These videos are from a private collection. Members of RTL are welcomed to view the videos for research purposes, with copies being made only of those programs that can not be replaced, such as those that are out of print, etc.

Teachers who have engaged RTL to do a presentation for a class are free to borrow video materials for their own review or for class use. A refundable deposit for all DVDs is required, the deposit being equivalent to the replacement value should the DVD be damaged or lost.

The lists below are divided into three categories, although there is some overlap between the first two:

Archaeology covers scientific research to uncover the facts of an event. Most of these will cover the most ancient stories, but in some programs will cover more recent events.

Documentaries are narrated accounts, some using re-enactments, others using scientific presentation to describe the past.

Dramas are fictionalized accounts of historical events/people and vary widely in their accuracy. There are many great "costumed dramas" that are not included in this list. The choice of inclusion had to be based on real people in real situations.

• Troy: Unearthing the Legend (2004) -- 219 mns -- DVD
  
  
• Troy: In Search of the Trojan War (1985) -- 345 mns -- DVD
  Michael Wood takes a long detailed look at every aspect of Troy, from the discoveries of Heinrich Schleimann to Homer, the bardic singer of tales.
  
  
• Troy: Myth or Reality (2004) -- 50 mns -- DVD
  
  
• Troy: National Geographic -- Beyond the Movie (2004) -- 60 mns -- DVD
  
  
• Troy: The True Story of Love, Power & the Pursuit of Glory (2004) -- 86 mns -- DVD
  
  
• Ancient Mysteries: Atlantis (ND) -- 45 mns -- VHS
  
  
• Real Scorpion King, The (2002) -- 90 mns VHS
  
  
• Who Built the Sphinx? (1994) -- 21 mns -- VHS
  
  
• Great Egyptians: Ramses, Snefru, Ramses, Tutankamun (1997) -- 135 mns -- VHS
  Hosted by Bob Brier.
  
  
• Mummies, the Egyptian Crypts (1996) -- 90 mns -- VHS
  
  
• Egypt Beyond the Pyramids (2000) -- 180 mns -DVD
  
  
• Valley of Kings (1994) -- 60 mns -- VHS
  
  
• Egypt Uncovered (1998) -- 255 mns -- VHS
  
  
• Ancient Inventions (1998) – 135 mns -- VHS
  Terry Jones hosts a three part series on War & Conflict; City Life; and Sex & Love.
  
  
• Hidden History of Egypt (2002) – 45 mns -- VHS
  Hosted by Terry Jones in his usual style of bringing history alive.
  
  
• Who Built Stonehenge? (1989) -- 45 mns VHS
  
  
• The Perfect Corpse (2008) -- 56 mns -- DVD
  The discovery of bog bodies in Ireland.
  
  
• Hanging Coffins of China (ND) -- 45 mns -- VHS
  
  
• Unsolved History: Assassination of King Tut (2002) -- 90 mns -- VHS
  
  
• Ancient Journeys: Boudicca (1995) -- 45 mns -- VHS
  
  
• Evidence of Vikings (1996) -- 45 mns -- VHS
  The first discovers of America did not come from Spain.
  
  
• Viking Invasion of Ireland (1992) -- 45 mns -- VHS
  
  

• In Search of Ancient Ireland (2002) -- 170 mns -- DVD
  
  
• Historic Battles: Thermopylae (2004) -- 25 mns -- DVD
  In the Battle of Thermopylae of 480 BC an alliance of Greek city-states fought the invading Persian army in a mountain pass. Vastly outnumbered, the Greeks held back the Persian advance for seven days.
  
  
• Decisive Battles: The Birth of the Roman Empire -- 25 mns -- DVD
  
  
• The Roman Empire of the First Century (2001) -- 219 mns -- DVD
  From the civil war through the able administration of Augustus followed by the enfeebled decline of the imperial family.
  
  
• In Search of History: The Roman Legions (1996) -- 50 mns -- DVD
  
  
• Foot Soldiers: The Romans (1998) -- 50 mns -- DVD
  
  
• Historic Battles: Cannae (2004) -- 25 mns -- DVD
  Rome's most decisive defeat on the battlefield with the lost of 50,000 men to the forces of Hannibal of Carthage.
  
