By Dawn's Early Light (1990)

A non-NATO nuclear missile is fired from Turkey at USSR, where it detonates. Soviet response is automatic as it's seen as a NATO missile. Can continued escalation be avoided? We follow the US president and a bomber crew.

Director:

Jack Sholder

Writers:

William Prochnau (novel), Bruce Gilbert (teleplay)

Stars:

Powers Boothe, Rebecca De Mornay, James Earl Jones

Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Powers Boothe	...	Cassidy
Rebecca De Mornay	...	Moreau (as Rebecca DeMornay)
James Earl Jones	...	Alice
Martin Landau	...	President
Darren McGavin	...	Condor
Rip Torn	...	Colonel Fargo
Jeffrey DeMunn	...	Harpoon
Peter MacNicol	...	Sedgwick
Glenn Withrow	...	Tyler
Ronald William Lawrence	...	Hooker
Kieran Mulroney	...	Radnor
Nicolas Coster	...	General Renning - 'Icarus'
Ken Jenkins	...	Looking Glass Colonel - 'Sam'
Randal Patrick	...	O'Toole
Daniel Benzali	...	Bascombe

Storyline

The crew of a nuclear bomber attack the Soviet Union while the President of the United States tries desperately to regain control of his military after his helicopter crashes during a limited nuclear exchange in this film with a scenario similar to Fail Safe (1964) and Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964). Originally a made for cable movie, it concentrates on the relationship between a veteran pilot and his female co-pilot and the president's attempt to wrest control away from a war-mongering successor.

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Plot Keywords:

nuclear bomber | u.s. air force | strategic air command | out of control | political superpower | 

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Taglines:

Four People. Three Minutes. Two Choices. One Chance For Survival.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-14

Did You Know?

Trivia

The following code words were used: The Day Word was "COTTONMOUTH"; the Command Word was "TRINITY"; and the Action Word was "JERICHO".

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Goofs

Once the Secretary of the Interior boards the E-4 and assumes the duties of president, the plane should have been referred to thereafter as Air Force One, but at no point in the film is it ever referred to as anything but the E-4. (It is correct for Alice and his crew, however, to revert to calling it the E-4 once they learn the original president is still alive.)

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Quotes

[Harpoon and Fargo try to advise the acting president on how to react to the nuclear conflict]
Harpoon: Use the pause. Settle things down.
Fargo: The best defense... Cut off the head of the Soviet chicken.

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Connections

Referenced in Sledstvie veli...: Besy (2007)

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Soundtracks

KEEP YOUR HANDS TO YOURSELF
Written by Dan Baird
Performed by The Georgia Satellites
Courtesy of Elektra Entertainment
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products
Administered by BMI

User Reviews

Compelling cold war tale

When a nuclear missile is launched by presumably Soviet forces toward Turkey, the beginning of the ultimate war to end all wars WW 3 is started. Powers Boothe, his girlfriend and copilot Rebecca DeMornay and their flight crew take off in a B 52 on what they believe is just another drill only to find out that this is the real deal. While they fly their mission toward Russia the US and Russia exchange nuclear blasts. The movie, originally made for HBO, tells a realistic tale of what could be if the controls of the nukes get in the wrong hands and with Russia, being the way it is today, this could be a prophetic movie. A very well done drama with some good acting, a little over the top by Booth, but it will keep you watching and most importantly make you think. On a scale of one to ten... 8

Details

Official Sites:

Matte World Digital

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

24 April 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Grand Tour

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Home Box Office (HBO), Paravision International S.A.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1