The Fever of ’57: The Sputnik Movie

By the end of World War II, our rocky relationship with our former ally, the Soviet Union, was a primary concern. This incredible program recounts how Cold War tensions peaked with Russia’s surprise launch of the first satellite to circle the planet and its dramatic effect on our military, government, and personal lives. Recounted with an amazing anthology of both black-and-white and color vintage film footage, historic television news programs, early animated graphics, as well as interviews with individuals from both countries involved with the space programs, this well-paced documentary focuses on the fear that the rocket that launched Sputnik in 1957 could just as easily launch a nuclear bomb. Many Americans believed that our country was no longer the world’s technological leader and was vulnerable to a Soviet military attack. A valuable thread running through the film is how our country’s social issues—especially the emerging civil rights battle—contributed to our citizens’ increasing uneasiness. Designed for use in schools, the program is available in two formats—one disc containing the entire documentary (with chapter selection options), and the other divided into three individually accessible chapters, each with five or six separate segments. This enhanced functionality is well-supplemented by an online teacher’s guide (sputnikmania.com) containing six general exploration topics, other potential student activities, links to additional resources, and enrichment ideas and materials. This film will be welcomed by classroom teachers as well as individual researchers.–Dwain Thomas, formerly Lake Park High School, Roselle, IL