(52 X 26 minute episodes)
THE SERIES
Human beings throughout the Twentieth Century have experienced the most amazing Action Adventures . On the one hand they have attempted certain exploits with mixed results, on the other epic events have proved beyond their control. In both cases, humanity has had to summon up enormous resources of ingenuity and fortitude to control circumstances, events and the environment. In some cases people have found themselves struggling against their own kind and in other cases against the elements which have resulted in an interaction which has produced Great Adventures. Whether discovering hitherto unknown tombs of kings or fighting globally for a ideal or just simply surviving - here in this series you will find the stories on which every action adventure film ever made was based - the only exception is that these stories were filmed at the time and are true.
Since the dawn of the age of moving film it has been possible to capture some of humanity’s greatest achievements. This series is concerned with those adventures where footage exists of the successes, the strivings and in some cases the failures of people against the elements or overwhelming odds. It covers the way in which the two greatest oceans were conquered by air transportation. How the secrets of antiquity were unlocked - sometimes with deadly results. How expeditions have reached the extremities of the Earth in polar exploration and the mountains. How man has grappled with the elements of ocean, fire and flood - and in the ultimate adventure - the frontiers of space.
During the brief time on this planet which has been possible to film, humanity has found itself locked several times in global conflict. This has produced heroes of the hour whose adventures stand as definitive factual stories seldom matched in the annals of fiction.
The adventures of Lawrence of Arabia; the sinking of the Bismarck; JFK and the Motor Torpedo Boats; the quest for speed in the air, on land and on water; the race to the sound barrier; the race to the moon; the race to defeat enemy superweapons and the race to escape certain death - all these have produced cliff-hanging escapades worthy of any Hollywood film.
These true stories of spies, daring escapes and special missions are sheer adventure through and through. They show the dignity of the human spirit and its determination sometimes in the face of evil and darkness. The planet has yielded many adventures in the Twentieth Century and this series with its access to over 250,000 hours of the world’s greatest archive film gives the viewer the inside track on what it must have been like to be there. It is the greatest series on Twentieth Century adventures - ever produced.
FOR WORLDWIDE TV RIGHTS
PLEASE CONTACT:
BBC WORLDWIDE
WOODLANDS
80 WOOD LANE
LONDON
W12 0TT
TEL: 020 8433 2261
FAX: 020 8433 3944
FOR WORLDWIDE VIDEO AND ALL PUBLISHING RIGHTS
PLEASE CONTACT:
STUART SNAITH
MANAGING DIRECTOR
2 ENTERTAIN
33 FOLEY STREET
LONDON
W1W 7TL
TEL: 44 (0) 20 7612 3100
FAX: 44 (0) 20 7612 3053
E-MAIL: stuart.snaith@2entertain.co.uk
FOR USA DVDs
PLEASE CONTACT
KATE WINN
DIRECTOR OF MARKETING HOME VIDEO
NEW VIDEO GROUP
A&E TELEVSION NETWORKS
216 EAST 45TH STREET
NEW YORK
NY - 10017
USA
TEL: 001 203 353 7204
FAX: 001 212 907 9418
E-MAIL: kate.winn@aetn.com
UK DVDs AVAILABLE FROM:
Please note that in the UK 'True Action Adventures' on DVD is known as 'REAL LIFE HEROES'.
PLEASE CONTACT
WAYNE ALLEN
ODEON ENTERTAINMENT LTD.
SUITE 7
71 NARROW LANE
LEICESTER
LE2 8NA
TEL: 0870 242 5703
FAX: 0116 283 5454
E-MAIL: wayne@odeonent.co.uk
THE STORIES
(each programme = 26 minutes)
Programme 1
Wings Across An Ocean - Conquest of the Atlantic By Air
How the Atlantic was conquered by air ranging from the pioneering epic of Lt Cdr Read USN in his Curtis flying boat and Alcock and Brown in their converted Vickers Vimy bomber in 1919, to Charles Lindbergh’s epic solo crossing of 1927 and the record speed flights, including Concorde.
