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

On the night of August 24, 1944, the fate of Paris rests with General von Choltitz, who plans to destroy the city on Hitler's orders. As the general prepares to detonate explosives throughout the capital, Swedish consul Raoul Nordling uses diplomacy in a desperate bid to convince him to defy the orders and save Paris.

9.0

Scars Unseen

Invalid Date

Scars Unseen is a ‘triumph of the human spirit’ documentary following three women who have overcome domestic violence and are paying it forward. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the statistic of 1 in 4 women affected by domestic violence went up to 1 in 3 women. This inspiring documentary highlights each individual’s experience involving domestic violence, focusing not on the grim details of their trauma but rather on the tools and techniques that helped them to persevere on their healing journey. Scars Unseen aims to illuminate the power of healing, de-stigmatize victimhood, and encourage open communication about the causes, treatment, and prevention of abuse. This documentary focuses on the resiliency of three phenomenal women and encourages us all to be more trauma-informed. Scars Unseen is changing the conversation around domestic violence.

6.4

Manny

Dec 31, 2014

From abject poverty to becoming a ten-time boxing world champion, congressman, and international icon, Manny Pacquiao is the true definition of a Cinderella story. In the Philippines, he first entered the ring as a sixteen-year-old weighing ninety-eight pounds with the goal of earning money to feed his family. Now, almost twenty years later, when he fights, the country of 100 million people comes to a complete standstill to watch. Regarded for his ability to bring people together, Pacquiao entered the political arena in 2010. As history’s first boxing congressman, Pacquiao now fights for his people both inside and outside of the ring. Now at the height of his career, he is faced with maneuvering an unscrupulous sport while maintaining his political duties. The question now is, what bridge is too far for Manny Pacquiao to cross?

6.4

Laal Singh Chaddha

Aug 11, 2022

Events in India's history — from the Emergency and the famous Cricket World Cup win to the Punjab riots — unfold from the perspective of an innocent Sikh man Laal Singh Chaddha, a person with a low IQ but high optimism. Laal is able to achieve everything under the sun but his childhood love continues to elude him.

0.0

Barbarossa: Hitler Turns East

Aug 6, 2007

Hitler's invasion of Russia was one of the landmark events of World War II. This documentary reveals the lead-up to the offensive, its impact on the war and the brinksmanship that resulted from the battle for Moscow. Rare footage from both German and Russian archives and detailed maps illustrate the conflict, while award-winning historian and author John Erickson provides insight into the pivotal maneuvers on the eastern front.

6.2

The Grüninger File

Jan 30, 2014

1938. Austria has been annexed by Nazi Germany, and Switzerland has closed its borders for Jewish refugees - a death sentence for thousands. But not all Swiss officials observe this inhuman order.

0.0

The Killers of Mussolini

Jun 4, 1959

As the Salo Republic crumbles around him, Mussolini, along with his mistress and several of his ministers flee with retreating Nazi soldiers, but are caught at the town of Dongo by red partisans. All are brutally executed without trial.

8.5

Tokyo Breed: The Rise of One

Dec 25, 2020

No overview available.

4.9

All the Queen's Men

Oct 14, 2001

A mismatched team of British Special Services agents led by an American must infiltrate, in disguise, a female-run Enigma factory in Berlin and bring back the decoding device that will end the war.

0.0

Unity Temple: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Modern Masterpiece

Aug 30, 2022

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Modern Masterpiece, Unity Temple is an homage to America’s most renowned architect. The film pulls back the curtain on Wright’s first public commission in the early 1900’s to the painstaking efforts to restore the 100 year old building back to its original beauty. The dedicated team of historians, craftspeople, members of the Unitarian congregation and Unity Temple Restoration Foundation reveal the history of one of Wright’s most innovative buildings that merged his love of architecture with his own spiritual values. The film intersperses the architect’s philosophies with quotes narrated by Brad Pitt.

6.9

The Decameron

Aug 25, 1971

A young Sicilian is swindled twice, but ends up rich; a man poses as a deaf-mute in a convent of curious nuns; a woman must hide her lover when her husband comes home early; a scoundrel fools a priest on his deathbed; three brothers take revenge on their sister's lover; a young girl sleeps on the roof to meet her boyfriend at night; a group of painters wait for inspiration; a crafty priest attempts to seduce his friend's wife; and two friends make a pact to find out what happens after death.

7.5

White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Aug 6, 2007

Steven Okazaki presents a deeply moving look at the painful legacy of the first -- and hopefully last -- uses of nuclear weapons in war. Featuring interviews with fourteen atomic bomb survivors - many who have never spoken publicly before - and four Americans intimately involved in the bombings, White Light/Black Rain provides a detailed exploration of the bombings and their aftermath.

0.0

Pretty Slick - The Deep Water Horizon Environmental Coverup - Extended Directors Cut

Invalid Date

Presenting the extended directors cut from Filmmaker James Fox (Out of the Blue and I Know What I Saw). On April 20th, 2010, the BP Deep Water Horizon floating oil rig drilling in the Gulf of Mexico exploded, killing eleven crewmen. This film exposes the behind the scenes cover up to hide the worst environmental disaster of all time from the world and the people who live in the region.

6.4

Elton John: Never Too Late

Nov 15, 2024

Sir Elton John looks back on his life and the astonishing early days of his 50-year career in this emotionally charged, full-circle journey. As he prepares for his final concert in North America at Dodger Stadium, Elton takes us back in time and recounts his struggles with adversity, abuse, and addiction, and how he overcame them to become the icon he is today.

0.0

Hidden Heroes: The Nisei Soldiers of WWII

Nov 1, 2021

Featuring sit-down interviews with experts and historians, follows the story of the Japanese American soldiers of WWII who fought for the ideals of American democracy.

6.2

Kokoda

Apr 25, 2006

A bitter battle is fought between Australian and Japanese soldiers along the Kokoda trail in New Guinea during World War II.

6.7

My Brother Is an Only Child

Mar 28, 2007

Accio and Manrico are siblings from a working-class family in 1960s Italy: older Manrico is handsome, charismatic, and loved by all, while younger Accio is sulky, hot-headed, and treats life as a battleground — much to his parents' chagrin. After the former is drawn into left-wing politics, Accio joins the fascists out of spite, but his flimsy beliefs are put to test when he falls for Manrico's like-minded girlfriend.

7.2

Queen Margot

May 13, 1994

Paris, Kingdom of France, August 18, 1572. To avoid the outbreak of a religious war, the Catholic princess Marguerite de Valois, sister of the feeble King Charles IX, marries the Huguenot King Henry III of Navarre.

6.0

The First Woman

Dec 10, 2021

Eva’s being allowed to leave the psychiatric institution she’s lived in for six years. After a long year of waiting, the news arrive: an assisted living residence is found for her. Eva takes the first steps towards the "normal" life she longs for: to find a job, earn an income of her own, visit her mother... even find love. While she’s taking stock of her past and works on her self-confidence as well as her trust in the outside world, she also fixes firmly on her main goal: to reconnect with the son she lost custody of 20 years ago and ask him to forgive her. The First Woman is a film about second chances, the search for "normality" and the borderline between lucidity and darkness.

7.9

Blood Money: Inside the Nazi Economy

Feb 2, 2021

How did Nazi Germany, from limited natural resources, mass unemployment, little money and a damaged industry, manage to unfurl the cataclysm of World War Two and come to occupy a large part of the European continent? Based on recent historical works of and interviews with Adam Tooze, Richard Overy, Frank Bajohr and Marie-Bénédicte Vincent, and drawing on rare archival material.