Part 2 • 2015 • episode "S1E2" • Human

90:29

The extraordinary and dramatic story of Gertrude Bell, the most powerful woman in the British Empire in her day. She shaped the modern Middle East after World War I in ways that still reverberate today. More influential than her friend and colleague Lawrence of Arabia, Bell helped draw the borders of Iraq and established the Iraq Museum. Using never-seen-before footage of the region, the film chronicles Bell's extraordinary journey into both the uncharted Arabian desert and the inner sanctum of British male colonial power. With unique access to documents from the Iraq National Library and Archive and Gertrude Bell's own 1,600 letters, the story is told entirely in the words of the players of the day, excerpted verbatim from intimate letters, private diaries and secret communiques. It is a unique look at both a remarkable woman and the tangled history of Iraq.

2017 • People

44:06

In the first episode "Assassination," former President John F. Kennedy and his wife Jackie traveled to Texas with an eye on the 1964 elections and a team of secret service agents. During a motorcade through downtown Dallas, JFK was brutally shot in broad daylight and, later, tragically pronounced dead at Parkland Hospital with his grieving wife in the next room. America was changed forever.

S1E1 • JFK: One Day in America • 2023 • People

42:38

He saved the future from Evil Robots! Isaac Asimov dreamed a better future where we need not fear our own technology. His I, Robot stories of a sci-fi future where robots can do our jobs for us lead to the creation of real-life industrial robots and paved the way for a robo-friendly world.

S1E5 • Prophets of Science Fiction • 2011 • People

89:53

The life and work of M.C. Escher is presented primarily through his own words in the form of his writings being read against a backdrop of images associated to him, including archival footage of himself and images of his drawings. Many further details are provided by surviving family members. Escher himself considered what he did being caught between the worlds of art and mathematics - he not very good at either - his drawings always having an element of geometry. He made a conscious decision to work in monochromatic black and white realizing that he would be missing being able to convey ideas that are inherent with color. The evolution to two of his later periods is discussed, namely his series of drawings of the human eye, and what would become his ultimate fascination, that of the concept of infinity, whether it be real, as in the circle or the study of a man viewing a picture of himself viewing a picture of himself and so on, or perceived through illusions, such as his never-ending staircase. The documentary is buttressed by commentary from fan, musician Graham Nash who believes his brilliance has not yet been fully appreciated. Further Information

2021 • People

44:12

After idolizing drug lords as a child, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman becomes one of history's most notorious kingpins, known for his audacious escapes

S2E1 • Drug Lords • 2018 • People

43:03

Johnny Torrio and Al Capone have become two of the biggest kingpins in Chicago, and they're about to become even bigger. But then there is a confrontation with the Irish. Torrio is jailed after O'Banion betrays him. But revenge is not long in coming. Peace ends in Chicago when Torrio and Capone seek revenge against the Irish gangs. Dean O'Banion is murdered and gang warfare escalates in Chicago. Bucking pressure, Johnny Torrio and Al Capone have moved their operations to the neighboring city of Cicero. Al Capone takes over the business - and his rise to the "King of Chicago" begins. The "Beer Wars" put Capone on top.

S1E3 • The Making of the Mob: Chicago • 2016 • People