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Fail Safe (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

Henry Fonda (Actor), Dan O'Herlihy (Actor), Sidney Lumet (Director, Producer) Rated:

Format: Blu-ray

4.8 281 ratings

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Genre	Action & Adventure
Format	Blu-ray, Subtitled
Contributor	Frank Overton, Larry Hagman, Walter Matthau, Edward Binns, Max E. Youngstein, Frieda Altman, Dom DeLuise, Stuart Germain, John Connell, Paul Webster, Russell Hardie, Louise Larabee, Tim Bevan, Sidney Lumet, Hildy Parks, William Hansen, Eric Fellner, Frank Simpson, Janet Ward, Henry Fonda, Nancy Berg, Dan O'Herlihy, Dana Elcar, Fritz Weaver, Sorrell Booke, Russell Collins See more
Language	English
Studio	The Criterion Collection

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From the manufacturer

Doomsday is nigh in Sidney Lumet’s tense political thriller, starring Henry Fonda and Walter Matthau

Now on Blu-ray

This unnerving procedural thriller painstakingly details an all-too-plausible nightmare scenario in which a mechanical failure jams the United States military’s chain of command and sends the country hurtling toward nuclear war with the Soviet Union. Working from a contemporary novel by Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler, screenwriter Walter Bernstein and director Sidney Lumet wrench harrowing suspense from the doomsday fears of the Cold War era, making the most of a modest budget and limited sets to create an atmosphere of clammy claustrophobia and astronomically high stakes.

Starring Henry Fonda as a coolheaded U.S. president and Walter Matthau as a trigger-happy political theorist, Fail Safe is a long-underappreciated alarm bell of a film, sounding an urgent warning about the deadly logic of mutually assured destruction.

Special Edition Features

New 4K digital restoration
Audio commentary from 2000 featuring director Sidney Lumet
New interview with film critic J. Hoberman on 1960s nuclear paranoia and Cold War films
“Fail-Safe” Revisited, a documentary with interviews from Lumet, Walter Bernstein, and Dan O’Herlihy

Product Description

This unnerving procedural thriller painstakingly details an all too plausible nightmare scenario in which a mechanical failure jams the United States military’s chain of command and sends the country hurtling toward nuclear war with the Soviet Union. Working from a contemporary best seller, screenwriter Walter Bernstein and director Sidney Lumet wrench harrowing suspense from the doomsday fears of the Cold War era, making the most of a modest budget and limited sets to create an atmosphere of clammy claustrophobia and astronomically high stakes. Starring Henry Fonda as a coolheaded U.S. president and Walter Matthau as a trigger happy political theorist, Fail Safe is a long underappreciated alarm bell of a film, sounding an urgent warning about the deadly logic of mutually assured destruction. BLU RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES • New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack • Audio commentary from 2000 featuring director Sidney Lumet • New interview with film critic J. Hoberman on 1960s nuclear paranoia and Cold War films • “Fail Safe” Revisited, a short documentary from 2000 including interviews with Lumet, screenwriter Walter Bernstein, and actor Dan O’Herlihy • PLUS: An essay by critic Bilge Ebiri

Product details

Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 3.53 Ounces
Director ‏ : ‎ Sidney Lumet
Media Format ‏ : ‎ Blu-ray, Subtitled
Release date ‏ : ‎ January 28, 2020
Actors ‏ : ‎ Henry Fonda, Dan O'Herlihy, Walter Matthau, Frank Overton, Edward Binns
Producers ‏ : ‎ Sidney Lumet, Max E. Youngstein, Eric Fellner, Tim Bevan, Paul Webster
Studio ‏ : ‎ The Criterion Collection
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07Z76B29R
Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1

Best Sellers Rank: #9,193 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
- #1,207 in Action & Adventure Blu-ray Discs

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4.8 281 ratings

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4.8 out of 5

281 global ratings

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Robert Schaffer

A riveting and very smart edge-of-the-seat thriller!

Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2020

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This excellent cold war drama based on the novel of the same name is the flip side of Dr Strangelove. Strangelove played the story for laughs, Fail Safe is the dramatic version of what is, essentially, the same story (but, leading to a different conclusion).
Amazingly, two novels with nearly identical plots were published at virtually the same time. Stanley Kubrick adapted "Red Alert" and chose to turn it into a comedy (Dr. Strangelove) while Sidney Lumet adapted "Fail Safe" and left it as a drama--and a very terrifying one at that!

Due to a mechanical failure, a squadron of bombers carrying nuclear weapons is accidentally dispatched to destroy Moscow--which will trigger World War Three if their bombs are dropped and detonated.
Once past their fail safe points, the pilots of these planes have been trained not to listen to pleas to turn back under any circumstances whatsoever (they know that even the president's own voice can be faked by the enemy). Never the less, the American military must try to get them to listen--the survival of the entire world depends on it.
The president (played superbly by Henry Fonda) must also attempt to convince his Russian counterpart that this is all a mistake and not a purposely intended attack.
A very young Larry Hagman as the president's interpreter, who's subtle facial expressions and body language must let the president know what the deeper meanings behind the Russian leader's words are, hands in a memorable performance as his character hopes to help the American and Russian leaders somehow learn to trust one another before they see their world and billions of innocent lives come to a horrific end.
In order to stop nuclear war, American military personnel will be tasked with the soul wrenching job of helping the Russians to shoot down their own planes before they reach their target--which doesn't sit well with many of the American military personnel, you can be sure.
Excellent acting, an intelligent script and great directing by Sidney Lumet (one of the smartest directors of all time) make this a truly riveting film that will keep you on the edge of your seat right up until the very end. Not to be missed! A classic!

