La saga du rail

In 1906, the Arlberg Railway, which connects the Austrian cities of Innsbruck and Bludenz, is the only east-west mountain railway in Austria. This 340-second "ghost railroad ride" shows the view from the back of a train, though I'm not sure if it's heading east or west. This kind of film, in vogue at the time, is an intermediate form of short reality, which often showed a train engaging in a bend, and a feature documentary. Its editing is live, linear and temporal, and the cuts are very apparent. Indeed, the choices of where to place the cuts seem to have avoided the less populated stretches. There are plenty of buildings to see, even when the train is not at the station.

In a small commercial harbour in the south of France, two Moroccan sailors are watching over ferries that were abandoned by ship-owners. Young Syrians make a stopover to load their cattle, African traders prepare a convoy of second-hand vehicles. Men, machines, and animals transit through this space open onto the sea.

During the Swedish invasion of Poland, the brave warrior Andrzej Kmicic, considered a traitor to the nation, fights for a country, redemption and love across the 17th-century Polish territories.

Documentary released to coincide with the British Museum's exhibition dedicated to the man who ruled the Roman Empire from 117 to 138 AD. The programme explores the life, achievements, passions and legacy of the emperor who was both soldier and poet and responsible for that most famous construction - Hadrian's Wall. The documentary was produced in conjunction with the exhibition Hadrian: Empire and Conflict at the British Museum 24 July - 26 October 2008.

Produced in 1988, this feature documentary presents a living history of Quebec's last 40 years as seen through the eyes of one couple. Pauline Julien and Gérald Godin, two Quebec artists, share their perspectives on the events that have marked Quebec's evolution. Julien, a singer, and Godin, a poet, express their love and passion for the province (and each other) while providing a unique take on the Quebec nationalist movement.

In the first half of the 20th century, America's railroads were radically transformed by the innovation of gargantuan steam locomotives. Pushed by the need to haul ever longer and heavier trains, the nation's locomotive works responded with the invention of awe-inspiring articulated engines. Delivering up to 7,500 horsepower, these steel behemoths could haul mile-long, 15,000-ton trains. In this riveting program, journey back to the golden age of steam for an up-close look at these legendary locomotives. See the Union Pacific's famed "Big Boy" in action and ride the rails of the Chesapeake & Ohio and Norfolk & Western railways. Meet the men who drove engines like the Allegheny and Yellowstone, and visit the museums and yards where the largest steamers ever built remain preserved in time. THE HISTORY CHANNEL' proudly presents this rollicking retrospective, sure to set any rail fan's heart pounding

Railman is a film concerned as much with the distribution of roles within the film collective as with getting “as close as possible to the life and routines” of an NUR station master. Filmed at Grove Park Station, Lewisham, in south east London, and set against the backdrop of state divestment in transport infrastructure, Railman might be regarded as a modest and experimental corrective to officially sanctioned British Transport Films.

On the night of February 24-25, 1942, amid terror and neurosis caused by the terrible Pearl Harbor attack only two months earlier, a huge flying object of unknown origin appears in the sky over Los Angeles. The military reacts by imposing a total blackout in the area and firing more than 1440 artillery rounds. However, despite the firepower, no object was shot down. We will try to understand what actually happened and who or what flew over the skies of Los Angeles that night of February 24, 1942.

A Moment in Her Story is an honest, complex exploration of some of the major challenges faced by those active in the Second Wave women's movement of the late 60s and early 70s.

From May 10, 1940, France is living one of the worst tragedies of it history. In a few weeks, the country folds, and then collapsed in facing the attack of the Nazi Germany. On June 1940, each day is a tragedy. For the first time, thanks to historic revelations, and to numerous never seen before images and documents and reenacted situations of the time, this film recounts the incredible stories of those men and women trapped in the torment of this great chaos.

A group of residents from Coria del Rio uncover a key figure in their town's history -- a samurai on a quest for redemption.

Watch out for the first Official German Beer Guide! Here you will find out all the secrets about the famous German beer-tradition! Learn about the history and the ancient roots of brewing and the endless variety of today's product. Find out the answers to questions: How to brew my own beer? Do brewery-horses really drink bear? Why is yeast always on the top of a beer? Why does the beer have different colors and flavors? And many, many more...

In the height of the second world war, a small group of soldiers are selected for a highly classified mission across the front lines.

An engineering feat: Second city civil engineers complete a new bridge to carry traffic over New Street's tangled railway intersections.

Why did the Roman Empire, which dominated Europe and the Mediterranean for five centuries, inexorably weaken until it disappeared? Archaeologists, specialists in ancient pathologies and climate historians are now accumulating clues converging on the same factors: a powerful cooling and pandemics. A disease, whose symptoms described by the Greek physician Galen are reminiscent of those of smallpox, struck Rome in 167, soon devastating its army. At the same time, a sudden climatic disorder that was underway as far as Eurasia caused agricultural yields to plummet and led to the westward migration of the Huns. Plagued by economic and military difficulties, attacked from all sides by barbarian tribes, the Roman edifice gradually cracked.

TGV, génie français du rail

Forty four years ago, it seemed like a good idea to build a squat, concrete motel in downtown Columbia, Missouri. But within a few years, guests were calling for a do-over. Now, with the downtrodden building’s fate sealed, the Rabid Hands artist collective arrives on the scene as hospice workers, assisting in the passing of the building’s soul. What ensues is a New Orleans-style voodoo celebration of a previously unsung piece of architecture.

A short documentary about Father Christmas' annual six-day trek through the Australian desert aboard the Tea and Sugar Train.

A short documentary about the construction of the parisian subway in the 50s.

Thierno Souleymane Diallo sets out with his camera in search of the birth of filmmaking in Guinea. Charming and determined, he traces his country’s film heritage and history and reveals the importance of film archives.