Top 250 Movies Like Iconic America

Our Symbols and Stories With David Rubenstein

A list of the best movies similar to Iconic America. If you liked Iconic America then you may also like: Place of the Boss: Utshimassits, Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins, Reclaiming the Blade, Jane White Is Sick & Twisted, Amazon Women on the Moon and many more great movies featured on this list.

TV show

Examining the history of America through iconic symbols, objects and places; host David Rubenstein.

Place of the Boss: Utshimassits

In the '60s, the Mushuau Innu had to abandon their 6,000-year nomadic culture and settle in Davis Inlet. Their relocation resulted in cultural collapse and widespread despair.

Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins

When a celebrated TV show host returns to his hometown in the South, his family is there to remind him that going home is no vacation!

Reclaiming the Blade

The Medieval and Renaissance blade, a profound and beautiful object handcrafted by master artisans of old. An object of great complexity, yet one with a singular use in mind- it is designed to kill. The truth of the sword has been shrouded in antiquity, and the Renaissance martial arts that brought it to being are long forgotten. The ancient practitioners lent us all they knew through their manuscripts. As gunslingers of the Renaissance they were western heroes with swords, and they lived and died by them. Yet today their history remains cloaked under a shadow of legend.

Jane White Is Sick & Twisted

For Jane White, life itself is a television program, and she dreams of becoming a star on the small screen. Convincing herself that Gerry King, a popular talk show host, is her birth father, she sets out on an adventurous road trip — aided by her equally looney boyfriend, Dick — to confront her "father" on the air, and, just maybe, make a splash on reality television.

Amazon Women on the Moon

Acclaimed director John Landis (Animal House, The Blues Brothers) presents this madcap send-up of late night TV, low-budget sci-fi films and canned-laughter-filled sitcoms packed with off-the-wall sketches that will have you in stitches. Centered around a television station which features a 1950s-style sci-fi movie interspersed with a series of wild commercials, wacky shorts and weird specials, this lampoon of contemporary life and pop culture skewers some of the silliest spectacles ever created in the name of entertainment. A truly outrageous look at the best of the worst that television has to offer.

Area 51

Three young conspiracy theorists attempt to uncover the mysteries of Area 51, the government's secret location rumored to have hosted encounters with alien beings. What they find at this hidden facility exposes unimaginable secrets.

Christmas in Tattertown

Christmas in Tattertown is a 1988 television special created and directed by Ralph Bakshi about a place where everything discarded in the world came alive. It aired on the cable television network Nickelodeon.

Night at the Museum

Chaos reigns at the natural history museum when night watchman Larry Daley accidentally stirs up an ancient curse, awakening Attila the Hun, an army of gladiators, a Tyrannosaurus rex and other exhibits.

Talk Radio

A rude, contemptuous talk show host becomes overwhelmed by the hatred that surrounds his program just before it goes national.

The Safety of Objects

In a suburban landscape, the lives of several families interlace with loss, despair and personal crisis. Esther Gold has lost focus on all but caring for her comatose son, Paul, and neglects her daughter and husband. Lawyer Jim Train is devoted to his career, not his family. Helen Christianson wants to find a new spark in life, while Annette Jennings tries to rebuild hers.

Man of the Year

The irreverent host of a political satire talk show decides to run for president and expose corruption in Washington. His stunt goes further than he expects when he actually wins the election, but a software engineer suspects that a computer glitch is responsible for his surprising victory.

An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe

A collection of four Poe stories narrated by Vincent Price: 1) The Tell-Tale Heart, 2) The Sphinx, 3) The Cask of Amontillado, and 4) The Pit and the Pendulum.

Fat Man and Little Boy

Assigned to oversee the development of the atomic bomb, Gen. Leslie Groves is a stern military man determined to have the project go according to plan. He selects J. Robert Oppenheimer as the key scientist on the top-secret operation, but the two men clash fiercely on a number of issues. Despite their frequent conflicts, Groves and Oppenheimer ultimately push ahead with two bomb designs — the bigger "Fat Man" and the more streamlined "Little Boy."

