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Phar Lap, the legendary Australian racing horse, is as well-known today for his mysterious death as for his fabulous accomplishments in life. Beginning at the end, the film flashes back to the day that Phar Lap, despite his lack of pedigree, is purchased on impulse by trainer Harry Telford. Phar Lap loses his first races, but Telford’s faith in the animal is unshakable. Suddenly the horse becomes a winner, thanks to the love and diligence of stableboy Tommy Woodcock. American-promoter Dave Davis arranges for Phar Lap to be entered in several top races, where his “long shot” status results in heavy losses for the professional gamblers. Just after winning an important race in Mexico, Phar Lap collapses and dies; though the film never comes out and says as much, it is assumed that the horse was “murdered” by the gambling interests.

Shattered City, an epic two-part mini-series, dramatizes a compelling piece of Canadian history. It is the story of how a tragic incident at the height of the First World War became a living metaphor for the worldwide conflict, and how Halifax arose from the ashes after severe destruction and devastation. In the early hours of December 6, 1917, the Mont Blanc, a French-owned freighter loaded to the gunnels with thousands of tons of TNT, collided with a Belgian relief ship and exploded in the Halifax Harbour. The explosion was so vast that it killed more than 2,000 people, injured 9,000 more and completely flattened two square kilometres of northern Halifax.

Capt. John Smith leads a rag-tag band of English sailors & soldiers to the New World to plunder its riches for England (or, more precisely, for Governor Ratcliffe, who comes along for the ride). Meanwhile, in this “New World,” Chief Powhatan has pledged his daughter, Pocahontas, to be married to the village’s greatest warrior. Pocahontas, however, has other ideas. She has seen a vision of a spinning arrow, a vision she believes tells her change is coming. Her life does indeed change when the English ship lands near her village. Between Ratcliffe, who believes the “savages” are hiding the gold he expected to be plentiful, and Powhatan, who believes these pale newcomers will destroy their land, Smith and Pocahontas have a difficult time preventing all-out war, and saving their love for each other.

Part fact and part opinion, mainly of Jim Garrison and director Oliver Stone, as to the events surrounding the proposed conspiracy of the assassination of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas. New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison began a probe into the actions of the F.B.I. and other officials of whom he suspected where covering up information that could lead to evidence of multiple shooters. The motive is believed to be to escalate the United States involvement in the Vietnam War. President Kennedy was attempting to prevent any further involvement in this situation, but which Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson supposedly promised the United States government that he would “give them the war”. Thus, the motive for eliminating President Kennedy. The movie also details the events of many people involved in the assassination, from Lee Harvey Oswald to Clay Shaw, a prominent figure in New Orleans.

Using the latest technology the amazing lost world of the Cretaceous, Triassic and Jurassic periods of Earth’s history, when the dinosaurs reigned supreme, is brought stunningly back to life. The series provides insights into how these mammoth creatures appeared, how they survived for millions of years and probes the mysteries of their sudden disappearance leaving only a fossil record to show they had ever existed!

Based on a concept album project written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, and the subsequent long-running Broadway performance, this film tells the story of the final 6 days in the life of Jesus Christ through the troubled eyes of Judas Escariot. Too often mis-labeled a musical, this film is a “rock opera.” There are no spoken lines, everything is sung.

16 year old princess Elisabeth, ‘Sissi’, follows her mother and sister Helene to the Austrian court in Ischl, where the engagement between Helene and the young emperor Franz Josef will be announced. But he meets Sissi when she’s out fishing and falls in love with her. Sissi loves Franz Josef but a marriage with him comes with a bonus, his arrogant and headstrong mother.

A Disney-ized retelling of Dumas’ classic swashbuckling story of three swordsmen plus one of the disbanded French king’s guard who seek to save their King from the scheming of the Cardinal Richelieu. Jokes and stunts are the expected fare in this light-hearted and jaunty adventure.

