The Great Caruso

Raging Bull

November 1980 •English

The life of boxer Jake LaMotta, whose violence and temper that led him to the top in the ring destroyed his life outside of it.

Lohengrin

January 2006 •English

At the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, the stage director Nikolaus Lehnhoff signs a remarkable production of Wagner's LOHENGRIN, the third of the German composer's main operas. This production stars an incredible cast, including Hans-Peter König, Klaus Florian Vogt, Solveig Kringelborn, Tom Fox and Waltraud Meier, accompanied by the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin under Kent Nagano's baton.

First Man

October 2018 •English

A look at the life of the astronaut, Neil Armstrong, and the legendary space mission that led him to become the first man to walk on the Moon on July 20, 1969.

Zamora, tierra y hombres libres

October 2010 •Spanish

Venezuela, the mid-nineteenth century. The polarization between liberals and conservatives marked the political agenda. Inequalities of colonial society kept farmers and slaves under the yoke of the oligarchy. Ezequiel Zamora mobilized by deep ideals of liberty is leading a fight to try to erase social inequalities and distribute land equitably.

Dvě vdovy

June 1979 •Czech

Maestro der Revolution?

December 1971 •German

Manto

May 2018 •Hindi

In Bombay's seedy-shiny film world, Manto and his stories are widely read and accepted. But as sectarian violence engulfs the nation, Manto makes the difficult choice of leaving his beloved Bombay. In Lahore, he finds himself bereft of friends and unable to find takers for his writings.

Man on the Moon

December 1999 •English

The story of the life and career of eccentric avant-garde comedian, Andy Kaufman.

Malcolm X

November 1992 •English

A tribute to the controversial black activist and leader of the struggle for black liberation. He hit bottom during his imprisonment in the '50s, he became a Black Muslim and then a leader in the Nation of Islam. His assassination in 1965 left a legacy of self-determination and racial pride.

The Sea Inside

September 2004 •Spanish

Ramón Sampedro is a ship mechanic and part-time poet left a quadriplegic following a diving accident. Ramón fought for 30 years for the legal right to end his own life. He develops close relationships with his long-term lawyer Julia and his friend Rosa, who tries to convince him that his life is worth living. Despite his situation, Ramón manages to inspire those around him to live life to the fullest.

Giovanna d'Arco

January 1989 •Italian

Director Werner Herzog, one of the most highly acclaimed German film makers, joins forces with the great Italian conductor Riccardo Chailly to effect a masterful rendition of this rarely-performed opera involving spectacular scenes of alternating light and dark, pageantry and intimacy. Staged and recorded at Teatro Comunale di Bologna in Bologna, Italy.

Massenet Thais

January 2008 •English

There's an uncompromising clarity to Blu-ray audio and video that really does bring the splendour of grand opera right into the living room. So it's all the more frustrating to get a compromised production as the final product. Jules Massenet's 1894 tragedy about a sex goddess humbled by an insistent Cenobite monk isn't produced very often, because of a demanding lead role and some difficult staging issues. But the music is gorgeous from beginning to end. When you have a great diva at centre stage, the three acts go by in a flash.

Tosca's Kiss

August 1984 •Italian

Memoirs of the Italian Opera by the singers and musicians of the Casa Verdi, Milan, the world’s first nursing home for retired opera singers, founded by composer Giuseppe Verdi in 1896. This documentary, which has achieved cult-like status among opera and music lovers, features former singers who reminisce about their careers and their past operatic roles.

The Story of Alfred Nobel

February 1939 •English

This John Nesbitt's Passing Parade short tells the story of Alfred Nobel, who invented dynamite, and later established the Nobel Prize.

Król Roger

May 2015 •Polish

The story concerns the enlightenment of the Christian King Roger II by a young shepherd who represents pagan ideals. Kasper Holten’s production (The Royal Opera’s first) of Król Roger (King Roger) brought the opera back to the London stage after an absence of almost 40 years. Karol Szymanowski’s masterpiece powerfully presents the dilemmas of culture versus nature and man versus beast, and movingly depicts King Roger’s inner struggles as he moves from an impossible life of repressed desires to the other extreme, giving in to his own demons. Meanwhile, Roger’s people, seduced by the promises of the mysterious Shepherd, are drawn towards totalitarianism and repression. Antonio Pappano conducts Szymanowksi’s opulent and beautiful score, with a cast including Mariusz Kwiecień as Roger (one of the greatest interpreters of the role today), Saimir Pirgu as the Shepherd, and Georgia Jarman in her Royal Opera debut as Roger’s loving queen Roxana.

Aletta Jacobs, Het Hoogste Streven

September 1995 •Dutch

Feature film about the life of Aletta Jacobs (1854-1929). Aletta Jacobs knows from an early age that she wants to become a doctor. She asks Thorbecke to allow her to attend university and, after completing her studies, becomes the first female doctor in Amsterdam. Here, she focuses in particular on sexual problems in women and campaigns for universal suffrage. Director Nouchka van Brakel appears in the film as an interviewer who questions contemporaries about the life and work of Dr. Jacobs. The interviews give an impression of the flood of negative reactions that the feminist provoked. However, when Aletta looks back on her life at the end of the film, many photos and letters show how much she was ultimately appreciated.

Pawo

April 2016 •German

Since 1950, Tibet has been occupied by China. Dorjee, a young Tibetan, grew up in peace 40 years later. After the death of his father, it all comes to a point, where he realizes that his wings are already cut, what it means to be Tibetan in a country which is called "China". Inside Tibet and in exile, a last cry for freedom starts.

Sisi/Last Minute

September 1991 •German

The immature young ruler of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Franz Joseph, was extremely shy around women but (according to this film) was constantly being propositioned, lewdly or otherwise, by ambitious courtesans. When he was finally married to his Empress, the teen-aged Bavarian princess Sisi (Elizabeth), it seems that his relief knew no bounds, for he was now sure that he would never have to think about sex ever again. According to the filmmakers, this is the true history of that marriage. This story is a complete reversal of the romantic legend depicted in the popular 1955 film Sissi, which helped brighten the emerging stardom of Romy Schneider.

Markova: Comfort Gay

December 2000 •Tagalog

Escaping the torment of growing up with an abusive older brother, he and his friends found further suffering at the hands of Japanese soldiers, forced into sex work to survive. But even after the war, Markova's struggle continued.

Rikidozan: A Hero Extraordinaire

December 2004 •Korean

Story of Rikidozan, a sumo wrestler who can only achieve limited success in Japan because he's half Korean. But when Rikidozan goes to the United States and discovers professional wrestling, he becomes a hero back home.