Marking 70 years since the Queen ascended the throne, Britain’s best-loved stars share memories of the changes they have lived through during her reign.
Social & External
The people behind it
Julie Walters
Narrator (voice)
Paul McCartney
Self
Trevor McDonald
Joan Bakewell
Brian Blessed
Cameron Mackintosh
Following the announcement from Buckingham Palace of the death of Her Majesty The Queen, we examine how Queen Elizabeth II balanced her duties as head of both her family and her country
The life and legacy of Queen Elizabeth II after Britain's longest-reigning monarch dies at age 96.
In 1954, recently crowned Queen Elizabeth II and HRH the Duke of Edinburgh embarked on a two month tour of Australia. It involved some 10,000 miles of travel by air and 4,000 miles by land and sea. The couple visited every state in the nation, and turned up at all sorts of events, from tennis at Kooyong to steel mills in Newcastle to woodchopping at Wagga to the Flying Doctor Service Service at Broken Hill. The film production arm of the federal government - the Film Division of the News and Information Bureau of the Department of the Interior - decided to cover the tour in 35mm colour film, sending the footage to England for processing and editing. Six weeks after the tour ended, the film was finished and became the first feature-length Australian film shot and financed by Australians in colour to be given a theatrical release.
Planned by Britain’s MI6 and then executed by America’s C.I.A., the coup d’état which follows will destroy Iran’s last democracy, and relations between Iran and the West until the present day. Most shocking of all, the truth about Her Majesty’s role will be hidden from the Queen herself, and even the all-powerful Shah who will be used by Britain and American to replace Iran’s last democratic Prime Minister. The coup will lead to political upheaval all over the Middle East for decades to come, eventually resulting in the Islamic Revolution of 1979 which will end the reign of the Shah, and British and American influence in Iran, inspiring countless other Islamist revolutions around the world.
They are the secret protagonists of world history: dogs that became famous alongside powerful masters and mistresses. A four-legged friend helps to cultivate an image and can, depending on the calculations, make its owner appear sympathetic or threatening. In England, however, prime ministers have to get used to a cat...
No profession, no say, no freedom of expression. Life as a prince consort is not exactly pleasure taxing. No constitution ascribes any function to the husband of a queen. Nowhere does it say what he must or must not do. A life in the shadow of the crown. Can that go well?
The Queen is an intimate behind the scenes glimpse at the interaction between HM Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Tony Blair during their struggle, following the death of Diana, to reach a compromise between what was a private tragedy for the Royal family and the public's demand for an overt display of mourning.
The re-imagining of VE Day in 1945, when Princess Elizabeth and her sister, Margaret were allowed out from Buckingham Palace for the night to join in the celebrations, and encounter romance and danger.
This documentary depicts the colour and pageantry of the coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, as well as Canada's participation in this momentous event.
A documentary about the illegal distribution and screenings of Western films and about people who dubbed them in 1980s Estonia.
The film begins from a camera position over the heads of spectators standing on the sidewalk in union square, New York city, watching a fire drill. Three pieces of equipment can be seen from the first camera position. The next scene, from another camera position, shows the equipment at the station, and water can be seen coming out of the nozzles held by firemen. Beyond them, spectators can be seen on the other side of the square.
Hearse bearing the remains of President McKinley on the way to the church, Canton, Ohio. Special Guard of honor.
Panoramic view of the McKinley homestead, Canton, O., on the morning of the funeral, showing large crowds passing the house, which was under military guard.
Essay on Eva Nil, the first star of Brazilian cinema.
Photographed from a single camera position above the heads of the crowds watching a parade, the film shows several different chapters of the international order of eagles. Some wear civilian attire, other costumes signifying a subdivision of their order.
The Goodyear blimp has been an aerial ambassador for the Goodyear tire and rubber company for over 90 years. Join the Spirit of America, one of the last GZ-20 airships of the world. Follow the crew who care for her as she makes the final flights into the history books of aviation and marks the end of Goodyears history of designing and manufacturing their own airships.
More than 100 years ago, explorers raced to discover the South Pole. Now scientists are racing to discover the secret subterranean world of rivers and lakes buried miles beneath it. In 1974, scientists made a sensational discovery: a vast lake underneath the icy desert of Antarctica, untouched for 400.000 years, Lake Vostok. In spring 2012, after 40 years of drilling, Russian scientist broke through the ice. In two different narrative strands the film tells the story of the evolution of life and climate, the story of four decades of exploration in the coldest place on Earth, and it accompanies the scientists on their final trip to the camp. The film also explores the mythologies and legends surrounding Antarctica – from H.P. Lovecraft to James Cameron: the ‘Mountains of Madness’ have lured many into their realm – not many left unscathed.
