The War Game

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Movie
Original title The War Game
The War Game Logo.jpg
Country of production United Kingdom
original language English
Publishing year 1965
length 48 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Peter Watkins
script Peter Watkins
production Peter Watkins
camera Peter Bartlett
cut Michael Bradsell

The War Game (German alternative title: Kriegsspiel or Wargame ) is a short film made with documentary means about a hypothetical nuclear attack on Great Britain during the Cold War . Peter Watkins shot the black and white film in 1965 for the British broadcaster BBC . Among other things, the film gained notoriety through a public debate about the drastic portrayal of the consequences of a nuclear war and the decision of the BBC not to broadcast the film.

content

After the invasion of South Vietnam by Chinese troops and a clash between NATO and Warsaw Pact forces on German soil, the situation escalated in a nuclear exchange restricted to Europe , in which Great Britain is also a target of Soviet missiles.

The action takes place mostly in and around the city of Rochester in the county of Kent . First of all, residents are asked about their knowledge of the dangers of nuclear weapons, most of them appear to be uninformed, there are hardly any shelters and even simple means of provisionally securing houses are unaffordable for many people. The film depicts the chaos of the protective measures, triggered by the forced evacuation of the urban population from particularly endangered areas: Since only women and children are to be evacuated, many women refuse to leave their husbands and adult sons; on the other hand, residents of the less endangered areas refuse to take in and care for the foreigners so that they have to be forced to do so by force of arms.

It shows the direct consequences of the nuclear weapon explosions such as extreme heat radiation and the pressure waves of the explosion, which lead to damage and serious injuries even at a greater distance; but also the effects of radioactive radiation are discussed.

Subsequently, drastic images depict the indirect consequences of the attack: the social order collapses, people suffer from insufficient medical care and hunger. Medicines are not available in sufficient quantities, the doctors helplessly have to divide the patients into three categories: those that can be treated easily, those that can be treated and finally those that cannot be saved. Police shoot the hopelessly wounded and sick in order to shorten their suffering. Corpses have to be disposed of by improvised burns as there are not enough workers available for funerals and epidemics threaten. Food depots are looted and there are bloody clashes between security forces and the civilian population, although looters are sentenced to death and shot. The last picture shows a Christmas party held by survivors, many of whom are doomed to die.

background

Filming took place in early 1965 in the towns of Tonbridge , Gravesend , Chatham and Dover in Kent. In order to achieve the most realistic possible effect, Watkins combined game scenes filmed in a documentary style with partly authentic, partly posed interviews as well as statistical studies on the consequences of a nuclear attack on British soil. In addition, excerpts from official statements by various institutions on the subject of nuclear war are presented. The roles in the game scenes were filled exclusively with amateur actors.

The War Game was scheduled to air on the 21st anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima , August 6, 1966 . However, due to the content and the drastic presentation, the BBC decided not to show the film. The public debate was exacerbated by political pressure and a predominantly hostile press. The Observer and Labor MP Renée Short were among the few votes calling for it to be broadcast . Instead, the film ran in theaters on a limited basis. It was not until 1985 that The War Game was broadcast on British television together with the thematically and stylistically similar feature film Threads (also a BBC production). 15 years later, the film was voted # 5 in the UK's 100 Best TV Productions .

In West Germany , the film ran from March 3, 1971 under the titles The War Game (war game) and Wargame .

Because of its fictional theme, film historians have repeatedly assigned The War Game to the science fiction genre.

Reviews

"Brilliant. But it must not be shown. [...] I reject this film because it is propagandistic and negative in its approach and politically calculated in its mode of action. What producer Peter Watkins delivers is not a film about the bomb, but an appeal to ban it. [...] The film ignores any hope. That's why I call him irresponsible. And he leaves out any argument why we need to have the bomb. "

- Daily Sketch

“This monstrous misrepresentation reproduces the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament's demands so accurately that one wonders what moved the BBC to raise £ 10,000 for this film. It would be more appropriate to call it "The C.N. D. Game". "

- Daily Express

“A warning masterpiece. This is perhaps the most important film ever made. It is said again and again that a work of art cannot change the course of history. [...] I think this one can do it. [...] an authentic document of the anger that will come upon us. "

- The Observer

“A fictional report about an atomic bomb attack on English cities and its terrible effects on the population. Produced by the BBC and awarded an 'Oscar', but not shown on English television, the film aims to raise awareness of the destructive effects of nuclear war that go beyond all imagination, to shake up public opinion and to encourage a moral and political opinion. A terrifying, startling film. "

- Lexicon of international film

Aftermath

In 1968 the Südwestfunk asked Watkins about a remake of The War Game , which should show the effects of a nuclear war on Hamburg . However, the project was not implemented. A new edition planned in Great Britain in 1982 also failed during production preparations.

Awards

literature

  • Alan Rosenthal: The War Game: An Interview with Peter Watkins , in Alan Rosenthal, John Corner (Ed.): New Challenges for Documentary , Manchester University Press, 2nd edition, ISBN 0-7190-6898-3 (HC) and 0 -7190-6899-7 (TB), Manchester / New York 2005, pp. 110-120.
  • Patrick Murphy: The War Game - The Controversy , in Film International , May 2003.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Information on The War Game on Peter Watkins' website, accessed June 6, 2012.
  2. ^ A b The War Game in the Lexicon of International FilmsTemplate: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used
  3. ↑ U. a. in Phil Hardy (ed.): The Aurum Film Encyclopedia - Science Fiction, Aurum Press, London 1991; Georg Seeßlen: Cinema of the utopian. History and Mythology of Science Fiction Films, Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 1980; Ronald M. Hahn, Volker Jansen: Lexicon of Science Fiction Films. 1500 films from 1902 until today. Heyne, Munich 1994.
  4. ↑ "Brilliant. But it must stay banned. [...] I object to this film because it is propagandistic and negative in its approach, politically calculated in its effect. What producer Peter Watkins has made here is not a film about The Bomb, but a plea to ban it […] It excluded hope. In that I judge it to be irresponsible. It excluded any reasoned argument on why we must have The Bomb. ”- Article in Daily Sketch, quoted from Peter Watkins' website, accessed June 23, 2012.
  5. ↑ "This monstrous misrepresentation so accurately mirrors the claims of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament that it is a mystery how the BBC was induced to put up 10,000 pounds to make the film, which could more accurately be called 'The CND Game.'" - Daily Express article , quoted from Peter Watkins' website, accessed June 23, 2012.
  6. ↑ "A warning masterpiece. It may be the most important film ever made. We are always being told that works of art cannot change the course of history. Given wide enough discrimination, I believe this one might […] an authentic documentary image of the wrath to come […] ”- Article in The Observer, quoted from Peter Watkins' website, accessed June 23, 2012.
  7. ↑ Peter Watkins: Media Repression - A Personal Statement, in Ron Burnett: Explorations in Film Theory: Selected Essays from Ciné-tracts , Indiana University Press, 1991, ISBN 978-0-253-31282-2 , p. 222, accessed on August 25, 2010.
  8. ^ Scott MacDonald: Avant-Garde Film: Motion Studies, Cambridge University Press 1993, p. 172.