Documentary

It was probably the greatest construction project of antiquity: In 520 B.C. King Darius I of the Archaemenids had a forty-acre terrace piled up at the foot of the Kuh-e-Rahmat (the Mount of Mercy) in the central Persian plateau. Here the new capital of...

This fascinating documentary focuses on the ancient city of Palmyra; where trading and military routes led to and through this city. Palmyra is a great oasis, a place for the caravans to rest when travelling from Mesopotamia to the west, and to Damascus...

This is the critically acclaimed collaboration for the screen by choreographer Merce Cunningham, composer John Cage, and filmmaker Elliot Caplan. The first half features BBC's documentary: interviews with Cunningham, Cage and members of the company, as...

Shot on location in Prague, Vienna and in Northern Bohemia, this docu-drama attempts to place Don Giovanni's violent and seductive personality in it's historical context. Using dramatization, performance and documentary, the opera singer Thomas Allen...

While the collapse of the Western Roman Empire led to a great loss of sacred knowledge in Europe, the fires of Alchemy kept burning in the east. Many Greek texts were translated into Arabic and these inspired Islamic thinkers to further investigate the...

This fascinating episode from the Secrets of Ancient Empires collection investigates the very latest findings about the development of the earliest civilizations. Superb graphics and re-creations combine to reveal the truth behind our transition from...

A superb study of the poets of the Romantic period, featuring the works of Wordsworth, Byron, Keats and others. This informative program is a perfect introduction to the Romantic movement of the nineteenth century which was responsible for a revival of...

This informative and entertaining program takes an in-depth look into the life and works of the Irish author James Joyce. Filmed on location in Ireland, it focuses on Joyce's unique relationship with the city of Dublin and the inspiration it brought to...

?ddouard Manet was a flaneur in 19th century Paris. At ease among the grande bourgeoisie, a friend of Zola and Baudelaire, his interest turned gradually from history painting to scenes of city life. All his life he longed to be recognised, but works like...

This portrait of Paul Robeson examines the early civil-rights icon's life and works in intimate detail. Star Paul Robeson Special Features: Full Frame Format.

The Planet DecoufleThis unusual documentary profiles dancer, choreographer and film-maker Philippe Decoufle. His ceremonial parades for the 1992 Winter Olympic Games in Albertville brought him international fame enabling his unusual works to conquer new...

Bringing Balanchine Back follows the New York City Ballet, led by Master in Chief Peter Martins, to the Mariinsky theater in St. Petersburg, where ballet legend and NYC Ballet co-founder George Balanchine, along with other greats, took their first ballet...