Set in 16th Century India KAMA SUTRA is the tale of two girls, Maya and Tara, one a lowly servant, the other a noble princess, both raised together as children. But whilst Tara is raised as a Princess Maya, as her servant, is forever reminded of her subordinate position. It is though her striking beauty and her skills of seduction learnt through the Kama Sutra, the Indian book of love, that Maya exacts her revenge on Tara by seducing her husband on her wedding day thus beginning a destructive struggle for power where revenge is the goal, but tragedy the outcome.

A rural clergyman in 19th century England tells Durbeyfield, a simple farmer, that he is descended from the illustrious d’Urberville family — now extinct. Or maybe not. Durbeyfield sends his daughter Tess to check on a family named d’Uberville living in a manor house less than a day’s carriage ride away. Alec d’Urberville is delighted to meet his beautiful “cousin” and seduces her with strawberries and roses. Actually Alec has gotten his illustrious name and coat of arms by purchasing them. Tess too takes up the game of illusion when she finds, loses and finds again her true love Angel.

In 1937, in a remote area of Tibet close to the Chinese border, a two year old child is identified as the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, the compassionate Buddha. Two years later, the child is brought to Lhasa where he is schooled as a monk and as head of state amidst the color and pageantry of Tibetan culture. The film follows him into adulthood: when he is 14, the Chinese invade Tibet and he is forced into a shaky coalition government; he travels to China to meet with a cynical Mao; and, finally, in 1959, ill and under siege, he flees to India. Throughout, he has visions of his people’s slaughter under Chinese rule.

The night of August 24, 1572, is known as the Massacre of St. Bartholomew. In France a religious war is raging. In order to impose peace a forced wedding is arranged between Margot de Valois, sister of the immature Catholic King Charles IX, and the Hugenot King Henri of Navarre. Catherine of Medici maintains her behind-the-scenes power by ordering assaults, poisonings, and instigations to incest.

When a powerful warlord in medieval Japan dies, a poor thief recruited to impersonate him finds difficulty living up to his role and clashes with the spirit of the warlord during turbulent times in the kingdom.

This WWII film follows the perspectives of American, Polish and British soldiers attempting to capture key bridges behind German lines in a complicated parachute and armoured assault.

It is the mid-nineteenth century. Ada is a mute who has a young daughter, Flora. In an arranged marriage she leaves her native Scotland accompanied by her daughter and her beloved piano. Life in the rugged forests of New Zealand’s South Island is not all she may have imagined and nor is her relationship with her new husband Stewart. She suffers torment and loss when Stewart sells her piano to a neighbour, George. Ada learns from George that she may earn back her piano by giving him piano lessons, but only with certain other conditions attached. At first Ada despises George but slowly their relationship is transformed and this propels them into a dire situation.

Epic film of the legendary Spanish hero, Rodrigo Diaz (“El Cid” to his followers), who, without compromising his strict sense of honour, still succeeds in taking the initiative and driving the Moors from Spain.

Oskar Schindler is a vain, glorious and greedy German businessman who becomes unlikely humanitarian amid the barbaric Nazi reign when he feels compelled to turn his factory into a refuge for Jews. Based on the true story of Oskar Schindler who managed to save about 1100 Jews from being gassed at the Auschwitz concentration camp. A testament for the good in all of us.

The story of Elizabeth’s ascendency to the throne, the plot of the movie is full of palace intrigues, attempted assassinations and executions. The movie starts with England divided by faith, Protestant vs. Catholic. The queen, Mary Tudor has no heir and her Catholic supporters fear the succession of her half-sister Elizabeth, a Protestant. They convince the queen to have Elizabeth arrested and put in the Tower of London but the queen hesitates and eventually refuses to sign her death warrant. It is announced that the queen is pregnant but it turns out to be a tumor and she dies of it a while later. Her Catholic supporters are forced to give the throne to Elizabeth. Elizabeth’s first few years are shaky as she is not versed with the art of realpolitik and “rules from the heart instead of the mind”. There is also the question of her succession as she is yet unmarried and her death without heir would mean the throne falling back into Catholic hands. She has many suitors but she eventually rejects them all. And aided by Sir Francis Walsingham she manages to kill all her enemies and ascends the throne as the “Virgin Queen”.