Mussolini seized power in Italy in 1922, after his March on Rome. He would hold it in his grasp until his death in 1945, establishing a dictatorship that lasted more than 20 years. Long considered a buffoon and a second-rate dictator, Il Duce invented fascism that was imitated by Hitler, who viewed the Italian as his political master. He wanted to transform his country into a warrior nation and promised Italians a return to the grandeur of the Roman Empire. He governed by violence and trickery and was one of the first populist leaders of modern times, leading his country into the catastrophe of the World War II. But who was Mussolini, this former teacher who came from the extreme left to become a newspaper editor and creator of the Fascist Party? Why did he ally himself with Hitler? Were the Italians really behind him? With archives and interviews with the last-surviving witnesses of the era, this portrait takes a look back at one of the most notorious dictators of the 20th century.
From Idris Elba, whose grandfather fought in WW2, this landmark series reveals the untold stories of soldiers of color in the war. By mixing war sequences with character portraits, this series restores the role of these soldiers and their units to their rightful place in the narrative of WW2 and reveals how these heroes inspired Civil Rights Movements in America and across the world.
A documentary series about heroines of the II World War. Stories told from the perspective of the characters are full of emotions and tension, they show courage, sacrifice, willpower but also recklessness or pragmatism. Characters of the series are not flawless monuments but regular women with their own problems, who happened to play an important role in the history. The visual style of the project is animadoc. It comprises archival materials, interviews with experts, and sequences of fictionalised scenes: shots stylised as comic frames, where an actor is connected with scenography hand-drawn by comics illustrators.
This classic series follows the events that sparked the greatest conflict of the century, capturing the drama, the excitement and the ideological juxtapositions of these crucial years. Former CBS News correspondent and commentator Eric Sevareid, one of the world's most respected figures in journalism, presents this extraordinary series featuring stunning original newsreels, soundtracks, and rare archival footage.
An elegantly produced documentary divided into eight parts and running nearly seven hours in length, The Romanovs beautifully encapsulates the epic story of the Russian Dynasty over the course of over three hundred years.
In the centuries since the gun was invented, hundreds of innovators, engineers and inventors have brought their vision together to create what has become one of the most perfectly produced items ever made. Tales of the Gun chronicles the long history of firearm design and construction from the first, primitive weapons to today's computer-controlled, high-tech factories. From the gunslingers of the Wild West to the newest technology being developed for tomorrow's super-weapons, guns have etched a place in today's culture for their masterful combination of form, function and beauty.
Prejudices and clichés about East and West Germany continue to shape parts of society. How does this affect Generation Z, who only know about the division of Germany from stories? Seven women and men aged 21 to 28 - representing Generation Z - offer an insight into the mindset and everyday life of a generation that is growing up in a time when the East-West conflict, political radicalization and social upheaval are more relevant than ever. The focus is on three subject areas: family and identity, business and career, and politics and social engagement.
A Soviet propaganda miniseries about the Bolshevik coup in 1917-18. Along with the portrayal of fictional characters, the film recreates the images of historical figures from this period.
In Crimea, Ukraine, in 1942, the tide of war seems to be turning, and the Red Army, which had been on the verge of defeat, is gradually gaining ground against the Wehrmacht, which is now in retreat. Then a lieutenant who has escaped from German forced labor, and who according to Stalin's orders should be shot as a traitor, reports on a German secret weapon located close to the front line. A special commando unit, consisting of comrades of the condemned man, investigates and finds children believed to be dead.
A major political, historical, human and economic fact of the 20th century, the Gulag, the extremely punitive Soviet concentration camp system, remains largely unknown.
A look back at a cruel conflict, the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71), which changed the political geography of Europe and sowed the seeds of a deep antagonism between France and Germany that culminated in two world wars. Excerpts from the diaries of the witnesses, photographs and painted panoramas tell the truth about a forgotten war.
The story of the life and survival of a half-Jewish family in Germany from 1882 to 1945. The focus is on the family of the failed pianist and conductor Alf Bertini and his Jewish wife Lea Lehmberg. They live in poor conditions in Hamburg and fight to give their children a better life until Hitler seizes power.