Gaza Strip

A "slice-of-life" documentary set in Gaza City, following the inner and outer lives of a 13-year-old boy, a self-styled revolutionary, as he struggles to find meaning in his life while his friends are killed around him, one by one.

Sex and Buttered Popcorn

Actor Ned Beatty hosts a look at the genre known as "exploitation" films. Interviews with some of the producers and directors of these films are shown, along with scenes from and trailers for some of these films.

Hangar 18

During a Space Shuttle mission a satellite rams a unidentified flying object. The UFO afterwards performs an emergency landing in the deserts of Arizona. However the White House denies its existence because of the near presidential elections. The UFO is brought to the secret Hangar 18 and the accident is blamed on the incompetence of the astronauts Bancroff and Price. But the two fight against this and try to hunt down the UFO.

Cherry Hill High

Five recent graduates of an all-girl high school - Kippy, Sarah, Michelle, Peaches and Alison - attempt to lose their virginity during a two-week bicycle trip with their seemingly repressed teacher Miss Woodruff. The girls hold a contest to see who can lose their virginity in the most creative and original manner.

In the Shadow of the Moon

Archival material from the original NASA film footage – much of it seen for the first time – plus interviews with the surviving astronauts, including Jim Lovell, Dave Scott, John Young, Gene Cernan, Mike Collins, Buzz Aldrin, Alan Bean, Edgar Mitchell, Charlie Duke and Harrison Schmitt.

The Late Shift

David Letterman vies with Jay Leno and his manager to succeed Johnny Carson, retiring from "The Tonight Show."

Mad As Hell

MAD AS HELL follows Cenk Uygur's transformation from unknown talk show host on local Public Access TV to an internet sensation with his online news show "The Young Turks," which has amassed over one billion views on YouTube. Once Cenk ventures from the internet into national television and lands the 6 PM time slot on MSNBC, his uncensored brand of journalism is compromised and Cenk becomes the nexus in the battle between new and old media.

Midnight

The sultry Midnight, late-night horror movie hostess, has the highest rated show on TV. Mr. B is scheming to steal the rights to the show. The tug of war begins and soon escalates into a deadly conflict. will Midnight have to get a day job and change her name to High Noon?

An Eye for an Eye

The host of a children's TV show is really a psychopathic killer, and when he hears stories from the kids who watch his show about the abuse they get from their parents, he starts visiting the parents and murdering them.

Selma

"Selma," as in Alabama, the place where segregation in the South was at its worst, leading to a march that ended in violence, forcing a famous statement by President Lyndon B. Johnson that ultimately led to the signing of the Voting Rights Act.

Silver City

The discovery of a corpse threatens to unravel a bumbling local politician's campaign for governor of Colorado.

The Truth About Cats & Dogs

A successful veterinarian and radio show host with low self-esteem asks her model friend to impersonate her when a handsome man wants to see her.

Ghost Warrior

When skiers in Japan come across the frozen body of centuries-old samurai warrior Yoshimita, scientists secretly whisk the corpse to a high-tech laboratory in California, where they bring him back to life. But when Yoshimita escapes onto the mean streets of 1980s Los Angeles, his ancient and strict code of honor gets him both into and out of trouble. J. Larry Carroll directs this low-budget action fantasy.

Elvira, Mistress of the Dark

When her great aunt dies, famed horror hostess Elvira heads for the uptight new England town of Falwell to claim her inheritance of a haunted house, a witch's cookbook and a punk rock poodle. But once the stuffy locals get an eyeful of the scream queen's ample assets, all hell busts out & breaks loose.

The Skateboard Kid

No one could be more bored than Zack, the new kid in town with no friends in sight. When a gang of hip, skateboarding thrashers start cruising his neighborhood, Zack hopes his luck will change. But they want nothing to do with him. Then Zack makes the discovery of his life: a talking wisecracking, magical skateboard. And suddenly, skateboarding rises to entirely new heights.

