Best History Movies of 1995

The true story of technical troubles that scuttle the Apollo 13 lunar mission in 1970, risking the lives of astronaut Jim Lovell and his crew, with the failed journey turning into a thrilling saga of heroism. Drifting more than 200,000 miles from Earth, the astronauts work furiously with the ground crew to avert tragedy.

Based on the true story of a Russian serial killer who, over many years, claimed victim to over 50 people. His victims were mostly under the age of 17. In what was then a communists state, the police investigations were hampered by bureaucracy, incompetence and those in power. The story is told from the viewpoint of the detective in charge of the case.

David Carr is a British Communist who is unemployed. In 1936, when the Spanish Civil War begins, he decides to fight for the Republican side, a coalition of liberals, communists and anarchists, so he joins the POUM militia and witnesses firsthand the betrayal of the Spanish revolution by Stalin's followers and Moscow's orders.

A look at President Richard M. Nixon—a man carrying the fate of the world on his shoulders while battling the self-destructive demands from within—spanning his troubled boyhood in California to the shocking Watergate scandal that would end his Presidency.

In the highlands of Scotland in the 1700s, Rob Roy tries to lead his small town to a better future, by borrowing money from the local nobility to buy cattle to herd to market. When the money is stolen, Rob is forced into a Robin Hood lifestyle to defend his family and honour.

The Biblical story of Joseph, who was sold to slavery by his brothers who were jealous of his prophetic abilities to analyze dreams and of his being their fathers' favorite.

Sharpe is tasked to protect the most important spy in Lord Wellington's network, but domestic issues, a traumatized young girl, and possible French spies all threaten his success

"Trinity and Beyond" is an unsettling yet visually fascinating documentary presenting the history of nuclear weapons development and testing between 1945-1963. Narrated by William Shatner and featuring an original score performed by the Moscow Symphony Orchestra, this award-winning documentary reveals previously unreleased and classified government footage from several countries.

When Sharpe is ordered to whip the King of Spain's Irish Royal Brigade into shape, he faces dissent from the men who believe the British are slaughtering their relatives in Ireland and a spy from within.

Sharpe is sent on a mission to exchange rifles for deserters with a strange band of Spanish guerillas. He also has to chaperone two women looking for their missing husband.

During the Second World War, a special project is begun by the US Army Air Corps to integrate African American pilots into the Fighter Pilot Program. Known as the "Tuskegee Airman" for the name of the airbase at which they were trained, these men were forced to constantly endure harassement, prejudice, and much behind the scenes politics until at last they were able to prove themselves in combat.

Painter Dora Carrington develops an intimate but extremely complex bond with writer Lytton Strachey. Though Lytton is a homosexual, he is enchanted by the mysterious Dora and they begin a lifelong friendship that has strangely romantic undertones. Eventually, Lytton and Dora decide to live together, despite the fact that the latter has fallen in love with military man Ralph Partridge, whom she plans to marry.

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Riyo, an orphaned 17-year old, sails from Yokohama to Hawaii in 1918 to marry Matsuji, a man she has never met. Hoping to escape a troubled past and start anew, Riyo is bitterly disappointed upon her arrival: her husband is twice her age. The miserable girl finds solace with her new friend Kana, a young mother who helps Riyo accept her new life.

From his quirky compositions for the spaghetti Westerns of Sergio Leone to his sublime musical contributions to director Roland Joffé's acclaimed 1986 drama The Mission, film composer Ennio Morricone has crafted more than 500 scores over the course of his enduring career in film. Now fans can take a look back at the life and career of one of cinema's most prolific composers through interviews with both the composer himself and many of his longtime collaborators. From his Italian efforts to his work in America, this documentary covers every aspect of Morricone's career as few have, offering insight into his childhood, his longtime association with Leone, and his ultimate disenchantment with the American studio system.

It describes the emperor's ceremonial life, the stultifying world of his concubines, eunuchs and palace maids, and the devastating impact of the West in the late 19th century. A new chapter deals with the treasures and paintings collected under imperial patronage their dramatic dispersal, painstaking recovery and restoration and ends in the triumphant establishment of the Palace Museum.Introduction by pre-eminent China scholar Jonathan Spence; explains the rich history of the home of the Chinese emperor; draws on previously inaccessible information in Beijing; explores the lifestyles behind the Forbidden City's walls; extensive quotes from early days, including views from palace maids and eunuchs; detailed map of the Forbidden City's layout.

His wife having recently died, Thomas Jefferson accepts the post of United States ambassador to pre-revolutionary France, though he finds it difficult to adjust to life in a country where the aristocracy subjugates an increasingly restless peasantry. In Paris, he becomes smitten with cultured artist Maria Cosway, but, when his daughter visits from Virginia accompanied by her attractive slave, Sally Hemings, Jefferson's attentions are diverted.

A Louisiana governor becomes a controversial political kingpin during the Depression.

Over the course of two centuries, seven million men, women and children abandoned their homeland for America's shores. In just one horrifying decade, two million left to escape a famine that left another million dead. This is the moving chronicle of the Irish immigrant experience.