  
• Historic Battles: Herman the German (2004) -- 25 mns -- DVD
  The massacre of three Roman legions, about a tenth of all Rome's military forces, was engineered by a brilliant Cheruski warrior, Arminius.
  
  
• Lost Legions of Varus (2002) -- 45 mns -- VHS
  
  
• Historic Battles: Boudicca Warrior (2004) -- 25 mns -- DVD
  
  
• Warrior Queen Boudicca (2008) -- 100 mns -- DVD
  
  
• Historic Battles: Gothic Invasion of Rome (2004) -- 25 mns -DVD
  The end of the Roman Empire.
  
  
• Crusades, The (1995) -- 200 mns -- DVD
  Terry Jones presents a multi-episodic journey into the history of the original rift between Christianity and Islam.
  
  
• Castle Ghosts of England (1997) -- 45 mns -- VHS
  
  
• Castle Ghosts of Ireland (1997) -- 45 mns -- VHS
  
  
• Castle Ghosts of Scotland (1997) -- 45 mns -- VHS
  
  
• Medieval Lives (2004) -- 180 mns -- VHS
  Hosted by Terry Jones, the six episodes look at different people.
  
  
• HC: Salem Witch Trials (1998) -- 50 mns -- DVD
  
  
• Boone and Crockett: The Hunter Heroes -- 100 mns -- DVD
  
  
• Thomas Jefferson (1997) -- 180 mns -- DVD
  Directed by Ken Burns and voiced by Sam Waterson and Ozzie Davis, the documentary covers the life of the most remarkable of the Founding Fathers.
  
  
• Unsolved History: The Boston Massacre (2003) -- 45 mns -- VHS
  
  
• Unsolved History: The Alamo (2002) -- 45 mns -- VHS
  
  
• Slave Catchers, Slave Resisters (2005) -- 100 mns -- DVD
  
  
• The Civil War (1990) -- 680 mns -- DVD
  Directed by Ken Burns and introducing the late Shelby Foote, the documentary begins with the underlying causes of the war and carries through the bitterness of Reconstruction.
  
  
• Civil War Journal: Conflict Begins (1993) -- 200 mns -- DVD
  
  
• Civil War Journal: The Commanders (1993) -- 200 mns -- DVD
  
  
• Gettysburg – Victory At All Costs (1998) -- 81 mns -- VHS
  
  
• In Search of History: The Civil War Draft Riots (1998) -- 50 mns -- DVD
  
  
• Unsolved History: Pickett's Charge (2002) -- 45 mns -- VHS
  
  
• Last Days of the Civil War (2003) -- 200 mns -- DVD
  
  
• Prostitution – Sex In The City (2002) -- 50 mns -- DVD
  
  
• Sex In The Civil War (2000) -- 50 mns -- DVD
  
  
• More Sex In The Civil War (2002) -- 50 mns -- DVD
  
  
• Frontier House (2002) -- 360 mns -- DVD
  Three families return to life on the American prairie in the 1880s
  
  
• Little Big Horn: The Untold Story (ND) -- 90 mns -- DVD
  The battle was not the way Libby Custer told it; this version is told by the Crow scouts who survived the battle
  
  
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• Betrayal at Little Big Horn (1997) -- 50 mns -- DVD
  Did Reno and Benteen leave Custer's men to die instead of coming to their aide.
  
  
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• Unsolved History: Custer's Last Stand (2002) -- 45 mns -- VHS
  
  
• Isandlwana -- 45 mns -- VHS
  A British column was wiped out in the Zulu Wars when the Martini-Henry rifles jammed.
  
  
• Zulu Wars (2003) -- 161 mns -- DVD
  
  
• Molly MaQuires, The (1999) -- 45 mns -- VHS
  
  
• 1900s House (2000) -- 220 mns -- DVD
  The reality of taking a modern English family and returning them to the life of the middle class at the turn of the century.
  
  
• Manor House (2003) -- 360 mns -- DVD
  Volunteers enter their roles upstairs and downstairs in a 1906 Edwardian manor house for a 3 month experience of living at the turn of the last century.
  
  
• Mark Twain (2001) -- 212 mns -- DVD
  Directed by Ken Burns, the story of writer Samuel Clemens, best known by his penname.
  
