Asian History

Non-theatrical movie distributor, online CE/CME education distributor and public performance licensing agent in venues where feature movies are shown. Provides 1 or 3 year streaming licenses for films. Iwasaki Library's Swank collection is built from faculty requests. Swank will not work in the Safari browser.

Here is an exceptionally well-presented series that shows the origins of modern Japan and Japanese attitudes in the nation’s 2,000-year history. Strikingly beautiful photography and well-researched and thoughtful commentary combine to provide an understanding of such disparate concepts as the Japanese invocation of supernatural spirits to bless business ventures, their disdain for and distrust of foreigners while they adapt foreign advancements, and Japanese concepts of nature, honor, loyalty, beauty, solidarity, and violence. In short, the programs manage to articulate the essence of Japan and of being Japanese. 5-part series, 48-53 minutes each.

When the Chinese government completes the 1.2-mile Three Gorges Dam, its 370-mile reservoir is expected to partially or completely blot out 2 cities, 11 counties, 140 towns, 326 townships, and 1,351 villages. This program, filmed during the initial phase of the project, documents the lives of the people who will be uprooted—and some of the finest scenery in China, which will be lost—when the dam is completed. Supporters say the benefits of the project far outweigh the costs, but the 1.1 million people who face resettlement disagree. An RTVE Production. (84 minutes)

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill called the ignominious fall of Singapore to the Japanese in early 1942 the "worst disaster" and "largest capitulation" in British history. In just seven days the "Impregnable Fortress" had fallen. This classic program incorporates authentic WWII archival film footage and accounts from soldiers on both sides of the battleline on Singapore.

Provides an overview of Vietnam's early history, French colonization, the Indochina War, and the start of the Vietnam War. During French occupation, Ho Chi Minh started the Viet Minh Independence Movement that grew into an army during WWII. As nationalism evolved into communism, the U.S. feared a Soviet backed takeover of Southeast Asia-known as the Domino Theory-and supported the French against Ho Chi Minh's National Liberation Front during the Indochina War. After Vietnam was partitioned in 1954, they continued to support South Vietnam and the Diem Regime. After JFK's assassination and the Gulf of Tonkin incident, Johnson increased combat troops and ordered Operation Rolling Thunder, drawing America into bloody conflict.