Gallery of Horror

John Carradine narrates five horror tales, each with a comically predictable surprise ending. In the first, "The Witches Clock," the Farrells have purchased an old mansion in Salem Massachusetts and are warned by the town doctor of the history of witches in the community. The second story, "King of the Vampires," deals with a slight-figured killer called the King of the Vampires by Scotland Yard. The third, "Monster Raid," is about a man turned zombie when he ODs on his experimental drug. "Spark of Life" deals with a doctor Mendell obsessed with the experiments of a thrown-out professor named Erich von Frankenstein. "Count Alucard" is a variation on the Dracula story, with the Count acquiring the deed to Carfax Abbey from Harker as vampiresses and dead bodies start turning up.

Brooklyn Bridge

Today it's a symbol of strength and vitality. 135 years ago, it was a source of controversy. This documentary examines the great problems and ingenious solutions that marked the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. From conception to construction, it traces the bridge's transformation from a spectacular feat of heroic engineering to an honored symbol in American culture.

Interceptors

In the near future the US Government has created an elite team of soldiers specially trained for action in the event of a hostile alien encounter. A multi-national force, they are the last line of defense

A Woman's a Helluva Thing

After the death of his estranged mother, a misogynistic womanizer returns home to find that his ex-girlfriend had been his mother's secret lesbian lover.

Starry Night

Vincent Van Gogh comes back to life after being the recipient of a magic potion. He finds that his work has become quite valuable, and begins stealing his works. At the same time, he has a hard time getting anyone to believe he's really Van Gogh.

America

The zany crew of a New York cable TV station accidentally bounce a signal off the moon, bringing them worldwide attention.

Fright Show

Two obscure film critics host four SF/Horror films: The Thing in the Basement, Illegal Alien, Nightfright, and Dr. Dobermind.

Escapes

An anthology of five tales of terror, each originally produced for video. The titles are "Something's Fishy," "Coffee Break," "Who's There," "Jonah's Dream," and "Think Twice."

The Art of Action: Martial Arts in the Movies

Hosted by Samuel L. Jackson, this in-depth documentary offers viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the history of the martial arts film -- from the genre's rebellious beginnings to high-flying modern epics. Jackson takes you through the best moments of 100 movies, including Charlie's Angels and Oscar winner Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Interviews with martial arts film veterans Sammo Hung, John Woo and Ang Lee round out the video.

Chicago Deadline

On Chicago's South Side reporter Ed Ames finds the body of a dead girl. Her address book leads to a host of names of men frightened by her death but claiming never to have known her. Ames comes to know quite a lot, dangerously so.

Dear Prudence

Prudence MacIntyre, the 'New York home tips' TV show presenter, is sent on holiday, by studio boss Jeffrey Symcox, to a secluded lodge in Tassajero, Wyoming. The lodge was built on the last remnant of Indian land preserved by the Andrews family. Her celebrity status and sassy charm help quickly getting acquainted with local notables, including French heir Jean Phillipe Andrews, his land trust lawyer Doug Craig and police detective Eddie Duncan. Pru is with lodge caretaker Ruth Vigil when she discovers her estranged son JR is missing from his home after leaving a message. Pru finds blood, and although it's not JR's insists he must have been murdered. After her research assent, a computer whiz with a minor criminal record, joins her, and they soon get in danger snooping ahead of the incredulous authorities to discover several linked crimes.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time

An elite team of thieves takes refuge with a family after a heist goes horribly wrong. They soon find themselves in a fight for their lives when one of their hosts turns into a mysterious creature.

The History of White People in America

In this parody of documentaries, host Martin Mull discusses the contributions that white people have made to the USA, visits the Institute of White Studies, and follows a typical white family as they go about their everyday lives.

The Pretender: Island of the Haunted

Jarod takes a keen interest in an ancient symbol that may unlock secrets about his family. But Miss Parker is hot on Jarod's trail and about to make discoveries of her own. Their investigation leads to a remote Island off the Scottish coast, where a set of sacred scrolls, vital to the Centre, have been hidden – and protected – for centuries.

