http://documentaryheaven.com Welcome To Documentary Heaven!! Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:18:32 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://documentaryheaven.com/the-real-west/ http://documentaryheaven.com/the-real-west/#comments Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:36:06 +0000 Danny http://documentaryheaven.com/?p=6389 Boom Towns to Ghost Towns Historians explain dirtier, less glamorous side of America’s wild west. A great look into what life was really like in the lawless boom towns.... Watch Now]]> http://documentaryheaven.com/the-real-west/feed/ 2 http://documentaryheaven.com/the-real-bonnie-and-clyde/ http://documentaryheaven.com/the-real-bonnie-and-clyde/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 23:40:17 +0000 Danny http://documentaryheaven.com/?p=6386 Hollywood portrayed them as the most glamorous outlaws in American history, but the reality of life on the run for Bonnie and Clyde was one of violence, hardship and danger.With unprecedented access to gang members’ memoirs, family archives and recently released police records, Timewatch takes an epic road trip through the heart of depression-era America, in search of the true story of Bonnie and Clyde.Bonnie Elizabeth Parker and Clyde Chestnut Barrow were well-known outlaws, robbers, and criminals who traveled the Central United States with their gang during the Great Depression.Their exploits captured the attention of the American public during the public enemy erabetween 1931 and 1934.Though known today for his dozen-or-so bank robberies, Barrow in fact preferred to rob small stores or rural gas stations.The gang is believed to have killed at least nine police officers and committed several civilian murders.The couple themselves were eventually am... Watch Now]]> http://documentaryheaven.com/the-real-bonnie-and-clyde/feed/ 0 http://documentaryheaven.com/sun-ra-brother-from-another-planet/ http://documentaryheaven.com/sun-ra-brother-from-another-planet/#comments Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:10:13 +0000 Danny http://documentaryheaven.com/?p=6378 Sun Ra was born on the planet Saturn some time ago. The best accounts agree that he emerged on Earth as Herman Blount, born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1914, although Sun Ra himself always denied that Blount was his surname. He returned to Saturn in 1993 after creating a stunningly variegated and beautiful assemblage of earthly and interplanetary music, most notably with his fervently loyal Arkestra.Sun Ra and his Arkestra were the subject of a few documentary films, notably Robert Mugge's 'A Joyful Noise' (1980), which interspersed performances and rehearsals with Sun Ra's commentary on various subjects ranging from today's youth to his own place in the cosmos.Today's documentary, Don Letts' 'Sun Ra, Brother From Another Planet' from 2005, reuses some of Mugge's material and includes some additional interviews.... Watch Now]]> http://documentaryheaven.com/sun-ra-brother-from-another-planet/feed/ 4 http://documentaryheaven.com/james-burke-connections/ http://documentaryheaven.com/james-burke-connections/#comments Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:33:13 +0000 Danny http://documentaryheaven.com/?p=6375 Connections is a ten-episode documentary television series created, written and presented by science historian James Burke. The series was produced and directed by Mick Jackson of the BBC Science & Features Department and first aired in 1978 (UK) and 1979 (USA). It took an interdisciplinary approach to the history of science and invention and demonstrated how various discoveries, scientific achievements, and historical world events were built from one another successively in an interconnected way to bring about particular aspects of modern technology. The series was noted for Burke's crisp and enthusiastic presentation (and dry humour), historical reenactments, and intricate working models.... Watch Now]]> http://documentaryheaven.com/james-burke-connections/feed/ 1 http://documentaryheaven.com/stargazing-live/ http://documentaryheaven.com/stargazing-live/#comments Wed, 25 Jan 2012 04:33:56 +0000 Danny http://documentaryheaven.com/?p=6364 Professor Brian Cox and Dara O Briain host three days of live stargazing featuring epic images from observatories around the globe.Episode 1: Jonathan Ross is shown how to use a telescope. Brian explains why planets are spheres. Hawaii becomes home to Liz, who tells us about Mars and Mark gives tips on how to take brilliant night photographs.Episode 2: Liz shows us images of the sun, Brian explains how we know where every planet will be at a certain time, Liz talks about blackouts from CMEs. We are shown images of the Andromida Galaxy, our nearest neighbour, and a weirdo talks about sound in Apace.Episode 3: Brian talks to the astronauts on board the International Space Station,Mark gives amateur stargazers a chance to watch the Quadrantid Meteor Shower, Liz looks at the night skies from beautiful Hawaii nd shows us some of the telescopes, Dara goes on top of the Lovell telescope at their HQ in Jodrell Bank Observ... Watch Now]]> http://documentaryheaven.com/stargazing-live/feed/ 6 http://documentaryheaven.com/the-genius-of-photography/ http://documentaryheaven.com/the-genius-of-photography/#comments Sun, 15 Jan 2012 23:27:06 +0000 Danny http://documentaryheaven.com/?p=6352 Uncover the story of the invention and history of photography.Uncover the story of the invention of photography and the way in which it became an integral part of the modern world, including the remarkable achievements of the pioneer photographers, the revolution that took place when George Eastman made photography available to the masses with the invention of the Kodak brand.