The Story That Couldn't Be Printed

The Seesaw and the Shoes(en)

This short shows how two objects led to important discoveries. Children playing with a seesaw inspire French physician Rene Laennec to invent the stethoscope, and a pair of shoes made of caoutchouc lead Charles Goodyear to discover the process for vulcanizing rubber.

The Face Behind the Mask(en)

This dramatized short film describes the historical mystery of France's "man in the iron mask". King Louis XIV imprisoned a man who was never identified, but who was forced to wear an iron mask for the length of his captivity, which ended only in his death. Several candidates for the identity of the man are investigated.

Flag of Mercy(en)

The 1939 dramatic short "Angel of Mercy," about Red Cross founder Clara Barton, is reedited to relate the story to America's involvement in World War II. Edited from Angel of Mercy (1939)

The Film That Was Lost(en)

In this John Nesbitt's Passing Parade short, a look is taken at the problems of film preservation efforts in the 1930s and early 1940s.

Forgotten Treasure(en)

This John Nesbitt's Passing Parade series short highlights the film preservation efforts of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Several scenes from early newsreels are shown.

Mr. Whitney Had a Notion(en)

Historical short showing how Eli Whitney (best known for the invention of the cotton gin) played a significant role in the introduction of mass production techniques to the USA in the late 18th century.

Madero of Mexico(en)

This Passing Parade series short chronicles the political life of Francisco Madero, who tried to bring democracy and land reform to Mexico.

Obaida(en)

OBAIDA, a short film by Matthew Cassel, explores a Palestinian child’s experience of Israeli military arrest. Each year, some 700 Palestinian children undergo military detention in a system where ill-treatment is widespread and institutionalized. For these young detainees, few rights are guaranteed, even on paper. After release, the experience of detention continues to shape and mark former child prisoners’ path forward.

Angel of Mercy(en)

This MGM Passing Parade series short tells the story of Clara Barton, the founder of the Red Cross.

A Lady Fights Back(en)

The saga of the Normandie is recounted from her life as a luxury liner, the horrific fire that nearly destroyed her, and her resuscitation to join in the war effort. A John Nesbitt's Passing Parade short.

The Story of Alfred Nobel(en)

This John Nesbitt's Passing Parade short tells the story of Alfred Nobel, who invented dynamite, and later established the Nobel Prize.

People on Paper(en)

Americans are preoccupied with the news, but need an escape from many of the events reported in the news. These escapes in the past have included dime store novels. The most accessible of these escapes is what are known as the funny papers, the set of serialized comic strips that are included within many newspapers. They appeal to all socio-economic classes, and all ages. Some of the earliest known from the late 19th century include the Yellow Kid, Little Nemo, Happy Hooligan, the Katzenjammer Kids, Mutt & Jeff, and Bringing Up Father. Many cartoonists are seen in action. Some originated their characters, while others have taken over following the passing of the originator. The joy of many comic strips are the absurd and the fantastical, which are limited only by the imagination of the cartoonist. Others are grounded in reality, which add to their poignancy within the public mindset.

American Spoken Here(en)

This MGM John Nesbitt's Passing Parade series short takes a look at the origins of North American slang.

The Great American Mug(en)

This John Nesbitt's Passing Parade short takes a look at the typical American barbershop throughout the years.

Souvenirs of Death(en)

This MGM John Nesbitt's Passing Parade series short tells the story of how a Mauser pistol used on the battlefield by Germans during WWII makes its way into the hands of an American gangster.

We Do It Because(en)

This John Nesbitt's Passing Parade short explores the origins of various customs such as shaking hands, kissing, and why ships are christened.

Storm - Letter of Fire(nl)

The film is set in 1521 Antwerp, in a Europe ravaged by religious wars, and during the early years of the Reformation. It tells the story of the twelve year old, Falko Voeten – a printer’s son. When Falko’s father, Klaas Voeten, a printer of forbidden literature, is caught by the Inquisition for printing a letter written by Maarten Luther; Falko is unwittingly propelled into helping his father and into searching for the letter. Threatened by the Inquisition but aided by Marieke, a Catholic orphan girl from the underground sewers, Falko is faced with a race against time if he is to save his father from being executed for heresy.

Yankee Doodle Goes to Town(en)

Made just before America would be forced into the Second World War, this short subject is a brief dramatized history of American democracy. It targets a perceived threat to democracy from board room and soapbox fascists who advocated a government based upon contemporaneous European models.

