Winston Churchill

The story of Queen Elizabeth II in her own words, featuring never-before-seen home movies.

The Katyn massacre, carried out by the Soviet NKVD in 1940, was only one of many unspeakable crimes committed by Stalin's ruthless executioners over three decades. The mass murder of thousands of Polish officers was part of a relentless purge, the secrets and details of which have only recently been partially revealed…

8.1/10

Ireland, June 1944. The crucial decision about the right time to start Operation Overlord on D-Day comes to depend on the readings taken by Maureen Flavin, a young girl who works at a post office, used as a weather station, in Blacksod, in County Mayo, the westernmost promontory of Europe, far from the many lands devastated by the iron storms of World War II.

6/10

Both a visit to a very peculiar exhibition at the Bundeswehr Military History Museum in Dresden, Germany, as well as an unprejudiced look at the artistic depiction of violence throughout history and the ways in which that depiction has been gendered.

Shedding new light on a geopolitical hot spot, the film — written and produced by John Maggio and narrated by Korean-American actor John Cho — confronts the myth of the “Forgotten War,” documenting the post-1953 conflict and global consequences.

7.8/10

A journey through Greece and Europe’s past and recent history: from the Second World War to the current crisis. It is a historical documentary, a look into many stories. «If Democracy can be destroyed in Greece, it can be destroyed throughout Europe» Paul Craig Roberts

9.5/10

How could Hitler and Stalin, sworn ideological enemies, come to a secret pact in 1939? The captivating and detailed story of the diplomatic fiasco that led to the signing of the Nazi-Soviet pact and its devastating consequences.

8.1/10

September 3rd, 1939. Britain and France declare war on Nazi Germany, only two days after the Wehrmacht invades Poland. This day, the sad date when the fate of the world changed forever, the Phoney War began: eight months of uncertainty, preparations, evacuations and skirmishes.

7.5/10

Political strategist Dominic Cummings leads a popular but controversial campaign to convince British voters to leave the European Union from 2015 up until the present day.

7/10
8%

Documentary about the life of Giovanni "Gianni" Agnelli, an influential Italian industrialist and principal shareholder of Fiat.

7.6/10

Winston Churchill, one of the most revered men of the twentieth century. Adolf Hitler, one of the most hated leaders in contemporary history. Between 1940 and 1945, these two enormously contradictory personalities faced each other in both politics and war. A clash of giants whose story begins in the trenches of the World War I and ends with the debacle of the World War II.

7.8/10

During the worst days of World War II, the British government asks the mathematician Alan Turing to unravel the mysteries of the German Enigma encryption machine, an impossible task to accomplish without the invaluable information that Hans-Thilo Schmidt, a disenchanted but greedy German citizen, had been handing over to the French secret services since 1931.

7.1/10

Fighter pilot, inventor, spy - the life of Roald Dahl is often stranger than fiction. Through a vast collection of his letters, writings and archive, the story is told largely in his own words with contributions from his last wife Liccy, daughter Lucy and biographer Donald Sturrock.

7.6/10

A unique celebration of the Queen's ninety years as she reaches her landmark birthday in April. Film-maker John Bridcut has been granted special access to the complete collection of Her Majesty's personal ciné films, shot by the Duke of Edinburgh and the Queen herself, as well as by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. Much of it has never been seen publicly before. Various members of the Royal Family are filmed watching this private footage and contributing their own personal insights and their memories of the woman they know both as a member of their own close family and as queen. Among those taking part are the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, Prince Harry, the Princess Royal, the Duke of Kent and his sister Princess Alexandra, who has never before given an interview.

7.8/10

This documentary-style short follows two impoverished teens performing on the streets of London in the days leading up to the London Blitz of 1940.

An enthralling series exploring how the BBC fought not only Hitler but also the British government to become the institution it is today.

