Fail Safe (1964)

A technical malfunction sends American planes to Moscow to deliver a nuclear attack. Can all-out war be averted?

Director:

Sidney Lumet

Writers:

Walter Bernstein (screenplay), Eugene Burdick (from the novel by)

Stars:

Henry Fonda, Walter Matthau, Fritz Weaver

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dan O'Herlihy	...	Gen. Black
Walter Matthau	...	Dr. Groeteschele
Frank Overton	...	Gen. Bogan
Edward Binns	...	Col. Grady (as Ed Binns)
Fritz Weaver	...	Col. Cascio
Henry Fonda	...	The President
Larry Hagman	...	Buck
William Hansen	...	Secretary Swenson
Russell Hardie	...	Gen. Stark (as Russell Hardy)
Russell Collins	...	Knapp
Sorrell Booke	...	Congressman Raskob
Nancy Berg	...	Ilsa Wolfe
John Connell	...	Thomas
Frank Simpson	...	Sullivan
Hildy Parks	...	Betty Black

Storyline

A series of human and computer errors sends a squadron of American 'Vindicator' bombers to nuke Moscow. The President, in order to convince the Soviets that this is a mistake, orders the Strategic Air Command to help the Soviets stop them.

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Plot Keywords:

nuclear attack | bomber | u.s. air force | nightmare | american president | 

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Taglines:

The screen zeros in on the most suspenseful adventure drama of our age!

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the conference room in which the President converses with the Soviet Premier, there is a clock on the wall with the hands pointed to the 11 o'clock position. This was the iconic representation of the probability of war used in the "Minutes to Midnight" campaign - midnight being the end of civilization in global thermonuclear war. This "Doomsday Clock" appeared on the cover of the "Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists" starting in 1947. The clock hands were moved toward or away from midnight to signal an increase or decrease in tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies.

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Goofs

Some of the Officers are wearing their caps indoors. Air Force Officers and Airmen do not wear their caps indoors except when wearing side arms.

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Quotes

US Ambassador: [over the phone] I can hear the sound of explosions from the north east. The sky is very bright. All lit up.
[phone melts and high pitched whining sound starts]

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Crazy Credits

[FINAL CREDIT]: The producers of this film wish to stress that it is the stated position of the Department of Defense and the United States Air Force that a rigidly enforced system of safeguards and controls insure that occurrences such as those depicted in this story cannot happen

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Connections

Featured in Watchmen (2009)

User Reviews

Despite its limitations, A Thought-provoking Cold War drama

I mentioned in another comment about a series of movies made during the mid-1960's, that I call 'political noir'.

These films are easy to spot, in that there were made in B&W, dealt with a American institutional crisis and seemed to always feature Henry Fonda somewhere in the cast.

On all three counts, this film fits that criteria.

Because this film came out around the time of "Dr Strangelove", it was somewhat overshadowed, and because of the nearly identical plots, there was even talk of plagiarism, even though this film was based on a novel by two Washington-based journalists with a remarkable insight of the workings of government and was directed by Sidney Lument, one of the cinema's great directors.

Also, unlike "Dr Strangelove", which seemed to receive major studio backing, money and the freedom offered by being produced in Great Britain where this satire was more appreciated, "Fail-Safe" was independently produced in New York on a limited budget, without official backing by the Defense Department, which explains all of the flaws complained of by many viewers and posters on this site.

Yet in spite of these limitations, Lument pulls off a major coup by presenting us with an authentic piece of Armeggeddon.

In a real-time view, we watch as a million-to-one technical fault 'orders' a wing of American bombers to attack Soviet Russia, and the Defense Department and the President are helpless in trying to stop it.

We are also witness to how our military operates, trying to plan military policy, and debating theory and possible results.

Such things are sensible and harmless as far as these things go, until 'the day comes' when reality displaces theory.

Walter Matthau, who is more well-known for his comic talents ("The Odd Couple", "Grumpy Old Men"), than being an accomplished dramatic actor, is shown at the height of his powers as Prof. Groteschelle; a defense policy wonk, whose obsession with defense preparedness and Marxist theory reaches the point of detachment from human emotion, as he blindly recommends that no action be taken and the bombers be allowed to complete their mission, resulting in 'final victory' over Communism.

This is in direct contradiction to General Black, a compassionate Air Force officer who is also an intellectual, who desperately urges that every means be made to stop the bombers before it is too late.

However, it turns out to be too late, at least on the American side.

We watch how technology becomes a hindrance, as much as the distrust between the two superpowers seems to be, as the President and the Soviet Premier desperately try to seek a solution to this disaster.

The tragedy about this is that someone thought they should remake this in 2000, which in a way is flattering but certainly could not come close to the original work.

But, this only proves that the subject of 'accidental war' is still a concern.

However, how can one do better than Henry Fonda ???

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 October 1964 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Fail-Safe

Filming Locations:

USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$3,924,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1