  
• NOVA: Typhoid Mary (2004) -- 60 mns -- DVD
  
  
• The Titanic: The Complete Story (1997) 300 mns -- DVD
  
  
• History's Blunders: Titanic and Andrea Doria (ND) -- 45 mns -- VHS
  
  
• NOVA: The Titanic (ND) -- 55 mns -- VHS
  
  
• Titanic Secrets Revealed (ND) -- 150 mns -- VHS
  
  
• Titanic: Anatomy of a Disaster (1999) -- 90 mns -- VHS
  
  
• Titanic: Answers from the Abyss (1998) -- 90 mns -- VHS
  Narrated by Jonathan Pryce, the program is a forensic examination of the famous wreck.
  
  
• Titanic: Breaking New Ground (ND) -- 30 mns -- VHS
  
  
• Titanic: Deep Inside Titanic (1999) -- 45 mns -- VHS
  
  
• Titanic: Ghosts Of the Abyss (2004) -- 92 mns -- DVD
  
  
• Titanic: Lost Ship and Lost Souls (2001) -- 45 mns -- VHS
  
  
• Titanic: The Mystery & The Legacy (ND) -- 55 mns -- DVD
  
  
• Titanic: The Real J. Dawson (2001) -- 45 mns -- VHS
  
  
• Titanic: Untold Stories (1998) -- 45 mns -- VHS
  
  
• Titanic: 90 Years Below (2002) -- 70 mns -- DVD
  
  
• NOVA: Who Killed the Red Baron (2003) -- 60 mns -- DVD
  
  
• Unsolved History: Shooting Down the Red Baron (2003) -- 45 mns -- VHS
  
  
• Christmas Truce, The (2002) -- 45 mns -- VHS
  During the first Christmas of WW1 German and English soldiers sang carols together, shared food and memories, almost ending the war.
  
  
• The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1997) -- 100 mns -- DVD
  Narrated by actor Paul Sorvino, the war between Chicago's southside and northside gangs marked the bloody side of Prohibition.
  
  
• 1940s House (200) -- 180 mns -- DVD
  Over 9 weeks, a English family recreates life during WW2 in Britain.
  
  
• Lady Be Good (2003) -- 45 mns -- DVD
  An ill-fated flight in WW2 wherein a single plane overshot the Mediterranean, its base in Nairobi to crash land in the desert, leaving its crew of nine stranded and lost in the sand.
  
  
• Unsolved History: Sinking of the Gustloff (2003) -- 45 mns -- VHS
  
  
• Unsolved History: Hitler's Bunker (2003) -- 45 mns -- VHS
  
  

• Troy (2004) -- 162 mns -- DVD
  Beautifully done story, BUT IT AIN'T HOMER. The focus on Achilles, Briseis, and Patroclus is the only segment that follows Homer. With Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom, Eric Bana, and Peter O'Toole.
  
  
• Helen of Troy (2003) -- 177 mns -- DVD
  TV mini-series and much closer to Homer, but without the focus on Achilles and no mention of Briseis and Patroclus. With Rufus Sewell, James Callis.
  
  
• I, Claudius (1973) -- 669 mns -- DVD
  Derek Jacobi as Claudius, the stuttering cripple who survived the murderous intrigues of the imperial family to become emperor of Rome. Based on novels by Robert Graves.
  
  
• Lion In Winter, The (1968) -- 135 -- DVD
  Film version of the popular play covering Christmas at Chinon in 1185. Henry II spars with his wife Eleanor, their three grown sons and the King of France; with Peter O'Toole, Katherine Hepburn, Anthony Hopkins, John Castle, Nigel Terry, and Timothy Dalton.
  
  
• Lion In Winter, The (2004) -- 167 mns -- DVD
  Remake of the above with Patrick Stewart and Glenn Close.
  
  
• Six Wives of Henry VIII, The (1970) -- 540 mns -- VHS
  Keith Michell as the many married monarch.
  
  
• Anne of the Thousand Days (1969) -- 145 mns -- VHS
  Anne Boleyn's short-lived and unhappy marriage to Henry VIII. With Genevieve Bujold, Richard Burton.
  
  
• Man For All Seasons, A (1966) -- 150 mns -- VHS
  Paul Schofield as Sir Thomas Moore, Henry VIII's chancellor who could not overcome his conscience to justify the divorce of Queen Catherine of Aragon.
  
