Customer Reviews

The Missiles of October

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In the fall of 1974 I gathered with others at a friends house with the intention of going out for the evening. By chance, a commercial announced that "The Missiles of October", one of television's first attempts at a docu-drama (the other being The Andersonville Trial) was about to come on. We decided to wait 'a few minutes' to see some of it. Three hours later we were still in our chairs with our coats on. Silence pervaded the room as the drama unfurled and there was an overwhelming sense of "you are there" that kept us riveted to the story. Looking back now I realize that this was one of the greatest stage productions ever made on what then had been somewhat of a mystery to the average American, namely, what had actually transpired during the thirteen days of intense struggle of October of 1962, when the world was on the edge of nuclear Armageddon. This work is very intellectual, superbly written and gripping in dramatic scenes. It is important to remember that this was shown during an era of STRONG anti-military feeling. The country was winding down from Vietnam and to see a positive resolvency of a possible global catastrophe by politicians concerning an incident in '62 from when we were only children reminded us of what America CAN accomplish when sane men seek safe ways out of conflict. There is a LOT of good acting. The scenes are cleverly done, shifting between Washington and Moscow with tid-bits of B&W 'events in the world' film thrown in. We get to see "inside" the exec committees of both the White House and Kremlin and how they plot strategy. Attempts to duplicate the success of this stage drama failed miserably. "Pueblo" in 1976 did not capture the tension and mystique and television has simply never been able to repeat what I now believe was a dramatic miracle of production on screen. WELL RECOMMENDED.

There is very little to criticize about this dramatization of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The film mainly focuses on the deliberations on the American side, i.e. President John F. Kennedy and his Ex-Comm group ("Executive Committee of the National Security Council") as they try to force the Soviets to remove the missiles from Cuba while avoiding a nuclear conflict. The film successfully conveys the fears and difficulties faced by JFK and his team, their thoughts and deliberations. The script is fairly close to the actual facts as they are understood today. This is a wonderfully educational production that any parent would do well to watch with his or her children.

Devane is pretty good as JFK. I thought that Martin Sheen absolutely nailed Bobby Kennedy. The supporting actors were uniformly excellent. Good casting throughout.

One of the excellent things about the production is the occasional interjection of period news bulletins of nuclear tests, the escalating conflict, etc. These added a wonderful sense of authenticity even as they entertained.

A few quibbles, all minor. I thought that the movie somewhat (not excessively) idolized the Kennedys. It was a bit much when one member of Ex Comm commented that "Bobby [Kennedy] I confess your moral arguments [against invading Cuba] never occurred to me..." Come on, of course they did. The record shows that Ex Comm debated these issues extensively. Nor was Bobby Kennedy against invading Cuba--the record is pretty clear that both Kennedys had been pushing for removing Castro by various means before the crisis began. Bobby Kennedy's comment that bombing the missiles out of Cuba would be like a "reverse Pearl Harbor" was disdained as amateurish by most of Ex Comm. The movie barely acknowledges that. [Dean Acheson characterizes that analogy to JFK at one point as "false and pejorative..."]. The movie portrays the US Navy as lusting after conflict in a manner I thought was unseemly--this was my only major criticism of the film. ["Thirteen Days" shares this flaw.] Hollywood often cannot pass up a chance to take a swipe at the military.

This is an incredibly worthwhile production that I make a point of watching every year or so. A must for the thoughtful viewer's DVD collection.

I've been waiting for The Missiles of October to come out on DVD since I first got my DVD player over a year ago. My VHS copy of Missiles, which is over 15 years old, has degraded greatly in picture and sound quality, so I was hoping that the DVD copy would be an improvement. I was not disappointed. It has an amazingly crisp picture and the sound is excellent.

When the movie Thirteen Days came out I was anxious to compare it to Missiles. Thirteen Days was a good film, but I still prefer The Missiles of October. All the performances are excellent, but William Devane, Martin Sheen and Howard DaSilva top the list. I was barely six years old when the actual event occurred back in 1962 so I don't remember the incident from then. However, I did see the movie when it originally aired in 1974 and was greatly impacted by it then. They did an excellent job in weaving the actual documentary footage together with their dramatization. Watching the thirteen day countdown to possible worldwide nuclear destruction is compelling watching. I highly recommend this movie to anyone with a taste for history, suspense, excellent performances or as an example of how good television can be when given the chance.