7.4/10

How, in 1945, after the end of World War II and the fall of the Nazi regime, the defeated were atrociously mistreated, especially those ethnic Germans who had lived peacefully for centuries in Germany's neighboring countries, such as Czechoslovakia and Poland. A heartbreaking story of revenge against innocent civilians, the story of acts as cruel as the Nazi occupation during the war years.

7.8/10

2014-2015: 17. The Great European Disaster Movie Authored documentary by Italian director Annalisa Piras and former editor of The Economist Bill Emmott, which explores the crisis facing Europe. Through case studies of citizens in different countries, the film explores a range of factors that have led to the present crisis, economic and identity challenges across Europe. High-level experts analyse how and why things are going so wrong. The film includes fictional scenes, set in a post-EU future, which feature archaeologist Charles Granda (played by Angus Deayton) travelling on a flight through a menacing storm, explaining to a child passenger what the EU was. Sombre, thought-provoking and witty, the film frames Europe through the eyes of those who have most at stake - the Europeans themselves.

5.9/10

A new look at the public and private life of one of the most important statesmen in the history of Europe: Winston Churchill (1874-1965), soldier, politician, writer, painter, leader of his country in the darkest hours, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, a myth, a giant of the 20th century.

7.6/10

It was the biggest air and naval fleet in history to take off for France to free Europe from Nazi Germany’s clutches. As World War II entered its fifth year of combat, and despite set-backs in Russia, the power of Germany remained so strong that the Anglo American Allies had to recruit 2 million men all ready to sacrifice their lives. From the Battle of Normandy to the Liberation of Paris, tens of thousands of lives were lost; D-Day Sacrifice recounts the story of the D-Day Landings on 6 June 1944 through the testimonies of those who lived it. Comprised entirely of re-mastered and colourised archive footage, much of it never before seen, the remarkable testimonies of famous individuals like Dwight D. Eisenhower and Erwin Rommel are intertwined with those of anonymous soldiers and citizens, such as film director Samuel Fuller and Eisenhower’s chauffeur, Kay Summersby.

7.5/10

Speech-making is the art of persuasion. Well-honed rhetoric appeals not just to the mind, but to the heart and, deeper down, in the guts. Examining the speeches that provoked radical change, surprised pundits or shocked listeners, poet Simon Armitage dissects what makes a perfect speech. Simon gets the inside story behind some of the famous speeches of the modern age, talking to Tony Blair's speechwriter, to Earl Spencer on his controversial address at his sister's funeral and the woman who challenged the rioters in Hackney. We hear how Peter Tatchell confronted the BNP, Paul Boateng on how Enoch Powell's divisive speech personally affected him as a child, and Colonel Tim Collins, whose charge was to motivate his troops on the eve of the Iraq war. Simon discusses the nuts and bolts of speech writing with Vincent Franklin, aka the blue-sky thinking guru Stuart Pearson from The Thick of It, and gets tips on powerful delivery from actor Charles Dance.

6.1/10

The documentary "Reza Shah" begins with the rise of Reza Khan to power and looks at his reign from beginning to the end.

The complex relationship between royal brothers Edward VIII and George VI, who were both at the heart of the infamous abdication crisis of 1936, is the subject of this excellent documentary. From British Pathé TV's Royalty Collection.

7.5/10

Marking the Diamond Jubilee (1952-2012) of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles shares his memories of the private side of his mother, the Queen, making use of his family's home movies.

7.1/10

Germany, Baltic Sea coast, May 1945, a few days before the end of World War II. A small Soviet patrol arrives at an isolated house where an elderly baroness gives shelter to a group of orphan girls and a boy who is determined to continue the fight…

6.3/10

Seventy years on, brothers Colin and Ewan McGregor take viewers through the key moments of the Battle of Britain, when 'the few' of the RAF faced the might of the Nazi Luftwaffe. As they fly historic planes, meet the veterans, explore the tactics and technology, Colin and Ewan discover the importance of the Battle and the surviving legacy of the 1940's campaign for the modern RAF.

