Cold War Films Thread.

[antonkk]

Maybe I'm a typical cold war kid but I really want to collect some vintage cold war/espionage/nuclear disaster/apocalyptic movies on DVD. When I was in my early teens I was fascinated by Soviet films about noble KGB superagents fighting evil CIA spies and american imperialists, who were all smoking cigars/drinking wisky, never took their feet of the desks and most of time were either planning to overthrow some nice socialist government in Africa/Latin America or simply to blow up the whole white world. This **** was cool and scary. Some of these movies were classic (1987's Letters of a dead man is still the best nuclear war film I ever saw), some simply ridiculous and extremely cheesy. The same applies to american cold war films of the 50's-80's. Some you watch as good cinema, some as interesting time capsule, some as hystericaly funny cheeseballs. But they all have one thing in common - they are fun to watch.
Since the topic is really huge let's leave out espionage and commando films for a while and start with nuclear conflict films. I really need some good recommendations, ranging from comic (well, I have Dr.Strangelove of course) to apocalyptic (just ordered The day after). Thanx beforehand!

[Ed Bishop]

Well, if you really wanna be spooked...FAIL-SAFE comes to mind, though I prefer STRANGELOVE, since its comic tone makes the reality all the more chillling....

And any number of James Bond films use the cold war as kind of a backdrop, though seldom with any real seriousness....

:ed:

[rene smalldridge]

Them,The Thing and the original Godzilla come immediantly to mind as horror films having none too subtly implied Cold war subtexts. Oh yes and the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers with it's theyr'e coming!theyr'e here! McCarthyism run amok is probably the epitome of the genre.

[Jimbo]

Fail Safe covers much the same territory as Dr. Strangelove, without the black humor. Tense and terrific.

On the Beach is another period piece that hold up very well.

Threads, made for British TV in the 80s, is the most relentlessly depressing movie I've ever seen, following the struggles of a group of nuclear holocaust survivors.

[thxdave]

"Failsafe" would be another good one of that genre. Also, you might be able to find a copy of "Atomic Cafe" on DVD at your local bookstore. It's more of a compilation of clips from the "Duck and Cover" days touting our ability to survive a nuclear holocaust by simply getting under our desks....sheesh.

[thxdave]

Guess I should have refreshed this page before I posted....Failsafe is the early leader in this race. Also, if you REALLY want to get depressed, rent "The Day After" and see what society might look like once you peel off the thin veneer of civility. :(

[antonkk]

Guess I should have refreshed this page before I posted....Failsafe is the early leader in this race. Also, if you REALLY want to get depressed, rent "The Day After" and see what society might look like once you peel off the thin veneer of civility. :( Oops, I'm sorry - I edited my post as I actualy meant "The day after" when I wrote that I ordered "On the next day"! :shh:

[pigmode]

Okay, I doubt anyone will mention this one: "Where Have All the People Gone?" with Peter Graves and Kathleen Quinlan when she was a total babe. Its kind of a hokey B-Classic, but worth watching.

[antonkk]

Okay, I doubt anyone will mention this one: "Where Have All the People Gone?" with Peter Graves and Kathleen Quinlan when she was a total babe. Its kind of a hokey B-Classic, but worth watching.


Sasaki, never heard about this one...What's it about? I can't find any trace of a DVD on amazon.




P.S. Also - what was the title of that stupid movie where a team of Soviet special forces invades Alaska (!!!) and then everything spirals into fullblown nuclear war? I don't remember if it was a TV movie or not.

[stereoptic]

The Atomic Cafe (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083590/) is a fantastic "documentary" of the sociological and cultural aspects of the atomic tests. It's a documentary without narration. The story is told through US propaganda films, instructional films, news clips, etc. Although the tone of the movie is slightly campy, by the end of the movie we are reminded that the bomb scares were, at the time, quite real. You'll never forget the footage of the soldiers walking towards the mushroom cloud.

Nightbreaker (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097977/) was an excellent TV movie starring Emilio Estevez as a government scientist testing bombs in the southwest who begins to protest and research the government's practice of using soldiers for radiation tests.