Dark Sunday

A skid row reverend helps young junkies to a better life. This incurs the wrath of the local drug dealer who sends his goons after the good minister.

Crossfire

Seeking retribution for the accidental death of his family, a wealthy businessman dealing in illegal arms smuggling attempts to destroy one of America's most treasured symbols: the Statue of Liberty

Sesame Street

Big Bird and his Sesame Street friends are mysteriously expelled from their neighborhood, finding themselves in Manhattan. They team up with a plucky history show host Sally Hawthorne who’s on a quest to save her show and prove that Sesame Street actually exists, with obstacles created by the “evil” Mayor, with reasons of his own for keeping Sesame Street hidden from the world.

Collector’s Item

Mr. Prentiss is an appraiser at his firm, the House of Prentiss. He is about to go to Florida to appraise a vast collection of a recently deceased collector, Van der Locken, when he receives an unwanted visit from Ivor Hager, who informs him of "The Left Fist of David," a valuable but mysterious art object that was stolen from a Mexican church. An unsold TV Pilot

Untitled Pizza Movie

How do you remember somebody in a disposable world? Untitled Pizza Movie sets out to do just that, by weaving an abandoned film about pizza (shot in NYC in the 1990s), and a stunning, filmed archive (thousands of objects), with a remarkable triple portrait, tracing the trajectory of three lives, across thirty years and three continents.

Fireman Sam: Alien Alert! The Movie

Buck Douglas, the famous "Alien Quest" TV show host visits Pontypandy and everyone in town searches for aliens.

The Hiding Place

World War II. Darkness has fallen over Europe, and the boots of the Third Reich echo through the streets. But on a quiet city corner in the Netherlands, some choose to resist. Corrie Ten Boom and her family risk everything to hide Jewish refugees by the hundreds, and they ultimately face the consequences when they are discovered.

The Sex Symbol

A thinly-disguised version of the life of Marilyn Monroe, detailing her ups and downs in life and how her erratic behavior contributed to her deteriorating career.

Harlow: The Blonde Bombshell

Actress Sharon Stone hosts this documentary about the life and career of 1930s sex symbol Jean Harlow. Included are clips from many of her films, photos and stories about her life before she became a movie star, and accounts of her troubled personal life, including a domineering mother, the failure of her three marriages and the suicide of her second husband.

Fred Rogers: America's Favorite Neighbor

Writer, producer, puppeteer, songwriter--America's Favorite Neighbor takes a thorough look at the career of legendary children's television host Fred Rogers. Produced for Pittsburgh's WQED, this informative documentary tracks his rise as floor manager for various NBC programs, such as Your Hit Parade, to the major awards he received later in life, such as the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Along the way, he's seen launching public TV programs The Children's Corner, which featured a soon-to-be-famous puppet named King Friday, and Canada's MisteRogers. The latter, naturally, was followed by Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, which made its national debut in 1968, and would eventually became the longest running program in PBS history. Hosted by fellow Pennsylvania native Michael Keaton (Batman), who worked on his show in the early days, America's Favorite Neighbor is suitable for all ages, but is geared more towards adults, particularly parents and educators.

Artur Schnabel: No Place of Exile

The exiled Austro-German musician and composer Artur Schnabel was a giant of his time, but in Germany today he is nearly forgotten. Pianist and Schnabel devotee Markus Pawlik (in collaboration with baritone Dietrich Henschel and the Szymanowski String Quartet) brings Artur Schnabel's greatest compositions back to Berlin with a filmed commemorative concert. Along the way, Pawlik visits the places, landscapes, and history that shaped Schnabel's life and music. "Artur Schnabel: No Place of Exile" rediscovers an essential artist displaced by the catastrophe of the two World Wars and the Holocaust and inspired by the possibilities of modernism.

