Hugh Hudson

Rupture: A Matter of Life OR Death

Hugh Hudson

Maryam d'Abo, Nigel Havers

Maryam d'Abo suffered a subarachnoid haemorrhage in 2007 and is lucky to be alive. Her experience inspired this film, made by her film director husband (Chariots of Fire, Greystoke, The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes and Revolution). It leads the viewer on a personal journey of recovery, giving a sense of hope to those who are isolated by their condition, one that is not seen and therefore often misunderstood. At times both traumatic and uplifting, this is an intelligent and informative documentary.

View from the Overlook: Crafting 'The Shining'

Gary Leva

Jack Nicholson, Jan Harlan

An overview of the making of, and a look at the continuing popularity of, Stanley Kubrick's The Shining.

The Visions of Stanley Kubrick

Gary Leva

Janusz Kamiński, Caleb Deschanel

A look at the visual design of the film The Shining (1980).

Wings on Their Heels: The Making of 'Chariots of Fire'

David Puttnam, Colin Welland

And the Oscar Goes To...

Jeffrey Friedman, Rob Epstein

Anjelica Huston, Annette Bening

The story of the gold-plated statuette that became the film industry's most coveted prize, AND THE OSCAR GOES TO... traces the history of the Academy itself, which began in 1927 when Louis B. Mayer, then head of MGM, led other prominent members of the industry in forming this professional honorary organization. Two years later the Academy began bestowing awards, which were nicknamed "Oscar," and quickly came to represent the pinnacle of cinematic achievement.

Chariots of Fire

Hugh Hudson

Ben Cross, Ian Charleson

In the class-obsessed and religiously divided UK of the early 1920s, two determined young runners train for the 1924 Paris Olympics. Eric Liddell, a devout Christian born to Scottish missionaries in China, sees running as part of his worship of God's glory and refuses to train or compete on the Sabbath. Harold Abrahams overcomes anti-Semitism and class bias, but neglects his beloved sweetheart in his single-minded quest.

Nostromo (El sueño imposible de David Lean)

Pedro González Bermúdez

David Lean, Jon Apaolaza

Documentary about David Lean's unfinished attempt of adapting Joseph Conrad's novel Nostromo.

The Tortoise and the Hare

Hugh Hudson

Liz Allsop, Gino Gottarelli

A huge articulated Pirelli truck and an E type Jaguar car pass and repass along Italy's breathtaking Autostrada Del Sole, to the accompaniment of jazz, pop and Vivaldi music.

Fangio: Una vita a 300 all'ora

Hugh Hudson

Juan Manuel Fangio

Lumière et Compagnie

Gabriel Axel, Spike Lee

Jeffe Alperi, Romane Bohringer

40 international directors were asked to make a short film using the original Cinematographe invented by the Lumière Brothers, working under conditions similar to those of 1895. There were three rules: (1) The film could be no longer than 52 seconds, (2) no synchronized sound was permitted, and (3) no more than three takes.

Great Bolshy Yarblockos!: Making A Clockwork Orange

Gary Leva

Steven Spielberg, Bernard Williams

In this documentary, we follow Stanley Kubrick as he creates one of the most controversial films of all time, one that retains its power to shock audiences, even after 35 years. At the time of its release, A Clockwork Orange created a firestorm of controversy. Through interviews with collaborators, filmmakers, screenwriters and authors, we come to appreciate Stanley Kubrick as an artist unafraid to take risks and court controversy, committed unwaveringly to his single-minded goal: the highest artistic quality of his films.

Vision of a Future Passed: The Prophecy of 2001

Gary Leva

Arthur C. Clarke, John Baxter

This documentary about "2001: A Space Odyssey" looks at some of the things that seemed fanciful in 1968, which don't seem quite as much anymore.

My Life So Far

Hugh Hudson

Colin Firth, Rosemary Harris

A memoir of the lives of a family growing up on a post World War I British estate headed up by a strong disciplinarian, her daughter, her inventor husband, their ten year old son and his older sister. Through the household comes a number of suitors hoping to impress the young woman, including an aviator. When the elder woman's son shows up at the estate with his French fiancé, everything gets thrown into turmoil. The young boy takes a sudden interest in her sexual allure and his father is disturbed by his own non-Victorian feelings.

Design for Today

Hugh Hudson

A musical celebration of British innovations within a typical home. Part of BFI collection "Design for Today."

Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes

Hugh Hudson

Ralph Richardson, Ian Holm

A shipping disaster in the 19th Century has stranded a man and woman in the wilds of Africa. The lady is pregnant, and gives birth to a son in their tree house. Soon after, a family of apes stumble across the house and in the ensuing panic, both parents are killed. A female ape takes the tiny boy as a replacement for her own dead infant, and raises him as her son. Twenty years later, Captain Phillippe D'Arnot discovers the man who thinks he is an ape. Evidence in the tree house leads him to believe that he is the direct descendant of the Earl of Greystoke, and thus takes it upon himself to return the man to civilization.

Finding Altamira

Hugh Hudson

Antonio Banderas, Golshifteh Farahani

The story of nine-year old Maria and her father Marcelino who, in 1879, found the first pre-historic cave paintings at the now world famous Altamira cave.