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At the outbreak of the First World War three cousins reigned over Europe's greatest powers - Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and King George V of Britain. This two-part series looks at the role played by the three monarchs, and their relationships with each other, in the outbreak of war, arguing that it is far greater than historians have traditionally believed.
A House Divided
'A House Divided' tells the story of the emerging divisions and rivalries between the inter-related royal houses of Europe and features the little known story of the two Danish sisters, Princess Alexandra and Princess Dagmar, who had pulled off the dynastic coup of the 19th century by marrying the heirs to both the British and Russian thrones. Following the invasion of their native Denmark by Prussia in 1864 during the Wars of German Unification, the sisters became the core of an anti-Prussian coalition that prefigured the great anti-German alliance of 1914. Their sons, King George V and Tsar Nicholas II were also close friends. It looks too at the tangled relationship between the German Kaiser and his English mother, Vicky -the oldest daughter of Queen Victoria. Disabled from birth, Kaiser Wilhelm had a complex love/hate attitude towards Vicky, which transferred itself to Britain as a whole, strongly influencing his foreign policy.
Into the Abyss
'Into the Abyss' looks at the realignment of the European powers and the emergence of the alliance system in the years following the death of Queen Victoria in 1901. It examines the key role played by royalty in smoothing the path to the Anglo-Russian entente of 1907, and at the part played by the Kaiser's erratic, unstable personality in the growing isolation of Germany in the years leading up to 1914. It explores the role played by each of the three monarchs in the frantic, desperate days of July and August 1914. And it tells the tragic story of King George's refusal to grant his cousin, and close friend, Tsar Nicholas asylum in Britain following the Russian Revolution of 1917 - a refusal that would lead directly to the brutal murder of the Tsar and his family by the Bolsheviks in the summer of 1918.- Director:
- Richard Sanders
- Cast:
- Princess Alexandra, Princess Dagmar, King George V
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Long before the FBI and the Secret Service, the Pinkertons were the most feared law enforcement organisation in the US. Experts of undercover operative and masters of disguise, no one ever saw them coming! Set in a wild and young America, original action adventure crime procedural series 'The Pinkertons' follows founder Allan Pinkerton, his son, William, and America's first female detective, Kate Warne, as they solve crimes throughout the 'Wild West' of the 1860s. William is the shoot-first-ask-questions-maybe kind of guy, while Kate is a brilliant forensics expert, and master of undercover work. The two of them mix like lantern oil and creek water. Where Kate believes thoughtful analysis and forensic technology is what it takes to solve crimes, William lives by the words his father taught him: to catch a criminal, you have to think like a criminal. Over the course of the first season, what they learn is that, to catch a criminal, it takes both brains and bravery. - Director:
- Paul Fox
- Cast:
- Jacob Blair, Martha MacIsaac, David Lawrence Brown
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Stephen Collins (David Morrissey) is an ambitious politician. Cal McAffrey (John Simm) is a well-respected investigative journalist and Stephen's ex-campaign manager. En route to work one morning, Stephen's research assistant mysteriously falls to her death on the London Underground. It's not long before rumours of an affair between Stephen and the assistant hit the headlines. Meanwhile a suspected teenage drug dealer is shot dead. Revelation upon revelation pile up in the aftermath of these two seemingly unconnected events, ultimately bringing to light shady dealings between the government and major corporate powers. Friendships are tested and lives are put on the line as an intricate , web of lies unfolds. - Director:
- David Yates
- Cast:
- John Simm, Kelly MacDonald, Bill Nighy
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Empresses in the Palace (2012)Zhen Huan Zhuan
Sun Li stars as Zhen Huan, a 17-year-old innocent introduced into the imperial court as the latest concubine of Emperor Yong Zheng (Chen Jianbin). Her dreams of a new life of love and prosperity are swiftly dashed as she enters a dog-eat-dog world of treachery and corruption. Her arrival sparks anger and resentment in Consort Hua (Jiang Xin), the highest-ranking concubine in the imperial harem and a powerful figure due to the authority of her brother, a prominent general. Zhen Huan must also do battle with the First Empress (Ada Choi), whose own elevated position in the court is under threat. Amidst all the bitter rivalries and deadly conspiracies, Zhen Huan must summon all her inner strength to protect herself - even from those she once counted as friends. But can she rise to wealth and glory in the Forbidden City without being tainted by corruption? Shown in China as 76 45-minute episodes across two seasons, the English version is presented as six sumptuous episodes of 90 minutes, with the drama and intrigue played out among fascinating insights into court etiquette, fashions, poetry, performance, Chinese medicine - and ageless human frailty and chicanery. - Director:
- Xiaolong Zheng
- Cast:
- Li Sun, Jianbin Chen, Qian Sun
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Dunkirk (2017)Bodega Bay
