Few films have caused such controversy as Peter Watkins' The War Game, a drama documentary made for BBC TV in 1965 about a 'limited' nuclear attack on Kent, England. Blending fiction and fact to create a moving and startling vision of the personal as well as the public consequences of such ... Read review
From the Executive Producer of The Snowman, the Director of Father Christmas, and from ... more
award-winning author Michael Foreman, War Game tells the moving story of the infamous Christmas truce of 1914, seen through the bewildered eyes of young innocent friends, whose only concern before duty's call had been for their beloved village football team.War Game is a powerful yet moving story that tells of the heartache of war and of an innocence lost. Beautifully drawn, this animated masterpiece is compelling viewing for all the family.
Examining the life of ordinary soldiers during World War I this book recalls the heroism ... more
of the young soldiers and the spirit of sympathy that grew up between the two armies as they suffered on the front line. This is a story about friends who joined the army in the midst of World War I. This is a story about friends who joined the army in the midst of World War I. Their excitement and enthusiasm begins to dampen as they are faced by two enemies the German soldiers and the appalling conditions in which they fought. Then one Christmas Day one by one soldiers cautiously emerged from their trenches. At first they exchanged gifts but then a football was produced and the two sides came together to play an historical game of football on No Man's Land. Michael Foreman recalls the heroism of the young soldiers and the spirit of sympathy that grew up between the two armies as they suffered together on the front line. This book is the Grand Prix winner of the Smarties Prize.
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It's war! Traverse the jungles of Japan or drive the Germans out of Berlin in a World War ... more
Two setting with the fifth game in the phenomenally successful Call of Duty series. This game employs the same video engine system as introduced in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, so the cinematic quality of the actual gameplay remains the same: astounding and completely immersive. Be ready to fight off numerous enemies while trying to fulfil your objectives in an open battlefield, complete with fully destructible surroundings!Note that this game carries a'15'age restriction.
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Production Year: 1995 - Drama - Director: Ang Lee - Original Language: English - Classification: Universal - Starring: Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, Greg Wise, Hugh Laurie, Robert Hardy
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Advantages: slice of history Disadvantages: very scary
...such controversy as Peter Watkins' The War Game, a drama documentary made for BBC TV in 1965 about a 'limited' nuclear attack on Kent, England. Blending fiction and fact to create a moving and startling vision of the personal as well as the public consequences of such an attack, Watkins exposes the inadequacy of the nation's Civil Defence programme and questions the philosophy of the nuclear deterrent. Conspicuously absent from TV screens until 1985, ... .../>
*****
The Guardian
'One of British television's finest hours'
Empire
'Dynamic, disturbing, committed...from a revolutionary filmmaker'
Time Out
I bought this film online a couple of years ago to satisfy my wives addiction to all things Atomic - having both been children in the early 80's we remember clearly how scared we were that the world could end at at moment all ... more
Few films have caused such controversy as Peter Watkins' The War Game, a drama documentary made for BBC TV in 1965 about a 'limited' nuclear attack on Kent, England. Blending fiction and fact to create a moving and startling vision of the personal as well as the public consequences of such an attack, Watkins exposes the inadequacy of the nation's Civil Defence programme and questions the philosophy of the nuclear deterrent. Conspicuously absent from TV screens until 1985, it was mainly through cinema release in 1966 - and its Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 1967 - that it gained a loyal and vociferous following, providing a sharp focus for CND and other peace movements.
***** The Guardian
'One of British television's finest hours' Empire
'Dynamic, disturbing, committed...from a revolutionary filmmaker' Time Out
I bought this film online a couple of years ago to satisfy my wives addiction to all things Atomic - having both been children in the early 80's we remember clearly how scared we were that the world could end at at moment all on the whim of an actor president and transexual PM.
Everywhere you looked in those days you were confronted with these fears so there was no escape - Top of The Pops was no comfort (Ultravox - Dancing with Tears in my Eyes, Nena - 99 Red Ballons, FGTH - Two Tribes), TV had Threads and The Day After, cinema and video had all manner of cheap post-apocalyptic Mad Max rip offs and for the children we had Raymond Briggs (of The Snowman fame) with When The Wind Blows.
