444 Days To Freedom: Program 1: Days 1-8; Escape From Iran: The Inside Story

On November 4, 1979, Iranian students stormed the American embassy at Tehran in protest of America's harboring the ailing Shah. The mass hostage of American embassy employees would last for 444 days. These two programs examine two different facets of that recent nightmare: the harrowing story of those who were held hostage, and the courageous journey of those who escaped. Escape From Iran: The Inside Story begins with the siege on Sunday morning, and then follows 6 Americans who, out of 18 would-be escapees, eventually left Iran. Led by Bob Anders, the group holed up in various safehouses before being given sanctuary by the Canadian embassy. How they fared until January 28, 1980, when they were able to make a daring escape from the airport is the subject of this fascinating documentary. 444 Days to Freedom: Program 1: Days 1-8 uses some of the same material as Escape From Iran, but the main focus is on the first days of the hostages, and the frantic political juggling that transpired during the first week of captivity. Although Escape From Iran is part of a two-program series (the other program is called The Canadian Caper, a made-for-television drama of the event), it stands alone. 444 Days to Freedom is a three-part series, and requires all three tapes (in fact, Program 1 simply ends, without credits). Escape From Iran: The Inside Story since it focuses on a lesser known event, is the more interesting, and it is highly recommended. The other series could have been put on one tape for public libraries; as it is it seems to be set up for classroom use, and for junior and high school libraries it is recommended. (See THE BIRTHDAY MOVIE for availability.)