The Flight of the Gossamer Condor

The Flight of the Gossamer Condor

1978 · 27 min · ★ 6.2 · Documentary

The Flight of the Gossamer Condor tells the inspiring true story of history's first successful human-powered flight. Renowned inventor Dr. Paul MacCready and his team were filmed creating the world-famous pedal-powered airplane as it happened. Producing this film, which documents the development of a man's dream into a scientific and historic achievement was, in itself, an extraordinary effort. There was an immense risk involved in making a commitment to film a scientist's effort at achieving something which had never done before successfully. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2007.

Directed by Ben Shedd

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The Flight of the Gossamer Condor

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A close match in mood and era.

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Fort Worth Flyover II

Fort Worth Flyover II · 1992

Fort Worth Flyover II

MovieDocumentary

An updated version of the original Fort Worth Flyover (1983), produced by the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History to be played before every feature at its Omni IMAX theater. It is designed to simulate flying over the city in a helicopter.

Seasons

Seasons · 1987

MovieDocumentary

Poetry meets technology in this film about the cycle of the seasons. Narrated by William Shatner, and accompanied by a special digital "surround" recording of Antonio Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, the film takes audiences on a breathtaking trip through the eruption of spring, the growth of summer, the harvest and festivity of autumn, and the dormancy of winter. The beauty of the seasons is interspersed with a look at the earth as a planet, the sun as a star, and the human quest to understand the relationship between the two.

Tropical Rainforest

Tropical Rainforest · 1992

Tropical Rainforest

MovieDocumentary

The story of the evolution of tropical rain forests, their recent and rapid destruction, and the intense efforts of scientists to understand them even as they disappear. This film gives viewers a better appreciation of the importance of tropical rain forests on a global scale.

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Hoop Dreams

Hoop Dreams · 1994

MovieDocumentary

Every school day, African-American teenagers William Gates and Arthur Agee travel 90 minutes each way from inner-city Chicago to St. Joseph High School in Westchester, Illinois, a predominately white suburban school well-known for the excellence of its basketball program. Gates and Agee dream of NBA stardom, and with the support of their close-knit families, they battle the social and physical obstacles that stand in their way. This acclaimed documentary was shot over the course of five years.

Harlan County U.S.A.

Harlan County U.S.A. · 1976

Harlan County U.S.A.

MovieDocumentary

This film documents the coal miners' strike against the Brookside Mine of the Eastover Mining Company in Harlan County, Kentucky in June, 1973. Eastover's refusal to sign a contract (when the miners joined with the United Mine Workers of America) led to the strike, which lasted more than a year and included violent battles between gun-toting company thugs/scabs and the picketing miners and their supportive women-folk. Director Barbara Kopple puts the strike into perspective by giving us some background on the historical plight of the miners and some history of the UMWA. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with New York Women in Film & Television in 2004.

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