Missiles of October recounts the events surrounding the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 when the United States and the Soviet Union for the first-and last-time teetered on the brink of nuclear war. The screenplay is constructed from factual sources, such as official documents, interviews, and reports. Although some of the dialogue is dramatized, the story still follows with surprising accuracy, for Hollywood, of the events of those 13 deadly days. One of the highlights is Devane's portrayal of JFK. I have seen plenty of actors try to do Kennedy, but Devane nails the character. Sheen's RFK is equally powerfull. There are some historical shortcomings, like leaving LBJ out of the movie when in reality he was very much a part of the deliberations of the ExComm. Even with the occasional historical twist, this is a high quality and riveting portrayal of great events, great men, and two weeks that changed forever the way we lived.

This 1973 teleplay dramatizes in an excellent fashion the events of October, 1962, when the United States and the Soviet Union came to the brink of nuclear war over the deployment of Soviet nuclear missiles to Cuba. In almost documentary fashion, the film depicts the emotionally-charged process by which President Kennedy (William Devane) and his advisors tried to determine the American response that would get the missiles out of Cuba but avoid a nuclear war. Less attention (probably due to a lack of authoritative sources) is given to the reactions of Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev (Howard da Silva), though the Soviet viewpoint is by no means ignored. For those who would like a detailed look at one of the most dangerous times in world history, I highly recommend this movie.

Missiles of October may be one of the finest historical docudramas ever produced for television. The minimalist staging has the intimacy and dynamism of a stage play and yet still retains the scope and breadth of a motion picture.

William Devane, as JFK, and a young Martin Sheen as RFK, head a cast of incredible character actors who accurately and with real depth and sincerity recreate all of the key figures in the Cuban Missile Crisis. The teleplay also offers a unique insight into the mindset of the cold war and the extent to which Kennedy - and Khruschev - went to prevent the crisis from spiraling out of control.

I can't say enough good about this movie. If you have a taste for history, or simply a love of great drama, you must see it.

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!

This film is proof that history, if just presented intelligently and dramatically, can be great entertainment! Anyone who has the slightest interest in politics, war, current affairs...in short, any thinking person who does not believe that TV viewing must begin and end with the likes of "Friends" should see this film at least once in their lives. The acting is first rate, the script taught and well paced, and the drama is real...not the fake drama you get from computer generated graphics. Proof that the interaction between real life people and nations can be much more thrilling than with dinosaurs. Again, this is a trully outstanding film - one of those that you will always remember, and want to see again. Favorite scene - Howard Da Silva (as Kruschev) trying to talk the rest of the ruling Presidium out of attempting to further test President Kennedy's nerve: "Are you prepared for war?" he asks. "Are you prepared for total destruction? Give me an answer! "Please, see this movie - you will not be disappointed!

When I first saw "The Missiles of October" on TV back in the 70s, I was swept back in memory to those hoary days in the early 60s when we were all glued to our black & white sets wondering if WWIII was about to begin. We didn't know quite what to make of our young president who had already become the victim of a botched Bay of Pigs invasion. We feared Nikita for his bombast, power and unpredictability. It was plain to see that he was trying to provoke us. In "The Missiles of October," William Devane IS JFK. We get to see, perhaps for the first time, the man behind the Camelot legend. He is tough, committed, ethical and strong in ways that everyone underestimated. Howard DaSilva and Martin Sheen are superb in support. Ralph Bellamy, as Adlai Stevenson, deserves special praise for his dynamic recreation of the confrontation in the UN Security Council. Compared to "Thirteen Days" or "How Kevin Costner Saves the World -- Again," "The Missiles of October" is a far better production on all levels. This, along with very few other offerings, ranks as the very finest television ever broadcast!

An historically accurate, true-to-life account of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Well acted. Well written. Well detailed. Highly recommended