Forsaken Places

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2 Cover
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5 Technical Specs
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[edit] General Information

History Documentary hosted by Steven Charles, published by ZDF in 2020 - English narration

[edit] Cover

[edit] Information

Abandoned places with their numerous secrets have a certain attraction. It is precisely this attraction that forms the core of the four-part documentary series "Lost Places". Historic places, forgotten, threatened and threatening at the same time. Made of steel, poured in concrete or blasted out of a mountain: Yesterday's monuments from the great eras of history come alive again. These places are also full of personal stories told to us by contemporary witnesses. Up close and personal accounts of natural disasters, wars or global mega accidents that took a toll on those monuments and places — and the people around them as well. Built from steel, carved out of mountains, poured in concrete. Humanity has left its mark even in the most remote reaches of our planet. These are monuments of history, of industry, of humanity's hubris. What was once built at staggering cost now stands as a relic of its time: orphaned, abandoned, forgotten. But these places are like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, parts of a greater story, which we will bring back to life through the stories of the people who once lived and thrived at these places. Over four episodes, Lost Places explores twelve such relics. Each episode follows a theme, which connects the three abandoned sites explored within. At each site, we meet the people who built it, who worked and lived here. They tell us what these places were once like, while we explore them as they are today – and thus almost make them come alive again. To tie these abandoned places into greater history, and to better understand how they worked, we connect these stories with archive footage and animation. In four episodes, we visit twelve such "lost places" − military bases, prestigious buildings, tourist paradises and hospitals. And the people who used to live and work there help us discover these mysterious places. They guide us through an emotional and educational journey into their personal stories, which are always part of history as well. In four parts, we visit the shattered American dream, the dark sides of the Soviet Empire, the fall of the British Empire and the rise and fall of the Yugoslav Empire. Each part focuses on three places and their remains, inviting the viewer to a unique journey of discovery. Written by Florian Dedio ; Directed by Yousif Al-Chalabi ; Produced by CineCentrum in Co-Operation with ZDF Enterprises

[edit] American Dream

Three abandoned sites of the American Dream, three monuments of a mighty nation’s pride. They help us see that there is light and shadow in the American Dream. We visit the Safeguard Base, a former hi-tech protection shield against nuclear missiles, Pennhurst, a model facility for people with disabilities, and a working class vacation paradise: Salton Sea.
Everywhere the filmmakers meet the people who once dreamed of the American dream. But everywhere they also discover that the image of this dream is as crumbling as the buildings of its heyday. The symbols of the old USA either find new uses - or are left to decay.

[edit] Soviet Shadows

Three relics of a fallen empire, three monuments of a time when half the world lived under the shadow of the Hammer and Sickle. To this day you can find traces left by the Soviet Union wherever you go. We visit a secret bunker for nuclear missile heads somewhere in the middle of nowhere in East Germany, the nuclear power plant Chernobyl and the Beelitz-Heilstatten, a German Imperial-era hospital from the days of the German Kaiser that became a Soviet military hospital.
Everywhere the filmmakers meet people whose life stories were written in these places - and hear from them how the fall of the Soviet Empire shaped their fate. Today only memories remain of the former empire - and some very special places that are slowly but surely decaying.

[edit] Lost Empire

Three relics of the largest imperium the world has ever seen help us to discover the still complicated history of the British Empire. We visit Haslar, once the pride of the Royal Navy and the best hospital in the world, the Island of Montserrat, also named the Caribbean Pompeii, and the Island of Merasheen in Newfoundland, the first British colony in history.
Everywhere you meet people who have experienced the collapse of the empire in their very own way and whose life stories are determined by a longing for the greatness of the past on the one hand and the difficult legacy of the colonial era on the other.

[edit] Broken Brotherhood

Three abandoned and fateful places, testifying to the rise and fall of Yugoslavia help us to experience the aftermath of the bloody civil war that spelled the end of the multi-ethnic nation in the Balkans. We visit the military airfield Zeljava, blasted deep inside a mountain, the resort facility Kupar, both built and destroyed by the Yugoslav army, and the City of Mostar, which represents the trauma of the wars in Yugoslavia like no other city.
Everywhere the filmmakers meet people who grew up believing in unity and brotherhood and who held onto that belief until their homeland imploded. You will discover the stony traces of a lost world, the scars of the civil war and the memory of 150,000 victims.

[edit] Screenshots

[edit] Technical Specs

Video Codec: x264 CABAC High@L4
Video Bitrate: 3 366 kb/s
Video Resolution: 1920x1080
Display Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Frames Per Second: 25.000 fps
Audio Codec: AC3
Audio Bitrate: 192 kb/s CBR 48000 Hz
Audio Streams: 2
Audio Languages: english
RunTime Per Part: 53 min
Number Of Parts: 4
Part Size: 1.31 GB
Source: HDTV (Thanks to CBFM)
Encoded by: DocFreak08