Last Eunuch In China
In the time of the Tang Dynasty, Yu Xiufeng, a porcelain maker from Mount Meicen, makes a ceramic statue of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara to consecrate at Mount Wutai to protect the princeling Li Yi.
Specially commissioned by the British Film Institute and Channel 4, this pseudo-biography shows how Aristophanes became the father of political satire and why his theatrical innovations are still staples of the contemporary theatre.
Leonardo da Vinci is acclaimed as the world’s favourite artist. Many TV shows and feature films have showcased this extraordinary genius but often not examined closely enough is the most crucial element of all: his art. Leonardo’s peerless paintings and drawings will be the focus of Leonardo: The Works, as EXHIBITION ON SCREEN presents every single attributed painting, in Ultra HD quality, never seen before on the big screen. Key works include The Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, Lady with an Ermine, Ginevra de’ Benci, Madonna Litta, Virgin of the Rocks, and more than a dozen others.
Lifting the lid on one of the most iconic singers, songwriters and performers of all time with a look at the most powerful moments that molded Elton John's career and identity. Highlighting each moment are Elton's own words from his writings and interviews as he reflects on each major milestone that altered the trajectory of his life.
In the first century, after the death of Herod the Great, Judea goes through a long period of turbulence due to the actions of the corrupt Roman governors and the internal struggles, both religious and political, between Jewish factions, events that soon lead to the uprising of the population and a cruel war that lasts several years and causes thousands of deaths, a catastrophe described in detail by the Romanized Jewish historian Titus Flavius Josephus.
In December 1816, seven-year-old Abraham Lincoln crossed the Ohio River with his family and began a life in the wilderness in the newly created state of Indiana. It was here, on his father's farm in Indiana, that Lincoln's journey to adulthood began. He spent 14 years here. In 1830 at the age of 21, Lincoln moved with his family to Illinois. But it was on his father's farm in Indiana that the journey which would eventually lead to the Presidency of the United States began. The young boy who learned to overcome the adversities of life on the frontier became he man who led the country through the crisis of the Civil War. The road from Indiana to Washington marked the course of a remarkable lifetime.
We Fight to be Free' vividly illustrates defining moments that made George Washington an indispensable leader. You'll see Washington take command of British forces during the French and Indian War, and later leading the Army across the icy Delaware River. Charming scenes show Washington's first encounter with the widow Martha Custis and his return home to Mount Vernon after resigning his military commission at the end of the war. Special features include George Washington Quiz and Mount Vernon Picture Gallery and bonus videos Saving Mount Vernon and a Mount Vernon overview.
From 1957 —the year in which the Soviets put the Sputnik 1 satellite into orbit— to 1969 —when American astronaut Neil Armstrong walked on the surface of the moon—, the beginnings of the space conquest were depicted in popular culture: cinema, television, comics and literature of the time contain numerous references to an imagined future.
In the 1600s, Hungary is plundered by the Turks and the Laban. Kecskemét, the free royal city, is not exempt from this. Miska, the wily son of Lestyák, a master tailor, suggests to the town council that they should ask for a permanent beacon from Buda, thus protecting Kecskemét from the harassment of raiding troops. The town assembles its gift of jewellery, cloth and a beautiful girl, and Miska sets off for Buda. On the way, the young gypsy girl falls in love with Mishka, who elopes with her in a boy's dress. He can do this because instead of the bewitchment he hopes for, he is given only a fancy robe to protect the city. Little do they know at the time how much the robe is worth. Before its wearer, all true believers will crumble to dust and do his bidding.
Disciplined Italian composer Antonio Salieri becomes consumed by jealousy and resentment towards the hedonistic and remarkably talented young Viennese composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
A woman and her daughter struggle to make their way through the aftermath of the Balkan war.
The film portrays the Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter August Strindberg's life 1849-1912. Through his extensive correspondence and literary production, from the supposed first work, the drama "The Free Thinker" (1869), to the posthumously published "The Occult Diary" (published 1977 ). But also his three wives, Siri von Essen, Frida Uhl and Harriet Bosse, and the children Karin, Greta and Hans are given space in the film. The unpublished first drama "The Free Thinker", depicts a young man forced to break with family and tradition to follow his conscience and ideals, becomes a prophecy about the author's own life.
At late 19th Century, the Argentinean Pampa is changing. Martin Fierro is a renegade that fights against the power and corruption that try to subordinate him and to take away his most precious value: freedom. With his strength and courage, Martin Fierro represents the fight for justice. Based on the most important book of Argentinean Literature, "The Gaucho Martin Fierro", the film intends to rescue the current value of the story and the epic character of Martín Fierro for an audience mainly young, especially students and families.
Set during the 16th-century Spanish occupation of Flanders, the story concentrates on the fiercely patriotic Mark Van Ryke (Colman). Donning the guise of "Leatherface," a swashbuckling masked avenger, Van Ryke performs his derring-do on behalf of the Prince of Orange (Nigel de Brulier). Naturally, Van Ruke considers beautiful Spanish aristocrat Donna Leonora de Vargas (Vilma Banky) to be a bitter enemy, and the feeling is mutual. To no one's surprise, however, Van Ryke and Donna Leonara eventually fall in love (hence the title). The pulse-pounding climax finds Van Ryke riding hell-for-leather through a rainstorm to warn the Flemish troops about the Spaniards' plans to burn the city of Ghent to the ground. Two Lovers was based on Madame Orczy's novel Leatherface, and adapted for the screen by Alice Duer Miller.
Il generale Dalla Chiesa
On April 11th of 2002 a coup d'état against the venezuelan president Hugo Chávez Frías kept the country in a state of total uncertainty regarding his whereabouts, two days later he returned to power. This is a chronicle of those days.
The film takes place during the Afghan war in an area where, by agreement of the warring parties, no military action was conducted. Taking advantage of this convenient circumstance, local mafioso Karakhan secretly built a drug factory here. US intelligence agencies find out about this and begin an operation to seize the factory. However, Karakhan's fighters are well trained and armed, they repel all attacks. But the American soldiers get an assistant: an unknown person destroys drug caravans and blows up the houses of Karakhan's partners...
Describes the music of the Virginia Colony and its capital, Williamsburg, in 1768, with examples to show the scope and variety of the music. Filmed against the restoration of 18th century Williamsburg, showing a day in the life of its inhabitants.
The pianist Miguel Ángel Lozano embarks on a personal and artistic journey with the purpose of reconstructing the life of his grandmother, Maria Forteza (1910-60), singer and pioneer of Spanish sound films.