George Michael is honored in a fine documentary released in October 2017, a film he wrote and directed and supervised about his life in show business before his death on Christmas Day 2016. The film was completed under David Austin's direction. The movie is a frank and honest account of George Michael's professional life and career. Though the film, various artists add to the narrative – Tony Bennett, Mary J. Blige, Emmanuelle Alt, Naomi Campbell, Ricky Gervais, Elton John, Liam Gallagher, Cindy Crawford, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Kate Moss Nile Rodgers, James Corden, Stevie Wonder, and many others. The film highlights conversations with Michael, his crisis with Sony, his 'coming out' as a gay man, his driving force to be the best performer and songwriter ever known, his many successful videos and clips from live performances and much, much more. This is a very beautifully made film, steaming with love from Michael and from his many fans, and filled with information about the positive impact he made on the world. Completely entertaining and a fine tribute to an enormously gifted artist.
The film depicts the life and work of opera singer Maria Callas in her own words by using performances, TV interviews, home movies, family photographs, private letters and unpublished memoirs nearly all of which have never been shown to the public. Maria by Callas reveals the essence of an extraordinary woman who rose from humble beginnings in New York City to become a glamorous international superstar and one of the greatest artists of all time. Her letters and unpublished memoirs are read by opera singer Joyce DiDonato. (Click CC for subtitles)
Three years after the devastating fire, Lucy Worsley has exclusive access to the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris at a key turning point of the restoration. Work to rebuild and restore the monument is being ramped up in a bid to meet the ambitious deadline to reopen it to the public in 2024. Scaffolding now fills the interior of the cathedral, giving Lucy and the team unprecedented close-up access to every inch of the structure. Lucy meets scientists, historians and craftspeople working to return the 850-year-old Gothic masterpiece to its former glory. The fire coated Notre-Dame with tons of toxic lead dust, so specialists are now decontaminating the site. Unique access to the stunning rose windows allows Lucy and the stained-glass historians to uncover the mysteries of these enigmatic 13th-century works of art. An unforeseen legacy of the fire threatens to destroy the remaining vaulting, so the team must develop an ingenious solution to save the stonework. The loss of the roof during the fire reveals hundreds of large iron staples embedded in the stone along the top of the walls. And the incredible task of sourcing and cutting two-thousand perfect oaks gets underway to rebuild the world's most complex medieval timber structure - Notre-Dame's extraordinary roof and spire.
The film follows the story of Abu Zubaydah, the first high-value detainee subjected to the CIA's program, of Enhanced Interrogation Techniques (EITs), later identified as torture by those outside the agency. Having never been charged with a crime or allowed to challenge his detention, Zubaydah remains imprisoned at Guantánamo Bay in Kafkaesque limbo, in direct contravention of America’s own ideals of justice and due process. Twenty years on, The Forever Prisoner reveals the origins of the clandestine operations that led the United States, in the 'War on Terror,' on a path of cruelty, deceit, and self-deception. With first-hand accounts from the two interrogators to question Abu Zubaydah, a shocking interview with the chief architect of EITs, and an interview with Daniel Jones, former Senate Investigator, the film uncovers the incompetent and deceptive practices that the U.S. government followed in order to expedite and legalize EITs in the aftermath of 9/11. As a result, torture as a government policy was authorized by the United States for the first time in history.
The untold story of the doomed steamship's construction, revealing how 15,000 men toiled day and night in life-threatening conditions to create a state-of-the-art floating city. Based on original blueprints and unseen archives, cutting-edge special effects bring this process back to life on screen, and explore how the outsize ambitions that made it all possible also led to the ship's dramatic demise.
Construction of the famous Basilica in Barcelona, designed by Antoni Gaudi, was started in 1882. To this day, it has not been completed. The architecture is one of such creative madness, originality, and fantasy, that it has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. After years of piecing back together Gaudi’s master plan with advancements in computer technology and design, architects have been able to pursue the building, started 140 years ago. However, as construction progresses, some of its greatest challenges have yet to be surmounted, including the construction of 10 more spires. The team hopes to complete the masterpiece by 2026, Gaudi’s 100 year anniversary. This film documents the complexities of respecting the original inspiration and techniques set forth by Gaudi over a century ago. Juxtaposing sequences shot in the midst of the cathedral as construction ensues, with reenactments and CGI images, the documentary draws you into Gaudi’s paradise on earth, from the origins of its inspiration to the most recent architectural additions.
The film highlights conversations with Michael, his crisis with Sony, his 'coming out' as a gay man, his driving force to be the best performer and songwriter ever known, his many successful videos and clips from live performances and much, much more. This is a very beautifully made film, steaming with love from Michael and from his many fans, and filled with information about the positive impact he made on the world. Completely entertaining and a fine tribute to an enormously gifted artist.