A chronicle of the personal life and public career of the celebrated artist and filmmaker Julian Schnabel.
Using the book 'Fragments', which collects Marilyn Monroe's poems, notes and letters, and with participation from the Arthur Miller and Truman Capote estates who have contributed more material, each of the actresses will embody the legend at various stages in her life.
Through deeply personal interviews with her siblings and an examination of the photographs, letters, and belongings left behind, Mariska assembles a new portrait of her mother Jayne Mansfield, an extraordinary and complex woman.
Martin Scorsese spends an evening with larger-than-life raconteur Steven Prince—a former drug addict, road manager for Neil Diamond, and actor—as he recounts stories from his colorful life.
Musician and performance artist Laurie Anderson reflects on the deaths of her husband Lou Reed, her mother and her beloved dog.
When a cross-section of seven-year-olds were interviewed for 7 Up in 1964 it was immediately evident that their social backgrounds influenced their attitudes towards life. While the upper class children were confident and self-assured, those from middle and working class backgrounds were resigned to a challenging life of hard work. This premise was put to the test every seven years when the same group were interviewed about the progression of their lives. 49 years in the making, the changes that occurred to the original 14 make for fascinating television and are in many ways the stories of all our lives. From success and disappointment, marriage and childbirth, to poverty and illness, nearly every facet of life has been captured on film. Now, at the age of 56, the group are once more brought together and, with the benefit of hindsight, assess whether their lives have been ruled by circumstance or self-determination.
BBC Arena's documentary on the Dames of British Theatre and film featuring Maggie Smith, Eileen Atkins, Judi Dench and Joan Plowright on screen together for the first time as they reminisce over a long summer weekend in a house Joan once shared with Sir Laurence Olivier.
A deep dive into the making of the Paranormal Activity films with first time ever interviews with cast and crew, never-before-seen footage from the movies, and a preview of the seventh installment in the franchise.
An unprecedented and intimate look at the life, work and enduring legacy of British actress Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993).
A primetime special with performances from the superstar including Adele’s first new material in six years plus her chart-topping hits. The special will also feature an exclusive interview with Adele by Oprah Winfrey from her rose garden, in Adele’s first televised wide-ranging conversation.
Join former first lady Michelle Obama in an intimate documentary looking at her life, hopes and connection with others.
The life and career of an actor, artist, and icon. His own journey through his own camera.
Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Al Pacino in conversation about The Irishman.
Daniel Craig candidly reflects on his 15 year adventure as James Bond. Including never-before-seen archival footage from Casino Royale to the upcoming 25th film No Time To Die, Craig shares his personal memories in conversation with 007 producers, Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.
Film adaptation of French economist Thomas Piketty's ground-breaking global bestseller of the same name: an eye-opening journey through wealth and power.
Life Is But a Dream is a HBO documentary about the life of US singer Beyoncé Knowles during the years 2011 and 2012 and on the recording of her fifth album. The film was directed by Beyoncé herself. The film shows Beyoncé from intimate moments of her pregnancy to behind the scenes and rehearsals of the main concerts of that time.
As a visually radical memoir, CAMERAPERSON draws on the remarkable footage that filmmaker Kirsten Johnson has shot and reframes it in ways that illuminate moments and situations that have personally affected her. What emerges is an elegant meditation on the relationship between truth and the camera frame, as Johnson transforms scenes that have been presented on Festival screens as one kind of truth into another kind of story—one about personal journey, craft, and direct human connection.
A visual montage portrait of our contemporary world dominated by globalized technology and violence.
Robert Altman's life and career contained multitudes. This father of American independent cinema left an indelible mark, not merely on the evolution of his art form, but also on the western zeitgeist. With its use of rare interviews, representative film clips, archival images, and musings from his family and most recognizable collaborators, Altman is a dynamic and heartfelt mediation on an artist whose expression, passion and appetite knew few bounds.
Told through performances, TV interviews, home movies, family photographs, private letters and unpublished memoirs, the film reveals the essence of an extraordinary woman who rose from humble beginnings in New York City to become a glamorous international superstar and one of the greatest artists of all time.
An intense portrait of the iconic filmmaker, writer, actor, comedian and musician Woody Allen: his life, family and friends; his writing and directing habits, and his relationship with performers.
