"The War Game" is a grim, fearless imagining of a nuclear attack's devastating effect on England. This 48-minute film was originally made for the BBC, yet rated so shocking that it wasn't shown on British television until 20 years later (despite winning the 1966 Oscar for Best Documentary Feature).As a detached
narrator matter-of-factly recounts the action, director Peter Watkins dramatizes a contemporary bombing of England and the subsequent death, destruction, filth, disease, injuries, hunger, looting and depression. The dour images are still shocking today -- especially an unflinching scene where the jaded police executes some rioters just because it's the quickest solution.There are no recurring characters beyond a few "man on the street" subjects who naively respond to interview questions. The people are ill-informed about the situation, and it's emphasized that any missile strike would arrive so fast that preparations are useless. Here are five minutes -- grab your children and wrap up your life as best you can.The film is obviously low-budget but, due to its brief length and emphasis on the human toll (mostly captured in tight, intimate shots), the need for expensive sets and props is minimal.Note: If released today, "The War Game"'s classification as a "documentary" presumably would be rejected. There is seemingly no real-life footage at all and, rather than aim for an Orson Welles-style illusion of an actual disaster, the narration repeatedly reminds us that these events are mere possibilities. Really, this is no more a documentary than other prominent Watkins works such as "The Battle of Culloden," "Privilege" and "Punishment Park" -- all fictions presented in a similar newsreel style.
March 18, 2011
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