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Films & DVDs on U.S. History  Text Size Increase Font Size Decrease Font Size
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    A

  • Afghanistan 1979: The War That Changed the WorldAfghanistan 1979: The War That Changed the World - A behind-the-scenes history of the Soviet Union's 10-year long war in Afghanistan.

  • Americas in Transition -

    A concise and fast-paced history of the volatile forces at work in Chile, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua in the 1980s

  • C

  • Clara Lemlich - The story of the young, Jewish, Ukrainian-born woman who in 1909 sparked the 'Uprising of the 20,000' -- the first massive strike of New York City garment workers.

  • Conversations with Roy DeCarava - The life of the first black photographer to win a Guggenheim Fellowship.

  • Cul de SacCul de Sac - An allegory for a working class suburb in decline, this film investigates the story of Shawn Nelson, who stole a tank and went on a rampage through the residential streets of Clairemont, CA.

  • D

  • Dear Dr. Spencer - From the early 1920s until his death in 1969, Dr. Robert Douglas Spencer practiced medicine in a small town in Pennsylvania, where he treated colds, set fractures - and performed illegal abortions.

  • Devils Don't Dream! - Analysis of the CIA-sponsored 1954 coup in Guatemala.

  • E

  • Egg Cream - The beloved chocolate soda drink, born in immigrant neighborhoods at the turn of the 20th century, is explored in this short film about a simple beverage and its meaning to generations of Jewish Americans.

  • An Empire of ReasonAn Empire of Reason - What it would have been like if television had covered the ratification process of the US Constitution in 1781.

  • F

  • Far from Vietnam - The landmark collaboration between Jean-Luc Godard, Joris Ivens, William Klein, Claude Lelouch, Chris Marker and Alain Resnais in protest of the Vietnam war.

  • The Film of Her - A Library of Congress clerk tries to save early cinematic treasures in Bill Morrison's doc-fiction hybrid. Music by Henryk Gorecki & Bill Frisell.

  • Finally Got the News - A film about the League of Revolutionary Black Workers, which was, "in many respects the most significant expression of black radical thought and activism in the 1960s." - Manning Marable, Prof. of History, Columbia Univ.

  • Fundi: The Story of Ella BakerFundi: The Story of Ella Baker - Friend and advisor to Martin Luther King, Jr., Ella Baker played an instrumental role in shaping the American civil rights movement.

  • G

  • Ghosts of Attica - The definitive account of America's most violent prison rebellion, its deadly suppression, the days of torture that ensued, and the almost 30 year legal case that followed.

  • The Great Flood - Artist Bill Morrison and musician Bill Frisell evoke the Mississippi River Flood of 1927 and ensuing transformation of American society.

  • A Grin Without A Cat - Chris Marker's epic film-essay on the worldwide political wars of the 60's and 70's: Vietnam, Che, May '68, Prague, Chile, and the fate of the New Left.

  • I

  • I Am SomebodyI Am Somebody - Named to the National Film Registry at the Library of Congress and preserved by the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture, Madeline Anderson’s essential work brings viewers to the front lines of the fight for civil rights.

  • In Motion: Amiri Baraka - Biographical profile of the out-spoken African-American writer.

  • An Injury To One - Reconstructs the long-forgotten murder of union organizer Frank Little in Butte, Montana, and draws a connection between the unsolved murder of Little, and the attempted murder of the town itself.

  • The Intolerable Burden - One black family's commitment to a quality education, from the pre-1965 time of segregation, through desegregation, and through the recent period of resegregation. **Winner, John E. O'Connor Film Award, American Historical Association**

  • L

  • The Last Happy DayThe Last Happy Day - A portrait of a doctor who saw the worst of society and ran.

  • The Loving Story - Oscar-shortlist selection, this is the definitive account of Loving v. Virginia, the landmark 1967 Supreme Court decision that legalized interracial marriage.

  • N

  • Notes on Marie Menken - The story of the "mother of avante-garde film"—the influential experimental filmmaker who inspired artists such as Stan Brakhage, Andy Warhol, and Kenneth Anger.

  • O

  • Outerborough - A trolley traveling over the Brooklyn Bridge in 1899 helped create the footage underlying Bill Morrison's neo-travelogue. Music by Todd Reynolds.

  • R

  • ReleaseRelease - Al Capone's release from prison is eagerly awaited by a crowd in Bill Morrison's split-screen panorama. Music by Vijay Iyer.

  • Route One/USA - New restoration! A journey along Route 1, from Maine to Miami, yields a rich tapestry of American life. 

  • Route One/USA - Pt. 1 - New restoration! A journey along Route 1, from Maine to Miami, yields a rich tapestry of American life. Part 1.

More Films & DVDs on U.S. History
  • Death Squadrons - The previously untold story of how the French military trained Latin American death squads in the 60s and 70s (and even U.S. Special Forces in the early days of our Vietnam War).

  • The Internationale - Draws on people's stories of an emotionally charged radical song (the long-time anthem of socialism and communism) to celebrate the relationship between music and social change.

  • Jesus Politics - A personal investigation into the role of religion in American politics, and specifically this year's presidential election.

  • Joe Polowsky: An American Dreamer - The story of an American World War II veteran who met the Russians at the Elbe River, and who dedicated his life to promoting peace.

  • Justice and the Generals - Investigates the human rights and legal issues involved when two Salvadoran generals are sued in an American court for atrocities (such as the murder of four American churchwomen) committed during El Salvador's civil war.