GC-03. The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers

USA, Feature Documentary, 2009, 92 min

Selected by BIFF 2022 Special Guest Programmer Alec Baldwin

In 1971, Daniel Ellsberg, a high-level Pentagon official and Vietnam War strategist, concludes that the war is based on decades of lies and leaks 7,000 pages of top-secret documents to The New York Times, making headlines around the world. Hailed as a hero, vilified as a traitor and ostracized by even his closest colleagues, Ellsberg risks life in prison to stop a war he helped plan. This riveting story of one man’s profound change of heart is also a piercing look at the world of government secrecy as revealed by the ultimate insider. Marked by a landmark battle between America’s greatest newspapers and its president—that goes to the Supreme Court—this political thriller unravels a saga that leads directly to Watergate, Nixon’s resignation and the end of the Vietnam War. Film critic and culture writer Lisa Kennedy will conduct a brief interview with Alec Baldwin after the film

Directed by Judith Ehrlich, Rick Goldsmith