Before Wikileaks There Were The Pentagon PapersDecember 15, 2010
Gravitas Ventures
On Demand Weekly provides new movie reviews of hot movies on demand and from the POV of watching from the comfort of your home. Today’s review: THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA: DANIEL ELLSBERG AND THE PENTAGON PAPERS (Gravitas Ventures).
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In THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA: DANIEL ELLSBERG AND THE PENTAGON PAPERS, filmmakers Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith look at the effects of one man’s transformation from architect of war to passionate pacifist. In telling their story, they draw parallels between Vietnam and the contemporary conflict in Iraq. And they do it all in a compelling, economical documentary that has just been nominated for an Academy Award.
Daniel Ellsberg was a scholar working in the Pentagon during the Johnson administration, with high-level clearance gave him access to thousands of pages of documents that contained damning details of the US involvement in the Vietnam War. When Ellsberg made those details public in 1971 he was considered both an outlaw hero and a traitorous pariah. All could agree, though, that Ellsberg was single-handedly responsible for opening the door that exposed the corruption and dishonesty that would eventually destroy the Nixon administration.
Though essentially a series of talking heads, THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA: DANIEL ELLSBERG AND THE PENTAGON PAPERS, is so well-researched, tightly edited, and exhaustively sourced that it plays like a three-act thriller. Ellsberg himself is a fascinating subject, steadfastly believing his exposure of the Pentagon Papers – and their subsequent publication in the New York Times -- was indisputably the right move even as he acknowledges how alone he felt in betraying the trust of his colleagues at the RAND Corporation.
With a roster of interviewees that includes everyone from Nixon apparatchik John Dean, to the recently deceased historian Howard Zinn, to Ellsberg’s own son – who, at 13, was his father’s co-conspirator, photocopying the Papers undercover of night at the RAND Corporation – Ehrlich and Goldsmith have assembled an articulate cadre of recollectionists, some of whom, such as Egil “Bud” Krogh, head of the White House burglars known as the “Plumbers,” have reassessed their views and gone from vilifying Ellsberg to lionizing him.
Among the film’s minor missteps are a few scenes of recreations of events from the 1970s in which Ehrlich and Goldsmith employ an actor to portray Ellsburg. Though the actor’s face is never shown, it’s clear that we aren’t actually seeing Ellsberg, so the scenes are slightly disconcerting. Additionally, the filmmakers illustrate Ellsberg’s late-night Xerox sessions using cel animation. While the effort is commendable, the cartoon is out of place in the context of the film.
Lest anyone think that Ellsberg is no longer the provocateur forty years on, one need only to click on this link to be reminded of his whistle-blowing ways. In support of Julian Assange's release of over 250,000 documents, Ellsberg reminds Americans that the attacks being made on Assange today are identical to those that were leveled against him in 1971.
At a brisk 97 minutes, THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA: DANIEL ELLSBERG AND THE PENTAGON PAPERS is that rarest of documentaries, in which potentially dry, prosaic subject matter is presented in a dynamic manner that makes the film both a potent account of an earlier era and a forceful and entertaining portrayal of a truly heroic character -- and a powerful reminder of how charming Nixon and his fellas were.
If you're looking for a challenging factual film that highlights more than a few parallels between the secrets of Vietnam and those of Iraq, dive into THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA: DANIEL ELLSBERG AND THE PENTAGON PAPERS.
Chris Claro is a new contributing writer to On Demand Weekly. He is a former Director of Promotion for Sundance Channel and now works as a writer, producer, and media educator. He is a regular contributor to dvdverdict.com and contributor to the Eyes and Ears section of huffingtonpost.com
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