Life on Air: David Attenborough's 50 Years in Television

Life on Air: David Attenborough's 50 Years in Television is a BBC documentary film that recounts David Attenborough's television career. It is presented by Michael Palin and produced by Brian Leith. The BBC first transmitted the documentary in 2002 and is part of the Attenborough in Paradise and Other Personal Voyages collection of 7 documentaries. It includes interviews with Attenborough and several of his former colleagues, along with archival footage.

Wine Club

A couple elopes to wine country and stumble upon a vineyard where they hope to get some nice wedding photos. But they quickly realize that there's something very different about the vineyard's wine club.

Love on the Air

When a radio host gets dumped by her boyfriend on-air and soon has her break up exposed even further by a shock jock, she needs to regain her confidence while working with the same man who humiliated her in front of his viewers.

Getting Physical

The world of female bodybuilding provides the backdrop for this tale of an aspiring young actress who initially becomes interested in the sport as a means of self-defense following a physical attack by two men, but then finds that while concentrating on building up her body her relationship with her parents, with whom she is living, and her new-found boyfriend, a young cop, is breaking down. Several noted bodybuilders and iron-pumpers, male and female, put in appearances to give this production an added authenticity.

A Carol Christmas

Carol Cartman, a tempestuous talk show host, is a high-heeled, high-maintenance Scrooge. This insensitive, self-centered and stingy woman is about to experience a holiday she'll never forget.

Frank Nitti: The Enforcer

Al Capone may be the most famous Chicago mobster, but his successor, Frank "The Enforcer" Nitti (Anthony LaPaglia), was just as ruthless. This biopic goes to great lengths to accurately trace Nitti's rise to the top of the Windy City's underworld, amid corruption, betrayal and violence. The result is an engrossing glimpse into mob life in the early 20th century.

Happy

A former child show host misses the good old days. He and his sidekick from the show are doing a gig when the place gets robbed and the sidekick murdered. The host is the only one who saw the robber well so the robber goes after him.

A Small Killing

A college professor is recruited by an undercover cop to pose as a bag lady to track down a drug connection following the brutal killing of a skid row crone.

Katie Morgan on Sex Toys

Adult-film star Katie Morgan leads a candid, and naked, virtual journey through the history of sex toys, from stone age toys to the latest modern devices.

Louis Theroux: A Place for Paedophiles

Louis has gained access to Coalinga Mental Hospital in California, which houses more than 500 of the most disturbed criminals in America, convicted paedophiles. Most have already served lengthy prison sentences, but have been deemed unsafe for release. Instead, they have been sent here for an indefinite time. Spending time with those undergoing treatment, Louis wrestles with whether he can ever allow himself to believe men whose whole history is defined by deception and deceit.

The Secret KGB UFO Files

For five decades, American agencies have stockpiled information on UFOs. So did their counterparts behind the iron curtain. Soldiers, scientists and spies all paint a disturbing picture of the KGB's secret campaign. The UFO encounter that almost sparked a nuclear war. The pair of MiG fighters that tried to shoot down a UFO - both jets blown out of the sky! Stunning proof that the Soviets recovered something not from this earth! Amazing film footage smuggled out of Russia. This exclusive investigation into one of the most compelling events of our time is hosted by Roger Moore.

NXIVM - Multi-Level-Marketing

A report on the secretive Capital Region business NXIVM (Nexium), including the recent revelations that women connected to the group were branded with a symbol that incorporates the initials of Keith Raniere, NXIVM's founder. NXIVM has been described as very expensive brainwashing, labeled as a pyramid scheme, an alleged sex-trafficking operation, and an alleged sex cult.

Hunting the Lost Symbol

Hunting the Lost Symbol explores mysteries raised by Dan Brown's novel 'The Lost Symbol'.

The Hippie Temptation

CBS TV news special hosted by Harry Reasoner explores the way-out world of the Hippies and the Haight-Ashbury psychedelic 1960s LSD scene. Footage of LSDs users experiencing bummer trips. The Diggers, the Oracle and cool street and Golden Gate Park scenes with hippies tripping out. The Grateful Dead are interviewed and are shown performing "Dancin' in the Streets" on a flatbed truck in Golden Gate Park. The Hippie Temptation!

