Title: Countdown to Looking Glass
Year Released: 1984
Genre: Political Thriller/Mockumentary/Drama
Director: Fred Barzyk
Medium: HBO TV Movie
Running Time: 87 minutes
One of the most interesting parts of the Cold War was the political back and forth of the two superpowers trying to gain an advantage. The omnipresent threat of nuclear war seemed to keep the U.S. and Soviet Union from jumping over the edge of the abyss into all-out war, but how close could the two powers come to looking into the abyss before backing off? 1984's Countdown to Looking Glass attempts to examine the breakdown of Cold War foreign policy as well as the potential that one news story could change the course of a war. How well does it do those things? While it's not the best anti-nuclear film in this series, it certainly does a better job than Special Bulletin at portraying both sides of the nuclear argument from the viewpoint of news media as well as realistically portray a decaying U.S.-Soviet relationship.
Like Special Bulletin, this film is set on a fictional news network, here called the CVN News Network. We begin the film in the middle of a growing crisis in the Middle East as well as at home. What started as a debtor's cartel of South American countries defaulting on their loans and causing three major bank failures has grown into an international conflict. The government of Oman has been overthrown by Soviet-backed guerrillas and the bank crisis at home in the U.S. has caused increased tension and protest. This new government of Oman then takes control of the pivotal Strait of Hormuz and imposes a $10,000 toll on all oil tankers entering the sea lane. Saudi Arabia invites U.S. troops into the country in order to maintain western interests and deter aggression in the region. This serves as the point where tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union begin to grow. CVN's Don Tobin (played by Patrick Watson) reports on this growing crisis and, through other CVN reporters, shows us how relations between the two superpowers decay and the buildup to armed conflict begins. Meanwhile, reporter Dorian Waldorf (played by Helen Shaver) tries to push out a potentially course-changing story thanks to her White House insider boyfriend source despite stonewalling policies being forced on her by CVN.
One of my favorite aspects of this movie is just how compelling it is. Maybe it's the politics, maybe it's the drama, but this film is definitely much more interesting to watch than Special Bulletin. The level of realism and authenticity presented is not as direct as a fully simulated newscast, but the film does make a great effort to convince the audience that what is going on could actually happen. Inclusion of real-world political and media figures of the time (such as Newt Gingrich, Nancy Dickerson, Eric Sevareid, Lincoln Bloomfield and Eugene McCarthy) adds some authenticity to the events of the film and gives the audience some way to relate the story to real-world politics and news events. It also seems like this film does a better job of arguing it's anti-war sentiment while also presenting positions that support standing up and being prepared to fight if necessary. The film leaves more of an impact because of its more dramatized look at the buildup to nuclear conflict as well as its less preachy means of feeding its message. By the end, you feel like the film has respected your boundaries and not beat you over the head with its message without presenting a more intelligent platform for debate.
Another good thing about this film is its more human approach to covering a potentially world-altering crisis. Between the news stories and reports, we see characters dealing with personal dramas such as Dorian and her boyfriend as well as Don Tobin talking to his wife. These moments of drama allow us to identify more with the characters and perhaps even become attached to them. As events continue to heat up and the two superpowers move towards a showdown in the Persian Gulf, the film's tone becomes more nervous and worried as one would expect in a real crisis. The low-key acting and focus on what's going on helps to keep the spotlight on the events so you're not thinking that there are actors instead of actors and political figures. Finally, I like the gradual buildup to armed conflict in the film as well as the uncertain note that the film ends on (despite the final events of the film).
That's not to say that the film is without weakness. First, despite the film's opening saying that the scenario is based on a war game, I find it hard to suspend my disbelief and accept that the U.S. would let Oman be toppled so easily even though the guerrillas had the backing of the Soviets. Also, the dramatic scenes can feel unnecessary when the situation gets particularly grave in the Middle East. They still help lend some compelling moments, but ultimately everything else feels more important at that time. Finally, the film's ending feels kind of sudden. It's hard not to spoil it, but I will say that the ending scene feels like the situation takes a jarringly giant step before ending on the aforementioned uncertain note.
Overall, Countdown to Looking Glass is a good movie and definitely better than Special Bulletin. The impact it leaves might be somewhat muted because of the dramatization at work, but it's still compelling to watch. The film (as well as Special Bulletin) can be viewed in full on YouTube. I would recommend this film because it's compelling, authentic and an interesting look at the breakdown of Cold War foreign policy as well as how the news media can possibly change the course of a conflict (and the consequences of not taking that course-changing action). If you find yourself looking for a compelling movie about the breakdown of Cold War relations and the buildup to nuclear confrontation, try Countdown to Looking Glass.
Final Verdict: Countdown to Looking Glass is more worth watching than Special Bulletin, and serves as a reminder of the importance of news media as well as the potential consequences of political and military crises.
Stay tuned for Part 3 of my Nuclear War movie series in the next day or two. Take care everyone!
No comments:
Post a Comment