The Secret Life of Brian

Best of Enemies

2015 · ★ 7.2

A documentary about the legendary series of nationally televised debates in 1968 between two great public intellectuals, the liberal Gore Vidal and the conservative William F. Buckley Jr. Intended as commentary on the issues of their day, these vitriolic and explosive encounters came to define the modern era of public discourse in the media, marking the big bang moment of our contemporary media landscape when spectacle trumped content and argument replaced substance. Best of Enemies delves into the entangled biographies of these two great thinkers, and luxuriates in the language and the theater of their debates, begging the question, "What has television done to the way we discuss politics in our democracy today?"

Graham Meets Olly

2024

Olly Alexander is preparing to fulfil one of his biggest life ambitions - to represent the United Kingdom in the much-loved Eurovision Song Contest. Ahead of the grand final in May, Olly joins fellow Eurovision lover and commentator Graham Norton to talk candidly about competing in Sweden. As an extra treat for Eurovision fans, Olly reveals the first full play of the music video on TV for his Eurovision song Dizzy.

Sonic Mirror

2008 · ★ 7

The multi-award-winning Finnish documentarian Mika Kaurismäki, brother of Aki Kaurismäki (The Man Without a Past), helms the nonfiction work Sonic Mirror -- a protracted exploration of rhythm as one of life's driving forces. Revered drummer Billy Cobham serves as host, taking the audience on a long musical journey around the world and through a myriad of musical genres and styles. Cobham, Kaurismäki, and co. segue from Western concert halls and stages to the music of African tribes performed by Brazilian street children to the distinct music of autistic patients. Along the way, the filmmakers raise serious questions about the function of music as an identifying force, a means of communication, and an emotional release; they also probe the enduring connections between group awareness and self-awareness. The film ultimately builds to a hugely affirming and cathartic expression of music as collective expression that unifies its performers in spirit.

Censored: Kuhle Wampe

1975 · ★ 10

A detailed reconstruction of the censorship case against the landmark Weimar-era communist film, Kuhle Wampe, or Who Owns the World? (1932). Directed by Slatan Dudow, the crew and cast included left-wing luminaries, such as playwright Bertolt Brecht, composer Hanns Eisler and balladeer Ernst Busch. The film was the subject of vehement disputes and was banned twice for revolutionary and communist tendencies that were perceived to threaten the state. About 230 meters of the original film fell victim to the censor’s shears. This historic censorship case was argued over the course of three sessions. Censored: Kuhle Wampe re-enacts the censorship hearings, based on original minutes and documents, as well as personal records of the case. In addition to footage from the original film, this docudrama includes original clips of Berlin in the 1920s and '30s and short testimonies, filmed in the 1970s, with some of the actors involved in the original Kuhle Wampe film production.

Pioniere der Filmmusik - Europas Sound für Hollywood

2024 · ★ 8.5

Hollywood film music has its roots in Europe. Three composers who fled war and National Socialism to the USA created the sound that still shapes film music today: Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Max Steiner and Franz Waxman. In the early 20th century, these classically trained composers transformed the methods acquired in Vienna and Berlin into a new American art form: film music. They balanced the relationship between image and sound and developed techniques and dramaturgical tricks to achieve the greatest possible effect on the viewer. Their influence is visible in the work of contemporary US composers such as John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith. Today, Oscar winner Hans Zimmer, Ramin Djawadi and Harold Faltermeyer continue this tradition. Their melodies are part of humanity's collective memory and reflect the combined traditions of European and American musical history. The documentary accompanies composers in their work and explores the European roots of Hollywood.

Inside The Mob's Bloody Valentine

2011 · ★ 8

The St. Valentine's Day massacre is the stuff of American legend, and the tale is familiar to nearly everyone. But the story of that bloody day in Chicago has never been told, or seen, like this before. Cutting-edge graphics and frenetic recreations accompany Johnny Fratto, son of onetime Al Capone-associate Louis "Lew" Fratto, back to Chicago, where he uncovers massacre myths and learns more about the life his father and uncles led when they roamed those lawless streets in the 1920s. Johnny gets guidance and opinions from a team of renowned Chicago gangster experts, and bridges the gap between the stories he heard as a little boy and the reality he lived growing up in a mob family. Johnny's take about what happened on Feb. 14, 1929 will surprise you.

Chasing Greatness: Coach K x LeBron

2023 · ★ 2

A candid conversation between two basketball icons that explores the concept of "Greatness" and what it takes to achieve it.

The Emma Bovary Trial

2021 · ★ 6.6

On January 31, 1857, the French writer Gustave Flaubert (1821-80) took his place in the dock for contempt of public morality and religion. The accused, the real one, is, through him, Emma Bovary, heroine with a thousand faces and a thousand desires, guilty without doubt of an unforgivable desire to live.

Carnal Hell

A documentary about the making of Joe Cash's last directorial feature film Carnal Redemption, showcasing the behind the scenes, the preproduction hell of the film and the mayhem which goes into a Joe Cash film.

Bhiksuni

2017

A partially restored version of Director Im Kwon-taek's Bhiksuni, which was halted in 1984 due to opposition from the Buddhist community. It contains the agony of a woman who has converted to Buddhism. The documentary, which is shown together with the partially restored version, contains the story of the production of Bhiksuni told by actress Kim Ji-mi, director Im Kwon-taek, cinematographer Jung Il-sung, and writer Song Gil-han.

Launching Red Dwarf

2002 · ★ 8

A documentary about the making of the first series of "Red Dwarf" (1988).

Red Dwarf A–Z

2003 · ★ 8.8

A compilation of clips and interviews, originally broadcast on BBC2's Red Dwarf Night, celebrating the show's 10th anniversary in 1998, and subsequently included on the DVD release of Red Dwarf series II.