Check out the atomic store (http://shop.store.yahoo.com/vceinc01-store/videos.html) for other (more straightforward) documentaries

[Ken_McAlinden]

The undisputed runner-up to "Dr. Strangelove..." for 2nd best cold-war comedy of all time is Billy Wilder's "One, Two, Three" featuring James Cagney in his last lead performance. "Ninotchka", scripted by Wilder and directed by Ernst Lubitsch, would have given it a run for its money, but loses on a technicality since it pre-dates the actual cold war. :)

Narrowing the focus to nuclear combat as requested, though, how about "The Missiles of October", about the Cuban Missile Crisis. I excluded the similar "Thirteen Days" since it was produced long after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

You will definitely want to track down a copy of the BBC-produced "The War Game", directed by Peter Watkins (available on DVD in Europe).

There's also a Ray Milland (Directed and starring) film from 1962 called "Panic in Year Zero!", but it's hard to find on video.

Also, you will want to check out "Testament" from around the same time as "The Day After".

Regards,

[charlie W]

"The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!" didn't make anyone's list? It's a great comendy/parody of Cold War paranoia. You could throw in "The Mouse That Roared", too, about a small European country declaring war on the US and they land troops(8) in New York City during a Civil Defense evacuation test. Does anyone remember the mid-1970's classic "Damnation Alley" with George Pepperd? And there was a TV mini-series on ABC called "Amerika" with Kris Kristopherson(I think) as the last US President and the US defeated by the Soviets.

[antonkk]

"The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!" didn't make anyone's list? It's a great comendy/parody of Cold War paranoia. You could throw in "The Mouse That Roared", too, about a small European country declaring war on the US and they land troops(8) in New York City during a Civil Defense evacuation test. Does anyone remember the mid-1970's classic "Damnation Alley" with George Pepperd? And there was a TV mini-series on ABC called "Amerika" with Kris Kristopherson(I think) as the last US President and the US defeated by the Soviets.

I remember "Amerika" was hailed as the height of cold war anti-soviet absurdity back then and a big shock for russian kids who were Kristopherson fans (a few of his 70's movies - what was that one where he played a truck driver? - were big hits in the USSR). Anyone knows if it's out on DVD? And of course there was The Red Dawn and the cheesiest of all - Rocky 4 and Rambo 2 and 3. Now the Stallone films were so dumb and laughable that they became instant hits here in Russia! :) Needles to say our cinema was guilty of the same crimes making hilarious movies about superhero soviet commandos crashing hundreds of american marines in a few minutes and the legendary Afganistan saga "The Black Shark" about our helicopter pilot kicking entire joint CIA/mojaheddin force's *** in 15 minutes or something! :D

P.S. I started a separate thread about "The russians are coming" some time ago - and yes, this one truly rocks. Superb comedy that still makes me LOL. :righton:

[antonkk]

The undisputed runner-up to "Dr. Strangelove..." for 2nd best cold-war comedy of all time is Billy Wilder's "One, Two, Three" featuring James Cagney in his last lead performance. "Ninotchka", scripted by Wilder and directed by Ernst Lubitsch, would have given it a run for its money, but loses on a technicality since it pre-dates the actual cold war. :)

Narrowing the focus to nuclear combat as requested, though, how about "The Missiles of October", about the Cuban Missile Crisis. I excluded the similar "Thirteen Days" since it was produced long after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

You will definitely want to track down a copy of the BBC-produced "The War Game", directed by Peter Watkins (available on DVD in Europe).

There's also a Ray Milland (Directed and starring) film from 1962 called "Panic in Year Zero!", but it's hard to find on video.

Also, you will want to check out "Testament" from around the same time as "The Day After".

Regards,
Are "The Missiles of October" better then "13 Days"? The Kevin Costner film sucked major *** IMHO, with horrible Kennedys and very poor display of tension. I had much higher expectations for that one - I mean if you do a Hollywood movie with JFK involved, make sure at least the guy looks a bit like him! There are long rumours about a planned russian film on the subject, but shot from a Kremlin perspective. Given the highly entertaining nature of Khrustchev character it could be a good one (if done properly). However, Costner did a decent spy film back in the 80's - I think it was called "No way out " or something.

[Steve D.]

Let's not forget "Ice Station Zebra." Talk about "cold" war.


