Daniel Schorr Movies

Fifty years after the Soviet Union made history by launching Sputnik into space, the reverberations of that historical event are still echoing around the world. Produced to coincide with the 50th anniversary of this defining moment in human history, this documentary from filmmaker David Hoffman draws on lost footage and informative interviews to detail the remarkable story surrounding the launch of Sputnik, as well as the incredible events that unfolded in America the following year. While American enthusiasm over this technological breakthrough was at first palpable, that excitement quickly turned to dread as politicians and the media pointed out that the same rocket used to propel Sputnik into space could have just as easily been outfitted with a nuclear warhead and used to launch a devastating war against the United States. The following year, tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States reached an all-time high, effectively propelling the Cold War into overdrive. With bomb shelters being built, nuclear testing lighting up the atmosphere every three days, and then-senator Lyndon B. Johnson comparing the launch of Sputnik to another Pearl Harbor, it's no wonder that folks began to get so fatalistic. In this film, Hoffman explores the tenuous first steps into the modern age, the positive and negative effects of those steps on international relations, and the staunch determination of Americans to always be the first and the best. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Host Daniel Schorr continues in this re-examination of the Watergate scandal, a series first seen on the Discovery Channel. As it becomes clearer that the cover-up attempts reach higher into the upper echelons of the administration hierarchy, a new special prosecutor, Leon Jaworski, appears on the scene and begins extracting evidence from the White House. As proof piles up against Nixon and his closest advisors, the subject of presidential impeachment arises. Watergate: Impeachment explores the historic implications of impeachment and Nixon's resignation from his office. ~ Alice Day, Rovi

This documentary takes a look at the challenges and opportunities of Japan. A look at their economic development since World War II is also included. ~ Rovi

The five Watergate burglars are in a position to apply blackmail tactics and a scapegoat is needed in this installment of the BBC's Watergate series. In Watergate: Scapegoat, Special Counsel to the President, John Dean, is expected to take the blame, but he refuses and decides to cooperate with the Watergate prosecutors. Alexander Butterfield, who handled Nixon's schedule and paperwork, makes the startling revelation that Nixon had been taping his conversations for approximately two years. The discovery that a large amount of concrete evidence was available astounded the media and the nation. ~ Alice Day, Rovi

The first installment of the Watergate series finds public opinion of President Nixon plummeting in 1970 as protests mount against the escalation of the Vietnam War. As his paranoia grows, Nixon approves covert operations that originate from the White House. Watergate: Break-In follows the events leading up to the break-in at the Democratic Party headquarters, as well as the arrest of the five burglars. Former CBS and CNN correspondent Daniel Schorr provides narration for this group of programs that give an unflinching look at a dark period in America's history. ~ Alice Day, Rovi