The story unfolds on land, sea and air, as hundreds of thousands of British and Allied troops are trapped on the beaches of Dunkirk with enemy troops closing in. RAF Spitfires engage the enemy in the skies above the Channel, trying to protect the defenseless men below. Meanwhile, hundreds of small boats manned by both military and civilians are mounting a desperate rescue effort, risking their lives in a race against time to save even a fraction of their army. - Director:
- Christopher Nolan
- Cast:
- Michael Caine, Fionn Whitehead, Barry Keoghan
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August 1962: the latest attempt on the life of French President Charles de Gaulle by the far right paramilitary organisation, the OAS, ends in chaos, with its architect-in-chief dead at the hands of a firing squad. Demoralised and on the verge of bankruptcy, the OAS leaders meet in secret to plan their next move. In a last desperate attempt to eliminate de Gaulle, they opt to employ the services of a hired assassin from outside the fold. Enter the Jackal (Edward Fox): charismatic, calculating, cold as ice. As the Jackal closes in on his target, a race against the clock ensues to identify and put a stop to a killer whose identity, whereabouts and modus operandi are completely unknown. - Director:
- Fred Zinnemann
- Cast:
- Edward Fox, Terence Alexander, Michel Auclair
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"Eddie the Eagle" follows the realisation of the childhood dream of Eddie Edwards (Taron Egerton) and his unflinching determination to become Great Britain's first Olympic ski-jumper. Reluctantly aided by former ski-jumper Bronson Peary, (Hugh Jackman), as his coach, Eddie is unwavering in his quest to reach the 1988 Calgary Winter Games. 'Eddie the Eagle' is an uplifting, inspirational story that celebrates human spirit, passion, and one man's refusal to accept defeat. - Director:
- Dexter Fletcher
- Cast:
- Taron Egerton, Hugh Jackman, Tom Costello
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Day of Anger (1967)I Giorni Dell'ira
Giuliano Gemma plays street cleaner Scott Mary, relentlessly bullied by the people of the small town of Clifton. When legendarily ruthless master gunfighter Frank Talby (Van Cleef) rides into town, Scott seizes the opportunity to lift himself out of the gutter, and possibly even surpass Talby's own skills. But what is Talby doing in Clifton in the first place? This lively, intelligent Western, notable for the chemistry between its charismatic leads, some memorable action set-pieces (including a rifle duel on horseback that has to be seen to be believed) and a jazzy Riz Ortolani score, is presented here in an exclusive high-definition restoration from the original Techniscope negative. - Director:
- Tonino Valerii
- Cast:
- Giuliano Gemma, Edward Mannix, Dan Sturkie
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The Rise of the Nazi Party reveals step by step how the National Socialists exploited the economic turmoil of their time, got into power in Germany in 1933 and then led their nation into a nightmare of everyday brutality, genocide and military defeat.
1. The Misfits GatherAdolf Hitler finds his political destiny in the post-war turmoil of Munich. He quickly dominates a fringe party and builds it into the Nazi Party. He recruits infamous men to the cause including Herman Goering and Heinrich Himmler and they plot to seize power in a dramatic coup known as the Beerhall Putsch.
2. Becoming Respectable
After his failed coup and trial in 1923 Hitler realises he will not gain power through violence alone. He must become respectable. Along with his new propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels he starts creating the illusion that the Nazis are a mainstream democratic political party.
3. Seizing Power
Hitler seizes his chance to turn the German population against the democratic Weimar government by promising a brighter future during the Great Depression.
4. In Power
Adolf Hitler wins power by promising jobs and economic recovery. But he has another secret agenda: to rid Germany of the Jews and prepare the nation for war. On April 1st 1933, a boycott of Jewish-owned shops is launched by the Nazis. But the German people flout it - they simply aren't ready yet for Hitler's own brand of anti-Semitism. Hitler realises that, if he is to push through his real agenda against the Jews, he must first win the Germans' hearts and minds and do something about the economy and the lack of jobs.
5. Preparing for War
In November 1937, Adolf Hitler summons his generals and unveils his military plans. Germany will annex Austria and the German-speaking lands in Czechoslovakia and the Sudetenland. Over the following years, the army will move east and seize Poland and the Soviet Union. It's a programme of territorial expansion he has promised the German people since the 1920s.
6. Hitler's Biggest Blunder
Spring 1941 and Adolf Hitler is at the height of his power. He's conquered most of Europe; in Germany he's a national hero. Yet the war is about to change and the German people will soon discover that much of what they're being told about it is a tissue of lies.
7. The Final Solution
This episode identifies how Hitler and the Nazis groom the German nation, making them complicit in the worst genocide in human history: the slaughter of some six million Jews.
8. Plots and Delusions
By 1944, everything is going badly for Adolf Hitler. With defeat after defeat, his public image as an all-wise genius who is leading the German people to victory is no longer believable. In addition, the German people don't know that he is secretly cracking up.
