THE WAR GAME Movie Review

Originally commissioned by the BBC as a cautionary tale about the ominous consequences of nuclear catastrophe, Peter Watkins's stunning 47-minute “documentary” was judged too horrifying to be televised, and was immediately shelved by the network. It's likely that even if the film had been shown as scheduled it would have had worldwide attention, but the banning of it—coupled with the subsequent firestorm (pun intended) of public protest—drew enormous attention to the film when it was finally released theatrically in both England and the United States. The premise is simple; a series of worldwide standoffs centering around regional conflicts balloon quickly into an unstoppable, Rube Goldberg-style machine that sets off a nuclear exchange. One small town in England is depicted, and while the town does not suffer a direct hit, the effects on the town of the nearby blast are horrible enough. Watkins stages the whole thing as a documentary, complete with hand-held, grainy, flatly lit camerawork and actors whose delivery is hesitant and unpolished. The resulting illusion of a nightmare caught on the run is of a magnitude that might be compared to the impact of Orson Welles's “War of the Worlds” radio broadcast as heard by those just tuning in in the middle. The War Game is one of the most important artifacts of the Cold War, as well as a continuing reminder that the danger—while it may now appear to be diminished—will continue to be very much with us for as long as these weapons exist. Academy Award, Best Documentary Feature.

NEXT STOP … Culloden, The Atomic Cafe, Black Rain (Imamura)

1965 49m/B Michael Aspel, Peter Graham; D: Peter Watkins; W: Peter Watkins; C: Peter Bartlett. Academy Awards ‘66: Best Feature Documentary. VHS NOS, SNC, HTV