-Steve D.

[Winter Hugohalter]

Are "The Missiles of October" better then "13 Days"?

William Devane was a spot on JFK,and Martin Sheen was a decent RFK in "The Missles Of October". I think it was tremendously effective,though it was a video TV drama.If they had made this an actual film it may have been better. "Thirteen Days" was better in some ways because it covered the crisis in much more detail.Other than that,the only problems I had with "Missles" was the casting of Ralph Bellamy as Adlai Stevenson and Howard DaSilva as Kruschev. Their performances were fine,but I think the actors needed to physically resemble their characters to some degree.

[pigmode]

Sasaki, never heard about this one...What's it about? I can't find any trace of a DVD on amazon.




P.S. Also - what was the title of that stupid movie where a team of Soviet special forces invades Alaska (!!!) and then everything spirals into fullblown nuclear war? I don't remember if it was a TV movie or not.

Except for the "fullblown nuclear war" part, sounds like Ice Station Zebra.

"Where Have All The People Gone" has not been released on DVD yet. It begins with a father, son, and daughter on a rock hunting trip in California. They are in a cave when a strange phenomenon occurs.

More Cold War:
The Bedford Incident
The Hunt For Red October
The Manchurian Candidate

Post Cold War:
A Boy And His Dog
The Road Warrior

[viator122]

For something less overtly political, what do you think of Gorky Park?

[Ron Stone]

For a great political Cold War thriller, nothing beats the original MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, with Frank Sinatra and a chilly Angela Lansbury. I haven't seen the recent Jonathan Demme remake yet.

For Cold War cheese, one of my favorite groaners is RED DAWN, a nutball film which portrays an American guerrilla resistance to Soviet occupation. It touches on almost every Cold War trope, from America as the underdog -- the small Colorado town is occupied by Latin Americans under Russian leadership -- to the N.R.A. conspiracy fantasy of foreign invaders using our evil gun registration forms to identify and disarm their American captives.

Of course, the plucky mountain militia of high school athletes does what the mightiest military in the world couldn't, taking back their slice of Little America from South Of The Border foreigners and inspiring a nationwide resistance. The film's sheer implausibility and gleefully apocalyptic patriotism is alternately amusing and embarrassing.

[Jimbo]

Another 80s entry with teens coming to the rescue would be Wargames, starring Matthew Broderick.

[SVL]

The series of movies with Michael Caine playing the Harry Palmer character (The Ipcress File/Funeral in Berlin/The Million Dollar Brain) are a nice bunch of spy stuff;)

[Steve D.]

I'm reminded of another cold war era gem. The 1963 feature "Lady Bug, Lady Bug." This obscure film is not available on VHS or DVD. It screens on TCM from time to time. Plot concerns the staff and students of a rural school reacting to the warning of a nuclear attack, not knowing whether it is real or not. Neat film.


-Steve D.

[antonkk]

Except for the "fullblown nuclear war" part, sounds like Ice Station Zebra.

"Where Have All The People Gone" has not been released on DVD yet. It begins with a father, son, and daughter on a rock hunting trip in California. They are in a cave when a strange phenomenon occurs.

More Cold War:
The Bedford Incident
The Hunt For Red October
The Manchurian Candidate

Post Cold War:
A Boy And His Dog
The Road Warrior

No I think that one was much more modern. Mid 80's at least. And there was no submarine involved.

[Emberglow]

There's a couple of very atmospheric B&W 1960's DVDs that I've bought recently (all Region 1 discs) that capture the Cold War spirit very well: The Bedford Incident (AllMovie link here (http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=16:E|42031)) and The Spy Who Came In From The Cold (AllMovie (http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=1:46310)), which was nominated for five Oscars back in 1965/'66 and amazingly only appeared on DVD last summer, but with a good 5.1 mix.

[theoxrox]

IMO "The Bedford Incident" is a helluva Cold War flick.

There's a great line in there where Richard Widmark chews some crewmember's a$$ and shortly afterward is talking with his Executive Officer. The XO makes some remark about Widmark's treatment of the sailor and Widmark says (approximately) "iI's not easy being an SOB like that." The XO replies (approximately) "And you do it so effortlessly!" Great little line!