The first part of the film — popular science — tells of recent (mid-1960s) achievements in the exploration of the Moon. Scientists discuss the hypothesis of the origin of the lunar maria, about the temperature of the lunar surface and the supposed properties of the lunar soil.
The second part of the film — science fiction — shows how the Moon in the near future will be developed by people from a hypothetical first lunar mission to lunar cities and laboratories.
Category: Documentary
Marcel Duchamp kept a secret for over 20 years: while the art world had wrongly assumed that one of the 20th century’s most important artists had given up creating art, Duchamp was building his final masterpiece, Etant Donnes (“given”). Duchamp didn’t allow the piece to be viewed by the public until after his death in 1968. This left him shielded from the questions that developed after the piece debuted. Simply described, it is a peepshow. Through an old wooden façade, one looks through to see a sculpted open-legged nude lying in a field. The critics were stumped. What did Duchamp leave us with? This BBC documentary from 1997 dissects and examines the pieces of this assemblage.
This documentary respectfully interviews a number of important American directors who have in one way or another bucked the system. It also explores the life and work of earlier American mavericks through the tributes, reflections, and recollections of the first group. Prominent among the living directors interviewed are Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Paul Schrader, and David Lynch. Among the directors who are discussed are Orson Welles, D.W. Griffith and Samuel Fuller. Clips from the films of these men, and interviews with important actors who have worked with them (e.g. Robert DeNiro) are another feature of this documentary, commissioned by Japanese public television corporation NHK.
Bahman Kiarostami’s charming documentary about mourners-for-hire who are called upon to attend funerals in Iran. With an understated, lighthearted style, Tabaki provides a fascinating view of a peculiar occupation within this religious culture, offering, in the process, an insightful portrait of the society as a whole.
A rare documentary about the Mai 68 riots in Paris with many testimonies from unknown and well-known witnesses.
Shot during the events by Jean-Luc Magneron, this poignant documentary with interviews brings a new light on the events. On April 1998, some excerpts, entitled “It was your May 68”, were broadcasted during french TV show “La Marche du siècle” hosted by Jean-Marie Cavada, at the occasion of the 30th birthday of the events.
A biographical film, in English throughout, telling the story of film director Sergei Eisenstein (1898-1948) from his childhood in Riga, Latvia to receiving the ‘Stalin Prize’ in Moscow. Based on his own writings, the film uses actual film clips of Eisenstein at various points of his life as well as photographs, illustrations and archival film of a variety of locations around the world. Eisenstein’s talent as a satirical cartoonist and later an artist is particularly highlighted with many photographs of his work.
The use of kidnapped children as fighters was a systematic practice by the South African-backed Renamo army. We follow Julio Bombi’s journey to be re-united with his mother. Renamo kidnapped up to 100,000 children, and they became the most feared soldiers of all. When parents find their long-lost children, these hardened young assassins bear little resemblance to the children they lost.