Criterion's Blu-ray release is the highest quality version yet available of this intensely suspenseful film. Picture and sound on this version are the best I've ever encountered--a notable step up from the DVD. This is a great disc version of a rivetingly suspenseful film. Criterion has done an excellent job of releasing an unforgettable classic movie on bluray once again. Highly recommended!

11 people found this helpful

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Michael A. Kepler

Excellent transfer

Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2022

Verified Purchase

Fail Safe is a historically significant film, which, appropriately enough, I first saw as a double feature with Dr. Strangelove in a repertory theater. This restored edition is much cleaner than the worn print I first saw. While I find the pivotal decision made by the U.S. President in this film to be extremely unlikely, it is still a very tense drama and an effective cautionary tale. The technical details of how these kinds of weapons are deployed has changed a lot since the time this film was made, but the danger they pose has not.

One person found this helpful

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Quiet Knight

Fail Safe Is Fool Proof On Blu-Ray

Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2021

Verified Purchase

Criterion Collection released this classic, sober-minded, brilliantly realized 1964 doomsday/nuclear war drama from Columbia Pictures directed by Sidney Lumet, who provided an audio commentary that is ported over from the 2000 DVD along with the featurette, and this also includes a new one with film critic J. Hoberman. A first rate HD upgrade starring Henry Fonda as the American President forced into a no-win situation when a horribly tragic incident occurs that will certainly lead into either a limited nuclear strike on both Moscow and New York, or a full-blown World War III... Also starring Walter Matthau, Fritz Weaver, Dan O' Herlihy, Edward Binns, Frank Overton, and Larry Hagman.

3 people found this helpful

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David N. Krafchick

Amazing film, but here's .....

Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2022

Verified Purchase

I have always liked this film. It's timing actually influenced the politics of the day. Here's the issue. This is a Special Edition lists the 19 minute by film critic J. Hoberman, Fail Safe Revisited, but the essay on the film is not on the disc, but in the fold out pamphlet that's not really a pamphlet. It has to be unfolded like a map to read it. That is not explained on the disc or the folded article. It should have had the title somewhere on the folded paper. this is why Itook away one star.

One person found this helpful

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swansong

A disturbing and gripping film remastered for Blu Ray

Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2020

Verified Purchase

As usual Criterion has done a magnificent job restoring this film. If you’re not familiar with the movie, it is kind of a companion piece to Dr. Strangelove, Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece. Where Kubrick took a satirist view of a nuclear mishap, Sidney Lumet takes a more somber approach. Actually, the two films would make for a great double feature, as long as you watch Fail Safe first of course.

Fail Safe was rather overlooked when it was released because of it being so close to the release of Kubrick’s masterpiece, and because it is far more frightening. Especially for American audiences as the end results are much closer to home.

For those who are fans of this film then you will not be disappointed with the quality. Compared with the original DVD, the difference is night and day. Another home run for the Criterion Collection.

11 people found this helpful

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killer b

Suspenseful

Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2020

Verified Purchase

You already know what a fine film this is, so the only thing left is a few words on picture quality. The Criterion is a strong signal from optimum material but with a shade less contrast than the Australian version. Don't read too much into that because this movie will never look better. Why Criterion believed is was necessary to talk about black bars across the top and bottom of an 1:85 image on a modern set when they don't exist in the first place is rather strange in this day and age.

8 people found this helpful

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Taylorsworld

Good watch

Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2022

Verified Purchase

This was a great movie. Kind of scary how easily things like this could have happened. But a good watch nonetheless

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JLS

Don't miss it

Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2022

Verified Purchase

Classic. Who would ever believe a guy talking on a speaker phone could be so suspenseful? But it is. Don't miss it.

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Top reviews from other countries

Don Edward Cook

Fail-Safe -- Doomsday film for academics

Reviewed in Canada on February 13, 2020

Verified Purchase

"Dr. Strangelove" conveys the dangerous folly of nuclear war with a satirical laugh. "Fail-Safe" does the opposite: it conveys the dangerous folly of nuclear war with the deadly seriousness that such a kind of warfare entails. This kind of dark, serious motion picture is probably what Stanley Kubrick originally had in mind when he wanted to create what became "Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb", opting instead to use his classic screwball comedic approach in his doomsday movie. This film is not for those in the proverbial peanut gallery; this is likely one reason why it failed at the box office on its initial release. Still, its cast that includes Henry Fonda as the US President, Walter Matthau as the hawkish civilian political scientist Professor Groeteschele who condones nuclear war in contrast with Dan O'Herlihy as the thinking Brigadier General Warren A. "Blackie" Black, who opposes nuclear war strongly, Larry Hagman in his pre-"I Dream of Jeannie" role as the interpreter, and many other notable actors (character and otherwise) that round out a fine cast in a movie that is for the thinking movie buff, film student... or those who want a serious, credible nuclear war drama (regardless of one's politics) that serves as an excellent elder companion movie to "The Day After", which aired on TV roughly 19 years later (1983). Want a thinking atomic war film? Buy a copy of "Fail-Safe" today, now on both DVD and Blu-Ray.

Clare

Scary Film

Reviewed in Canada on July 20, 2022

Verified Purchase

A film that has you spell bound as a flight of US bombers equipped with nuclear weapons gets a false 'go' signal to attack Moscow and can't be recalled.
Will it trigger a retaliatory strike resulting in an all out war or can an agreement be arrived at between the two countries?
Filmed in black and white originally, it heightens the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the USA that might suddenly get white hot.

Amazon Customer

A Gripping and intelligent cold war storybased on a novel with the same title.

Reviewed in Canada on November 13, 2020

Verified Purchase

This is an older movie production in black and white with some very good performances. This movie should be remade with today's film technology and an expanded story line, and could perhaps outshine very good cold war movies like the Sum of All Fears or
Thirteen Days.

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