The Challenge... A Tribute to Modern Art

In a 16th century kingdom in the Netherlands, the newly crowned King Stephan concludes a secret treaty with the Spanish. This puts him at odds with his younger brother, Prince Roland, who favors a treaty with the French. Stephan orders Roland imprisoned but Roland escapes and leads a revolt.

A documentary about the conquest of Czechoslovakia by the Nazis just prior to World War 2.

The first production from Frontier Films, the film production collective that was the successor to NYKino and the Workers Film and Photo League, Heart of Spain focuses on the Spanish Civil War, a conflict that became a touchstone of its era and was the most forceful opposition to the rising threat of fascism in Europe. Heart of Spain was begun by Geza Karpathi and Herbert Kline, who ultimately turned their footage over to Paul Strand, Leo Hurwitz, and Ben Maddow to make the film. It is compelling both for its shrewd formal aesthetics and as a sympathetic human document of the war.

This pulse-pounding documentary from the filmmaker Herbert Kline traces the rise of Hitler up to the very brink of WWII. The commentary, written by James Hilton and read by Fredric March, urges American viewers to abandon neutrality and enter a conflict about to explode.

A press agent for a Broadway actress whose career is going downhill attempts to get her some publicity by having her adopt two orphans, without her knowledge.

Johnny Barrows, a young man heading toward a life of juvenile delinquency as his home life spirals out of control, sneaks into the 1948 World Series and seeks friendship by playing a sympathetic orphan. He finds stability and mentorship in sportscaster Mike Jackson and the Cleveland Indians, who try to set Johnny on the right path in this touching story for the whole family.

Narrated by Ricardo Montalbán, this documentary examines the history of Mexican murals and their artists. Among the works examined are those by José Clemente Orozco, Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros.

A boxer, in Mexico, sets out to avenge the murder of his family by using the money from his winnings to purchase weapons.

Cinco fueron escogidos taking place in Slavko, a "peaceful town in Yugoslavia," with only Yugoslavians and Germans as characters, not a Mexican or Spaniard in sight. Another interesting point about Cinco fueron escogidos is the existence of an alternate version, shot in English with a different cast (at least in major roles). Sadly, this film, usually referred to as "Five Were Chosen" but sometimes called "Hostages" (not to be confused with the somewhat similar 1943 Hollywood movie with that title), appears to be lost. García Riera indicates the English-language version was screened in Mexico, at least for the press, but does not seem to have been released commercially in the Mexico or the USA. Since Herbert Kline was well-known for his leftist views, it's not surprising to note that many of the imported Hollywood actors were also left-leaning (and in fact more than one was blacklisted during the Red Scare era).

During World War II, a young boy and girl, living with their respective families in an apartment house that had restrictions against pets, adopt a lost dog and hide it in a vacant apartment, which may have been the only vacant apartment in the United States at the time this movie was being filmed. A burglar breaks in and the apartment is damaged when the dog and crook have a tussle. This blows the dog's cover, but the kids enlist him in the K-9 Corps, and the dog distinguishes himself in the WWII Italian campaign

This advocacy documentary about the Lincoln Brigade was shot during the Spanish Civil War to raise funds for bringing wounded American volunteers home. Some 2,800 Americans enlisted in the International Brigades to fight against fascism in defense of the Spanish Republic. The film was directed by Henri Cartier-Bresson with Herbert Kline and additional photography was provided by Jacques Lemare and Robert Capa. This film is held at New York University’s Tamiment Library and is part of a vast collection of materials in the Abraham Lincoln Brigades Archive.

The teens of a defense-plant town hop on the road to juvenile delinquency while their parents are busy with the war.