Amazon.com
This fourth episode in a six-part series focusing on wars of the 20th century features the longest running conflict, the Cold War waged between the Communist powers and the western nations, most notably the United States. Relying on British newsreel footage as well as films produced by the U.S. government, this video doesn't provide much of a narrative, though intermittent screens of scrolling text provide explanations of the basic threads of the struggle between the superpowers. For the most part, the material is contemporaneous, showing how the world viewed such events as the Communist takeover of China, the bullying tactics of Senator Joseph McCarthy, and the beginnings of the conflict between the United States and Castro's Cuba. Some of the most evocative footage seen concerns the atomic bomb, with what are essentially propaganda films about America's development of the bomb being followed by Civil Defense films providing tips on surviving nuclear war, including the infamous jingle urging schoolchildren to "duck and cover." While much of this material has true historical value, and some of it is fascinating, the general lack of editorial perspective can be a detriment. The vintage newsreel clips naturally lack historical insight and vary in significance, and as weirdly fascinating as some of Civil Defense footage is, seeing just one instructional film on how to stock your fallout shelter would be enough.
--Robert J. McNamara
