to the highest bidder. It is up to the CIA and an East German agent to overcome their own differences and get the weapons back.
Follows former customers and employees of one of the most famous brothels in Brazil called the Casa Rosa as they come back to the house where it once stood in all its glory. Revisiting the old bedrooms we get to know stories of men and women of all ages and their experiences inside the house. A film about memories, morals and negotiation.
Persons who have visited the "Hub," no doubt carried away with vivid recollections of Boston's famous system of Underground Transportation and this film takes the audience from the bright sunshine into the dim obscurity of the subway. The Underground stations and rows of Electric Arc lamps are plainly shown and, after traversing the tunnel for a considerable distance, the car finally emerges opposite the railroad depot.
A look into the life and mind of Brazilian playwright and filmmaker Domingos Oliveira through his daily activities and artistic deeds.
A collection of commercials from 1960s DDR (GDR).
In August 1995 Blur and Oasis were engaged in a head-to-head chart battle which divided music fans and led to a wider argument about British pop music. John Harris, journalist and author of The Last Party - the definitive study of the entwinement of music and politics in the 1990s - presents a documentary charting the rise of Britpop, its brief romance with New Labour and the emergence of 'new lad' culture. Finally, as Britpop declines, he asks what legacy it has left. Including contributions from Blur's Graham Coxon, Elastica's Justine Frischmann, Sleeper's Louise Wener, former New Labour insider Darren Kalynuk, and the founder of Creation records, Alan McGee.
As children, British actor Paul Blackthorne and Australian photographer Mister Basquali both fell in love with America. Later they each fulfilled their dream to live here, but after two wars, a near economic collapse, and uncertainty about the country's direction, these two expats began to have doubts -- was America still the great place they once dreamed of? They drive across America to find out, interviewing random people about issues that affect and confront us all. From the ghetto to the gun show, the courthouse to the cattle yard, they are touched by the wisdom and insight of the people they meet. This American Journey is a cinematic postcard from the people to the people, teaching us that hearts can be healed at the most unexpected times and in the most unexpected places.
The documentary examines Amnesty International's successes and failures over the 50 years since it was founded.
During a hospital stay in 2001, the Polish painter, sculptor and filmmaker Walerian Borowczyk compiled a handwritten list of the objects and animals that were featured in his films. While he had used both encyclopedias and dictionaries to order chaos in his own films, this list saw Borowczyk putting his own life in order.
A documentary about the making of Wallace & Gromit’s Cracking Contraptions.
A behind-the-scenes look at royal weddings revealing how these grand events are organised. Featuring interviews with the performers, florists, dressmakers, tailors, security guards, vicars and jewellers who helped make the day so special.