Alien Encounters from New Tomorrowland

Robert Urich, the legendary Jim Street in 'S.W.A.T.', is the host of this voyage around the UFO's and its mystery. From New Tomorrowland, in Disneyland, Urich talks about UFO, contacts, evidences of its arrives, abductions, military documents and other things what surround this controversial thematic. From the 30's years until the present, the UFOs always have been there very close to us, everyday, every time. Exists the aliens?, in truth they come to the Earth?, could it be a fiction created by the military? And the last and most important question: if they exists, would they will be our friends...or our enemies?

Rich Hall's How The West Was Lost

Comedian Rich Hall goes west to find out what killed off that most quintessentially American of all film genres, the western. Through films such as The Searchers, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence, Little Big Man, The Wild Bunch and Unforgiven, Rich charts the rise and fall of America's obsession with its own creation myth - the Wild West. He explores how the image of the cowboy as a moral, straight-talking heroic figure was created by Hollywood but appropriated by Washington, as one president after another sought to associate themselves with this potent symbol of strength and valour.

The Story of the Swastika

In the week when Hindus celebrate the holy festival of Diwali, this documentary tells the story of one of their faith's most sacred symbols - the swastika. For many, the swastika has become a symbol synonymous with the Nazis and fascism. But this film reveals the fascinating and complex history of an emblem that is, in fact, a religious symbol, with a sacred past. For the almost one billion Hindus around the world, the swastika lies at the heart of religious practices and beliefs, as an emblem of benevolence, luck and good fortune.

Unbelievable Flying Objects

A hilarious countdown of the black sheep of aviation, aircraft that have embarrassed their builders, enraged the owners and terrified their pilots. These are stories of aircraft that should have never been built, including highly imaginative concepts to “fly” tanks and jeeps directly onto the battlefield, a real flying saucer and starkly bizarre efforts to design and build a submarine that flies. We come to understand why these ideas were doomed from the start…

Dick Cavett's Watergate

From 1972 to 1974, the Watergate scandal was frequently a part of “The Dick Cavett Show.” In fact, Cavett was at the forefront of national TV coverage, interviewing nearly every major Watergate figure as the crisis unfolded. With exclusive access to the archive of the show, DICK CAVETT’S WATERGATE documents the scandal in the words of the people who lived it: from the botched burglary at the Democratic National Headquarters; to the must-see TV of the daily Congressional Watergate hearings; to the ongoing behind-the-scenes battle between the White House and “The Dick Cavett Show,” culminating with the resignation of President Nixon on August 9, 1974. DICK CAVETT’S WATERGATE offers a unique opportunity to mark the 40th anniversary of a defining moment in American history.

Holy Grail in America

In 1898, a Minnesota farmer clearing trees from his field uprooted a large stone covered with mysterious runes that tell a story of land acquisition and murder. The stone allegedly dates back to 1362. Initially thought to be a hoax, new evidence suggests the find could be real, and a clue that the Knights Templar discovered America 100 years before Columbus, perhaps bringing with them history's greatest treasure... the Holy Grail. Follow the clues as experts use erosion studies on the rune stone and match symbols in Templar ruins all over Europe to support this theory. Stones with similar markings have been found on islands across the Atlantic Ocean, and in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Is it possible the Knights Templar, long thought to have been massacred, escaped on an incredible journey and were leaving clues to the whereabouts of the stone?

Video Game Invasion: The History of a Global Obsession

A breakthrough documentary on the multi-billion dollar industry & the pioneers behind the blips on the screen. Decades later it's all gone extreme! Go beyond the pixels and behind the scenes for the true story about video games. Hosted by Tony Hawk, world champion skateboarder and co-creator of such hit video games as "Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater" and "Tony Hawk’s Underground," VIDEO GAME INVASION explores the creation of video games in an entertaining and comprehensive fashion, taking viewers through the maze of games that comprised the evolution of video gaming.