These were happy times to be a child. My school still had a working air-raid siren from WWII which they had to test every so often - this was a pleasant break up of the school day when the siren was tested - the imaginations of us terrified children at that time must have given off enough energy to power a nuclear plant.
Now we are all grown up and the daily fear of Armeggedon has been banished forever (only joking) it is interesting to watch all of those films again now. I have watched Threads and The Day After which I missed at the time, and have found that they still have the power to scare me.
I had never heard of The War Game but stumbled upon it when looking for birthday presents for my wife.
As the synopsis above explains this film is made in the style of a documentary using real people off the street and asking them hypothetical questions about a nuclear holocaust.
After the attack the documentary then shows society breaking down, the failure of local councils contingency plans, the chaos that prevails as the law tries to keep order. This makes particularly grim viewing as you witness people going before a firing squad for stealing food.
The film is brilliant in its realism and one can see why the BBC who commissioned then decided not show it. It is quite a short film - around 60 minutes - but this adds to its appeal. I doubt anyone would have the resolve to sit through a longer running time.
DVD extras include a full commentary over the film; Watkins' award-winning The Diary of an Unknown Soldier; and 'The War Game - The Controversy', in which Patrick Murphy reveals new information pointing to a definitive account of the banning of the film. All bfi DVDs feature optional subtitles for the hearing impaired
Advantages: Finally all the original movies released on DVD Disadvantages: No sign of the original theartical releases
I have wait so long so patiently for these films on dvd I think it was even delivered to my address 2 days before the release date and I still felt I had waited too long.
All three classic films digitally remastered and restored gave the old films a new slightly modern look but the films were already made before thier time, that was the only thing I was disappionted with was the fact that the original thearte releases were not with the remastered versions on the disc.
But with all the special features (Many of which I had never seen)
I extremely enjoyed these discs from the birth of the lightsaber and the creation of the characters of the star wars universe to the trailers for the release of the third episode and the promos for the upcoming Star Wars Battlefront game and also the DVD-ROM content I thouroughly enjoyed these disc ...
. Who wants to watch claptrap like this when you've got the Matrix on DVD? Star Wars? Lord Of The Rings on the horizon? The game was ripped off by a million fantasy film makers way before the official film got to the party. By that time, we'd already seen much better.
On the upside, film makers should be forced to make better movies to make an impact in such a crowded elven glade. Such atrocity as this lacks pace, story, suspense or originality, and so should be buried in a lead cask. Really, really deep.
How can I say such things, when I can't even remember it? BECAUSE I CAN'T EVEN REMEMBER IT. A film should linger in your mind, make you think that the world is a better/worse/sexier place. The only emotion I was left with after seeing D&D was that I wished I'd seen Hannibal instead (but don't start me on that...)
I don't know why I ...
Advantages: Broderick, Sheedy, script, soundtrack, cinematography... Disadvantages: ... some pretty awful acting in places!
, your wife?"
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Joshua: "Wouldn't you prefer a nice game of chess?"
David Lightman: "Later. Right now lets play Global Thermonuclear War."
DVD Details
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There isn't much in the way of extra features on the DVD, which is fine by me. There is the original theatrical trailer, which if vaguely interesting due to just how old-fashioned it seems, and a feature-length audio commentary by John Badham (Director) and Lawrence Lasker / Walter F.Parkes (Writers). It's fine if you like that sort of thing, but to be perfectly honest I've never managed to sit through more than a few minutes of any film's commentaries before turning off. For that potion of the movie-watching world's population that do like the things however, it's a nice extra.
The DVD offers the soundtrack in five languages (English, French ...
CaptainDisaster 19.03.2007
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Wargames (DVD)
A drama documentary which shows the effects of a potential nuclear war on Britain. Also includes 'The War Game - The Controversy' and a Peter Watkins' short 'The Diary Of An Unknown Soldier'.
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
BFI VIDEO; ARVATO SERVICES
Release date
27/01/2003
No of Discs
1
Catalogue No
BFIVD 543
Barcode
5035673005439
Languages
Main Language
English
Technical information
Special Features
Audio Commentary
Aspect Ratio
4:3
DVD Description
Commissioned by the BBC to dramatize the effects of a nuclear attack on Great Britain, this film of monumental devastation so shocked and stunned the heads of the agency that it was never shown in television.
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