Film Snail

History

The Royal Siren

The Royal Siren

October 5, 2010

Constance, 1410. Marie, daughter of the richest bourgeois of the city, is on the eve of marrying a prestigious lawyer, son of an earl. Although the compromise fills with pride the girl's father, anxious to ennoble, Marie is not just convinced about her fiancé, who she has only seen twice. Her suspicions are confirmed tragically on the eve of the wedding when, after signing the marriage contract, a stranger breaks into the house ensuring that Marie has slept with other men in exchange for gifts, like a vile harlot. From that moment, the life of the girl will give a terrible unexpected turnaround. Alone, with his reputation ruined, she will have no choice to survive than partnering with a prostitute and lying on the roads.

Rosslyn Chapel: A Treasure in Stone

Rosslyn Chapel: A Treasure in Stone

October 4, 2010

The exquisite Rosslyn Chapel is a masterpiece in stone. It used to be one of Scotland's best-kept secrets, but it became world-famous when it was featured in Dan Brown's the Da Vinci Code.

Palace of Silents

Palace of Silents

October 3, 2010

Built in 1942 by a maverick film preservationist, this small Los Angeles theater championed silent film at the very moment when the Hollywood studios across town were busily destroying their nitrate inventories. With hard chairs, phonograph-record accompaniments, and mostly original vintage prints, the dingy mom-and-pop operation was nonetheless a palace to the fanatical few who became its loyal audience.

Saint John Baptist De La Salle: Patron Saint of Teachers

Saint John Baptist De La Salle: Patron Saint of Teachers

October 1, 2010

The inspiring story of a 17th century French priest who reluctantly became involved in educating poor children and in the process became the Founder of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, an order known today as the De La Salle Christian Brothers. Actor Mel Ferrer gives a heartfelt performance as St. John Baptist de La Salle, a priest from a wealthy upper-class family who gave up everything to serve the needs of educating poor children, facing tremendous opposition along the way.

Zamora, tierra y hombres libres

October 1, 2010

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.

The Lady Shogun and Her Men

The Lady Shogun and Her Men

October 1, 2010

In the year 1716 a mysterious epidemic stickens men in the country of Japan, dropping the population of men to 1/4th of its prior state. With the drastic reduction of men, the gender roles have become reversed in Japan. Woman become the dominant members of society and males are sought out for the ability to produce children. A young man named Unoshin Mizuno hopes to marry childhood sweetheart Onobu, but due to class differences realizes this is almost impossible. To raise his social status and also save his poor family, Unoshin Mizuno enters the Ohoku (inner chambers of the Shugun's castle) and attempts to vie among 3,000 other men for the affection of the female shogun. What Unoshin Mizuno quickly learns about the Ohoku is that the men there are all beautiful, but highly ambitious and conniving. In this environment, the 7th shogun Tokugawa passes away and the new shogun Yoshimune Tokugawa takes the thrown and enters the Ohoku.

Morelos, Siervo de la Nación

Morelos, Siervo de la Nación

September 30, 2010

Heroes of Flesh and Bones

Controversial History

Controversial History

September 27, 2010

In commemorating WWII events in Latvia each year, several “controversial dates” arise. These are remembrance dates that are viewed differently by Latvians, Russians and Jews. The film searches for answers through three main characters, each a representative of their nationality, and categorical in their opposing way of thinking. Why is a date that is celebrated and honoured by one side, also a symbol of deep pain and injustice for another? Why are there, to this day, in a country as small as Latvia, three or more completely differing historical interpretations?

True heroes

True heroes

September 24, 2010

An animated retelling of Mexico's Independence war, as seen through the eyes of three different people.

Readymade, Emile Reynaud et la peinture s'anima

September 22, 2010

A little girl dreams that she forgets her teddy bear in a museum and that years later she finds it in the same museum, in Beaubourg.

The Battle of Britain

The Battle of Britain

September 19, 2010

Seventy years on, brothers Colin and Ewan McGregor take viewers through the key moments of the Battle of Britain, when 'the few' of the RAF faced the might of the Nazi Luftwaffe. As they fly historic planes, meet the veterans, explore the tactics and technology, Colin and Ewan discover the importance of the Battle and the surviving legacy of the 1940's campaign for the modern RAF.

Community Action Center

Community Action Center

November 18, 2011

Community Action Center is a 69-minute sociosexual video by A.K. Burns and A.L. Steiner which incorporates the erotics of a community where the personal is not only political, but sexual. This project was heavily inspired by porn-romance-liberation films, such as works by Fred Halsted, Jack Smith, James Bidgood, Joe Gage and Wakefield Poole, which served as distinct portraits of the urban inhabitants, landscapes and the body politic of a particular time and place. Community Action Center is a unique contemporary womyn-centric composition that serves as both an ode and a hole-filler.

Les diamants de la victoire

Les diamants de la victoire

September 18, 2010

Hidalgo, Frenesí de Libertad

Hidalgo, Frenesí de Libertad

September 16, 2010

Heroes of Flesh and Bones

Rockin' the Wall

Rockin' the Wall

September 8, 2014

Rock and roll's part in bringing down the Berlin Wall and smashing the Iron Curtain is told from the perspective of rockers who played at the time, on both sides of the Wall, and from survivors of the communist regimes who recall the lifeline that rock music provided them.

Even the Rain

Even the Rain

January 5, 2011

As a director and his crew shoot a controversial film about Christopher Columbus in Cochabamba, Bolivia, local people rise up against plans to privatize the water supply.

Hidalgo: la historia jamás contada

Hidalgo: la historia jamás contada

September 16, 2010

Hidalgo, en su celda del Hospital Militar de Chihuahua, recuerda algunos pasajes de su vida, principalmente su estancia como párroco en San Felipe Torres Mochas; donde se relacionó con las clases bajas y nació la idea emancipadora, tradujo y montó al Tartufo de Molière, se enamoró de Josefa Quintana y se alejó por algún tiempo de la vida eclesiástica.

13 Hours That Saved Britain

13 Hours That Saved Britain

April 20, 2011

In this documentary, experts dissect the Battle of Britain, which took place on Sept. 15, 1940 — a day that determined the fate of the nation.

The Bang Bang Club

The Bang Bang Club

April 22, 2011

In the early to mid '90s, when the South African system of apartheid was in its death throes, four photographers - Greg Marinovich, Kevin Carter, Ken Oosterbroek and João Silva - bonded by their friendship and a sense of purpose, worked together to chronicle the violence and upheaval leading up to the 1994 election of Nelson Mandela as president. Their work is risky and dangerous, potentially fatally so, as they thrust themselves into the middle of chaotic clashes between forces backed by the government (including Inkatha Zulu warriors) and those in support of Mandela's African National Congress.

The Fight for Freedom: The Major Battles of WWII

The Fight for Freedom: The Major Battles of WWII

September 14, 2010

Before the bell of freedom could ring, these major WWII battles would define and reshape it at a tremendous cost to human lives on both sides of the battle lines. 10 outstanding segments in this stunning documentary series bring light to the darkness which was cast on the trenches, the skies and the open seas of combat between 1939 and 1945. 2 DVDs. 2010/b&w/8 hrs., 43 min/NR/fullscreen.