In the Eyes

King of Swashbuckler: Life of Tsumasaburō Bandō(ja)

A biographical documentary produced as part of the 20th anniversary project of the silent film appreciation society led by Shunsui Matsuda, who was known as a silent film narrator, film collector and exhibitor. The film features interviews with directors and related parties involved in the production while inserting scenes from period dramas starring Tsumasanburo Bando throughout from Matsuda’s extensive collection. Completed in 1980 but not released to the general public until 1993 on the 40th anniversary of Bando’s death and Matsuda’s seventh anniversary.

Trintignant by Trintignant(fr)

A portrait of a man of rare elegance and enigmatic charm, versatile and successful: Jean-Louis Trintignant, one of the most critically acclaimed French actors of the last sixty years, known for his numerous roles on stage and screen.

The Lévi-Strauss Century(fr)

Documentary about one of the greatest French thinkers of the twentieth century, Claude Lévi-Strauss (1908-2009).

El Ouafi Boughera, The marathon runner of history(cn)

On August 5, 1928, after 2 hours and 32 minutes of racing, the 71st rooster wearing the bib entered the Olympic stadium in Amsterdam. Ahmed El Ouafi Bouguéra wins the gold medal and becomes the first Olympic champion from the African continent. He achieved his feat under the tricolor flag. The start of his real marathon is underway. The history of sport extends to the history of Algeria and France. This documentary retraces the different stages of the life of this great champion, not only the history of sport but also the great story. Archival photographs and interviews mingle with the painted paintings. The series thus once again gives voice to this forgotten hero, one of the great heroes of immigration who defended France for more than a century.

Leonard Bernstein: A Genius Divided(de)

One of the first US born conductors to receive worldwide fame, Leonard Bernstein is an exceptional composer and certainly not only due to The West Side Story. Instead of concentrating exclusively on his most famous work, Thomas von Steinaecker sets out to paint a complete picture of Bernstein. Thus, the documentary focusses on the American’s less known later works and on three compositions in particular: his Mass, the musical 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and the great final opera A Quiet Place. The film paints a vivid picture of the multitalented Bernstein, struggling with his role as composer and conductor, tackling the tension between successes and flops, between the politics of his time and his own liberal humanitarian claim. It looks back on Bernstein’s major achievements, such as his acclaimed conducting of Mahler and his involvement in the Young People’s Concerts, and it shows Bernstein’s work with young aspiring musicians as well as his political commitment.

The Undefeated Femininity(sv)

"The Undefeated Femininity" - a film about Gun Grut Bergman. In September 1949 Ingmar Bergman left his wife and five children, and escaped to Paris with a new woman, Gun Grut. It was the beginning of a passionate love affair, an enduring jealousy drama and a new theme in Bergman's films. Now their son, Ingmar Bergman Jr, walks in his parents' footsteps, from Paris to the home on Grev Turegatan 69 in Stockholm.

Clint Eastwood: The Last Legend(fr)

The portrait of the last cowboy Hollywood legend dives into the 65 years of an extraordinary career in Hollywood, highlighted iconic films like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, as well as Million Dollar Baby, Mystic River and Gran Torino all the way to Cry Macho in 2021. It is no small task to cover more than 60 years of cinema history, especially when it is trying to surveyed with such breadth and diversity: TV star, international star, controversial icon, contested director, filmmaker with a capital F, Eastwood has been through it all, experienced it all, and it is first of all this romantic trajectory, this true American pastoral that the documentary wants to tell with all the passion it possibly can.

Drawn from the Shadows(fr)

Fred Deux and Cécile Reims are major twentieth century artists. Over a period of several months, Matthieu Chatellier filmed them in the privacy of their peinting and engraving work. The film focuses on a precise time in their lives: the time of ageing, dispossession and questions about the hereafter.

A Man Named Mays(en)

A candid, inside look at one of the greatest ballplayers ever, up through the 1963 season. Many highlights from Willie Mays's career are shown, including his 4-homer night against the Braves, his 400th homer against the Cardinals, and his 2000th hit.