For video availability click here.
Programme 2
Wheels of Adventure - The World’s Longest Motor Journeys
Long distance car rallies, including the London-Sydney and the Pan African rallies, and attempts to drive round the world (by Kegresse half-tracks in the 1920s) and the length of the Americas. Epic footage of speed and endurance.
For video availability click here.
Programme 3
Captain Courageous - The Story of Captain Carlsen and the Flying Enterprise
Kurt Carlsen’s epic solo struggle to save his 6,700 ton vessel, her holds waterlogged, from the ravages of an Atlantic hurricane during Christmas 1951. Spectacular film taken at the time shows the immense bravery of this famous Captain in his efforts to stay with his ship.
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Programme 4
Who Dares Wins - The Story of the Special Air Service
A young Commando officer conceived the idea in Egypt in 1941. Since then the SAS has grown to become the world’s most feared and prestigious Special Forces unit.
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Programme 5
Descent From The Skies - The Story of the Parachute
From its original development and use during the Great War, through the beginning of sport parachuting between the wars and its use in World War II (including airborne forces) to the skydivers of today. Includes footage of early unsuccessful attempts.
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Programme 6
No Surrender! - Japanese Soldiers Who Refused to Believe World War II was Over
A number of Japanese soldiers in the Pacific did not heed the news in August 1945 that their country had surrendered. They continued to wage guerrilla war both in the belief that their country was fighting on and for their own survival. One on the island of Guam in the Marianas did not surrender until 1960 and the last, Hiru Onada, endured a further ten years before giving himself up to the Philippine authorities.
For video availability click here.
Programme 7
Lawrence of Arabia - How He Helped the Arabs to Liberate Their Lands from the Turks
The story of T E Lawrence’s exploits with the Arabs during the Great War. Hitherto unseen clips of Lawrence riding in the desert with King Faisal and the victorious arrival into Damascus.
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Programme 8
Fjord Watchers - Norway’s World War II Radio Spies
A group of Norwegians, separate from Milorg, the main Resistance movement, sent back intelligence of German activities in their country by radio direct to the British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS). Among their coups was tracking down the German battleship Tirpitz. They were often infiltrated back into their country by the Shetland Bus, a group of Norwegian fishing smacks based in the Shetland Islands.
For video availability click here.
Programme 9
They Landed By Moonlight - The Dropping of Agents into Occupied Europe during World War II
Set against the backcloth of the Special Operations Executive and its US equivalent, the Office of Strategic Services, the use of light aircraft, parachutes, motor torpedo boats, and submarines to insert agents. The programme illustrates examples of particular agents such as Odette, Yeo-Thomas (The White Rabbit), and Violet Szabo.
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Programme 10
Fastest on Land - The Story of the Land Speed Record
The men that have striven for it and the cars they drove. Craig Breedlove and the plane without wings and Malcolm Campbell’s historic ‘Bluebird’. Breathtaking shots of success and disaster in the Nevada Desert.
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Programme 11
Wings Over The Orient - The Story of Imperial Airways
How the air routes were trailblazed to the east and the Pacific during the 1920s and 1930s. The fascinating story of how the East and Australia became just an air-journey from Europe.
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Programme 12
Barnstormers And Stuntmen - A History of Aerobatics
Fighter pilots developed the art during the Great War, but it soon became a source of wonderment for the peoples of the world. Startling footage never seen previously of early flying stunts.
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Programme 13
Against The Odds - Great Air Escapes
Some of the remarkable escapes which people have had from air disasters including the tail gunner who fell 12,000 feet without a parachute and survived.
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Programme 14
France’s Yankee Fliers - The Story of the Escadrille Lafayette
Well before their country entered the Great War a number of adventurous Americans volunteered to fight for the British and French. Among them were a number of pilots, and in early 1916 they were formed into a special French fighter squadron, which fought with great distinction on the Western Front. Amazing aerial footage shows WW1 dog-fights as they really were.