"Executions" is a documentary showing real footage of the many different methods humanity has used through-out history for capital punishment. During the film, the makers point out how unjustifiable the death penalty is in every situation, so they do take a staunch stance against what they're presenting. Footage from live executions are shown in detail.

The Story of a Japanese-Canadian woman who finds friendship after her family is interned to a small town during World \War II.

The story of Abraham Lincoln's presidency told from the perspective of his son, Tad.

A young Russian boy, Thomas Minton, travels to New York as a passenger on a Russian freighter. Close to Ellis Island he gets off and thus starts his journey to America the same way as all immigrants in former times. Thomas is searching for the family of one of his ancestors, who had emigrated decades ago, but once sent a letter home together with a sample of his new profession: 3D-Photography.

In the beginning of the 19th Century many Anglosaxons are settling in the Mexican province of Texas. As the years go by, political conflicts between the settlers and the Mexican government are escalating which would lead to war and Texan independence.

Filmed in IMAX, a young Mayan boy who lives close to the ruins becomes acquainted with an archaeologist (Guerra) and asks her to tell him about his ancestors. The crew travelled to over 15 locations in Mexico and Guatemala, including Tulum and Chichén Itzá.

Documentary by Ken Russell that shows Alice traveling through a century of Russian's history, from the period of Tsarism, through Socialism and Glasnost. Alice's original characters embody ideological conflicts crossing politics, art and cultural movements.

No other person in the twentieth century has triggered more discussions among biographers and historians than Adolf Hitler. More than 120.000 books and articles on the dictator that have appeared in the past 50 years have documented the full extent of the most horrible crimes in history that were committed by him and his followers. Developed with the assistance of internationally renowned historians, using newly discovered documents, films, sound recordings and interviews with eye-witnesses, relatives, and victims, 'Hitler - A Profile' is the first comprehensive television portrait of the German dictator. Each episode focuses on one character aspect of the man who plunged an entire nation into collective madness and unparalleled savagery.

Perhaps the most beloved (and indisputably the greatest) American president, Abraham Lincoln was, in many ways, an enigma -- equally loved and hated in his lifetime. What drove John Wilkes Booth to assassinate Lincoln? Was the Confederate government behind the plot? The questions that have haunted Americans for more than 100 years are finally answered in this fascinating documentary that employs forensic experts as well as noted historians.

Chronicles the history of the legendary Edmund Fitzgerald, which sank in a violent storm with the loss of the entire crew in Lake Superior on November 10, 1975. In the summer of 1995, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society, National Geographic Society, Canadian Navy, and Sony Corporation descended to the site of the wreck, more than 500 feet below the surface of the lake. This documentary takes a look at their expedition.

The story of Henry Purcell.

Rowan Atkinson plays motor racing ace Sir Henry "Tim" Birkin. He was a brilliant racing driver of the 1920s and 1930s whose determination to win made him a hero but caused problems in his personal life.

During a rugby tour of Britain and Ireland in 1888, a young New Zealander searches for his father who he has never met. While there he falls in love with the daughter of an aristocrat.

Christmas in war time is a grim and ugly affair. Join A & E as they interview soldiers from past wars and their incredible experiences on the fields and in their camps at this most joyous time of year.

Even if you can't be in Williamsburg for Christmas, you can share in its holiday spirit and enjoy some of its delights at home. Let Libby Hodges Oliver and Susan Hight Rountree show you the simple techniques for making five festive decorations in the Williamsburg way, from natural materials with elegance and style. Step by Step, they demonstrate how to shape flowers, fresh fruits, greens, berries, dried pods and cones into traditional and contemporary holiday pieces. They encourage you to experiment, to embellish their designs with your imagination, and to give your Christmas a personal gift of grace and beauty that evokes the best of Williamsburg.

Monticello was designed by Jefferson himself. Through early drawings and superb photography, this fascinating video traces its history from the original plans to the stately home visitors see today.

The Victorian era was one of the most remarkable periods of British history; it saw the Industrial Revolution, the birth of an empire and advances in medicine, transport and education. It was also a time when harsh working conditions and desperate poverty blighted the majority of the population, conjuring images of the orphan boy Oliver Twist. This DVD uses dramatised readings, expert analysis and extensive period imagery to present a view of a time when the British Empire was at its zenith but also when conditions for the vast populace were perhaps at their lowest.

'Life In Medieval Britain' is the perfect introduction to everyday life during the Middle Ages. Featuring realistic reconstructions filmed at a working medieval village, this DVD helps explain the habits and customs of a people living during a turbulent period of British history. Dr Martin Lowry, Dr Robert Swanson and Andrew Brown provide expert comment and analysis on a time of great upheaval.

Chronicles the last days of WWII with original footage of the Allied advance in Europe, the final battles, and the after-effects of peace such as the Nuremberg Trials and the beginnings of the Cold War.

Sir Martin Gilbert, author of over sixty books and the host of A&E's JERUSALEM, hosts this gripping account of Israel's difficult first years. Filled with rare footage, photographs, and interviews with participants in the War of Independence, this is the definitive document of one of the turning points in modern history. Extraordinary footage filmed by Bernard Beecham, a British soldierBritish sol