Take a musical odyssey through five weird and wonderful decades with brothers Ron & Russell Mael, celebrating the inspiring legacy of Sparks: your favorite band’s favorite band.
At the peak of their success, the lead singer of ‘Black Country, New Road’, Isaac Wood, left the band. This concert film documents the group’s triumphant return at three consecutive shows in Bush Hall, performing new music centered around recovering from loss and their continuing friendship.
The summer of the Jubilee in 1977 was mentally dominated by another national anthem - "God Save the Queen" by The Sex Pistols. That same summer was also the summer of punk. Janet Street Porter Reviews The Year Of Punk, Featuring Early Classic Footage Of The Sex Pistols, The Clash, Siouxsie And Others.
Freddie Mercury (1946-91) was not just a man with one of the most pure and amazing voices the world has heard, but he was also the lead singer for Queen, the most enthusiastic rock band in history.
Peter Whitehead’s disjointed Swinging London documentary, subtitled “A Pop Concerto,” comprises a number of different “movements,” each depicting a different theme underscored by music: A early version of Pink Floyd’s “Interstellar Overdrive” plays behind some arty nightclub scenes, while Chris Farlowe’s rendition of the Rolling Stones’ “Out of Time” accompanies a young woman’s description of London nightlife and the vacuousness of her own existence. In another segment, the Marquess of Kensington (Robert Wace) croons the nostalgic “Changing of the Guard” to shots of Buckingham Palace’s changing of the guard, and recording act Vashti are seen at work in the studio. Sandwiched between are clips of Mick Jagger (discussing revolution), Andrew Loog Oldham (discussing his future) – and Julie Christie, Michael Caine, Lee Marvin, and novelist Edna O’Brien (each discussing sex). The best part is footage of the riot that interrupted the Stones’ 1966 Royal Albert Hall concert.
Norwegian researcher Petter Amundsen claims to have deciphered a secret code hidden in legendary playwright William Shakespeare's works that reveals a map leading to the location of certain treasures. British Shakespearean scholar Robert Crumpton embarks on a mission to prove he is spectacularly wrong. (A remake of “Shakespeare: The Hidden Truth,” including new discoveries.)
A fragmented collection of independent closed cinemas, in London during lockdown, captured on Super 8mm film.
Director Scheffer registered a performance of the Tea Opera by Chinese composer Tan Dun (who won an Oscar in 2001 with his score for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). Scheffer interlaces the images with interviews with Dun, stage director Pierre Audi and librettist Xu Ying, about the opera and the role tea and oriental philosophy play in this work. Using monochrome, sometimes abstract images (in yellow, blue, red and green), close-ups of plants and flowers and images of the Chinese nature and people (sometimes accelerated or decelerated, sometimes in black-and-white), he mirrors the stylised opera performance and Dun's reflective music.
A short documentary on how people view art and its value in today's society.
The baker, the pie-maker and the diminished long-term community of Hoxton Street face gentrification in this compelling portrait of a rapidly changing London.
TV-documentary about the actress.
Stephen Fry tours the City of London, discovering the hidden mysteries of this rich and powerful square mile. Along the way, he visits the Bank of England's vaults, witnesses high drama at the London Metal Exchange as dealers buy and sell stocks, and experiences Dead Man's Walk at the Old Bailey, where many condemned criminals trod their final steps. Plus, as a recipient of the Freedom of the City of London, Stephen finds out just what privileges this gives him.
Rude Boy is a semi-documentary, part character study, part 'rockumentary', featuring a British punk band, The Clash. The script includes the story of a fictional fan juxtposed with actual public events of the day, including political demonstrations and Clash concerts.
The full bizarre, tragic but celebratory story of Syd Barrett, the co-founder of Pink Floyd.
the Gardens at Hidcote Manor, Mottisfont Abbey, Sissinghurst Castle With a cameo appearance by Nigel Nicolson Why did American-born Major Lawrence Johnston spend much of his lifetime creating a storied garden in a remote part of the Cotswolds? What is Graham Stuart Thomas's glorious collection of antique roses doing in a medieval English Abbey? What persuaded author, poet and plantswoman Vita Sackville-West and her husband Harold Nicolson to buy a derelict ruin on the edge of the Kentish Weald to create their fabled garden? Their son, Nigel Nicolson, reminisces about this most beloved of gardens and his now legendary parents. An extensive tour of each garden examines design, plantings, close-up details, and observations by gardeners. An hour of sheer enjoyment, beauty, and an excellent source of inspiration for those with a love for gardens.
A look at the feud between graffiti artists King Robbo and Banksy.
The vivid and inspiring story of British film icon Michael Caine's personal journey through 1960s swinging London.
In the 19th century, China held the monopoly on tea, which was dear and fashionable in the West, and the British Empire exchanged poppies, produced in its Indian colonies and transformed into opium, for Chinese tea. Inundated by the drugs, China was forced to open up its market, and the British consolidated their commercial dominance. In 1839, the Middle Empire introduced prohibition. The Opium War was declared… Great Britain emerged as the winner, but the warning was heeded: it could no longer depend on Chinese tea. The only alternative possible was to produce its own tea. The East India Company therefore entrusted one man with finding the secrets of the precious beverage. His mission was to develop the first plantations in Britain’s Indian colonies. This latter-day James Bond was called Robert Fortune – a botanist. After overcoming innumerable ordeals in the heart of imperial China, he brought back the plants and techniques that gave rise to Darjeeling tea.
Blistering live performance by British black metal pioneers Venom captured at the Hammersmith Odeon in London in June of 1984. One of the most legendary shows in the history of metal featuring the classic line-up of Cronos (vocals/bass), Mantas (guitar) and Abaddon (drums). TRACKLIST: 01. Leave Me In Hell 02. Countess Bathory 03. Die Hard 04. 7 Gates Of Hell 05. Buried Alive 06. Don't Burn The Witch 07. In Nomine Satanus 08. Welcome To Hell 09. Warhead 10. Stand Up And Be Counted 11. Blood Lust
A biographical documentary about the great British actor and director Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977), from rags to riches, from the slums of London to glory.