- Description:
- DVD - Region 1. viewing copy. 2 videodiscs of 2.
- Notes:
- A series of documentary shorts collected and broadcast on French television as a program directed by Serge Viallet. Each episode contains works focusing on various important historical events captured on film .the film's and pictures of one event are carefully analyzed. Accompanied by historical, technical and social background information.
From ARTE: What do the archival images tell us? What are their origins, their hidden meaning? The documentary collection Mysteries of Archives, directed by Serge Viallet, returns to Arte to satisfy our curiosity. Ten unpublished surveys reveal the secrets of audiovisual archives. “Images tell stories, we tell the story of images. »Viallet examines films that are often forgotten or ignored, shot during important historical events: the training of resistance fighters in the Vercors maquis, Gandhi's funeral, the filming of Chaplin's Dictator ... , zooms in on details, explains the meaning of such and such an object, draws the eye to what to see behind the mask. By highlighting the deceptions, staging and editing, these documentaries are also an opportunity to review technical means and their evolution.
Dates are based on when each episode was aired to the public.
Titles
+ 1916: Pancho Villa Mort Ou Vif
- Alternate Title:
- Pancho Villa: Dead or a Alive
- Director:
- Viallet, Serge
- Production Co:
- ARTE; Ina France; RSI-Radiotelevisione Svizzera
- Running Time:
- Short. 27 minutes
- Sound:
- sound - stereo 2.0
- Color:
- b/w
- Country:
- France, Germany
- Year:
- 2015
- Language:
- French, English, and German languages with optional English, French, or German subtitles
- Genre:
- Documentary, Newsreel, Television Production
- Notes:
- How did Pancho Villa, first celebrated by the media and supported by Washington, become public enemy number 1? To understand these events and the show of force of American power, this documentary decrypts rare archive images of the Mexican revolutionary leader, before and after the attack on Columbus in March 1916.
+ 1939: Dernières Images Du Bagne De Guyane
- Alternate Title:
- The Last Pictures of Cayenne Penal Colony
- Director:
- Viallet, Serge
- Production Co:
- ARTE; Ina France; RSI-Radiotelevisione Svizzera
- Running Time:
- Short. 27 minutes
- Sound:
- sound - stereo 2.0
- Color:
- color and b/w
- Country:
- France, Germany
- Year:
- 2015
- Language:
- French, English, and German languages with optional English, French, or German subtitles
- Genre:
- Documentary
- Notes:
- In March 1939, a year after the abolition of the "transportation penalty", two reporters spent two months in Guyana to film the daily life of prisoners in several penitentiaries. What prompted the French authorities to authorize the filming of this documentary entitled "Land of Expiation"?
+ 1940: Charlie Chaplin Tourne ‘Le Dictateur’
- Alternate Title:
- Charlie Chaplin Films “The Great Dictator”
- Director:
- Viallet, Serge
- Production Co:
- ARTE; Ina France; RSI-Radiotelevisione Svizzera
- Running Time:
- Short. 27 minutes
- Sound:
- sound - stereo 2.0
- Color:
- color and b/w
- Country:
- France, Germany
- Year:
- 2015
- Language:
- French, English, and German languages with optional English, French, or German subtitles
- Genre:
- Documentary
- Notes:
- 1939: a few days after the start of the war in Europe, Charlie Chaplin starts shooting his film The Dictator in Hollywood. He wants to denounce the dangers of Nazism and the persecution of Jews since Hitler came to power. Thanks to the color images filmed by his brother Sydney during the shooting, we can discover the filmmaker's working methods.
+ 1940: Eva Braun Filme Hitler
- Alternate Title:
- Eva Braun Films Hitler
- Director:
- Viallet, Serge
- Production Co:
- ARTE; Ina France; RSI-Radiotelevisione Svizzera
- Running Time:
- Short. 27 minutes
- Sound:
- sound - stereo 2.0
- Color:
- color
- Country:
- France, Germany
- Year:
- 2015
- Language:
- French, English, and German languages with optional English, French, or German subtitles
- Genre:
- Documentary
- Notes:
- Between 1939 and 1945, Eva Braun, an amateur photographer, shot many films with a camera donated by the Führer. With it, Hitler's young mistress films their stays in the Berghof in color. What do these images reveal about Hitler and his relationships with those close to him? Is Eva Braun really free to film what she wants?
+ 1941: Attaque de Pearl Harbor, L’
- Alternate Title:
- The Attack on Pearl Harbor
- Director:
- Viallet, Serge
- Production Co:
- ARTE; Ina France; RSI-Radiotelevisione Svizzera
- Running Time:
- Short. 27 minutes
- Sound:
- sound - stereo 2.0
- Color:
- color and b/w
- Country:
- France, Germany
- Year:
- 2015
- Language:
- French, English, and German languages with optional English, French, or German subtitles
- Genre:
- Documentary
- Notes:
- December 7, 1941: Japan declares war on the United States by attacking Pearl Harbor. A cameraman manages to take spectacular images, censored for a year. Meanwhile, other images are shot in Hawaii at the request of the military authorities, with a team from Hollywood, led by Commander John Ford, the famous filmmaker.
