Tragedies & Catastrophes Movies

The biggest names in modern music all come together on one stage for this landmark concert organized to raise funds for the relief and rebuilding efforts following Hurricane Katrina and featuring special appearances by a number of New Orleans legends. Featured performers include Aaron Neville, Simon & Garfunkel, Jimmy Buffet, John Fogerty, Elvis Costello, Dave Matthews, Irma Thomas, Buckwheat Zydeco, and Lenny Kravitz. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

This is the second part in a five part series on the Titanic, the "unsinkable" ship that sank to the depth of the Atlantic ocean on its maiden voyage. This installment deals with the memories of survivors of the tragedy. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Death in the Air - Dr. Leonard Horowitz offers information on how modern chemical and biological weapons have been created that manipulate the mass public. The program offers advice on how to educate yourself about these little-known hazards. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

This is the third in a series of five documentary videos on the Titanic, the legendary "unsinkable" ship that sank to its doom on its maiden voyage. This episode looks at the life and career of Edward J. Smith, the man who captained the ship on its fatal voyage. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Compiled from a two-part series of specials broadcast on CNN, the documentary CNN Tribute: America Remembers - The Events of September 11 recalls the events of that day in history. Starting in the morning when the first passenger jet crashed into the World Trade Center, the journalists at CNN supplied constant coverage of the destructive events of the day as well as the aftermath. While offering in-depth coverage of the crash in New York City, CNN also covers the simultaneous attacks in Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. The program also includes never-before-seen newsroom footage, coverage of the anthrax attacks, and information about Operation Enduring Freedom. Many CNN journalists provide their own take on things, including Larry King, Paula Zahn, Wolf Blitzer, and Judy Woodruff. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

This documentary from director Steven Rosenbaum presents the experiences of a diverse group of regular Americans in the wake of the terrorists attacks of September 11, 2001. Featuring footage from the area surrounding the World Trade Centers shot as early as 10:05 a.m. on the day of the tragedy, Seven Days in September looks at the way 9/11 changed the lives of a firefighter's wife, a Muslim-American woman, an 11-year-old boy, and many others. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

Directed by Michael Moore, whose aura of controversy only grew after his Oscar acceptance speech at the 2003 Academy Awards, Fahrenheit 9/11, like Moore's Bowling For Columbine and Roger & Me, promises to expose the corporate wrongdoings and big-money scandals perpetrated by America's financial elite. This movie, however, looks beyond the inner echelons of General Motors and Lockheed Martin in hopes of outing the evildoers in the White House, particularly in regards to the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush. In addition to criticizing the administration's handling of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center, Moore digs deep into the surprising relationship with the Bin Laden family held by both Bush administrations, and questions whether or not potential Saudi involvement with the attacks has been ignored. As Fahrenheit 9/11's Cannes Film Festival debut approached, marking only the second time in 48 years that a documentary has been included among the festival's main competition, Miramax's parent company Disney announced it would not be distributing the film due to its partisan nature, and, according to Moore, out of trepidation that the Florida-based Goliath's multi-million-dollar tax breaks might be negatively affected by Florida Governor Jeb Bush, whose review within Fahrenheit 9/11 is less than favorable. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

In this documentary that seeks to reveal true meaning of the phrase "man's best friend," Emmy-award winning filmmaker Gayle Kirchenbaum explores the bond between woman and canine by taking her beloved thirteen-pound Shih Tzu Chelsea on a walk through the streets post-9/11 New York City - but this is no ordinary stroll through the city. By carefully attaching a camera to her four-legged friend, Kirchenbaum offers a unique perspective of the world as the pair attempt to brighten the spirits of the victim's families, and experience a little puppy love in the form of a friendly neighbor pup. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Co-directors Louise Osmond and Jerry Rothwell's historical documentary Deep Water chronicles one of the most infamous nautical tragedies of the past several decades. In autumn 1968, Britisher Donald Crowhurst, the proprietor of a down-and-out manufacturing business for marine electrical components, avowed to enter the first Golden Globe sailing competition -- a nonstop, one-man circumnavigational race against eight other competitors. In financing the boat via a deal with English entrepreneur Stanley Best, Crowhurst used his house as collateral. Relinquishing the voyage, or failing to complete it, would thus have instantly rendered Crowhurst homeless and driven his family into Chapter 11. But the voyage was doomed from the start: Crowhurst failed to finish building the craft prior to his October 31st departure, but set sail just the same, and thus sealed his own grim fate. Indeed, two weeks after Crowhurst sailed out of Devon, the boat began to leak substantially; recognizing that a trip into the Southern Ocean could spell disaster, a desperate Crowhurst radioed home with indications of phony distances and falsified his logbook; he then made an illegal pit stop in Argentina to repair the boat, and joined up with the rest of the competitors on the opposite side of Cape Horn, in the Atlantic. When Robin Knox-Johnston won the overall competition, Crowhurst and Nigel Tetley went head-to-head to win 5,000 pounds for the fastest voyage; Crowhurst recognized that a victory would yield scrutiny of his logbooks and unveil his deceptions to the world; he thus intended to preserve his reputation by coming in second. He didn't count, however, on Tetley's boat capsizing -- which led to Crowhurst's own victory. Foreseeing disaster, Crowhurst decided to end his life by drowning himself. In telling Crowhurst's sad story, Osmond and Rothwell intercut narration from Crowhurst's journals, archival film, and interviews with the sailor's family, friends, and colleagues. What emerges is a portrait of a man sinking rapidly into a pit of despair as he comes face to face with his own darkest nightmares of personal failure. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

The liberation of Auschwitz is documented firsthand in this remarkable historical footage shot by Soviet cameraman Captain Alexander Vorontsov and later used as evidence by the prosecution at the Nuremburg War Crime Trials. As the footage tells the tale of the six-thousand prisoners left to perish as the Russian Army descended upon the notorious concentration camp, Vorontsov offers a firsthand account of the harrowing effect that witnessing the horrifying scene had on himself and his fellow Russian liberators. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Portrait of Courage: The Untold Story of Flight 93 travels back to those terrible hours on the morning of September 11, 2001, when the 40 Americans on Flight 93 lost their lives and a small group among them somehow found the unspeakable courage to foil the terrorists and vie for control of the plane that was headed straight for the nation's capitol. A moving and heartbreaking documentary, Portrait of Courage interviews those closest to the victims and thus provides a biographical pictures of those passengers who died for their country. The film paints a deep and moving picture of what it really means to be a hero in a world laden with evil. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi