Sputnik Mania (Sputnik) (The Fever of 57) (2007)
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91% of critics liked it
(23 reviews) -
78% of users liked it
(153 ratings)
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… More 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
- Rating, Runtime
- G, 1 hr. 27 min.
- Directed By
- David Hoffman
- Written By
- David Hoffman, Paul Dickson
- Genres
- Documentary
- In Theaters
- Jun 1, 2007 Wide
- On DVD
- Jan 20, 2009
- Studio
- Balcony Releasing
Critic Reviews
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Wesley Morris, Boston Globe
Sputnik Mania plays, discreetly, like a negative love story between superpowers. Sure they moved on to other enemies, but they still haven't gotten over each other.
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Lou Lumenick, New York Post
For those too young to remember, Sputnik Mania documents the fear and anxiety that gripped the United States half a century ago when the Soviet Union launched the first satellite in October 1957.
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Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News
The archival footage here is great, and the cosmos-conquering craziness will satisfy space-race nuts. But the small budget is obvious, so director David Hoffman couldn't go from the Earth to the moon on every detail.
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Matt Zoller Seitz, New York Times
David Hoffman's documentary Sputnik Mania is an account of that Soviet satellite's effect on the American consciousness.
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Richard James Havis, Hollywood Reporter
Clips from old television broadcasts make this space documentary entertaining.
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