Brief Lives (1669-1697) is a collection of short biographical sketches on famous British figures by author, antiquarian, and archaeologist John Aubrey. The work is significant for its unique style, a blend of facts-names, dates, family, important works-and personal anecdotes for which Aubrey combined his skills for research and conversation to compile. Unpublished during his lifetime, the text was pieced together from extensive handwritten manuscripts...

A masterly portrait of six men - Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Horatio Nelson, Napoleon Bonaparte, Ulysses S. Grant and Georgi Zhukov - whose military genius changed the course of world history. Concentrating on one battle in particular for each commander, and using computer graphics to help explain the course of events, this penetrating study brilliantly illustrates the thinking, method and individual dynamism behind the great military campaign....

An examination of the life and work of revered Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky, this film draws heavily on footage taken on the set of his final production, *The Sacrifice*. Featuring interviews with the filmmaker, the documentary looks at Tarkovsky's meticulous creative process and uncompromising vision. The production also addresses his untimely death and includes anecdotes from his widow, which shed more light on Tarkovsky's dedication to his...

The adventures of a maverick British officer who fights behind French lines in Spain and Portugal during the Napoleonic wars.

Uses original color film and contemporary diaries to recall the destructive 12 year reign of Adolf Hitler. Follows the story of Hitler's brutal rise to power, to his transformation of Germany into a Nazi state, and finally the destructive wars that brought the Third Reich down.

Tensions mount for the beleaguered British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (Brian Cox) in the days leading up to infamous Allied D-Day landings in Normandy, France in June, 1944. Fearful of repeating his deadly mistakes from World War I in the Battle of Gallipoli, exhausted by years of war, plagued by depression and obsessed with his historical destiny, Churchill is reluctant to embark on the large-scale campaign, one that the entire war effort hinges...

Who are we? Why are we here? Where do we come from? These are among the most enduring and profound questions we can ask, and it is an essential part of human nature to want to find the answers. We can trace our ancestry back hundreds of thousands of years to the dawn of humankind, but in reality our story extends much further back: it starts with the beginning of the universe. In this groundbreaking new series, Professor Brian Cox tells the epic story...

After his 14-year-old dog, Red, is senselessly murdered by three thrill-seeking teenagers, an aging recluse sets out seeking justice for his four-legged companion and finds himself gradually pushed to take extreme measures.

Julius Caesar upholds Liberty against Tyranny. But what is tyranny? Presenter Brian Cox examines how this play challenges all political systems and all definitions of tyranny -- challenging us to wonder how well we even know ourselves.