Film Snail

War

Owen Wingrave

Owen Wingrave

January 1, 2001

Margaret Williams directs this 2001 production of adaptation of Benjamin Britten's television opera based on a short story by Henry James. Performers featured include Gerald Finley, Peter Savidge and Josephine Barstow. The conductor is Kent Nagano. As pertinent now as then, OWEN WINGRAVE was composed by Benjamin Britten at the height of the Vietnam War. The opera poses the question: Is pacifism an act of cowardice? Or rather a desire to escape from the spiral of war and create world peace? To what extent do we determine our own futures? Should we let past events inform the decisions we make? Britten’s characters grapple with timeless issues in this gripping psychodrama.

Plain Shots

Plain Shots

January 1, 2001

WWII: Combat Chronicles

January 1, 2001

This in-depth series documents the events of WWII, from the Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor that launched America into the war, to the battle of Midway, the bloody devastation at Iwo Jima, Hiroshima and more. The series also features revealing documentaries produced by Academy Award-winning director John Ford that detail the "day that will live in infamy," the operations aboard the USS Yorktown, and more, all punctuated by actual newsreels.

Jung (War) in the Land of the Mujaheddin

January 1, 2001

Jung is a narrative documentary that follows the human and professional adventure of its protagonists, the Afghan people in the midst of civil war.

Great Escape: The Untold Story

Great Escape: The Untold Story

January 1, 2001

A documentary about the 1944 mass escape from the German prisoner of war camp Stalag Luft III for British and Commonwealth airmen that eventually was dramatized by the famous film "The Great Escape".

Daresalam

Daresalam

January 1, 2001

In a small Central African village, boyhood friends Djimi and Koni have come of age under a post-colonial government that levies crippling taxes and legally robs local farmers of their meager crops. When impulsive Koni savagely attacks a visiting government official, the resulting massacre forces the two friends on a journey that will transform them from boys into men, from farmers into soldiers and from villagers into revolutionaries. "We fight in one world so we can live in another," declares Koni as the two battle shoulder to shoulder against government troops. But while Koni embraces the politics and carnage of their dangerous new guerilla existence, Djimi longs for the simplicity and grace of the village life they've left behind. As the rebels move closer to victory, the two friends move closer to a clash of their own.

Under Heavy Fire

Under Heavy Fire

January 1, 2001

A group of Marines return to Vietnam with a news crew to relive their tragic war experiences.

Nuclear Rescue 911: Broken Arrows & Incidents

Nuclear Rescue 911: Broken Arrows & Incidents

January 1, 2001

Since 1950, there have been 32 nuclear weapon accidents, known as "Broken Arrows." A Broken Arrow is defined as an unexpected event involving nuclear weapons that result in the accidental launching, firing, detonating, theft or loss of the weapon. To date, six nuclear weapons have been lost and never recovered.Now, recently declassified documents reveal the history and secrecy surrounding the events known as "Broken Arrows". There have been 32 nuclear weapon accidents since 1950. Six of these nuclear weapons have been lost and never recovered. What does this say about our defense system? What does this mean to our threatened environment? What do we do to rectify these monumental "mistakes"? Using spectacular special effects, newly uncovered and recently declassified footage, filmmaker Peter Kuran explores the accidents, incidents and exercises in the secret world of nuclear weapons.

Pozieres

Pozieres

December 31, 2000

A captivating step back in time, Pozieres explores the small village in Northern France which, during the Great War in 1916, was the setting of one of the bloodiest battles in history, a twentieth century tragedy. The village was stormed and captured by Australians and became key to the success of the Battle for the Somme. But in less than seven weeks they suffered 23,000 casualties.

Bang Rajan

Bang Rajan

December 29, 2000

Set right before the fall of Thailand's old capital, Ayuttaya, Bang Rajan draws on the legend of a village of fighters who bravely fended off the Burmese armies.

Markova: Comfort Gay

Markova: Comfort Gay

December 25, 2000

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.

NOVICE No 21

NOVICE No 21

December 9, 2000

A surreal short film about bureaucracy, paperwork and chaos from the police machine.

This Is My Moon

This Is My Moon

December 9, 2000

Set in a Northern border village during the Sri Lankan Civil War, a Sinhalese soldier meets a Tamil girl in the battlefield. The soldier leaves the army with the girl, and goes back to his village. The arrival of the Tamil girl into this predominantly Sinhala village causes a stir within the community, where they collectively decide to send her to a refugee camp. "This is My Moon" is a controversial examination of village life, where rural myths are shattered to reveal a deeper reality of a society torn apart by war.

Shooting War

Shooting War

December 7, 2000

A remarkable film that takes a special look at the first war to be truly reported and recorded by one of the more unsung heroes of World War II: the combat photographer. Through the unflinching eye of their camera's lenses, these courageous soldiers continually risked their lives in their brave attempts to capture history.

Steel Tempest

Steel Tempest

December 4, 2000

This is the story of a Waffen-Ss unit attacking an American held town in the Ardennes in 1945.

Deux femmes à Paris

Deux femmes à Paris

November 27, 2000

In Paris in 1935, a young Jewish woman married to an anti-fascist activist befriends her neighbor who is dating a far-right supporter.

Jeanne, Marie et les autres

Jeanne, Marie et les autres

November 15, 2000

After the departure of their husbands for the 1914 war, two women have to run an oil mill.

The Undefeated

The Undefeated

November 13, 2000

In 1950, long after the world has finished fighting World War II, a fight continues behind the newly drawn Iron Curtain: as the Ukrainians keep fighting both Nazi and Soviet abuses, General Roman Shukhevych (Hryhoriy Hladiy) is forced by brutal circumstances and his own sense of honor and duty to lead this effort as an underground war. As portrayed by the film, Shukhevych is a genteel family man who is also a complex character (revolted by ethnic discrimination, a music lover and a military genius) that with his charisma fuels his countrymen with desire for freedom. In the end, Shukhevych's efforts are unable to defeat the Soviets despite paying for his resistance with his life, but they re-enforce Ukrainian patriotism as an underground force until Ukraine finally recovers its freedom from Soviet tyranny.

Land of Truth, Love & Freedom

November 11, 2000

In 1999, during the NATO bombing in Serbia, a young television editor (Boris Milivojevic) in an underground shelter - turned mental institution is having a psychiatric exploration through which he reflects his story...

War Live

War Live

November 1, 2000

Belgrade, 1999. Producer Sergei and his film crew are in a disastrous situation - the film they're making is under threat - there's no money, the crew are dissatisfied - and NATO bombing is just around the corner. Then a member of the State Security Service (Mileta) comes looking for American co-producer Harvey. Anxious and worried, in the midst of the bombing that's begun, Sergei hides Harvey from what he thinks is awaiting him - arrest. During the night, he thinks up a plan. He announces the start of filming on a new, patriotic film - in which the main role will be played by Harvey. The plan works - the State supports the film and Mileta, as the State's representative, joins the crew. However, the underlying conflict between Mileta and Sergei explodes during the first screening. Mileta accuses them of being artists, and not being patriots.