“Being in the right place at the right time”, “the decisive moment”, “getting in close” – in the popular imagination this is photography at its best, a medium that makes us eyewitnesses to the moments when history is made.... Watch Now]]> http://documentaryheaven.com/the-genius-of-photography/feed/ 7 http://documentaryheaven.com/vice-north-korean-labor-camps/ http://documentaryheaven.com/vice-north-korean-labor-camps/#comments Wed, 21 Dec 2011 02:42:45 +0000 Danny http://documentaryheaven.com/?p=6288 From the producer: Shortly after I arrived in Siberia, our British editor, Andy Capper, texted me: “You’ll love Siberia. Everything is so close and the people are so nice.” He was of course being facetious (or British: same thing) because everything is 18 hours by train and the people are very mean indeed. Some might start out nice, but after the vodka starts flowing—which is always—so does the malevolence. There are exceptions to the cranky-Russian rule, but they’re very few and very far between. One such exception was a lovely, lovely man named Billy the Fish—not his real name, of course. His nickname was the Fish, and I added the “Billy” in because I was drunk.Billy was a local mafia type from a remote Siberian town that had no police and little regulation, save him and his boys. This would prove to be literally lifesaving, because we were after a very dangerous quarry in the middle of nowhere—North Korean slaves—who don’t want anyon... Watch Now]]> http://documentaryheaven.com/vice-north-korean-labor-camps/feed/ 26 http://documentaryheaven.com/the-american-future-a-history/ http://documentaryheaven.com/the-american-future-a-history/#comments Wed, 21 Dec 2011 01:56:32 +0000 Danny http://documentaryheaven.com/?p=6285 What is an American? During the 2008 presidential campaign, Simon Schama traveled through America to dig deep into the conflicts of its history to understand what was at stake.Simon looks at the bitter conflict over immigration in American history. Who should be allowed to enter America and call themselves an American has always been one of the nation’s most divisive issues, and it continues to be so at this election. He traces the roots of this conflict to the founding of America.The early settlers were themselves immigrants, but they saw America as fundamentally a white and Protestant nation. Simon looks at the key events that challenged this view: the annexation of parts of Mexico in 1848 that made 100,000 non-whites American citizens, the immigration and subsequent expulsion of the Chinese in the late 19th century, and the massive immigration from Eastern Europe during the industrialisation of the 1920s. Each time there have been those who have insisted America... Watch Now]]> http://documentaryheaven.com/the-american-future-a-history/feed/ 4 http://documentaryheaven.com/vietnam-in-hd/ http://documentaryheaven.com/vietnam-in-hd/#comments Thu, 15 Dec 2011 00:26:54 +0000 Danny http://documentaryheaven.com/?p=6263 Emulating the formula that worked so successfully with its impressive "WWII in HD," the History Channel set its sights on a new generation of hero with "Vietnam in HD." All of the trademark production values are present including actual footage shot by soldiers in battle as well as high profile actors incorporated into dramatic vocal recreations. While all of the newly filmed material looks stellar in its HD presentation, the real Vietnam filmstock quality varies depending upon the source material. It has, however been cleaned and restored to an admirable degree and many of the images (as they were culled from private sources) have not been utilized before in other Vietnam projects. This found footage provides "Vietnam in HD" a real intimacy. The six part miniseries is both a harrowing and realistic look at the Vietnam conflict as well as a fitting tribute to the men who served. While few documentaries can hope... Watch Now]]> http://documentaryheaven.com/vietnam-in-hd/feed/ 15 http://documentaryheaven.com/behind-the-light-lighthouse-keepers/ http://documentaryheaven.com/behind-the-light-lighthouse-keepers/#comments Sun, 11 Dec 2011 21:43:34 +0000 Danny http://documentaryheaven.com/?p=6260 A short documentary exploring the lost way of life of British lighthouse keepers. As our world is increasingly automated, this isolated occupation has quietly disappeared from our coastlines, and this film records the stories of remarkable human nature before they too disappear.... Watch Now]]> http://documentaryheaven.com/behind-the-light-lighthouse-keepers/feed/ 3