A Way in the Wilderness(en)

This Passing Parade entry tells the story of Dr. Joseph Goldberger (1874-1929), a Hungarian immigrant who devoted his life to finding the cause of pellagra, a disease that killed hundreds of thousands in the southern United States. Although the medical community believed that the condition was caused by a virus, Goldberger proved that a healthy diet was the cure.

Stairway to Light(en)

This John Nesbitt's Passing Parade short tells the story of 18th Century French physician Dr. Philippe Pinel, who initiated enlightened, humane treatment of the mentally ill.

Avatar: Scene Deconstruction(en)

The deconstruction of the Avatar scenes and sets

40(en)

This film is the record of a traumatic reaction to the terrorist acts in the Moscow subway of March 29, 2010.

Avengers from Hell(zh)

Three macabre short stories about gambling, vengeance and homicide.

Avatar(es)

Tension mounts between a quadraplegic man and his wife as she prepares a bath for him.

Landfill(pt)

Landfill is a documentary that emerged from the perception of a paradox in relation to litter. While most people want to get rid of it, I met some ladies, pioneers of recycling, that they miss the trash from others in side of the house. From the time where I met up making the film, many things happened, both in the media, with all the newly fallacious discourse of sustainability, and in my personal relationship with the trash, when I became the 'householder. ' This is a film of these seven women, who are truly experts.

The Last One of the Six(fr)

Paris, France. Commissaire Wens is put in charge of the investigation into the murder of one of six friends who, in the past, made a very profitable promise.

The Man Who Changed Shanghai(sk)

Three siblings, Martin (87) from Monaco, Theo (85) from Canada and Alessa (82) from the USA narrate the fascinating true-life story of their father L.E. Hudec (1893-1958), a famous architect in Shanghai. For the first time Alessa visits Slovakia the birthplace of her father. Together with her brother Theo, they decide to visit China after 63 years - the country of their childhood and youth. This inspired documentary not only explores the many exciting details of the life of L.E. Hudec, father of Asian high-rises, but also serves as an authentic testimony of life of Europeans in Colonial Shanghai before The People's Republic of China was formed. It presents the never-before-seen 16mm home-movies that were shot between 1927-1938 by Ladislav Hudec himself.

Boireau cuirassier(fr)

Boireau's flamboyant military costume gets stuck everywhere he goes.

An Englishman in New York(en)

Biographical drama based on the last 20 years of Crisp's life. The literary figure and gay iconoclast emigrated to New York in 1981 and lived there until his death. The film observes Crisp in both his public and private lives, from his seemingly cavalier response to the outbreak of AIDS to his tender relationship with his friend Patrick Angus and his own response to growing old.

Le Misanthrope(fr)

Alceste hates all of humanity, denounces its hypocrisy, cowardice and compromise. But he nevertheless loves Célimène, flirtatious and slanderous. The virtuous thus launches into battles lost in advance which force him to flee.

NJPW G1 Climax 33: Day 16(ja)

The sixteenth night of the tournament took place on August 8th, 2023 at Act City Hamamatsu in Naka-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan.

Settled at the Seaside(en)

Two couples are at the seaside. A young man proposes to his gal. She accepts, and promptly tells him to re-tie his tie. He objects, so she returns the ring and walks away. An older couple has their own squabble: the middle-aged husband, who thinks himself a dandy, is happy to see his complaining wife roll away in a small, unattended carriage. He immediately approaches the younger woman. To make her ex-fiancé jealous, she takes up with the dandy and off they go to swim. What of the wife and the jilted beau? Can things be set right?

Evening Bell(zh)

Taking place in the immediate aftermath of the Second Sino-Japanese War, Evening Bell follows a small platoon of five Chinese soldiers who must negotiate a devastated landscape, burying bodies, disarming mines, and eventually facing off against a starving band of Japanese soldiers who do not yet know that the war has ended.

Moments: Mother(en)

A woman looking for her kidnapped son finds one of the men who took him.

D(ms)

Release(en)

A prison story. Father Jack finds love with a male guard in the prison. Some of the other inmates suspect he's been sentenced for paedophilia.

The Metropolitan Opera: Akhnaten(en)

Philip Glass’ opera “Akhnaten”, premiered in Stuttgart in 1984, forms the third part of the portrait opera trilogy about personalities who have influenced the course of human history. The conclusion of the trilogy deals with the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten, who attempted to establish a kind of monotheistic cult around the god Aton during his reign in the 14th century BC, but failed due to the resistance of the priesthood. The production presented here was undoubtedly one of the very great successes of the 2019/20 season at New York’s Metropolitan Opera, due not only to the outstanding cast of singers (led by countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo) but also to Phelim McDermott’s imaginative staging, which captivates with sometimes breathtaking imagery.