A documentary produced in 1979 to celebrate the centenary of the birth of Albert Einstein. Narrated and hosted by Peter Ustinov and written by Nigel Calder.
Bending Light
Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity has revolutionised our understanding of gravity, space and time. Initially acclaimed, then forgotten, and now rediscovered, the adventure of this hundred-year-old theory has marked the scientific history of the 20th century. From its inception, a mathematical difficulty arose that could have nipped the theory in the bud: the Schwarzschild singularity. In the company of great international relativistic physicists, the viewer embarks on a discovery of this theory with a singular destiny. We discover a "curved" universe that proves to be even stranger than Einstein had envisioned, and harbours some objects - such as black holes - that still challenge today's scientists.
An educational physics film utilizing a fascinating set consisting of a rotating table and furniture occupying surprisingly unpredictable spots within the viewing area, Leacock’s Frames of Reference (1960), features fine cinematography by Abraham Morochnik, and funny narration by University of Toronto professors Donald Ivey and Patterson Hume, in a wonderful example of the fun a creative team of filmmakers can have with a subject other, less imaginative types might find pedestrian.
Prof. Jim Al-Khalili tackles the biggest subject of all, the universe. Through a series of critical observations and experiments that revolutionised our understanding of our world Jim guides us through the greatest cosmic detective story of all. He takes us from the beginning of the universe to the end time and answers the question: where did the universe come from and how will it end?
Albert Einstein: l'homme et le génie
Structural study of a tree. Light, water and air coax it out of the soil in a manner foregrounding time’s relativity to different forms of life on Earth. Made the day my brother got his fork-lift license.
Four 1950s cultural icons who conceivably could have met but probably didn't, fictionally do so in this modern fable of post-WWII America. Visually intriguing, the film has a fluid progression of flashbacks and flashforwards centering on the fictional Einstein's current observations, childhood memories, and apprehensions for the future.
The story of A-Company 1/8 4th Infantry Division, US Army during the Vietnam War from 1965 to 1967. In the men's own words, through the stories they narrate, the film gives us insight into the time these men spent together and the bond they formed that remains unbroken to this day. The 4th Infantry Division is one of the only divisions that trained and retained its troops during the Vietnam War. The men of A-Company trained together for eleven months and served together for one year. Their story begins with basic training at Ft. Lewis Washington in 1965 and continues 40 years later at their last reunion in September 2007. Filming began September 27, 2007 in Houston, Texas during a reunion to honor First Sergeant David H. McNerney, who is the only living member of the 4th Infantry Division to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor. He was celebrated by the men he trained and served with and who's lives he saved on March 22, 1967.
"Once Upon a Time in Hungarian Comics" provides a comprehensive picture of Hungarian comic culture, touching on the history of comics from the beginning to the present day, focusing on the development of Hungarian comics.
“It may be worse than Portugal,” observes cinematographer Henri Alekan about a Los Angeles film lab while on the set of Wim Wenders’ The State of Things (1984). A legendary production and a transitional work for the New German Cinema director as his work became increasingly international, Wenders set out to make a film about filmmaking as funding stalled on the American production of Hammett. The State of Things deals with American and European sensibilities about cinema, and he enlisted Lachman to film and document the film being made in Los Angeles. Made for German television, completed in 1985 and unseen outside of Germany, Lachman’s portrait of Wenders at work features striking filmmaking and location photography of Los Angeles in the 1980s, and serves as a candid glimpse into European encounters with American culture at the time.
A woman narrates the thoughts of a world traveler, meditations on time and memory expressed in words and images from places as far-flung as Japan, Guinea-Bissau, Iceland, and San Francisco.
Set to a classic Duke Ellington recording "Daybreak Express", this is a five-minute short of the soon-to-be-demolished Third Avenue elevated subway station in New York City.
Two impressions of New York - a city of dreams or nightmares. The Outsider: Jonathan Miller 'If you enter New York in the first place in a show business context every time you return you have to justify your existence in show business terms. If you haven't got something to sell you become almost transparent...' The Insider: Patti Smith, poet, singer, actress. 'People come to New York to see the stars, but there ain't no stars in the sky. I lived in the city and I haven't seen a constellation since.'
Le ventre de Paris
A deep dive into one of the fiercest rivalries in sport. Unearthing stories from the most unforgettable series, a look at what it takes to lift the most famous cricket trophy, the Ashes urn. Through in-depth interviews with cricket legends including Ben Stokes, Jimmy Anderson and Glenn McGrath, this documentary relives the on-field heroics and lifts the lid on the behind-the-scenes turmoil, revealing a darker side to the pursuit of success.
What would your family reminiscences about dad sound like if he had been an early supporter of Hitler’s, a leader of the notorious SA and the Third Reich’s minister in charge of Slovakia, including its Final Solution? Executed as a war criminal in 1947, Hanns Ludin left behind a grieving widow and six young children, the youngest of whom became a filmmaker. It's a fascinating, maddening, sometimes even humorous look at what the director calls "a typical German story." (Film Forum)
The Bridge is a controversial documentary that shows people jumping to their death from the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco - the world's most popular suicide destination. Interviews with the victims' loved ones describe their lives and mental health.
Every year, thousands of Antarctica's emperor penguins make an astonishing journey to breed their young. They walk, marching day and night in single file 70 miles into the darkest, driest and coldest continent on Earth. This amazing, true-life tale is touched with humour and alive with thrills. Breathtaking photography captures the transcendent beauty and staggering drama of devoted parent penguins who, in the fierce polar winter, take turns guarding their egg and trekking to the ocean in search of food. Predators hunt them, storms lash them. But the safety of their adorable chicks makes it all worthwhile. So follow the leader... to adventure!!
Show of solo singer Niall Horan from his latest album: Flicker. Recorded at Studio 1 in Dublin, this intimate and sensitive performance shows a side of Niall barely seen and explored, all with the participation of the incredible orchestra.