Marlene Dietrich: Shadows and Light

Following the life of Marlene Dietrich through her films (including home movies) and interviews with family, friends, co-workers, acquaintances, and presumed lovers. From the cabaret scene in 1920's Berlin, silent films in Germany, her triumph in _The Blue Angel_ in 1930 (for which her screen test is included in this film), to Hollywood with Josef von Sternberg. The highest paid female star of her time, the luster dimmed by 1935. and in the later part of the decade she might be the most valuable actress in the world but also the most unemployable. But with _Destry Rides Again_ Marlene became a sex symbol who could play comedy and the most remarkable comeback in Hollywood was a reality. She was one of the most active entertainers of the allied troops during WW II. After the war movies were infrequent, but a new career on the stage continued for another 20 years, until she retired into seclusion for the last decade of her life.

The Quest for the True Cross

Here is an account of how the cross of Christ came to be the symbol and icon it is today. It presents a close-up look at an inscribed piece of wood, believed to be the actual headboard of Christ's cross.

Mystery of the Crystal Skulls

One of archaeology's most compelling mysteries is that of the 13 crystal skulls. The crystal skulls have been some of the most powerful mystical symbols in human history. Several "perfect" crystal skulls have been found in parts of Mexico and Central and South America. Together, they form a mystery as enigmatic as the Great Pyramids and Stonehenge.

Nelson: Britain's Great Naval Hero

A fresh look at the remarkable rise of Horatio Nelson, uncovering the scandals, military failures and secrets behind the Battle of Trafalgar's most famous Admiral. The film explores how the establishment of the day sought to make this complex character a symbol of maritime superiority, but also asks what sort of country Nelson was fighting for, at a time when the Royal Navy was Britain's front line of defence and protecting interests around the globe, including the barbaric Atlantic slave trade.

Lonely Island: Hidden Alcatraz

Its fame emanates from its role in housing the most notorious prisoners of an era, yet Alcatraz boasts a long and eclectic history. KQED explores it all in a walking tour of the island, beautifully taped in high-definition format. Host Greg Sherwood joins National Park Service ranger John Cantwell and other experts as they explore the ruins where Civil War soldiers protected California's gold from Confederate plots, see where Native Americans made a thrilling statement for self-determination and uncover much more of the island's surprising past.

Spitfire: The Birth of a Legend

‘Spitfire— Birth of a Legend‘ tells the story of the Spitfire from a radical design on the drawing board to the fighter aircraft that became the symbol of Britain’s determination to fight on to victory. It celebrates the history of this acclaimed aircraft, the men who designed and built it, and those who flew and fought in it. The story, along with dramatic archive and colour film of aerial combat, graphically illustrates the appeal and fascination the Spitfire has maintained since it faced and fought the fighter and bomber formations of the Luftwaffe.

The Obama Years: The Power of Words

Barack Obama launched into our national consciousness at the 2004 Democratic National Convention and ever since, he's delivered messages of patriotism, unity, and hope through the power of words. But of all the speeches he's given, six in particular may define his legacy as, in historian Doris Kearns Goodwin's words, "one of the best writers and orators in the presidency." Interviews with eminent historians and key figures in his writing process give rare insights into these iconic speeches, as well as the Obama presidency and the man himself.

Who Really Discovered America?

Examining theories about the discovery of America long before Christopher Columbus' 1492 voyage by explorers from such places as China, Japan, Wales and Ireland.

More Things That Aren't Here Anymore

Another nostalgic look at Southern California's past, particularly things and places in and around Los Angeles which no longer exist.

Return to the Hiding Place

When a young resistance fighter witnesses atrocities towards the Jews, he's drawn into a web of espionage and clandestine activities. When he meets a young physics students and resistance journalist - Hans Poley - they embark on a hunt through underground tunnels, Gestapo hijacks and daring rescues.

The Symbol of the Unconquered

Eve Mason, a white-passing black woman, moves to a remote cottage she inherited from her late father. She makes the acquaintance of her neighbor, a dashing black settler named Hugh Van Allen, and quickly falls for him. Trouble brews as the local cadre of racist hucksters want the valuable land Van Allen lives on, and will do anything to take it from him.

