Dr. Carl Sagan Movies
Though he was an internationally prominent astrophysicist and astronomer at Cornell University, Carl Sagan is perhaps best known for his 13--part PBS documentary series Cosmos (1980), a science show designed to explain the possible origins of the universe and the nature of space to lay audiences. In 1978, Sagan won a Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction for The Dragons of Eden. In 1985, he penned the speculative, sci-fi novel Contact and in the mid '90s co-produced the big-budget film version that starred Jody Foster. Sagan suffered from bone-marrow disease and in 1996 checked into a Seattle hospital to undergo treatment. On December 20, he died of pneumonia, a complication of the treatment. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
The search for life outside our solar system becomes a personal and spiritual quest for a young researcher. Ellie Arroway (Jodie Foster) is a scientist who lost her faith in God after her parents died when she was a child. However, Ellie has learned to develop a different sort of faith in the seemingly unknowable: working with a group that monitors radio waves from space, Ellie hopes that some day she will receive a coherent message from another world that will prove that there is a world beyond our own. Ellie's hard work is rewarded when her team picks up a signal that does not appear to be of earthly origin. Ellie decodes the message, which turns out to be plans for a space craft, which she takes as an invitation for a meeting with the aliens. Ellie and her fellow researchers soon run into interference from a White House scientific advisor, David Drumlin (Tom Skerritt), who cuts off their funding and tries to take credit for their achievements. However, Ellie receives moral support from Palmer Joss (Matthew McConaughey), a spiritual teacher who advises President Clinton and tries to persuade her to accept the existence of a higher power, and financial backing from S.R. Hadden (John Hurt), a multi-millionaire willing to fund her attempts to contact the source of the message. Contact was based on a novel by Carl Sagan, who advised director Robert Zemeckis during the film's production until his death in 1996. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey, (more)
- 1990
A cast of celebrities gathered to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Earth Day. It is an entertaining special that points out the crisis state of our planet's environment. It provides scientific facts and detailed analysis. The show provides ways in which everyone can participate in saving the planet. There are ways we can do this everyday with the choices we make. It strives to make us all take responsibility for the condition of the environment. The cast entertains and teaches through comedy, singing, and storytelling. The Earth Day Special is an entertaining motivational tool that encourages everyone to do their part in saving the earth. ~ Beth Deki, All Movie Guide
- 1989
Nova pinpoints the beginnings of radar in Nova: Echoes of War. Though eclipsed by bigger inventions like the atomic bomb, radar helped secure victory after victory in World War II. Originally offering only a warning, the technology soon evolved into a complex device capable of guiding bombs to specific targets. In the water, air, and on land, electronic machinery advanced the art of warfare. Nova neatly encapsulates the history of radar. ~ Sarah Ing, All Movie Guide
- 1989
Venice floods so regularly that it now goes unnoticed. After all, the city is built on canals. But, since 1966, when the main square sank under four feet of water, the government has been trying to stop the submergence. Nova goes to Italy to document the search for a solution. Heavy storms completely incapacitate the romantic city and for many years officials were at a loss as to what to do. Now, a program has been proposed that will create a billion-dollar floodgate system. The only problem is that the already faltering Venetian Lagoon could be destroyed. Nova sails through the narrow streets of Venice where politicians and environmentalists collide. ~ Sarah Ing, All Movie Guide
- 1989
"The flames of the summer of 1988 did not destroy Yellowstone Park, for within the fires were cast the seeds of a new beginning." So thought many park officials when the tourist hotspot went up in flames. Nova documents the controversial let burn policy that affected over a million acres in Nova: Yellowstone's Burning Question. After the widespread fire, many thought the park would never recover. Surprisingly, nature has rebounded full force, leaving little doubt as to its regenerative power. Historically, fires have swept across the land frequently. The path they leave is rich in nutrients and energy. Many scientists think it is imperative to the ecological process. Nova visits the barren landscape of Yellowstone just as life begins again. ~ Sarah Ing, All Movie Guide
