03 Nov 1945
Stairway to Light
This John Nesbitt's Passing Parade short tells the story of 18th Century French physician Dr. Philippe Pinel, who initiated enlightened, humane treatment of the mentally ill.
Strange Testament
This MGM Passing Parade series short tells the story of Julian Poydras, whose encounter with a girl at Mardi Gras had a profound effect on his later life.
Top Billed Cast
John Nesbitt Narrator (voice)
Edward Ashley Julian Poydras
Ava Gardner Waitress (uncredited)
Dorothy Morris Cissie Lerand (uncredited)
Similar movies
Stairway to Light Stairway to Light Old Man 
Old Man 10 Feb 1997
Old Man
A prisoner set on serving his time gets recruited to save a pregnant woman trapped in a tree during the Great Flood of 1927. A massive storm drives them farther from their destination and they soon must decide to go off on their own or find their way home.
American Spoken Here 
American Spoken Here 30 Nov 1940
American Spoken Here
This MGM John Nesbitt's Passing Parade series short takes a look at the origins of North American slang.
The Story of Alfred Nobel 
The Story of Alfred Nobel 18 Feb 1939
The Story of Alfred Nobel
This John Nesbitt's Passing Parade short tells the story of Alfred Nobel, who invented dynamite, and later established the Nobel Prize.
Piccolo mondo antico 
Piccolo mondo antico 10 Apr 1941
Piccolo mondo antico
Franco, a young man of noble descent, marries Luisa, daughter of a humble clerk, against his grandmother's will.
Yankee Doodle Goes to Town 
Yankee Doodle Goes to Town 17 Jun 1939
Yankee Doodle Goes to Town
Made just before America would be forced into the Second World War, this short subject is a brief dramatized history of American democracy. It targets a perceived threat to democracy from board room and soapbox fascists who advocated a government based upon contemporaneous European models.
Invictus 
Invictus 11 Dec 2009
Invictus
Newly elected President Nelson Mandela knows his nation remains racially and economically divided in the wake of apartheid. Believing he can bring his people together through the universal language of sport, Mandela rallies South Africa's rugby union team as they make their historic run to the 1995 Rugby World Cup Championship match.
The Hidden Master The Hidden Master 20 Apr 1940
The Hidden Master
Shows how important luck can be in a person's life.
Buñuel en el laberinto de las tortugas 
Buñuel en el laberinto de las tortugas 01 Jan 2015
Buñuel en el laberinto de las tortugas
Spain, 1932. Spanish filmmaker Luis Buñuel travels to the region of Las Hurdes, in Extremadura, where he shoots his third film, a very critical and later controversial documentary about the living conditions of the poor peasants, abandoned and forgotten by the national authorities.
Harakiri 
Harakiri 15 Sep 1962
Harakiri
Down-on-his-luck veteran Tsugumo Hanshirō enters the courtyard of the prosperous House of Iyi. Unemployed, and with no family, he hopes to find a place to commit seppuku—and a worthy second to deliver the coup de grâce in his suicide ritual. The senior counselor for the Iyi clan questions the ronin’s resolve and integrity, suspecting Hanshirō of seeking charity rather than an honorable end. What follows is a pair of interlocking stories which lay bare the difference between honor and respect, and promises to examine the legendary foundations of the Samurai code.
Bandit Queen 
Bandit Queen 26 Jan 1994
Bandit Queen
Born a lower-caste girl in rural India's patriarchal society, "married" at 11, repeatedly raped and brutalized, Phoolan Devi finds freedom only as an avenging warrior, the eponymous Bandit Queen. Devi becomes a kind a bloody Robin Hood; this extraordinary biographical film offers both a vivid portrait of a driven woman and a savage critique of the society that made her.
Magic on a Stick 
Magic on a Stick 19 Jan 1946
Magic on a Stick
This MGM Passing Parade series short recounts how English chemist John Walker invented the wooden friction match during the 1820s.
We Do It Because We Do It Because 24 Jan 1942
We Do It Because
This John Nesbitt's Passing Parade short explores the origins of various customs such as shaking hands, kissing, and why ships are christened.
Belizaire the Cajun 
Belizaire the Cajun 13 Jun 1986
Belizaire the Cajun
In 19th-century Louisiana's Cajun country, Belizaire is the informal spokesman for his citizens, who don't see eye to eye with local racists who wish to eradicate all Cajuns. Complicating matters is that Belizaire's former flame is now married to his biggest rival, an affluent landowner's son. Before he knows it, Belizaire is caught up in a web of murder, lies, and prejudice.
Love & Mercy 
Love & Mercy 29 May 2015
Love & Mercy
In the late 1960s, the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson stops touring, produces "Pet Sounds" and begins to lose his grip on reality. By the 1980s, under the sway of a controlling therapist, he finds a savior in Melinda Ledbetter.
Pier Paolo Pasolini: An Italian Journey 
Pier Paolo Pasolini: An Italian Journey 21 Oct 2018
Pier Paolo Pasolini: An Italian Journey
In the summer of 1959, as a magazine correspondent, writer and filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini (1922-75) traveled along the Italian coast. In 1963, he documented the sexual behavior of the Italians. In the winter of 1970-71, he witnessed the hardships of the most impoverished Italian population suffering from the boot of state power. After these three trips, he came to the conclusion that Italian society had changed drastically for the worse over the years.
Lady Oscar 
Lady Oscar 03 Mar 1979
Lady Oscar
Oscar François de Jarjayes was born female, but her father insisted she be raised as a boy as he had no sons. She becomes the captain of the guards at Versailles under King Louis XVI and Marie Antonette. Her privileged, noble life comes under fire as she discovers the hard life of the poor people of France. She is caught up in the French Revolution, and must choose between her loyalty and love.
The Face Behind the Mask 
The Face Behind the Mask 19 Mar 1938
The Face Behind the Mask
This dramatized short film describes the historical mystery of France's "man in the iron mask". King Louis XIV imprisoned a man who was never identified, but who was forced to wear an iron mask for the length of his captivity, which ended only in his death. Several candidates for the identity of the man are investigated.
Jimmy's Hall 
Jimmy's Hall 30 May 2014
Jimmy's Hall
Jimmy Gralton returns from New York and reopens his beloved community hall, only to meet opposition from the local parish.
Blackboards 
Blackboards 01 Sep 2000
Blackboards
Itinerant Kurdish teachers, carrying blackboards on their backs, look for students in the hills and villages of Iran, near the Iraqi border during the Iran-Iraq war. Said falls in with a group of old men looking for their bombed-out village; he offers to guide them, and takes as his wife Halaleh, the clan's lone woman, a widow with a young son. Reeboir attaches himself to a dozen pre-teen boys weighed down by contraband they carry across the border; they're mules, always on the move. Said and Reeboir try to teach as their potential students keep walking. Danger is close; armed soldiers patrol the skies, the roads, and the border. Is there a role for a teacher? Is there hope?