9. End Game
By January 1945, the writing is on the wall for Nazi Germany. Allied armies are advancing from all sides penetrating deep into the heart of the one thousand year Reich. They can't win and the man who has taken them to war is finished. At just 55, Adolf Hitler - a prematurely aged wreck of a man dependent on pills - advocates fighting to the end. Safe in his bunker beneath the Berlin streets, he has lost touch with reality and is making ever more erratic decisions.
10. Aftermath
In the closing months of the war, as the Allies advance through Germany, they make a gruesome discovery; they discover the concentration camps and death camps that are proof of the systematic wholesale murder of millions of people by gassing and by forced labour under starvation conditions. As the scale of the atrocities becomes apparent, it seems that almost every German is implicated. The Allies need to undo years of Nazi indoctrination and prove to the German people that everything they believe in and have been acting on is wrong.- Director:
- Kim Hogg
- Cast:
- Lee Neville, Alex Dee, Wesley Lloyd
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The Judge and the Assassin (1976)The Le Juge Et L'Assassin
In 19th century France, a crazed former soldier (Michel Galabru) embarks on a killing spree across the country. His crimes spark a frantic manhunt, and he soon becomes the prey of an ambitious and ruthless judge (Philippe Noiret), who is aware that he will gain political advantage if he masterminds the capture and execution of the killer. Driven by his thirst for success, the judge is loathe to allow the fact of the assassin's insanity stand in the way of a conviction, and so the lines of justice become blurred, in this gripping tale of hunter and hunted. - Director:
- Bertrand Tavernier
- Cast:
- Philippe Noiret, Michel Galabru, Isabelle Huppert
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Detective Inspector Mike Shepherd (Neill Rea) arrives on assignment in Brokenwood, a small town where memories - and animosities - run deep. He's an experienced cop with a 1971 "classic" car, a collection of country music cassettes and an indeterminate number of ex-wives. The new woman in his life is his assistant, Detective Kristin Sims (Fern Sutherland), a by-the-book investigator nearly 20 years younger than her boss's car, who quickly has to get used to his lone-wolfways. As Shepherd adapts to the slower pace of life away from the city, he soon discovers that Brokenwood is a place of secrets and suspicions. Everyone and everything is connected, and the serenity of the countryside can easily be shattered by violence and death. Filmed amid the beautiful landscape of New Zealand's North Island, these four feature-length mysteries show that murder can haunt even the most idyllic locations. - Director:
- Mike Smith
- Cast:
- Neill Rea, Fern Sutherland, Pana Hema Taylor
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The Border (2014)Wataha
At the extreme Polish-Ukrainian border, ensconced amidst the wild and remote Bieszczady Mountains, Captain Rebrow's border unit, which specialises in human-trafficking, becomes the target of a disastrous bomb attack leaving only Rebrow alive. Setting out to discover who was behind the fatal assault, aided by his commanding officer, Rebrow is determined to uncover the truth and bring the perpetrators to justice. But when he himself becomes a suspect, he must first prove his innocence, embarking on a dangerous investigation which uncovers an even darker political conspiracy. - Director:
- Michal Gazda
- Cast:
- Leszek Lichota, Bartlomiej Topa, Aleksandra Poplawska
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India 1947. The final Viceroy of India, Lord Mountbatten, is tasked with overseeing the transition of British India to independence, but meets with conflict as different sides clash in the face of monumental change. Starring Hugh Bonneville and Gillian Anderson as Lord and Lady Mountbatten, and set against an exotic Indian backdrop at the time of the Raj, 'Viceroy's House' tells the incredible true story of the final months of British rule in India, and of the resilience of the human spirit. - Director:
- Gurinder Chadha
- Cast:
- Gillian Anderson, Michael Gambon, Manish Dayal
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Jackson (David Morrissey) is an ambitious young police officer, saddled with the responsibilities of a wife and children. Myers (Timothy Dalton) is an escaped criminal turned informer, presumed dead. But as Jackson discovers while holidaying in Spain, Myers is very much alive. He has re-invented himself as Philip von Joel, handsome, dangerously charismatic and very wealthy. Extradited back to England after a nerve-wracking Scotland Yard operation, von Joel agrees to a deal with the police. He'll tell what he knows - but only if Jackson is his interrogator. So begins a deadly game of cat and mouse between the master criminal and his determined minder. Which comes first - duty or temptation? - Director:
- Geoffrey Sax
- Cast:
- Timothy Dalton, Timothy West, David Morrissey
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1788, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Aneurin Barnard) escapes the frustrating, privileged elite of Vienna to spend a few weeks in Prague. However, his unconventional presence soon unleashes a series of dramatic and tragic events, set off by a forbidden affair with young soprano Zuzanna (Morfydd Clark). Overwhelmed by the tangled web of lust, violence and intrigue that surrounds him, Mozart finds inspiration to create the astonishing and dramatic piece of music that will become the operatic masterpiece 'Don Giovanni'. - Director:
- John Stephenson
- Cast:
- James Purefoy, Aneurin Barnard, Samantha Barks
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