+ 1944: Dans Le Maquis Du Vercors
- Alternate Title:
- The French Resistance in Vercors
- Director:
- Viallet, Serge
- Production Co:
- ARTE; Ina France; RSI-Radiotelevisione Svizzera
- Running Time:
- Short. 27 minutes
- Sound:
- sound - stereo 2.0
- Color:
- b/w
- Country:
- France, Germany
- Year:
- 2015
- Language:
- French, English, and German languages with optional English, French, or German subtitles
- Genre:
- Documentary
- Notes:
- Filmed in June and July 1944, lost until 2013, these images of the Vercors maquis are an exceptional testimony. Produced at the initiative of the Committee for the Liberation of French Cinema, they were then redacted from any reference to the Communist Resistance and used in film news under Gaullist control.
+ 1948: Funérailles De Gandhi, Les
- Alternate Title:
- Ghandi’s Funeral
- Director:
- Viallet, Serge
- Production Co:
- ARTE; Ina France; RSI-Radiotelevisione Svizzera
- Running Time:
- Short. 27 minutes
- Sound:
- sound - stereo 2.0
- Color:
- color and b/w
- Country:
- France, Germany
- Year:
- 2015
- Language:
- French, English, and German languages with optional English, French, or German subtitles
- Genre:
- Documentary
- Notes:
- New Delhi, January 30, 1948, Mahatma Gandhi, apostle of non-violence, is assassinated by a Hindu extremist. The funeral of the "father of the Indian nation" took place the next day. This "Archives Mysteries" carefully analyzes the images shot at the time, including those in color by an American photographer, Constantin Joffe.
+ 1960: Fidel Castro Aux Nations Unies
- Alternate Title:
- Fidel Castro at the United Nations
- Director:
- Viallet, Serge
- Production Co:
- ARTE; Ina France; RSI-Radiotelevisione Svizzera
- Running Time:
- Short. 27 minutes
- Sound:
- sound - stereo 2.0
- Color:
- b/w
- Country:
- France, Germany
- Year:
- 2015
- Language:
- French, English, and German languages with optional English, French, or German subtitles
- Genre:
- Documentary
- Notes:
- New York, 1960: Castro attends the United Nations General Assembly, where he delivers a memorable speech. The Cuban revolutionary government is approaching the Soviet Union and is not welcome in the United States. In this context of the Cold War, why did Castro want to attract the attention of the press?
+ 1967: Catastrophe Du Torrey Canyon, La
- Alternate Title:
- The Torrey Canyon Disaster
- Director:
- Viallet, Serge
- Production Co:
- ARTE; Ina France; RSI-Radiotelevisione Svizzera
- Running Time:
- Short. 27 minutes
- Sound:
- sound - stereo 2.0
- Color:
- color and b/w
- Country:
- France, Germany
- Year:
- 2015
- Language:
- French, English, and German languages with optional English, French, or German subtitles
- Genre:
- Documentary
- Notes:
- The "Torrey Canyon" is one of the largest tankers ever built, almost as long as the Eiffel Tower is tall. On March 18, 1967, it struck rocks off the British coast of Cornwall. This shipwreck causes an ecological disaster: for the first time, the expression "oil slick" is used by the press.
+ 1972: Richard Nixon En Chine
- Alternate Title:
- Richard Nixon in China
- Director:
- Viallet, Serge
- Production Co:
- ARTE; Ina France; RSI-Radiotelevisione Svizzera
- Running Time:
- Short. 27 minutes
- Sound:
- sound - stereo 2.0
- Color:
- color and b/w
- Country:
- France, Germany
- Year:
- 2015
- Language:
- French, English, and German languages with optional English, French, or German subtitles
- Genre:
- Documentary
- Notes:
- Richard Nixon's official trip to Beijing in February 1972 was a historic turning point, a symbol of the resumption of relations between the United States and Communist China after 20 years of rupture. The meeting between Nixon and Mao, sick, is only filmed by the Chinese press, which changes the images to show the Chinese president at his best.
+ Départ de troupes pour le Mexique
- Alternate Title:
- U.S. Troups Depart for Mexico
- Director:
- Viallet, Serge
- Production Co:
- ARTE; Ina France; RSI-Radiotelevisione Svizzera
- Running Time:
- Short. 3 minutes
- Sound:
- sound - stereo 2.0
- Color:
- b/w
- Country:
- France, Germany
- Year:
- 2015
- Language:
- French, English, and German languages with optional English, French, or German subtitles
- Genre:
- Documentary
- Notes:
- Footage of troops leaving for Mexico.
+ Trois autres situations fillmées par Raymond Mejat
- Alternate Title:
- Three other situations filmed by Raymond Mejat
- Director:
- Viallet, Serge; Mejat, Raymond
- Production Co:
- ARTE; Ina France; RSI-Radiotelevisione Svizzera
- Running Time:
- Short. 2 minutes
- Sound:
- sound - stereo 2.0
- Color:
- b/w
- Country:
- France, Germany
- Year:
- 2015
- Language:
- French, English, and German languages with optional English, French, or German subtitles
- Genre:
- Documentary, `
- Notes:
- Scenes in Cayenne and other countries filmed by Raymond Mejat.
