Directing
Russell Barnes
Russell Barnes has been producing factual television for 30 years, working with presenters including Richard Dawkins, David Reynolds, Harry Hill and Afua Hirsch. His directing credits include the Broadcast Award-winning Genius of Charles Darwin and Grierson-nominated history films Armistice and 1941 and the Man of Steel and he produced the Digital BAFTA and Emmy award-winning series The Virtual Re…
Known For
Evolution - Darwin's Dangerous IdeaEvolution - Darwin's Dangerous Idea
MovieDocumentaryDrama
This magazine-style documentary outlines biological evolution through a variety of dramatizations and data delivered by expert testimony.
Root of All Evil? · 2006Root of All Evil?
★ 7.42006
MovieDocumentary
In this two-part Channel 4 series, Professor Richard Dawkins challenges what he describes as 'a process of non-thinking called faith'. He describes his astonishment that, at the start of the 21st century, religious faith is gaining ground in the face of rational, scientific truth. Science, based on scepticism, investigation and evidence, must continuously test its own concepts and claims. Faith, by definition, defies evidence: it is untested and unshakeable, and is therefore in direct contradiction with science. In addition, though religions preach morality, peace and hope, in fact, says Dawkins, they bring intolerance, violence and destruction. The growth of extreme fundamentalism in so many religions across the world not only endangers humanity but, he argues, is in conflict with the trend over thousands of years of history for humanity to progress to become more enlightened and more tolerant.
1945 and the Wheelchair President · 20151945 and the Wheelchair President
★ 5.22015
MovieDocumentary
David Reynolds re-examines the war leadership of American president Franklin Roosevelt, who inspired millions with stirring visions of a new and better postwar world.
World War Two: 1941 and the Man of Steel · 2011World War Two: 1941 and the Man of Steel
★ 10.02011
MovieDocumentary
This is an interesting documentary about Stalin, his rise to power, and the invasion of the USSR by Germany in WWII. It's split into two parts, the first a general overview of the early history. The second part is the details of WWII and after. David Reynolds does an excellent job of explaining what happened with snippets from diaries, letters and other contemporaneous accounts. Well-assembled historical work.
The Genius of Charles Darwin · 2008The Genius of Charles Darwin
★ 7.52008
MovieDocumentary
A documentary series from Channel 4, hosted by professor Richard Dawkins, well-known darwinist. The series mixes segments on the life and discoveries of Charles Darwin, the theory of natural selection and evolution, and Dawkins' attempts at convincing a group of school children that evolution explains the world around us better than any religion.
World War Two: 1942 and Hitler's Soft Underbelly · 2012World War Two: 1942 and Hitler's Soft Underbelly
★ 7.22012
MovieDocumentaryWar
The British fought the Second World War to defeat Hitler. This film asks why, then, did they spend so much of the conflict battling through North Africa and Italy? Historian David Reynolds reassesses Winston Churchill's conviction that the Mediterranean was the 'soft underbelly' of Hitler's Europe. Travelling to Egypt and Italian battlefields like Cassino, scene of some of the worst carnage in western Europe, he shows how, in reality, the 'soft underbelly' became a dark and dangerous obsession for Churchill. Reynolds reveals a prime minister very different from the jaw-jutting bulldog of Britain's 'finest hour' in 1940 - a leader who was politically vulnerable at home, desperate to shore up a crumbling British empire abroad, losing faith in his army and even ready to deceive his American allies if it might delay fighting head to head against the Germans in northern France. The film marks the seventieth anniversary of the Battle of El Alamein in 1942.
Hackers in Wonderland · 2000Hackers in Wonderland
★ 5.02000
MovieDocumentary
Hackers in Wonderland is a 2000 documentary film, produced and directed by Russell Barnes, about hackers in the United Kingdom.
The Enemies of Reason · 2007The Enemies of Reason
★ 7.52007
MovieDocumentary
Documentary written and presented by scientist Richard Dawkins, in which he seeks to expose "those areas of belief that exist without scientific proof, yet manage to hold the nation under their spell", including mediumship, psychokinesis, acupuncture, and other forms of alternative medicine.
Filmography
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