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The War Game

Play trailer Poster for The War Game 1967 47m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
93% Tomatometer 14 Reviews 89% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
In this British documentary, a hypothetical Chinese invasion of South Vietnam triggers a new world war between East and West. In the town of Rochester, Kent, the anticipation of a nuclear attack leads to mass evacuations. When a stray missile actually explodes, the ensuing firestorm blinds all those who see it. It's not long before the fabric of society is ripped apart owing to radiation poisoning, a lack of infrastructure and rioting for food and other necessities.

Critics Reviews

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Frances Morgan Sight & Sound 07/31/2018
Watkins's anger... has not been muted by the passage of time - perhaps it's made rawer by the roughened quality of the film stock. Go to Full Review
Jeremiah Kipp Slant Magazine 07/25/2006
4/4
Watkins's images are shrewd propaganda. Go to Full Review
Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times 10/23/2004
4/4
One of the most skillful documentary films ever made. Go to Full Review
Amber Wilkinson Eye for Film 12/07/2007
4.5/5
There is nothing subtle about this documentary, no place for irony just shocking image after image to bring home the terror of war. Go to Full Review
Jeffrey M. Anderson Combustible Celluloid 10/05/2006
A horrifying and insidiously effective propaganda piece. Go to Full Review
Ken Hanke Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) 08/30/2006
5/5
Nothing that you have heard or read can fully prepare you for Peter Watkins' 1965 faux documentary on the aftermath of a nuclear attack on Great Britain. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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@Paully77 Feb 23 A must see.. But very hard to find and stream.. See more Daniel C. M Jan 14 A very devasting and misanthropic documentary; in other words: it's very realistic. The ending in special is without description. See more Leaburn O 11/27/2024 On its own merits it is worth a watch at only 50 minutes. There is no comparison with Threads though which is slightly updated and far superior on the same topic. Unfortunately, for all that this was banned from TV because of the shock factor, in truth it was a very toned down recreation of the aftermath of a nuclear attack. Filmed in Kent, particularly in Gravesend, Tonbridge and Dover. Watched on Docsonline. See more William L 07/09/2021 You've seen 'Duck and Cover' in your 1950s homeroom class, now you're old enough to hang with the big boys. Bring on the nuclear fire, and don't forget the teabags! A faux-documentary based on reports from genuine nuclear strikes and firebombing campaigns (not sure why people refer to it as a legitimate documentary, it's a Cold War civil service project steeped in theoretical panic rather than fact), The War Game focuses less on generals arguing in clouds of cigar smoke as it confronts the potential street-level reality of a nuclear engagement that was very possible at the height of the Cold War. Despite the fact that the film was government-funded, it actually goes out of its way to highlight incompetencies in the Crown's efforts to prepare its citizens for a potential strike, often infused with a surprsing amount of dry humor (the nuclear pamphlet that you had to purchase for ninepence, described as a "bad seller"), and further creates a scene of social collapse that is anything but reassuring. Candid, well-acted, and startlingly brutal, the film would certainly have been something of an inspiration to Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Homeowner to read up on the effects of Strontium-90 and begin packing canned goods, but it is in such stark comparison to other newsreel-esque programs of the era in its lack of positivity that it's little wonder that the BBC pulled it, as it could have just been downright demoralizing. (3.5/5) See more s r @ScottR 12/19/2020 1001 movies to see before you die. It might be one of the first propaganda documentaries that want to manipulate you oppose nuclear bombs. It takes cheap shots against religious leaders and others by setting them up to ignorance. It was on internet archives. See more 04/05/2020 Great, genuinely hard to watch, eminently memorable and absolutely no fun at all. But that's really important I think, so much media really tries to sort of paint this candy-coated filter over subjects like war, when in reality, war, especially nuclear war, is pretty fucked. There's nothing wrong with making those other movies, the ones where the heroes win the day and good guys triumph, those will never go away, nor should they, but every now and then, some hard truths need to be confronted too, and The War Game is very confronting. See more Read all reviews
The War Game

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Movie Info

Synopsis In this British documentary, a hypothetical Chinese invasion of South Vietnam triggers a new world war between East and West. In the town of Rochester, Kent, the anticipation of a nuclear attack leads to mass evacuations. When a stray missile actually explodes, the ensuing firestorm blinds all those who see it. It's not long before the fabric of society is ripped apart owing to radiation poisoning, a lack of infrastructure and rioting for food and other necessities.
Director
Peter Watkins
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 7, 1967, Original
Runtime
47m