8/10

World War II In HD Colour is a 13-episode television documentary miniseries recounting the events of World War II narrated by Robert Powell. The show covers the Western Front, Eastern Front, and the Pacific War. It is on syndication in America on the Military Channel. This series is in full color, combining both original and colorized footage.

8.7/10

A six-part French documentary about the Second World War composed exclusively of actual footage of the war as filmed by war correspondents, soldiers, resistance fighters and private citizens. The series is shown in color, with the black and white footage being fully colorized, save for some original color footage. The only exception to the treatment are most Holocaust scenes, which are presented in the original black and white.

9/10

Michael Cockerell tells the story of how prime ministers have coped with life after Number Ten, after Tony Blair became the youngest member of the ex-PMs' club for a hundred years. The film reveals who left office bankrupt, who did TV commercials for Cheshire cheese, who had his own chat show and who has never had a single happy day since leaving Number Ten. Cockerell, who met the eight PMs prior to Blair, looks at what Tony planned do next and just how many millions he could make from being an ex-PM.

Based exclusively on testimonies of "Schindler Juden" from the Institute’s Visual History Archive, Voices from the List continues beyond the narrative of the Academy Award®-winning film Schindler's List by incorporating rare, archival footage and an original score to add a new dimension to the story of Oskar Schindler.

7.6/10

Since the late 18th century American legal decision that the business corporation organizational model is legally a person, it has become a dominant economic, political and social force around the globe. This film takes an in-depth psychological examination of the organization model through various case studies. What the study illustrates is that in the its behaviour, this type of "person" typically acts like a dangerously destructive psychopath without conscience. Furthermore, we see the profound threat this psychopath has for our world and our future, but also how the people with courage, intelligence and determination can do to stop it.

8.1/10
9%

A documentary about the influences on Tolkien, covering in brief his childhood and how he detested the onslaught of industry through the idyllic countryside, moving on to describe his fighting experience from WWI, and closing with a look at the Finnish inspiration for the scholar's self-invented languages of Elfish. In between are interviews with the cast of the films and some clips, by far the most from "The Fellowship of the Ring", but a few glimpses of Rohan riders (from "The Two Towers") are provided. Also, there are interviews with a range of the filmmakers.

7/10

The very name conjures up images of the good life black tie affairs and high society balls. Yet their long saga proves that money is no guarantee of happiness or stability. John Jacob Astor built an empire by parlaying a job in the fur business into a real estate empire so vast he became the richest man in the world. Follow the fortunes of five generations of Astors in this special BIOGRAPHY. From John's son William, who doubled the family fortune and earned the nickname "the landlord of New York," to the astounding charitable contributions of the Astor Foundation, the incredible story of the famed family comes to life through interviews with family members, archival footage and period accounts. Trace the feud and reconciliation that led to the creation of the Waldorf-Astoria hotel, and find out how the Titanic disaster forever transformed the Astors and their reputation.

Biographical account of America's President for the latter part of WWII. Shows Truman's rise from small-town nobody to leader of the USA, his decision to use the Atomic Bomb against Japan, and subsequent election as the US' post-war President.

7.1/10
8.8%

Polio at age 39, president at age 50. Explore the public and private life of a determined man who steered this country through two monumental crises: the Depression and World War II. FDR served as president longer than any other, and his legacy still shapes our understanding of the role of government and the presidency. A film by award winning filmmaker David Grubin. This is the second of four parts.

8.5/10

Written and presented by Martin Gilbert, Sir Winston Churchill's official biographer and the author of Churchill: A Life, The Complete Churchill is a treasury of rare newsreel clips and interviews with Churchill's family, staff, and political contemporaries, both the supporters and the detractors.

6.9/10

With the help of government-issued pamphlets, an elderly British couple build a shelter and prepare for an impending nuclear attack, unaware that times and the nature of war have changed from their romantic memories of World War II.

