Besa: The Promise

Jul 19, 2012

1h 26m

★ 10.0

Overview

A documentary exploring how Albanians, including many Muslims, helped and sheltered Jewish refugees during WWII at their own risk, and trying to help the son of an Albanian baker that housed a Jewish family for a year return some Hebrew books that the family had to leave behind.

Genres

Documentary

Production Companies

JWM Productions

Besa: The Promise Trailers

Cast

himself

Norman H. Gershman

himself

Rexhep Hoxha

When the lights dim and the stage is revealed, Meschke channels life through the strings of his puppets, triggering the spiritual connection between the creator and his alter-egos: the charismatic Don Quixote, the loving Penelope, the inquisitive Baptiste, or the mysterious Antigone. THE MAN WHO MADE ANGELS FLY is a poetic story about a master of his craft that has inspired audiences to reflect upon common issues of suffering and the mortal coil. Visionary and un-biographic, imaginary tribute to the puppeteer.

0.0

Elvis and the USS Arizona

Nov 14, 2021

The surprising story of how one of music's biggest icons helped to establish a USS Arizona memorial in Pearl Harbor. Elvis’ fundraising concert drew public attention to the plight and helped to galvanize efforts to finish the USS Arizona Memorial as it stands today.

3.5

Dead Gay Men and Living Lesbians

Feb 9, 2008

As a result of the Holocaust and later, AIDS, the male homosexual community has sustained bitter losses and, according to Praunheim, lesbian women have now placed themselves at the head of the so-called queer movement. The female protagonists in the film represent two different generations; they also incorporate the past and present status of homosexuals in society.

6.3

13 Hours That Saved Britain

Apr 20, 2011

In this documentary, experts dissect the Battle of Britain, which took place on Sept. 15, 1940 — a day that determined the fate of the nation.

7.0

Art of War

May 3, 2009

Documentary on the main principles of Sun Tsu "Art of War" illustrated with examples from the second world war, the Vietnam war and the American civil war.

8.0

Churchill: When Britain Said No

Jun 2, 2015

Documentary which examines the reasons why Winston Churchill and the Conservative Party lost the General Election of 1945, after Churchill had just led the country to victory in the World War II.

9.5

A Yiddish World Remembered

Nov 14, 2004

Elliott Gould narrates this affectionate look at life in the shtetls of Eastern Europe in the 19th and early 20th centuries. "It's unreal that all this could have just disappeared," says Polish native Mariem Adler Stok, one of the seniors whose memories of this "Yiddish world" give this documentary its life. The hour traces Jewish history in Europe and explores Jews' focus on education, their religious customs, clothing, food, music and theater.

0.0

As If They Were Angels

Oct 6, 2018

The little known story of one of the worst non-combat disasters in the history of the US Navy, …AS IF THEY WERE ANGELS is a story of courage, heart, sacrifice and the heroism of miners & fishermen of 2 small towns, who risked their lives to save nearly 200 American sailors, shipwrecked on the rugged cliffs of Newfoundland. Narrated by Peter Coyote, it’s a deeply layered tale of navigation errors, courts martial mistakes, a steep loss of life, and resonates today as if the very telling of its deep humanity offers a lifeline for our fractured times.

10.0

Letters from Europe

Apr 24, 2021

"Letters from Europe" brings to light the words of men and women who gave their lives resisting the Nazi and fascist conquest from 1939 to '45 across the European continent. The moving goodbyes penned by a few of those sentenced to death are sometimes true spiritual testaments that explore the meaning of civic responsibility, human existence, fraternity, and life and death. Their words, which the film mingles with footage of the present day, can perhaps restore meaning to a humanist ideal and to the ever-changing idea of a united Europe.

6.0

The Ugliest Car

May 30, 2017

The youngest protagonist of the documentary is Wartburg, an automobile over 50 years of age. The car is still on the road, driven by Bogdan, a 70-year-old who is taking his mother to visit the German factory where she was forced to work during WWII. In this road movie which takes place between Majdanpek and Germany, the trip becomes a journey into the past, retracing memories from the war and revealing a unique relationship between an old son and his elderly mother.

No Image

6.8

A, B, C... Z

Feb 16, 1971

Children get ready to start the first grade. They start learning the first letters.

6.0

The Valkyrie Legacy

Nov 24, 2008

Created as a companion documentary to the film "Valkyrie," this documentary details the true story behind the plot to assassinate Adolph Hitler.

8.5

The Battle of Normandy: 85 Days in Hell

Jun 6, 2019

On the morning of June 6, 1944, thousands of ships reached the French coast of Normandy as part of an Allied operation to take back France from the Germans. For the next 85 days, U.S., British, and Canadian soldiers engaged in conflicts of unimaginable violence, conquering and liberating the region's cities, but at the cost of hundreds of thousands of lives. From the D-Day invasion to the final Nazi surrender in Argentan, this is the definitive story of the three-month Battle of Normandy as it's never been seen before.

4.0

Enchanted

Jun 30, 1993

Stories of 12 gay and lesbian survivors of Nazism and the Holocaust.

7.3

Kizu: The Untold Story of Unit 731

Jan 1, 2004

Documentary about Japan's Unit 731 of World War II.

0.0

The Horrors Of Hiroshima

Invalid Date

On August 6 1945 The Us Dropped An Atomic Bomb On Hiroshima Aiming To Force Japans Surrender In WWII The Explosion Killed Over 70000 Instantly With Tens Of Thousands More Dying From Burns Radiation And Injuries The City Was Leveled Survivors Faced Lifelong Trauma Illness And Stigma As The World Confronted Nuclear Horror For The First Time

7.5

Was lebst Du?

Nov 13, 2004

I followed the everyday lives of Ali, Kais, Ertan and Alban with my camera for over two years. The time was characterized by disappointments, conflicts and also great successes. It all began with a visit to the "Klingelpütz" youth center in the middle of Cologne. Young migrants have been meeting here for many years.

6.4

Shooting War

Dec 7, 2000

A remarkable film that takes a special look at the first war to be truly reported and recorded by one of the more unsung heroes of World War II: the combat photographer. Through the unflinching eye of their camera's lenses, these courageous soldiers continually risked their lives in their brave attempts to capture history.

Besa: The Promise

Overview

Genres

Production Companies

Besa: The Promise Trailers