- 1987
This video recounts the tale of the search for extra-terrestrial life. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1984
Despite the breakup of the Soviet Union, nuclear disarmament remains an important world issue. In keeping with its mission of pursuing peace and justice, and building community, the Shalom Center documented this Passover Seder that features children discussing the impact of nuclear arms proliferation on the Jewish community and the world at large. Highlights include participation by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Elie Wiesel and science celebrity Carl Sagan. ~ Steve Blackburn, All Movie Guide
- 1980
In this episode of Cosmos, the PBS series written and hosted by eminent astronomer/author Dr. Carl Sagan, the viewer travels back in time to witness the birth of galaxies. Filmed in 40 different locations over a two-year period, the shows proved to be extraordinarily popular. In Cosmos, Episode 10: Edge of Forever, Dr. Sagan goes to India to check the Hindu cycles of cosmology. Then, thanks to computer simulation and other special effects, he falls into a black hole, only to emerge in New Mexico as he demonstrates The Very Large Array, the 27 radio telescopes listening to outer space. ~ Alice Day, All Movie Guide
- 1980
Cosmos, Episode 11: Persistence of Memory continues the PBS series of Peabody and Emmy Award-winning programs written by Dr. Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan. In this installment, Dr. Sagan discusses the human brain, guiding the viewer through a maze of a brain model to demonstrate the intricacies of thought. He compares the intelligence of a whale to that of a human, and offers an explanation of how all the information needed for survival is stored in human genetic material and brains, and in books. ~ Alice Day, All Movie Guide
- 1980
This installment of the acclaimed PBS series Cosmos focuses on the possibility of other intelligences in the universe, and the complexities that arise if communication is attempted. Dr. Carl Sagan, well-known astronomer and author, spent a large part of his life on a quest to find other lifeforms. In Cosmos, Episode 12: Encyclopedia Galactica, he takes the viewer to Egypt to puzzle over hieroglyphics, then to Arecibo Observatory, where the largest radio telescope in the world resides. He then invites the audience to imagine what another civilization in space would be like. ~ Alice Day, All Movie Guide
- 1980
Dr. Carl Sagan has guided the viewer through many episodes of Cosmos, and has explained many of the more difficult concepts pertaining to the workings of the universe. In Cosmos, Episode 13: Who Speaks for Earth?, he makes use of the special effects that have illuminated previous shows to take the viewer back 15 billion years to the Big Bang, and marks the major steps leading to the modern-day view of space. He tells the story of Hypatia of Alexandria, one of the first women scientists, who became a martyr. To conclude, Dr. Sagan delivers a monologue on the responsibility of mankind not just to earth, but to the cosmos, the source of our being. ~ Alice Day, All Movie Guide
- 1980
In this installment of the award-winning series Cosmos, Dr. Carl Sagan takes viewers into the Venusian atmosphere to deliver a lesson on possible repercussions of the greenhouse effect. The noted author and astronomer explains complex subjects in an engaging and informative manner that is not difficult to understand. Accessibility to the subject enabled millions of viewers to appreciate the series. Cosmos, Episode 4: Heaven and Hell, through the magic of special effects, also explores the Solar System to observe the effects of dramatic cosmic events on other objects in space. ~ Alice Day, All Movie Guide
- 1980
The Cosmos series won both a Peabody and an Emmy Award for television excellence. Written by Dr. Carl Sagan and his wife, Ann Druyan, it was eventually seen by more than 500 million viewers in 60 countries. In it, Dr. Sagan helped viewers to understand complex issues regarding the universe. In Cosmos, Episode 5: Blues for a Red Planet, Dr. Sagan uses special effects to travel to Mars, as seen by authors of science fiction novels. He then contrasts this with pictures of the surface of Mars taken by the Viking spacecraft. ~ Alice Day, All Movie Guide
- 1980