For video availability click here.
Programme 15
Kennedy’s Torpedo Boat Drama - How a Future US President Faced Death in the War in the Pacific
Set against the backcloth of motor torpedo boats attracting adventurous spirits in both world wars, this is the story of the future US President and his struggle to survive after the sinking of his PT-109 off New Georgia in the Solomons in July 1943.
For video availability click here.
Programme 16
Amazon Adventures - Exploring the World’s Longest River
In the tradition of ‘Indiana Jones’ the true story of Man’s efforts to reach the source of the world’s mightiest river including the mystery of the disappearance of Colonel Fawcett in 1923.
For video availability click here.
Programme 17
Over The Wall - Berlin Escapes 1961-89
The many and sometimes successful attempts to escape under the watchful eyes of the East German border guards.Set against the background of the history of the Wall.
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Programme 18
Spies In The Sky - The Story of Aerial Photographic Reconnaissance
The fascinating story with newly released footage on how flying high and fast, and often unarmed, aircraft brought back valuable intelligence on the enemy in both war and peace. Sometimes they did not return.
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Programme 19
Save Our Souls! - Dramatic Sea Rescues
Some of the Twentieth Century’s most famous examples, with emphasis on how the rescue services have operated in the most appalling conditions.
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Programme 20
Towering Infernos - Exploits of Firefighters
Some of the world’s most dramatic fires and how they have been fought, with live action footage of daring rescues and escapes.
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Programme 21
Conquering The North Pole - Arctic Exploration
The challenge of the North Pole from Americans Dr Cook and Cdr Peary’s claims to have reached it in 1908 and 1909. It includes all the extraordinary methods used to reach the North Pole - dog, skis, icebreaker, and nuclear submarine.
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Programme 22
The Dambusters - Guy Gibson and the Dams Raid
The story of the low-level raid with bouncing bombs by 617 Squadron in May 1943, with the emphasis on Gibson himself, the technical ingenuity involved, and the cold-blooded courage of the crews. The true story behind the man, the inventor and the famous film.
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Programme 23
Did They Exist? - The Quest for the Lost Cities of Antiquity
Lost cities in Asia, Africa, and South America, including Hiram Bingham’s discovery of the lost Inca city of Machu Picchu in 1911 and Sir Leonard Woolley’s excavation of Abraham’s birthplace, Ur of the Chaldees, in the mid 1920s.
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Programme 24
Battle Of The Beams - Airborne Electronic Warfare in World War II
A downed German Bomber in 1940 contained a curious electronic ‘blackbox’. Thereafter the skies above Europe witnessed an ever more intense technological battle as the bombers of each side sought more accurate methods of bombing targets and protecting themselves from nightfighter attack. A fascinating insight into the ‘Secret War’ of electronic code breaking and counter intelligence.
For video availability click here.
Programme 25
Lighter Than Air - Airships, Balloons and Zeppelins
Man first flew in a balloon in the late 18th Century, but the internal combustion engine enabled him to build airships which could effectively combat the natural elements, especially wind. How balloons and airships were used in peace and war, until disasters in the 1930s meant that they were superseded by heavier-than-air machines as the means of air transport. Some amazing footage of daring escapes including personal interviews.
For video availability click here.
Programme 26
Man Against A Mountain - The Story of the Conquest of Everest
The pre-war attempts, the first successful assault in 1953 and subsequent expeditions, including the attempts to climb it without oxygen - including rare aerial shots of the summit.
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Programme 27
The Elusive Treasure - The Quest for Tutankhamun Tomb
Undeterred by an ancient Egyptian curse and the Great War, Howard Carter spent twenty years tracking down the tomb and unearthing the breathtaking treasures contained in it. New footage of the discovery and some of the curious events which followed.
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Programme 28
Expedition South Pole - The Story of Antarctic Exploration
From Scott’s and Amundsen’s dramatic race to the South Pole through Shackleton, Fuchs, and Fiennes, and with the emphasis on the lure of this desolate sub-continent and its spectacular scenery. Features some very rare early footage.
