Film Snail

History

The Samurai I Loved

The Samurai I Loved

October 1, 2005

A young samurai stuck at the bottom of the hierarchical order attempts to rescue his childhood sweetheart from an evil clan lord after learning of a plot to kill her and her infant child. Bunshiro Maki is a skilled swordfighter who's lethal with a blade, yet still can't rise through the ranks of the system. After his father is accused of plotting against his clan and forced to commit ritual suicide, his longtime love Fuku is sent to Edo to become the clan lord's concubine. A few years later, Fuku has bore the clan lord a son. When Maki learns that the clan has hatched a plan to kill Fuku and her son to secure succession to the throne, he recruits two childhood friends to help thwart the diabolical plot.

Cafundó

Cafundó

September 29, 2005

Cafundó is a 35 mm color film which blends fact with fiction in the life of João de Camargo, a former black slave (1858-1942, Sorocaba, Brazil) who, in his old age, works miracles and devotes himself to assisting others in order to attain his freedom. João de Camargo represents the genesis of religious and cultural syncretism in Brazil.

Mystery of the Megaflood

Mystery of the Megaflood

September 20, 2005

The Channeled Scablands in Washington state defied conventional explanations for their formation for decades. Little by little evidence mounted for an old theory that was rejected by the scientific establishment. It involved glaciers, volcanoes, a relatively minor river and a prodigious amount of water. Originally aired as an episide of NOVA.

La doble vida del faquir

La doble vida del faquir

September 19, 2005

La doble vida del faquir (The magicians) returns to the scene of a school in the Catalan town of Sant Julià de Vilatorta where, in 1937, in the midst of civil war, a film-maker in hiding and a group of orphaned children dressed up as sultans and explorers shot an exotic adventure film. The films protagonists relive those childhood days when they were able to switch their school smocks for oriental turbans, while reality imposed its own fancy dress ball with military uniforms and priests dressed in civilian garb.

9th Company

9th Company

September 19, 2005

Russian army recruits complete training and take their posting in late 1980s Afghanistan, where the insurgents are slowly gaining the upper hand.

War

War

September 18, 2005

During WW2 a boy tries to save himself and his baby sister from a German soldier.

Allons petits enfants

Allons petits enfants

September 17, 2005

In 1915, in the atmosphere of a French village during the First World War, we follow a teen boy who discovers the reality of war and leaves for the front in order to restore the sullied honor of his father who was executed for desertion.

Diary of a New World

Diary of a New World

September 16, 2005

In 1752, a ship arrives in Brazil, bringing doctor and writer Gaspar de Fróes. He keeps a diary about the dangerous trip, the diseases and hunger aboard, his impressions of the new country, and the political struggle between the crowns of Castela and Portugal. In Brazil, he is going to fall in love with the wife of a Portuguese officer.

One Bright Shining Moment: The Forgotten Summer of George McGovern

One Bright Shining Moment: The Forgotten Summer of George McGovern

September 16, 2005

ONE BRIGHT SHINING MOMENT retraces George McGovern's bold presidential campaign of 1972 - a grassroots campaign that fought for peace and justice, and positioned ideas and people first. But what is remembered today as being the ultimate political defeat of the American Century may also have been its high watermark. The film poses this central question: what does the crushing electoral defeat of a man so well respected for his decency and intellect say about the electoral process, the American government, and more importantly, what does it say about the forces at work on the American people- then and now? Featuring interviews with the candidate himself, supporters and activists like Gore Vidal, Gloria Steinem, Warren Beatty, Howard Zinn, and music from Bob Dylan, Robbie Robertson, Donovan, and Elvis Costello.

Rome: Engineering an Empire

Rome: Engineering an Empire

September 13, 2005

Despite their personal short comings, many of the Roman Empires great engineering accomplishments were introduced during the reign of the Caesars. The tradition continued under Vespasian, builder of the Coliseum, Trajan, builder of the Forum, and Hadrian, builder and possibly the designer of the Pantheon. Finally, a decade later Caracalla built a bath complex/recreation center in an effort to secure his own reputation in history.

Shooting Dogs

Shooting Dogs

March 8, 2006

Two westerners, a priest and a teacher find themselves in the middle of the Rwandan genocide and face a moral dilemna. Do they place themselves in danger and protect the refugees, or escape the country with their lives? Based on a true story.

Nagasaki 1945 ~ The Angelus Bells

Nagasaki 1945 ~ The Angelus Bells

September 9, 2005

August 1945. In a converted theological seminary on the outskirts of Nagasaki, a young doctor works to help his patients, as unsettling news comes of a new weapon used by the Americans on the city of Hiroshima. When the second nuclear weapon is dropped on Nagasaki, the hospital staff must work to save lives in the midst of the concentric circles of death that their city has become.

Shadow of the Eagle

Shadow of the Eagle

September 9, 2005

The story of a young poet who became a symbol for Finnish optimism and was subsequently forced underground during Tsar Nicholas II's oppressive dictatorship.

The Murdoch Mysteries: Under the Dragon's Tail

The Murdoch Mysteries: Under the Dragon's Tail

September 8, 2005

Detective Murdoch fights against a family of great influence to solve the murder of abortionist Dolly Capshaw.

The Strange Case of Sherlock Holmes & Arthur Conan Doyle

The Strange Case of Sherlock Holmes & Arthur Conan Doyle

September 8, 2005

What led Arthur Conan Doyle to create, and then destroy the world famous detective, Sherlock Holmes? This compelling drama explores the dark secrets that surround the author and his creation.

Roman Vice

Roman Vice

September 6, 2005

Surveys the love of luxury, sexual excess and cruelty that formed the dark underside of the Roman empire

Ban the Sadist Videos!

Ban the Sadist Videos!

September 6, 2005

An in-depth analysis of the "Video Nasty" scandal of the early 1980s in Britain.

The Lost City

The Lost City

September 3, 2005

In Havana, Cuba in the late 1950's, a wealthy family, one of whose sons is a prominent nightclub owner, is caught in the violent transition from the oppressive regime of Batista to the Marxist government of Fidel Castro. Castro's regime ultimately leads the nightclub owner to flee to New York.

Les survivants

Les survivants

September 1, 2005

Ten survivors from the nazi camps speak about their struggle.

My Brother's War

My Brother's War

September 1, 2005

Civil War drama directed by Whitney Hamilton. Grace Kieler disguises herself as a man and takes her brother's place in the Confederate army in an effort to protect him from the horrors of the war. When she meets young war widow Virginia Klaising (Dana Bennison), the two form a bond that may get complicated once Grace reveals her true identity. My Brother's War is based on Hamilton's novel