In the popular PBS series Cosmos, co-written by Dr. Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan, the mysteries of the universe are investigated and explained by astronomer/author Dr. Sagan, who also serves as host. In this episode, he takes a look at the Voyager missions to Jupiter and Saturn, and compares the excitement to the adventuring spirit of the early Dutch explorers who traveled unknown seas for the first time. Their discoveries led to further knowledge of previously unheard of wonders and riches, comparable to the invaluable data retrieved by the spacecraft. ~ Alice Day, All Movie Guide
- 1980
The earliest humans were perplexed by the stars and they attached meanings to them in an attempt to understand their significance. In this installment of the series Cosmos, the immensely popular PBS show hosted by astronomer/author Dr. Carl Sagan, viewers examine these early endeavors to comprehend the night sky. The stars were thought to be campfires in the heavens, and the great expanse of stars known as the Milky Way was the "backbone of the night." Dr. Sagan goes back to his childhood elementary school where the question "What are stars?" is the subject of discussion. ~ Alice Day, All Movie Guide
- 1980
Television mogul Ted Turner discusses the preservation of our planet with Dr. Carl Sagan in Cosmos, Episode 14: Ted Turner Interviews Dr. Sagan. In the last of the Cosmos series, Dr. Sagan points out how vulnerable the earth is to the toxic substances mankind churns out on a regular basis. The greenhouse effect, pollution, and nuclear weapons affect the earth, and have the capacity to damage the ecobalance, perhaps forever. He then brings up the subject of time travel, and winds up with his favorite topic, searching for life elsewhere in the universe. ~ Alice Day, All Movie Guide
- 1980
In this highly acclaimed series written for PBS by astronomer/author Dr. Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan, the universe is the topic of discussion. In this first episode, Cosmos, Episode 1: Shores of the Cosmic Ocean, Dr. Sagan goes deep into space with the help of special effects to visit star clusters, supernovas, pulsars, quasars, and exploding galaxies. At the conclusion, he takes viewers to a re-creation of the 2,000-year-old Alexandrian Library. Cosmos became the most popular limited series in the history of public television. ~ Alice Day, All Movie Guide
- 1980
Cosmos, Episode 2: One Voice in the Cosmic Fugue is the second in the award-winning PBS series Cosmos. Host Dr. Carl Sagan has a knack for clarifying some of the more complex issues related to the beginning of life. In this episode, Sagan explains the history of the universe, and talks about the evolution of living organisms from the simplest microbes to humans. This comprehension of origins is necessary to understand what life forms might be found elsewhere in the universe. ~ Alice Day, All Movie Guide
- 1980
The Peabody and Emmy Award-winning PBS series Cosmos was written by astronomer/author Dr. Carl Sagan and his wife, Ann Druyan. Filmed in 40 locations over a two-year period, the programs explored the wonders of the universe, with explanations provided by Dr. Sagan. In this installment, Cosmos, Episode 3: Harmony of the Worlds, the life of Johannes Kepler, the first modern astronomer (who also wrote the first science fiction novel), is profiled. His influence on today's views on planetary motion is explored. ~ Alice Day, All Movie Guide
- 1980
The birth and death of stars is the subject of this installment of Cosmos, the PBS award-winning series seen by more than 500 million people in 60 countries. In this eye-opening program, astronomer/author Dr. Carl Sagan presents a remarkable look at the life cycle of stars, using computer animation and space art. Cosmos, Episode 9: Lives of the Stars depicts the collapse of stars which precedes the formation of neutron stars and black holes. Dr. Sagan then guides the viewer five billion years into the future, when the Sun will flare out, encompassing the earth in its explosive death. ~ Alice Day, All Movie Guide
- 1980
Is time travel possible? Are there other planets in their own solar systems? Why do star patterns change? These questions are addressed in this installment of the highly acclaimed PBS series Cosmos, written and hosted by astronomer/author Dr. Carl Sagan. Through the magic of special effects, the viewer goes on a journey to observe the evolution of stars over millions of years, then sees a simulation of other stars with their orbiting planets. In Cosmos, Episode 8: Travels in Space and Time, Dr. Sagan also travels to Italy and introduces the young Einstein as he ponders beams of light and their speed. ~ Alice Day, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Extraterrestrials. Experts talk about the possibility of other life in the universe. ~ All Movie Guide