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Programme 29
Race To The Moon - Fulfilling Man’s Ultimate Dream
The story of the US/Soviet space race, beginning with German rocket development before and during World War II. It covers the tragedies, such as the 1967 Apollo oxygen fire, the moon-shot which nearly never returned and the Soyuz disasters.
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Programme 30
Knights Of The Sky - The Story of the Fighter Pilot
What makes a fighter ace, from the fighting scouts of the Great War to the hi-tech Top Guns of today. Amazing footage, some of which is shown for the first time.
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Programme 31
The Race to Break the Sound Barrier - Airspeed Record Breaking
The story of airspeed record breaking with emphasis on the Schneider Trophy and culminating in the sound barrier being first broken by a US Bell X-I rocket aircraft in 1947. Set against the background of the belief that an aircraft might well break up if it did fly at more than Mach 1. The true story of ‘The Right Stuff’.
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Programme 32
Fastest On Water - The Triumphs and the Tragedies
The story of man’s efforts to go ever faster, including the tragedies such as Donald Campbell’s death on Coniston Water in 1967 and Sir Henry Seagrave’s spectacular crash in the 1930s.
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Programme 33
Just Sea And Sky - Sailing Alone Round the World
Sailing alone around the world from Joshua Slocum in the 1890s to the present day - including the first lone sailor to round Cape Horn! Footage includes waves over sixty feet high.
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Programme 34
Colditz - The ‘Escape Proof’ POW Camp
How the Germans set up this castle camp for persistent escapers and the ingenious lengths the POWs went to in order to break out of it. Tunnels, impersonations and even a two man glider built in the roof! Prisoners included Dutchmen, Frenchmen, Poles, Belgians, Americans, and British Officers.
For video availability click here.
Programme 35
From Out of the Sea - Commandos and US Rangers in WWII
The true story of the seaborne assault troops of World War II. How these and other elite Special Forces were formed and raised and the dramatic raiding operations which they carried out.
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Programme 36
The Doolittle Raid - The Story of the 1942 Raid on Japan
How, in April 1942, at the peak of the Japanese conquest of SE Asia and the Pacific, sixteen US B-25 bombers under Colonel James H Doolittle took off from the carrier Hornet to attack targets in Japan before flying on to China. Not for almost two more years would the Americans again bomb the Japanese mainland.
For video availability click here.
Programme 37
Ploesti: Attacking German Oil - The US Bombing Attacks on Ploesti
The Ploesti oil fields in Romania were vital to the German war effort, and the US bombers suffered heavily in their attempts to destroy them. A unique raid with amazing footage taken from the actual aircraft.
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Programme 38
The Wooden Wonder - The Mosquito Story
The story of this great aircraft and the crews that flew it, with emphasis on the low-level pinpoint raids on such targets as Amiens gaol and the Gestapo HQ in Copenhagen.
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Programme 39
To Fly Like A Bird - Man's Attempts to Fly under his Own Power
The often bizarre attempts from the beginning of the century onwards. There is a high degree of humour in this programme, as well as pathos.
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Programme 40
Wolves In Sheep’s Clothing - Q-Ships and Commerce Raiders
During the Great War, the British used armed ships disguised as merchant vessels to help overcome the scourge of the U-boat. In World War II, the Germans employed similar vessels to prey upon Allied merchant shipping. Dramatic footage of Q-ships in action.
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Programme 41
The Greatest U-Boat Ace - The Story of von Arnaud de la Periere
Newly discovered film shows how during 1914-1918 this German submarine captain sank no less than 194 Allied ships, a world record that stands to this day.
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Programme 42
The Dogs Of War - Modern Mercenaries
Mercenaries have been involved in many recent conflicts especially in Africa. Who are they and what has motivated them? Including the mysterious story of the French Foreign Legion.
