Stephen Walker’s original “Heart” tells the story of a group of Northampton, Mass., seniors who, under the tutelage of a younger choir director, sing versions of songs from artists such as The Clash, Coldplay and James Brown. In addition to reveling in the comedy of seniors performing blues and punk numbers, it also focuses on the lives of the performers, several of whom passed away during the course of production.

Reiser is currently in the middle of production of Cancer, a comedy directed by Nicole Holofcener that stars James McAvoy and Seth Rogen. It tells the tale of a 25 year old’s comedic rendition of his diagnosis and battle with cancer that’s set to come out sometime next year.

The Film:

2008 was a fabulous year for documentaries but financially it hasn’t been. There was a story recently on the state of theatrical viewing of documentaries, stated perhaps that fatigue from news coverage of Iraq and other related politics have hurt the majority of war-themed documentaries. But where does that leave stuff like Young@Heart, a documentary I thoroughly loved and this amazing film, Sputnik Mania? Documentaries aren’t making money at the box office, no matter what the subject matter. What a shame because people are missing some exceptional films.

Sputnik Mania is a little, low budget documentary perfectly juggling the hysteria we were in after USSR launched the first satellite into space, the ‘Red Scare’, and the mania the world was in after this event. A surprising aspect of the film is how little it relies on the typical ‘talking heads’ formula most documentaries use. Instead, director David Hoffman uses audio samples, rare archival footage, and newsreels to tell this story. Add on some kitsch songs of the time, with some instructional films, and we got one informative, but fun film.

Despite the fun and some jokes, what Hoffman gets across is vitally important and almost forgot: we were at the brink of a nuclear holocaust. At any crucial point, we could have been in a dreaded Third World War, as during this time the race to create nuclear weapons was running, the Cold War was thought to be getting hot, and fear was spreading throughout America. We were testing and dropping nuclear bombs once every three days in Nevada and the Soviets even drop the largest nuclear bomb ever created in testing procedures.

Perhaps the most revealing aspect of this film is through these old newsreels we see the media pressuring President Eisenhower into questions about Sputnik, war, and nuclear annihilation. He remained stoic in his stance, despite media criticism. His actions or lack there of, saved us from what seemed like an inevitable war with USSR. His attitude was a saving grace, now seen 50 years later, but if anything good came out of this so-called ‘Sputnik Mania’ it was our, as in Americans, need to beat the Soviets in technology, that lead to the advancement of PCs, laptops, and other devices we use today.

Space nuts and history buffs should eat this film up, but a more casual viewer will appreciate its nostalgic atmosphere as well as its importance. What turned out to be a marvelous step for mankind turned almost into a bitter war between two nations and this documentary is one amazing little film.

The DVD:

Audio/Video: Using a ton of archival footage, don’t expect this to dazzle on your high def TV, but everything is decent. The audio is just okay; mostly due to the degrading source materials, much is muffled. No subtitles, but I think most will be able to hear it.

Extras: There’s a slew of material here that is quite nice to have extras on a documentary. Sadly, there’s no commentary. There’s a documentary of sorts that uses vintage PSA’s and old newsreels. Funny and enlightening, look for some added kitsch throughout this.

Yankee Go Home: a very serious look at Russian propaganda and is worth a look, even if it feels like watching something in history class.

Laika: A neat find about the first dog in space.

Communist Society: This features a Catholic priest and his warnings on the “Reds”, as it’s interesting to see a religious perspective in this.

Alert Today, Alive Tomorrow: This piece shows how working together can get you through a nuclear attack!

Conclusion: If you haven’t caught up with this film yet, do so. It’s fun, informative, and vital. The DVD is stacked with some fun extras and be sure to read my interview with the director on Killer Film.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars