The War Game (1966)

A docudrama depicting a hypothetical nuclear attack on Britain.

Director:

Peter Watkins

Writer:

Peter Watkins

Stars:

Michael Aspel, Peter Graham, Dave Baldwin

Won 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Michael Aspel	...	Commentator
Peter Graham	...	Commentator

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

post thermonuclear war | banned film | civil defense | nuclear war | mockumentary | 

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Taglines:

BBC TV's film about a nuclear attack on Britain directed by Peter Watkins

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", edited by Steven Schneider.

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Goofs

The so-called Honest John 'missile' shown during the first half of the film is nothing of the sort. It is, in fact, nothing more than a NATO-type external aviation drop tank, and bears absolutely no resemblance whatsoever to an Honest John.

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Quotes

Bomb survivor: Another thing the Germans did after the bombing on Dresden was they... took the wedding rings from the bodies. They were trying to identify them from the inscription inside the ring. We also are doing this. We are keeping the rings in this bucket here.

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Alternate Versions

Some prints replace the stills of Lyndon B. Johnson and Alexey Kosygin with stills of the White House and the Red Square

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Connections

Featured in The 50 Greatest Documentaries (2005)

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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

User Reviews

Close to forty years after it was made, it's still one of the most powerful and disturbing documentaries you'll ever see.

'The War Game' is a fascinating and deeply disturbing documentary which dramatizes what might happen in the event of a nuclear strike. Of course in many ways it is dated but I still think its central message is as powerful and as frightening as ever. It was banned (either officially or non-officially, there is some debate) by the BBC for many years, and it's no wonder. The film is political dynamite. This is not a film you would choose to watch for entertainment, but I highly recommend it to anyone who is willing to look at something confrontational and REAL. The Cold War is long over but the threat of nuclear annihilation remains, and therefore 'The War Game' still deserves to be seen by a mass audience before it's too late.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 November 1967 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Krigsspel

Filming Locations:

Canterbury, Kent, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

48 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1