Mad About the Boy: The Noël Coward Story(en)

The extraordinary life of playwright, singer, actor, composer, and director Noël Coward, who rose from poverty to stardom while keeping his sexuality a secret. Featuring Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, Frank Sinatra, Michael Caine and Lucille Ball. Narrated by Alan Cumming. With Rupert Everett as the voice of Noël Coward. Directed by Academy Award Nominee Barnaby Thompson.

A Brief History of Time(en)

This shows physicist Stephen Hawking's life as he deals with the ALS that renders him immobile and unable to speak without the use of a computer. Hawking's friends, family, classmates, and peers are interviewed not only about his theories but the man himself.

Ernest Hemingway: 4 Weddings and a Funeral(fr)

A look at the intimacy of the US writer Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961), a man infinitely more complex than his public image suggested, through the story of his relationship with his four wives.

Prince: A Purple Reign(en)

Part of BBC Four's Black Music Legends of the 1980s, this documentary explores how Prince - showman, artist, enigma - revolutionized the perception of black music in the 1980s with worldwide hits such as "1999," "Kiss," "Raspberry Beret" and "Alphabet Street." He became a global sensation with the release of the Oscar-winning, semi-autobiographical movie "Purple Rain" in 1984, embarking on an incredible journey of musical self-discovery that continues to this day.

Die fremde Frau - Winterreise nach Flossenbürg(de)

Winston Churchill: A Giant in the Century(fr)

A new look at the public and private life of one of the most important statesmen in the history of Europe: Winston Churchill (1874-1965), soldier, politician, writer, painter, leader of his country in the darkest hours, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, a myth, a giant of the 20th century.

Born Racer(en)

A powerful and inspirational story of dedication, danger, fear, and the rare ‘will’ some of us have to defy all personal limitations. Experience the fastest motorsport on earth through the eyes of five-time champion Scott Dixon and the Chip Ganassi Racing team. Filmed with an access all areas lens, ‘Born Racer’ follows the people who are passionate about the world of auto racing and asks why some individuals feel compelled to face danger and risk their lives in order to win. Both action-packed and highly-intimate, it features an intense blend of up close and personal filming with never-before-seen spectacular, cutting-edge racing footage to explore a sport that defines the very people who inhabit it, and pushes them to the edge in their desire for success.

Bulles de Vian(fr)

"Vian Bubbles" - On June 23, 2009, fifty years to the day after the death of Boris Vian, a supernatural phenomenon crosses all of France: in the streets, one sings everywhere his songs and one expresses oneself only in the language of the poet. In Paris, Antoine de Caunes wakes up to discover the strange "vianic" epidemic, which also affects radio waves and the small screen. A boss of channel proposes to him to organize, for the same evening, a show dedicated to the songs of Boris Vian. Jean-Pierre Marielle tells us the story of this phenomenon, as supernatural as inexplicable. A tribute in songs to the glowing cast.

Mae West: Dirty Blonde(en)

Mae West achieved great acclaim in every entertainment medium that existed during her lifetime, spanning eight decades of the 20th century. A full-time actress at seven, a vaudevillian at 14, a dancing sensation at 25, a playwright at 33, a silver screen ingénue at 40, a Vegas nightclub act at 62, a recording artist at 73, a camp icon at 85 - West left no format unconquered. She possessed creative and economic powers unheard of for a female entertainer in the 1930s and still rare today. Though a comedian, West grappled with some of the more complex social issues of the 20th century, including race and class tensions, and imbued even her most salacious plotlines with commentary about gender conformity, societal restrictions and what she perceived as moral hypocrisy. Mae West: Dirty Blonde is the first major documentary film to explore West's life and career, as she "climbed the ladder of success wrong by wrong" to become a writer, performer and subversive agitator for social change.

The Man Putin Couldn't Kill(en)

The incredible story of the Russian plot to kill politician Alexei Navalny - by poisoning his underpants. Plus, what will happen next in Navalny and Putin's dangerous feud?

Fiddlin Man: The Life and Times of Bob Wills(en)

Legendary western swing band leader Bob Wills rose up in the Great Depression to fame in Oklahoma and Texas that soon swept the entire nation. The documentary FIDDLIN MAN offers a full biography of Wills, using a vast array of on camera interviews with his friends, family, and fellow musicians. The film also draws on a wealth of rare archival footage.