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The War Game

The War Game

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Summary

Docudrama that imagines the events leading up to a nuclear strike on the UK, then presents its likely after-effects. Director Peter Watkins focuses on a decimated community in Kent as public health declines, order crumbles and martial law is declared.

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IMDB

Review

A star rating of 4 out of 5.

Adrian Turner

Such was the power of The War Game that the BBC, which produced it, refused to transmit Peter Watkins's film, leaving it to sit on the shelf, gathering dust and notoriety, before a cinema release in 1966. Watkins had already made a name for himself with the savage Culloden and he utilised the same documentary-style techniques to create an image of England in the moments before a nuclear attack. It's a nightmarish blend of Ealing comedy, Dad's Army and those wartime Ministry of Information movies which told you to put a blanket on your window, crawl under a table and pray. View it in the context of 1965 when the Cold War was at its hottest and when the youth of the world awoke each day thinking they would be vaporised at any minute.

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7.9/10

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Credits

Cast

rolenameCommentatorMichael AspelCommentatorDick Graham

Crew

rolenameDirectorPeter WatkinsDirectorDerek Ware

Details

Theatrical distributor

British Film Institute Ltd

Languages

English

Guidance

Contains violence.

Available on

video and DVD

Formats

Black and white

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