+ Des photographies de Charlie Chaplin
- Alternate Title:
- Charlie Chaplin’s photographs
- Director:
- Viallet, Serge
- Production Co:
- ARTE; Ina France; RSI-Radiotelevisione Svizzera
- Running Time:
- Short. 4 minutes
- Sound:
- sound - stereo 2.0
- Color:
- b/w
- Country:
- France, Germany
- Year:
- 2015
- Language:
- French, English, and German languages with optional English, French, or German subtitles
- Genre:
- Documentary
- Notes:
- A compilation of Charlie Chaplin’s photographs, found in the Library of Congress and National Archive in Washington. Each photograph is dated and described.
+ Reportage des Actualités Françaises, Un
- Alternate Title:
- “Les Actualities Francaises” News Report
- Director:
- Viallet, Serge
- Production Co:
- ARTE; Ina France; RSI-Radiotelevisione Svizzera
- Running Time:
- Short. 2 minutes
- Sound:
- sound - stereo 2.0
- Color:
- b/w
- Country:
- France, Germany
- Year:
- 2015
- Language:
- French, English, and German languages with optional English, French, or German subtitles
- Genre:
- Documentary
- Notes:
- A news report describing how the soldiers found Hitler’s private films and what these short glimpses depict.
+ Des photographies de tournage
- Alternate Title:
- Photos of the Film Shoot
- Director:
- Viallet, Serge
- Production Co:
- ARTE; Ina France; RSI-Radiotelevisione Svizzera
- Running Time:
- Short. 1 minutes
- Sound:
- sound - stereo 2.0
- Color:
- color
- Country:
- France, Germany
- Year:
- 2015
- Language:
- French, English, and German languages with optional English, French, or German subtitles
- Genre:
- Documentary
- Notes:
- Stills accompanied by narration, describing the resources and sets used for John Ford’s filming of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
+ 4 juillet 1944 en Normandie, Le
- Alternate Title:
- Fourth of July in Normandy
- Director:
- Viallet, Serge
- Production Co:
- ARTE; Ina France; RSI-Radiotelevisione Svizzera
- Running Time:
- Short. 3 minutes
- Sound:
- sound - stereo 2.0
- Color:
- b/w
- Country:
- France, Germany
- Year:
- 2015
- Language:
- French, English, and German languages with optional English, French, or German subtitles
- Genre:
- Documentary
- Notes:
- Footage found in Washington that displays soldiers celebrating the Fourth of July in Normandy.
+ Independance d l’linde, L’
- Alternate Title:
- India’s Independence
- Director:
- Viallet, Serge
- Production Co:
- ARTE; Ina France; RSI-Radiotelevisione Svizzera
- Running Time:
- Short. 1 minutes
- Sound:
- sound - stereo 2.0
- Color:
- b/w
- Country:
- France, Germany
- Year:
- 2015
- Language:
- French, English, and German languages with optional English, French, or German subtitles
- Genre:
- Documentary
- Notes:
- A short clip describing the events of India’s independence, including parades and raising of the new flag.
+ Dans la province de Guantanamo
- Alternate Title:
- In the Province of Guantanamo
- Director:
- Viallet, Serge
- Production Co:
- ARTE; Ina France; RSI-Radiotelevisione Svizzera
- Running Time:
- Short. 2 minutes
- Sound:
- sound - stereo 2.0
- Color:
- b/w
- Country:
- France, Germany
- Year:
- 2015
- Language:
- French, English, and German languages with optional English, French, or German subtitles
- Genre:
- Documentary
- Notes:
- Shot in 1962, this footage takes a look at a U.S. Navy base in Southern Cuba. It records their day to day tasks, including what they could get at supermarkets.
+ Idée Surprenante, Une
- Alternate Title:
- A Surprising Idea
- Director:
- Viallet, Serge
- Production Co:
- ARTE; Ina France; RSI-Radiotelevisione Svizzera
- Running Time:
- Short. 2 minutes
- Sound:
- sound - stereo 2.0
- Color:
- b/w
- Country:
- France, Germany
- Year:
- 2015
- Language:
- French, English, and German languages with optional English, French, or German subtitles
- Genre:
- Documentary
- Notes:
- After the disaster at Torrey Canyon, a French industrialist makes suggestions for mitigating the oil slick with machines.
+ Bord de Air Force One, A
- Alternate Title:
- Aboard Air Force One
- Director:
- Viallet, Serge
- Production Co:
- ARTE; Ina France; RSI-Radiotelevisione Svizzera
- Running Time:
- Short. 3 minutes
- Sound:
- sound - stereo 2.0
- Color:
- color
- Country:
- France, Germany
- Year:
- 2015
- Language:
- French, English, and German languages with optional English, French, or German subtitles
- Genre:
- Documentary
- Notes:
- This footage was shot in 1972 on Richard Nixon’s way to China.