  
• Lady Jane (1985) -- 140 mns -- DVD
  Helena Bonham Carter as the doomed "9 days queen" Jane Grey, who briefly took the throne after the death of her cousin King Edward VI..
  
  
• Elizabeth R (1971) -- 540 mns -- DVD
  Glenda Jackson as Henry VIII's second child, from her dangerous childhood through her long reign.
  
  
• New World, The (2008) -- 135 mns -- DVD
  Collin Farrell as John Smith in the first venture to settle Jamestown, Virginia in 1607
  
  
• The Last King: The Power and Passion of Charles II (2004) -- 181 mns -- DVD
  The last Stuart king, living in the shadow of his murdered father, with no legitimate heir, but enjoying a fascinating and diverse sex life. With Rufus Sewell.
  
  
• Three Sovereigns for Sarah (1985) -- 171 mns -- DVD
  The Salem witch trials as seen from the point of view of an old woman, once accused as a witch, demanding retribution for the crimes committed in the little village in 1692. With Vanessa Redgrave.
  
  
• Peter the Great (1985) -- 365 mns -- VHS
  The man who forced European values onto feudal Russia through cruelty, intrigue and brutality.
  
  
• Young Catherine (1991) -- 184 mns -- VHS
  She became Catherine the Great of Russia, another monarch not afraid of intrigue and deception to achieve her goals.
  
  
• Culloden (1964) -- 74 mns -- VHS
  The story of the Jacobites final battle in 1746; with Brian Blessed.
  
  
• Chasing the Deer (1994) -- 97 mns -- VHS
  Another drama about the Jacobite rebellion of 1745.
  
  
• Longitude (2000) -- 200 mns -- DVD
  Taking place in both the 18th century and in the years following WW1, Longitude tells the story of the efforts to create a reliable way to calculate longitude while at sea. With Michael Gambon and Jeremy Irons.
  
  
• Benedict Arnold, A Matter of Honor (2003) -- 100 mns -- DVD
  Aiden Quinn as the much misunderstood Revolutionary War general, a hero who took risks and in one great gamble lost everything.
  
  
• The Crossing (2000) -- 89 mns -- DVD
  George Washington takes his desperate troops across the Delaware to attack the Hessian forces at Trenton. With Jeff Daniels.
  
  
• The Deceivers (1988) -- 103 mns -- DVD
  A British officer in India goes "undercover" to discover the murderous Thugs, followers of Kali. With Pierce Brosnan, Keith Michell, Sarah Michell and Saeed Jaffrey.
  
  
• Amistad (1997) -- 152 mns -- DVD
  The famous court case on whether slaves could be returned to Spanish authorities after landing in the US in the years after the 1808 ban on slave importation. With Djimon Hounsou, Anthony Hopkins, Morgan Freeman.
  
  
• Ned Kelly (2004) -- 110 mns -- DVD
  Australia's most famous outlaw and his gang reveal the stark differences between the immigrant Irish, many of convict origins, and their British "masters." With Heath Ledger and Orlando Bloom.
  
  
• Song of Bernadette (1943) -- 156 mns -- DVD
  Bernadette Soubirous sees a vision of the Blessed Virgin and digs to find the healing waters now known as Lourdes. With Jennifer Jones and Vincent Price.
  
  
• Gods and Generals (2002) 231 mns -- DVD
  The convoluted plot tries to cover the beginning of the war, the life and triumphs of Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, and the Union perspective from Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. With Stephan Lang, Robert Duvall, and Jeff Daniels.
  
  
• Glory (1989) -- 122 mns -- DVD
  The story of the first black regiment, the 54th Massachusetts, led by an idealistic young white colonel who fights prejudice and corruption to create a unit whose sacrifice at Battery Wagner changed the way the war was fought. With Matthew Broderick, Morgan Freeman, Denzel Washington, and Cary Elwes.
  
  
• Gettysburg (1993) -- 261 mns -- DVD
  Based on Michael Shara's novel, this dramatic version of the battle covers the key events of the three days. With Martin Sheen, Tom Berenger, Jeff Daniels and Stephen Lang.
  
  
• Battle of Aiken, The (2005) -- DVD
  One of the final battles of the Civil War, the last victory for the Confederate forces.
  
