logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2020
50m 2s

Film special

Bbc World Service
About this episode

We hear from eye-witnesses to some classic moments in cinema history – from It’s a Wonderful Life to Satyajit Ray’s Apu trilogy via Studio Ghibli, the Sound of Music and Charlie Chaplin’s Great Dictator.

Plus, film critic Helen O’Hara tells us about the history of Christmas movies.

Photo: one of the final scenes from Frank Capra’s It’s A Wonderful Life, featuring James Stewart, Donna Reed, Carol Coombs, Jimmy Hawkins, Larry Simms and Karolyn Grimes, clockwise from top (photo by Herbert Dorfman/Corbis via Getty Images)

Up next
Apr 11
Hitler’s teeth and the Leaning Tower of Pisa
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. Our guest is Sahar Saleem, an Egyptian paleoradiologist specialising in using medical imaging technology to study mummies and ancient artefacts.We start with the story a Jewish ... Show More
1 h
Apr 4
The discovery of the Terra Nova shipwreck and Echo the elephant
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. Our guest is Dr Sarah Ward, a maritime archaeologist from the Australian National University. We start with the discovery of the sunken Terra Nova, Scott of the Antartic's ship. ... Show More
1 h
Mar 28
A papal visit and German reunification
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. Our guest is Paulina Guzik, International editor with the Catholic wire service, OSV News.We start in 1986 when Pope John Paul II visited New Zealand.Then, we hear about the reu ... Show More
1 h
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2020
It's a Wonderful Life
In December 1946, the classic Christmas film "It's a Wonderful Life" had its premiere in Hollywood. Starring Jimmy Stewart, the movie's message of hope and redemption is loved by millions. Simon Watts talks to former child star, Karolyn Grimes, who played six-year-old Zuzu Bailey ... Show More
10m 22s
Dec 2021
It’s A Wonderful Premiere
Festive favourite 'It’s a Wonderful Life' originated as a short story transcribed into Christmas cards by its author Philip Van Doren Stern. But it received disappointing box office returns following its premiere on 20th December, 1946 - and was not considered ‘a classic’ for dec ... Show More
11m 50s
Oct 2022
Lawrence of Arabia
It’s the greatest film of all time… Or is it? Lawrence of Arabia is a 1962 EPIC historical drama based on the life of T. E. Lawrence. It’s a tale full of familiar faces like Omar Sharif, David Lean and Peter O’Toole, and it impacted generations of film making. But how accurate is ... Show More
56m 7s
Jul 2023
Goodfellas (1990), plus Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall
In this episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, we're digging into the story of a much-loved modern classic. Two films in 1990 arrived based around the story of real-life gangster Henry Hill. Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas though is something very special: Scorsese took a rare co- ... Show More
1 h
Aug 2023
Charlie Chaplin
The first truly global celebrity, Charlie Chaplin was once the most famous man in the world. The king of the silent movie, over the course of 82 films his wistful slapstick saw him light up the silver screen like no one else. But how did he leave behind the extreme poverty of his ... Show More
56m 45s
Dec 2020
The Great Dictator
In late 1940, The Great Dictator was first released in the USA. In his first role in talking movies, Charlie Chaplin satirised Adolf Hitler and his Nazi followers, before America had joined World War II. The film was a commercial success, but at the time, many people thought it s ... Show More
10m 28s
Aug 2023
Charlie Chaplin
<p>The Golden Age of Hollywood was a place of pioneers, storytellers, ideas, westward expansion, money, politics and scandal- the story of Hollywood is the story of America itself.&nbsp;At the turn of the 20th century, Hollywood in Los Angeles was a dusty country hamlet, but soon ... Show More
46m 25s
Jul 2021
La Reine de Bollywood
<p><strong>Sridevi est une enfant très timide et solitaire. </strong>À 4 ans, elle tourne pourtant dans un film mythologique tamoul. Adolescente, elle devient une star du cinéma de l’Inde du Sud. Devant la caméra, Sridevi oublie ses appréhensions et se révèle. Son jeu subtil et s ... Show More
18m 15s
Oct 2022
242. French History on Film
Tom and Dominic welcome film critic Muriel Zagha to discuss the home of cinema, France, and its history through ten films, spanning from Vercingétorix to Vichy. Featuring Jean Renoir, Isabelle Adjani, Louis de Funès and many more. Full list: Jeanne la Pucelle (Jacques Rivette, 1 ... Show More
1h 24m