The most dangerous man in America? A month of great anti-war films

October is turning out to be quite a month for those of us who enjoy provocative documentary films on themes related to resisting militarism and making peace. Tomorrow, Oct. 5, the PBS series POV will screen the acclaimed film about the journalist whose investigative reporting helped lead to the end of the Vietnam war, The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers. For people without television (like yours truly!), there’s even better news: the film will be available for watching via internet broadcast from Oct. 6 to 27.

I’d also offer a “local note” — while I no longer live in New York City, I still visit make the 100-mile trek to the City a couple times a month. And this month, NYC — like so many metropolitan regions, offers a host of film festivals and special features — has several especially enticing film opportunities in local theaters.

Last week at the Quad Cinema was The Good Soldier, which can be rented on DVD. Now this coming Friday, Oct. 8, that same great theater will host the U.S. theatrical release of the much-talked-about launch of Budrus, which profiles a Palestinian community organizer.

That same day, Friday the 8th, Anthology Film Archives also begins a one-week special screening of another provocative film about nonviolent resistance to the Israeli occupation: Rachel, which considers the story of the inspiring Rachel Corrie. I loved both My Name Is Rachel Corrie, the dramatic play that performs some of Rachel’s own words, and also the more recent book Let Me Stand Alone, which is a collection of Corrie’s writings as prepared by her own family. So I hope to see this 2009 film that is now beginning wider distribution.