Getting Up and Going Home

A middle-aged lawyer struggles to face his inner demons as he finds himself embroiled in affairs with three separate women.

Knights of Swing

Set in 1947, Knights of Swing is a feature film that chronicles a group of young jazz musicians whose dream is to form a “really swingin’ Big Band”. Unfortunately, things prove much more complicated when the community objects to the diversity of the band. Alliances form, and lines are drawn. What follows is soul searching, uplifting, and through music, our story illuminates forgiveness, healing and unconditional love.

Flame in the Wind

Set in the splendor and terror of the Spanish Inquisition, Flame in the Wind tells the story of Carlos, an earnest young nobleman who is faced with a choice: the church system offers safety, protection, and respectability; the Scriptures offer Christ and salvation from sin—and with these torture and death.

Forbidden Sky

A small town, late-night radio host receives a frantic call that suddenly places him as the mediator between an alien race and Earth.

Mickey: The Story of a Mouse

Mickey Mouse is one of the most enduring symbols in our history. Those three simple circles take on meaning for virtually everyone on the planet. So ubiquitous in our lives that he can seem invisible, Mickey is something we all share, with unique memories and feelings. Over the course of his nearly century-long history, Mickey functions like a mirror, reflecting our personal and cultural values back at us. "Mickey: The Story of a Mouse" explores Mickey's significance, getting to the core of what Mickey's cultural impact says about each of us and about our world.

Above Majestic

A look at the origins, history and conspiracies behind the "Majestic 12", a clandestine group of military and corporate figureheads charged with reverse-engineering extraterrestrial technology.

Lot No. 249

It’s 1881, and Old College, Oxford plays host to three very different academics. Abercrombie Smith is a model of Victorian manhood, clean of limb and sound of mind. Monkhouse Lee is a delicate and unworldly student from Thailand. And occupying the rooms between them is the strange and exotic Edward Bellingham, whose unnatural researches into the secrets of ancient Egypt are the talk of the college. Can Bellingham’s experiments truly bring the breath of life to the horrifying bag of bones that is the mysterious Lot No 249?

Harry Potter: A History Of Magic

A thrilling journey through legends, belief and folklore, this film goes behind the scenes with the British Library as they search to tell that story through objects in their collection, in an ambitious new exhibition: Harry Potter: A History Of Magic. J.K. Rowling, who is lending unseen manuscripts, drawings and drafts from her private archives (which will sit alongside treasures from the British Library, as well as original drafts and drawings from Jim Kay) talks about some of the personal items she has lent to the exhibition and gives new insight into her writing, looking at some of the objects from the exhibition that have fired her imagination.

American Scary

A fond remembrance of and tribute to the uniquely American institution of the horror movie host.

The Statue of Liberty

For more than 100 years, the Statue of Liberty has been a symbol of hope and refuge for generations of immigrants. In this lyrical, compelling and provocative portrait of the statue, Ken Burns explores both the history of America’s premier symbol and the meaning of liberty itself. Featuring rare archival photographs, paintings and drawings, readings from actual diaries, letters and newspapers of the day, the fascinating story of this universally admired monument is told. In interviews with Americans from all walks of life, including former New York governor Mario Cuomo, the late congresswoman Barbara Jordan and the late writers James Baldwin and Jerzy Kosinski, The Statue of Liberty examines the nature of liberty and the significance of the statue to American life. Nominated for both the Academy Award ® and the Emmy Award ®, The Statue of Liberty received the prestigious CINE Golden Eagle, the Christopher Award and the Blue Ribbon at the American Film Festival.

Rock Hudson's Home Movies

In this revisionist documentary, actor Eric Farr re-creates the character of Rock Hudson in order to take a look back at his films. It compares the actor's screen (and public) image with his real life and shows certain scenes, lines and situations in his films to insinuate that Hudson may have been gay.

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