Documentaries & films worth anyone's time #1

COSMOS. Written in all caps, because there's not a word which deserves it more.

I can think of no better way to open this sequence of posts, than with the legendary documentary series first introduced in 1980 by one of the greatest minds and incandescent personalities of our time. It's visionary delivery allows it to remain as potent and relevant today as it was nearly 40 years ago. Which, as we will learn in the series, is but a microscopic speck in the timeline of creation.

The name of the series, Cosmos: A Personal Voyage.
The person who put the "person" in personal: Carl Sagan.

Much and more has been said about the series, and I could write at length about it's daring conception, fervent realization and groundbreaking impact. Everything about it is brilliant. The writing (C. Sagan, A. Druyan, S. Soter), the presentation (Sagan), the soundtrack (Vangelis), the direction (A. Malone) and structure.

Though perhaps the most praise-worthy element remains Sagan's charismatic, concise and clear presentation of complex topics* in a manner so inviting you need only let yourself be fascinated by the intricate beauty of Life and Space.

*Main topics: the origins of life, the lives of stars, interstellar travel and the speed of light, the danger of mankind technologically self-destructing, the search for intelligent life in deep space, the infernal composition of the atmosphere of Venus and a warning about a similar effect taking place on Earth due to global pollution and the "greenhouse effect"