Buy Tickets

Virtual Cinema: Desert One

Using new archival sources and unprecedented access, master documentarian Barbara Kopple reveals the story behind one of the most daring rescues in modern US history: a secret mission to free hostages of the 1979 Iranian revolution.
(NR, 107 min.)

CLICK HERE TO VIEW

Using new archival sources and unprecedented access to key players on both sides, master documentarian Barbara Kopple (Harlan County, USA) reveals the true story behind one of the most daring rescues in modern US history: a secret mission to free hostages captured during the 1979 Iranian revolution.

Starring: Jimmy Carter, Walter Mondale, Ted Koppel
Director: Barbara Kopple
Genre(s): Documentary, History, War

Watch Trailer

"Desert One is unsparing and unflinching."

— Roger Moore, Movie Nation

"You feel a hurricane of emotions watching Barbara Kopple’s brilliant and searing documentary Desert One."

— Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times

"Desert One, a superb documentary by Barbara Kopple, snatches high drama from the jaws of devastating failure."

— Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

"You emerge from 'Desert One' knowing certain aspects of the Iran-hostage crisis better than you did before. That makes it a worthy film, and an absorbing one."

— Owen Gleiberman, Variety

"What Desert One does accomplish in shining a light on this epic national failure is to celebrate the American can-do spirit and a noble willingness to go down trying."

— Marjorie Baumgarten, Austin Chronicle

"Beyond the political implications, this is a terrifically dramatic and very emotional film; understandably, some of the interviewees struggle to maintain composure when recalling their past trials."

— Godfrey Cheshire, RogerEbert.com

"Utilizing never-before-seen archival footage, expertly-rendered animated interludes, and unprecedented access to those involved in the crisis, Kopple strings it all together into a gripping and emotional whole, like a true master craftsman. I will not be surprised if the living legend brings another golden statuette home this year."

— Alex Savelie, Film Threat