Daniel McCabe Movies
- 2000
Daniel McCabe and Paul Steckler direct this scrupulously-balanced and exhaustively-researched documentary on reactionary Alabaman firebrand George Wallace. The film opens with the outset of Wallace's public career, when -- surprisingly -- he had a reputation of being progressive in regards to race. After a bruising defeat in a 1958 gubernatorial election in which his fire-breathing racist rival John Patterson painted him as something terrifyingly close to being a liberal, Wallace vowed to be seen as soft on race. In 1962, Wallace was swept into office promising "segregation now, segregation tomorrow, and segregation forever." In spite of this confrontational stance and his outspoken opposition to the NAACP, Wallace was, as McCabe and Steckler argue, genuinely furious over the brutal violence against civil rights activists -- if only because it made Alabama look bad. Of course, it was this very violence that eventually gave him a national platform. By the 1968 presidential election, George Wallace garnered 46 electoral votes as a third party candidate, nearly forcing the race into the House of Representatives. For the 1972 race, he was a serious presidential contender, this time for the Democrats, before he was crippled by an assassin's bullet. After being wounded, Wallace claimed that he had found God, and he abandoned his politics of hate. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Randy Quaid
Part of the American Experience series on the presidents, this three-hour documentary examines the quest, triumph, fall, and legacy of one of America's most fascinating and controversial presidents. From his modest beginnings among the lemon groves in Yorba Linda, CA, to his taking on the highest position in the nation, the story of Richard Milhous Nixon is characterized by contradiction. A staunch anti-communist, Nixon opened up relations with China and the Soviet Union and took steps to end the conflict in Vietnam. American Experience describes how Nixon promoted family values and how he used his poker earnings to finance his first political campaign. From congressman to senator to vice president under Eisenhower, a man uncomfortable in his own skin, Nixon was nonetheless a tireless campaigner. The program details the "Pink Lady" campaign, the "Checkers" speech, and the humiliation of Watergate. ~ Brooke Hodess, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Will Lyman
The fierce competition between Boeing and Lockheed-Martin is the subject of this Nova installment. Both companies are trying to earn government contracts with their "X-Planes," 15-ton stealth fighter jets with state-of-the-art technology. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
For millions of marathon runners worldwide, Patriots Day looms steadily and prominently on the horizon; such is the pivotal day when untold numbers journey to Boston, Massachusetts to participate in the legendary, 26.2 mile Boston Marathon. As produced by WGBH - Boston public television and directed by Daniel McCabe, the documentary NOVA: The Marathon Challenge cross-cuts between the lives of 13 Boston Marathon trainees as they psych themselves up for the "big run" during the 2007 event; the program undertakes an unusual approach, however, by specifically honing in on the underdogs - participants who are less than fit (and who lead sedentary lifestyles), but who nevertheless determine to whip their bodies into top shape for the said event despite the many obstacles and challenges that stand in their way. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Liev Schreiber, Julia Cort, (more)
- 2007
- Add The Magnificent Voyage of Christopher Columbus to QueueAdd The Magnificent Voyage of Christopher Columbus to top of Queue
Some sources have referred to the two-hour PBS special The Magnificent Voyage of Christopher Columbus as a miniseries--an understandable misconception, in that the program was adapted from the seven-part 1991 BBC series Columbus and the Age of Discovery, upgraded to High-Def. Using actual-size replicas of the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria, the series' producers recerated Columbus' first Atlantic crossing under most of the same circumstances that the explorer encounted way back in 1492. But though the special celebrated Columbus' achievements, it did not flinch in its scrutiny of the negative aspects (slavery, disease etc.) of Europe's invasion of the New World, nor did it bypass the irony of the fact that Columbus went to his grave never realizing that he had discovered two new continents. The Magnificent Voyage of Christopher Columbus first aired in most American TV markets on October 8, 2007. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
