A docudrama depicting a hypothetical nuclear attack on Britain.
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Title: The War Game (TV Movie 1966)
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The War Game is a fictional, worst-case-scenario docu-drama about nuclear war and its aftermath in and around a typical English city. Although it won an Oscar for Best Documentary, it is fiction. It was intended as an hour-long program to air on BBC 1, but it was deemed too intense and violent to broadcast. It went to theatrical distribution as a feature film instead. Low-budget and shot on location, it strives for and achieves convincing and unflinching realism. Written by io <orb@europa.com>
Plot Keywords:
post thermonuclear war | banned film | civil defense | nuclear war | mockumentary |Taglines:
BBC TV's film about a nuclear attack on Britain directed by Peter WatkinsCertificate:
See all certifications »Parents Guide:
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(uncredited)
Music by Franz Xaver Gruber
Lyrics by Joseph Mohr
Played on phonograph at Dover refugee compound
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Despite being produced by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the film was banned from television. The official reason was violence and depiction of human suffering, but others hinted that the real reason was because it went against the official government line concerning the survivability of a nuclear attack. The ban didn't forbid cinematic distribution, so the film had a wide theatrical release and won four major film awards. See more »Goofs
Light can be seen reflecting off a woman's "broken" teeth. See more »Quotes
A leading American nuclear strategist: In the next world war, I believe that both sides could stop before the ultimate destruction of cities so that both sides could retire for a period of ten years or so of post-attack recuperation, in which world wars four to eight could be prepared.See more »
Alternate Versions
Some prints replace the stills of Lyndon B. Johnson and Alexey Kosygin with stills of the White House and the Red Square See more »Soundtracks
Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht (Silent Night, Holy Night)(uncredited)
Music by Franz Xaver Gruber
Lyrics by Joseph Mohr
Played on phonograph at Dover refugee compound
See more »
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Details
Country:
UKLanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
1 November 1967 (Sweden) See more »Also Known As:
Krigsspel See more »Company Credits
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Technical Specs
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Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
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The War Game (1965) was a TV movie funded by the BBC. Peter Watkins gave them a movie that probably caused the hair on the necks of the BBC's standards and practices department to stand on end. Mr. Watkins paints a grim and bleak outlook for humanity if there ever was a nuclear conflict. Based on data from the hellish bombings of Dresden, Berlin, Tokyo, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima & Nagasaki and nuclear testing information from the U.S .Government (among his painstaking research and sources) shows the utter devastation that even a small exchange of missiles would bring upon his homeland. The acting is top notch (using a cast of unknowns) and the F/X were quite up to par (making the best out of the small budget). Even though the subject matter is dark and bitter, The War Game is a compelling watch and I highly recommended it for everyone.