The Fifth Estate: The Espionage Establishment

In early 1974, a one-hour CBC TV documentary told Canadians for the first time about the existence of a secretive national agency that tapped phone calls and monitored radio signals. Back then, the signals intelligence organization went by an unwieldy title — the Communications Branch of the National Research Council, or CBNRC. Today it's called the Communications Security Establishment, or CSE.

Directed by William I. Macadam, The Fifth Estate: The Espionage Establishment leans on a strong ensemble — Victor Marchetti, Winslow Peck, William H. Kelley — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about documentary titles of 1974.