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Programme 43
Hunting The Bismarck! - One of World War II’s Most Dramatic Naval Operations
She was one of Hitler’s most powerful warships and left a swathe of destruction in her wake before finally being brought to bay. A very exciting naval chase in the cold waters of the North Atlantic.
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Programme 44
The Greatest Rescue - The Evacuation from Dunkirk 1940
The story of the Miracle of Dunkirk, especially the part played by the Little Ships. Why did Hitler pause when the British Expeditionary Force was at his mercy?
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Programme 45
Jungle Warriors - The Chindits and Marauders
How Orde Wingate conceived and organised a force which twice penetrated deep behind the Japanese lines in Burma during World War II. Hopelessly outnumbered, it tied down thousands of crack Japanese troops. His example was followed by a crack US force - Merrill's marauders.
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Programme 46
Wings Across The Pacific - How Aircraft Conquered the World’s Largest Ocean
The story of the intrepid pilots who pioneered today’s air routes and some of the bizarre aircraft and adventures which contributed to this fascinating story.
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Programme 47
They Fought From Within - World War II Resistance Movements in German Occupied Europe 1939-45
How the various Resistance groups functioned and operated - very often pursued by the dreaded Gestapo.
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Programme 48
Kon-Tiki Adventurer - By Raft Across the Pacific
How Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl crossed from Peru to Tahiti by balsawood raft in 1947 to prove that ancient South American peoples could have voyaged to Polynesia.
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Programme 49
Challenging The Oceans - Bizarre Boat Voyages
Conventional methods of navigating the seas do not satisfy more adventurous spirits: both the Atlantic and Pacific have been conquered by rowing boat. Others have tried even stranger methods.
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Programme 50
The Great Races: Motor Racing’s Classic Years 1900 - 41
Fangio, Nuvolari, Larini, Ferrari, the names sound fast - but they raced in an era when safety was not the prime consideration. Fast action, amazing scenes of neck and neck racing, crashes and survival in the Twentieth Century equivalent of the Roman Arena feature in this breathtaking programme.
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Programme 51
‘They Must be Mad’ - Dangerous Sports
From mass free fall parachuting to skiing down Everest; from dune buggy racing to going over Niagara in a barrel; a light-hearted look at some of the many ways in which sporting adventurers have diced with death.
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Programme 52
The Springing of El Duce - Mussolini’s Rescue 1943
The extraordinary story of how the deposed Italian dictator was rescued from his mountain prison. The entire operation by Otto Skorzeny and an elite force of German parachutes was filmed and this forms the core of the programme.
For video availability click here.
FOR WORLDWIDE TV RIGHTS
PLEASE CONTACT:
BBC WORLDWIDE
WOODLANDS
80 WOOD LANE
LONDON
W12 0TT
TEL: 020 8433 2261
FAX: 020 8433 3944
FOR WORLDWIDE VIDEO AND ALL PUBLISHING RIGHTS
PLEASE CONTACT:
STUART SNAITH
MANAGING DIRECTOR
2 ENTERTAIN
33 FOLEY STREET
LONDON
W1W 7TL
TEL: 44 (0) 20 7612 3100
FAX: 44 (0) 20 7612 3053
E-MAIL: stuart.snaith@2entertain.co.uk
FOR USA DVDs
PLEASE CONTACT
KATE WINN
DIRECTOR OF MARKETING HOME VIDEO
NEW VIDEO GROUP
A&E TELEVSION NETWORKS
216 EAST 45TH STREET
NEW YORK
NY - 10017
USA
TEL: 001 203 353 7204
FAX: 001 212 907 9418
E-MAIL: kate.winn@aetn.com
UK DVDs AVAILABLE FROM:
Please note that in the UK 'True Action Adventures' on DVD is known as 'REAL LIFE HEROES'.
PLEASE CONTACT
WAYNE ALLEN
ODEON ENTERTAINMENT LTD.
SUITE 7
71 NARROW LANE
LEICESTER
LE2 8NA
TEL: 0870 242 5703
FAX: 0116 283 5454
E-MAIL: wayne@odeonent.co.uk