Breakpoint: A Counter History of Progress

Jul 14, 2019

1h 39m

★ 7.7

Overview

An account of the last two centuries of the Anthropocene, the Age of Man. How human beings have progressed so much in such a short time through war and the selfish interests of a few, belligerent politicians and captains of industry, damaging the welfare of the majority of mankind, impoverishing the weakest, greedily devouring the limited resources of the Earth.

Genres

Documentary

History

Production Companies

ARTE

Cinéphage Productions

Les Films du Tambour de soie

Stenola Productions

Mucem

RTBF

CNRS Images

RTS

Breakpoint: A Counter History of Progress Trailers

No Trailers found.

Cast

Self - Narrator (voice)

Jacques Bonnaffé

Self (archive footage)

John D. Rockefeller

Self (archive footage)

Woodrow Wilson

Self (archive footage)

Adolf Hitler

Self (archive footage)

J. Robert Oppenheimer

Self (archive footage)

Van Heflin

Self (archive footage)

Lewis Strauss

Self (archive footage)

Mária Telkes

Self (archive footage)

Ronald Reagan

Self (archive footage)

Jane Wyman

Self (archive footage)

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Self (archive footage)

Lino Ventura

A group of French soldiers, including the patrician Captain de Boeldieu and the working-class Lieutenant Maréchal, grapple with their own class differences after being captured and held in a World War I German prison camp. When the men are transferred to a high-security fortress, they must concoct a plan to escape beneath the watchful eye of aristocratic German officer von Rauffenstein, who has formed an unexpected bond with de Boeldieu.

7.6

Gandhi

Dec 1, 1982

In the early years of the 20th century, Mohandas K. Gandhi, a British-trained lawyer, forsakes all worldly possessions to take up the cause of Indian independence. Faced with armed resistance from the British government, Gandhi adopts a policy of 'passive resistance', endeavouring to win freedom for his people without resorting to bloodshed.

8.2

Night and Fog

Jan 29, 1956

Filmmaker Alain Resnais documents the atrocities behind the walls of Hitler's concentration camps.

8.0

Judgment at Nuremberg

Dec 18, 1961

In 1947, four German judges who served on the bench during the Nazi regime face a military tribunal to answer charges of crimes against humanity. Chief Justice Haywood hears evidence and testimony not only from lead defendant Ernst Janning and his defense attorney Hans Rolfe, but also from the widow of a Nazi general, an idealistic U.S. Army captain and reluctant witness Irene Wallner.

7.8

The Bridge on the River Kwai

Oct 11, 1957

The classic story of English POWs in Burma forced to build a bridge to aid the war effort of their Japanese captors. British and American intelligence officers conspire to blow up the structure, but Col. Nicholson, the commander who supervised the bridge's construction, has acquired a sense of pride in his creation and tries to foil their plans.

7.4

Enemy at the Gates

Feb 28, 2001

A Russian and a German sniper play a game of cat-and-mouse during the Battle of Stalingrad in WWII.

7.4

Black Hawk Down

Dec 28, 2001

When U.S. Rangers and an elite Delta Force team attempt to kidnap two underlings of a Somali warlord, their Black Hawk helicopters are shot down, and the Americans suffer heavy casualties, facing intense fighting from the militia on the ground.

8.2

Saving Private Ryan

Jul 24, 1998

As U.S. troops storm the beaches of Normandy, three brothers lie dead on the battlefield, with a fourth trapped behind enemy lines. Ranger captain John Miller and seven men are tasked with penetrating German-held territory and bringing the boy home.

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0.0

Four Years of Night

Aug 9, 2013

For four years (1977-1981) Esaias Baitel documented a violent Parisian neo-Nazi gang. Having gained their trust, he was able to get close to them. Living among the gang members, he witnessed horrific events, and while hiding his real identity, he photographed a one-of-a-kind collection of gripping stills. Over thirty years have passed. Esaias Baitel has laid his camera down. He returns to the dark nights he spent in the City of Lights, the city where he lived a double life, going back and forth from the gang to the young family he had just started.

5.8

Ben-Hur

Aug 17, 2016

A falsely accused nobleman survives years of slavery to take vengeance on his best friend who betrayed him.

7.2

Apollo 13: Survival

Mar 8, 2024

Using original footage and interviews, this documentary tells the nail-biting story of Apollo 13 and the struggle to bring its astronauts safely home.

6.9

ABBA: Against the Odds

Mar 23, 2024

This year marks the 50th anniversary of ABBA’s iconic Eurovision victory, a milestone that calls for a celebratory cinematic tribute fitting for the ultimate pop band. ‘ABBA: Against the Odds’ unveils the epic journey of ABBA’s rise to global fame. Starting with the moment they won Eurovision, it tells the story of how they overcame critical backlash, societal attitudes and marital break-up to deliver their ground-breaking music and prove themselves as a live act.

6.9

Johatsu - Into Thin Air

Sep 19, 2024

In Japan, thousands of people disappear voluntarily every year. And there are companies ready to help those who want to disappear without a trace and start a new life somewhere else. Meet some of them in a film that soberly examines a modern phenomenon.

6.0

Mr. Kingstreet's War

May 1, 1973

A couple sets up an African game preserve, only to have British and Italian armies fight over the waterholes.

6.5

The Cardinal

Dec 12, 1963

A young Catholic priest from Boston confronts bigotry, Nazism, and his own personal conflicts as he rises to the office of cardinal.

6.5

The Great Global Warming Swindle

Mar 8, 2007

This film tries to blow the whistle on what it calls the biggest swindle in modern history: 'Man Made Global Warming'. Watch this film and make up your own mind.

7.3

The Half-Life of Genius Physicist Raemer Schreiber

Jul 17, 2018

Our two-hour film highlights the life and career of Dr. Schreiber with respect and clarity. Raemer, his wife Marge, and young daughter Paula would move to the high-desert of New Mexico where he and other brilliant minds would change the world forever.

8.4

Nuremberg: The Nazis Facing their Crimes

Oct 25, 2006

The documentary of the Nuremberg War Trials of 21 Nazi dignitaries held after World War II.

7.0

Django & Django: Sergio Corbucci Unchained

Nov 15, 2021

A tribute to Italian filmmaker Sergio Corbucci (1926-90), presented by American filmmaker Quentin Tarantino.

6.8

The Red Sea Diving Resort

Jul 28, 2019

Sudan, East Africa, 1980. A team of Israeli Mossad agents plans to rescue and transfer thousands of Ethiopian Jews to Israel. To do so, and to avoid raising suspicions from the inquisitive and ruthless authorities, they establish as a cover a fake diving resort by the Red Sea.