The Missiles of October
by Anthony Page
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Howard Da Silva, James Hong, Martin Sheen, Ralph Bellamy, William DevaneDirector: Anthony Page
Brand: MPI
Editor: Jerry Greene
Producer: Herbert Brodkin
Producer: Irv Wilson
Producer: Robert Berger
Writer: Robert F. Kennedy
Writer: Stanley R. Greenberg
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 150 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-06-26
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Mpi Home Video
Movie Reviews of The Missiles of October
Movie Review: One of the greatest made-for-TV-productions ever made.
Summary: 5 Stars
The overall quality of the dvd far surpassed my expectation. My vhs copy made from a TV broadcast was so bad I had little hope for the dvd after so many years had passed since it first aired. The dvd is by far the best I've ever seen it look. The picture may even be better now than when it was first broadcast, who knows. They must have broken into the "video vault" for this one.
The music track still sounds a little chintzy. But I suppose that's ok, since Laurence Rosenthal's score probably wasn't really meant to play a dominant role in the production in the first place, given the teleplay's documentary-like structure. On the other hand, the dialog is very intelligible.
In fact, the quality improvements renewed my appreciation of the production. Before it was released on dvd, I gave it 4 stars, but now I'll give it 5 without reservation. The decorated stage shots that mark different chapters don't interrupt the flow nearly as much as I had feared they would on the dvd, and they actually enhance the narrative.
The cast is huge, but unlike so many productions, even the actors playing the smallest parts, and there are many, act on a par comepletely equal to the actors in the lead roles. And the script is tight. There doesn't seem to be anything wasted or anything superfluous and yet it doesn't feel too tight or overworked - even as the story is being delivered in a riveting and relentlessly taught, suspenseful manner. Once under way it's without let up and yet it never becomes boring, or any sort of joke whatsoever. Highly absorbing.
There're terrific performances all over the place here, but Devane's (JFK) and Howard da Silva's (Khrushchev) as powerful men under pressure from truly frightening developements are not to be missed! I'm reminded of a scene in the movie "Fail-Safe" (another cold-war classic) in which the president (Henry Fonda) is talking on the hot-line to the russian Premier and trying to convince him that the problems between the two leaders are man-made and are therefore solvable. To me there's a parallel, as Devane's character seemingly, and underlyingly, tries to live up to that very ideal, even though he is dealing with a true enemy in Khrushchev and even though there's the added danger of mis-calculation. He must dedicate himself to peaceful resolution even as he must prepare for a possible all-out nuclear war. This is a sobering look at the brink of mutually-assured destruction and there is enough opportunity for gut-checks and penetratingly thoughtful re-evaluations of values, morals and objectives along the way. You don't want to miss this one!
Summary of The Missiles of October
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