The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers (2009)

Actors: Dan Rather (actor), Lisa Callif (miscellaneous crew), Michael Donaldson (miscellaneous crew), Howard Zinn (actor), Lyndon Johnson (actor), Richard Nixon (actor), Michael Chandler (writer), Michael Chandler (editor), Kenn Rabin (miscellaneous crew), Blake Leyh (composer), Daniel Ellsberg (actor), Hedrick Smith (actor), Peter Arnett (actor), Rick Goldsmith (editor), Rick Goldsmith (writer),

Plot: "The Most Dangerous Man in America" is the story of what happens when a former Pentagon insider, armed only with his conscience, steadfast determination, and a file cabinet full of classified documents, decides to challenge an "Imperial" Presidency-answerable to neither Congress, the press, nor the people-in order to help end the Vietnam War. In 1971, Daniel Ellsberg shook America to its foundations when he smuggled a top-secret Pentagon study to the New York Times that showed how five Presidents consistently lied to the American people about the Vietnam War that was killing millions and tearing America apart. President Nixon's National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger called Ellsberg "the most dangerous man in America," who "had to be stopped at all costs." But Ellsberg wasn't stopped. Facing 115 years in prison on espionage and conspiracy charges, he fought back. Ensuing events surrounding the so-called Pentagon Papers led directly to Watergate and the downfall of President Nixon, and hastened the end of the Vietnam War. Ellsberg's relentless telling of truth to power, which exposed the secret deeds of an "Imperial Presidency," inspired Americans of all walks of life to forever question the previously-unchallenged pronouncements of its leaders. "The Most Dangerous Man in America" tells the inside story, for the first time on film, of this pivotal event that changed history and transformed our nation's political discourse. It is told largely by the players of that dramatic episode-Ellsberg, his colleagues, family and critics; Pentagon Papers authors and government officials; Vietnam veterans and anti-war activists; Watergate principals, attorneys and the journalists who both covered the story and were an integral part of it; and finally-through White House audiotapes-President Nixon and his inner circle of advisors.

Keywords: 1960s, 1970s, character-name-in-title, claim-in-title, cold-war, cold-war-era, country-name-in-title, cover-up, espionage-act, foreign-politics
Genres: Documentary,

Dirt! The Movie (2009)

Actors: Gene Rosow (producer), Gene Rosow (director), Jamie Lee Curtis (actress), Vandana Shiva (actress), Vandana Shiva (actress), Jonathan P. Shaw (editor), Dileep Singh Rathore (producer), Lisa Yesko (miscellaneous crew), Lisa Yesko (producer), Brian Singbiel (editor), Christine Deitner (producer), Eleonore Dailly (director), Eleonore Dailly (producer), Rob Seidenglanz (editor), Alexandra Komisaruk (editor),

Plot: A look at man's relationship with Dirt. Dirt and humans couldn't be closer. We started our journey together as stardust, swirled by cosmic forces into our galaxy, solar system, and planet. We are made of the same stuff. Four billion years of evolution created dirt as the living source of all life on Earth including humans. Dirt has given us food, shelter, fuel, medicine, ceramics, flowers, cosmetics and color --everything needed for our survival. For most of the last ten thousand years we humans understood our intimate bond with dirt and the rest of nature. We took care of the soils that took care of us. But, over time, we lost that connection. Our species became greedy and careless. We still depend on dirt, but now we abuse and ignore it. We are destroying our last natural resource with our agriculture, our mining, and our paving over the planet for cities. We turned dirt into something "dirty." In doing so, we transform the skin of the earth into a hellish and dangerous landscape for all life on earth. A millennial shift in consciousness about the environment offers a beacon of hope - and practical solutions. Around the globe, pioneers are coming together to save earth's last natural resource. Tiny villages rise up to battle giant corporations slaughtering their land. Scientists discover connections with soil that can balance global warming. Generation X brands organic farming as trendy and children begin to eat from edible school yards. Inmates find inner peace and job skills in a prison horticulture program. Medical researchers explore dirt's capacity to provide solutions to such devastating health crises as AIDS. Major religions are rediscovering the reverence for the natural world that unites them all. Uses animation, vignettes, personal accounts and story telling.

Keywords: civilization, deep-ecology, destruction-of-planet, ecological-footprint, ecosystem-interrelationships, environment, environmental-crime, environmental-destruction, environmental-issue, global-ecology
Genres: Documentary,
Taglines: A story with heart and soil.

Quotes:

Founder - The Wine Library: With the amount of species that live in a teaspoon of dirt, I think it's very obvious dirt might be more alive than we are.

Johnny Carson: How long would that take to, to grow with proper care to a fairly good size, 4 or 5 feet?::Founder - Tree People: Two, three years.::Johnny Carson: And this is gonna be a redwood?::Founder - Tree People: It's already a redwood.::Johnny Carson: Oh, excuse me.

Female Inmates: God made dirt, and dirt don't hurt. Put it in your mouth and let it work. Dirt!

Child: Yes, dirt you made my lunch. Yes, dirt you made my lunch.

A Sculpture of Love and Anguish: The Miami Beach Holocaust Memorial (1998)

Actors: Topol (actor), Elie Wiesel (actor), Elie Wiesel (actor), Richard Lavsky (composer), Kenneth Treister (producer), Kenneth Treister (actor), Kenneth Treister (actor), David Braman (editor), David Braman (director), Leonard Braman (producer),

Genres: Documentary,