7.7/10
8.6%

The true story of Oskar Schindler's exploits in which he saved a thousand Jews from the ovens of the death camps, s told by first hand witnesses. The British Academy Award winning documentary that preceded Spielberg's "Schindler's List" by 10 years.

7.6/10

A documentary series examining the film making methods and techniques of Charles Chaplin. Featuring previously unseen footage from Chaplin's private film archive.

8.7/10

The lives of Erik Lanshof and five of his closest friends take different paths when the German army invades the Netherlands in 1940: fight and resistance, fear and resignation, collaboration and high treason.

7.7/10
9.1%

Beatles' "significance" pushed to the breaking point in this bizarre documentary that juxtaposes their songs (sung by a number of rock stars) with World War II newsreel footage. Helen Reddy sings "Fool On The Hill" while Hitler relaxes at Bertchtesgaden, and Rod Stewart husks "Get Back" while Nazi troops goose step. (IMDb)

6.1/10

Period music, film clips and newsreel footage combined into a visual exploration of the American entertainment industry during the Great Depression.

6.5/10

Winston Churchill's life in the years leading up to World War II.

7.8/10

A biography of Winston Churchill, shown through re-creations and actual film footage and told by Orson Welles.

7.3/10

A one-hour documentary sketching Greek history from the start of the century.

6.4/10

A lavish documentary film of Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation in 1953.

7.3/10

Compilation film about a very German first half of the 20th century.

5.5/10

Made at the end of WWII, this documentary looks at Britain's post-war period. During a time of economic hardship, Prime Minister Winston Churchill is concerned about the future of his nation.

Part of a a video series that documents the fighting between the United States and Imperial Japan during and immediately after World War II.

6.4/10

Know Your Ally: Britain was a 45-minute propaganda film made in 1944. It was narrated by Walter Huston and produced by the United States War Department and Signal Corp to solidify Anglo-American solidarity within the ranks as well as counter Nazi propaganda aimed at weakening the Alliance.

6.3/10

The third film of Frank Capra's 'Why We Fight" propaganda film series, dealing with the Nazi conquest of Western Europe in 1940.

7.2/10

A featureless land fit only for war, as the narrator, J. L. Hodson stated in the early scenes: "If war was to be fought then let it begin here". In endless miles of rock-strewn scrub desert, where civilians hardly existed. Desert Victory tells the story of the Allied campaign to drive Germany and Italy from North Africa is analysed, with the major portion of the film examining the battles at El Alamein, including some re-enactment. Won "Best Documentary Feature" at the 16th Academy Awards in 1944.

6.4/10

This second part of the 'Why We Fight' series documents the spread of Nazi ideology and the relentless advance of Germany's military machine through neighboring Rhineland, Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland.

7.1/10

Ambassador Joseph Davies is sent by FDR to Russia to learn about the Soviet system and returns to America as an advocate of Stalinism.

5.4/10

The Four Men of the title are British WWI veterans who decide to work secretly against enemies of the country. They aren't above a bit of murder or sabotage to serve their ends, but they consider themselves to be true patriots.

6.4/10

Stephen Brice, a young lawyer in Civil War-era St. Louis, falls in love with Virginia Carvel, the daughter of his benefactor. But she is loyal to the South and Brice is committed to Lincoln's cause. In the course of the war, their convictions separate them, and Virginia becomes engaged to her cousin Clarence Colfax, a Confederate officer. Brice becomes an officer under General Sherman, and eventually finds himself faced with the captured Colfax, facing execution for spying. Brice must decide whether or not to intercede in his rival's behalf.

6.6/10

Coverage of the Siege of Sidney Street, 3 January 1911, including film of Winston Churchill witnessing the events.

The Sidney Street siege. "HOUNDSITCH MURDERERS: THE GREAT ALIENS OUTRAGE AT MILE END SHEWING (sic) THE ACTUAL SCENES.