  
• Andersonville (1996) -- 167 mns -- DVD
  The story of the Civil War's most notorious POW prison in which Union soldiers starved. The Swiss commandant of the prison was tried for his part in the brutality at Andersonville.
  
  
• The Long Riders (1980) -- 99 mns -- DVD
  With a cast of brothers playing the James, the Youngers, the Millers and the Fords, the story of the great outlaws in the years following the Civil War.
  
  
• Wyatt Earp (1994) -- 191 mns -- DVD
  The story of the outlaw marshall from his youth through his famous encounters with the Clanton gang. With Kevin Costner, Dennis Quaid, Isabella Rossalini.
  
  
• Tombstone (1993) -- 130 mns -- DVD
  Another telling of the Earp vs Clanton story. With Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Bill Paxton, and Sam Elliot.
  
  
• Khartoum (1966) -- 000 mns --DVD
  The British send Gen. Charles "Chinese" Gordon to relieve the siege of Khartoum from the forces of the Mahdi, but the effort is doomed by politics. With Charleton Heston and Lawrence Olivier.
  
  
• Zulu Dawn (1986) -- 113 mns -- DVD
  The battle of Isandlwana wherein an entire British column was wiped out by the Zulu impis. Made after the very successful Zulu (see next entry). With Peter O'Toole, Simon Ward, Burt Lancaster.
  
  
• Zulu (1963) -- 138 mns -- DVD
  Following the destruction of the main column at Isandlwana, the small party of 4000 Zulus turn against the tiny outpost of Rourke's Drift. With Michael Caine, Stanley Baker, Nigel Green.
  
  
• Hidalgo (2004) -- 136 mns --DVD
  The fastest rider on the fastest horse is offered a chance to ride in the great race across the Arabian desert. With Viggo Mortensen and Omar Shariff.
  
  
• Jack the Ripper (1988) -- 180 mns -- VHS
  Michael Caine as Inspector Abberline attempts to solve the most famous serial killer in the latter 19th century in the Whitechapel area of London.
  
  
• From Hell (2001) -- 122 mns -- DVD
  Johnny Depp as Inspector Abberline with Robbie Coltrane as his assistant, chasing Jack the Ripper.
  
  
• Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) -- 110 mns -- DVD
  Two enterprising outlaws find that the old west is just becoming too modern for them; with Paul Newman and Robert Redford.
  
  
• Titanic (1997) -- 194 mns -- DVD
  James Cameron's masterpiece of the great luxury liner as seen through two young lovers in different classes; with Kate Winslet, Leonardo Di Caprio.
  
  
• Lost Prince, The (2003) -- 179 mns -- DVD
  The young son of Britain's King George and Queen Mary Teck is afflicted by epilepsy and regarded as an embarrassing idiot by his family who wish only to keep him hidden while the world rips itself apart in the First World War.
  
  
• Lost Battalion, The (2001) -- 92 mns -- DVD
  An American colonel is ordered to take his men into the thick of the war, knowing that there is little chance of survival. With Rick Schroeder.
  
  
• Bertie & Elizabeth, The Reluctant Royals (2005) -- 105 mns -- DVD
  With the abdication of Edward VIII, his younger brother Albert became George VI, the king who lead Great Britain through World War Two.
  
  
• Miracle At Midnight (1998) -- 90 mns -- DVD
  During the Nazi occupation of Denmark, local Danes risk their lives to rescue all Danish Jews, sending them to safety in neutral Sweden. With Sam Waterson and Mia Farrow.
  
  
• Schindler's List (1993) -- 197 mns -- DVD
  A businessman doing military work for the Nazis, risks his life to save hundreds of Jews by keeping them employed in his factory rather than let them be sent to the death camps. With Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, and Ralph Fiennes.
  
  
• Enemy At the Gates (2001) -- 131 mns -- DVD
  Based on a true story of two snipers hunting each other during the seige of Stalingrad. The Second World War seen in the microcosm of one battle and two men. With Jude Law, Joseph Fiennes, Ed Harris, Bob Hoskins and Rachel Weisz.
  
  
• Fat Man and Little Boy (1989) -- 126 mns -- DVD
  A dramatized account of the creation of the first atomic weapons which ended the war in the Pacific in 1945. With Paul Newman, Dwight Schultz, Laura Dern and John Cusack.