The War Game — The War Game( UHD, Blu Ray, & book set)

From the mid-1960s, The War Game is one of the most troubling, at times downright terrifying portrayals of a nuclear attack ever put to film. The mock docudrama blends newsreel-like recreations, on-the-ground intense-to-grim filming, with talking-head input, and quotes from civil defence manuals. The film was initially banned by the BBC for being too troubling for the public to see. Here from Severin is a deluxe reissue of the movie, featuring a dual UHD/ Blu Ray release- taking in five and a half hours of new extras. With a reprint of the 1967 paperback tied to the film, a postcard, and a recreation of the mock evacuation card from the film- all presented in a slipcase.

The War Game was made in 1965; it was a BBC production, but the corporation banned it before it could be shown. It was directed by Norbiton, Surrey-born Pete Watkins. Between the mid 1960’s and early 2000s, he had thirteen feature/ TV movies to his name. These go from Culloden (1964), which recreated the last land battle fought in the British Isles, which occurred in 1746. Punishment Park (1974), a troubling faux documentary charting National Guard soldiers and police as they pursue members of a counterculture group across a desert for draft evasion. The Media Project (1991), a documentary regarding Australian media coverage of the First Gulf War. And La Commune (Paris, 1871) - a 2000 five-hour and forty-five-minute mock documentary, set in 19th century Paris, around the workers' class revolt.

This version of the film runs at just over forty-eight minutes. It was shot in gritty black and white, with Mr Voice Over detailing what we see on the screen. It begins by showing us several maps of the UK, dotted with marks where strikes could happen, before showing the scribbled disruption through the centre of the map where radiation would make huge swaths unlivable.

As we move on to see groups of mothers and wives being evacuated from the city out into the country, we find out that men would be left in the cities. We see people on the street being quizzed about what they know about nuclear war, and a look at how little a normal person could afford to build even a basic shelter. There’s footage of tensions building in Berlin, moving towards war.

Next, we see that the bombs are dropped in several locations across the UK- with terrifying factoids regarding the effects of the explosion– like at a certain distance, upturned eyeballs being fired, uncovered skin would instantly receive third-degree burns, and soft furnishings would catch flame- as we get sudden flashing inverse images of people panicking. The sound of the bomb dropping is compared to a huge door being slammed in the corridors of hell.

We see children with burnt faces & limbs, as a nurse tears up discussing how one man had his legs completely burnt off. And they touch on how those with the worst burns would be either left to slowly die in holding rooms, or shot by police.

There are harrowing & jerkily filmed recreations of people literal been thrown across streets due to the power of the bombs' impact. We find out in an area like Kent- around 50’000 people would die- so, due to this, mass burnings would have to be done.

It’s easy to see how/ why The War Game was banned- as sixty years on, it’s still deeply harrowing, grimly fascinating, at points downright horrifying. With some of the facts & imagery truly searing into one's mind… so I’d advise approaching this with caution if you're in any way worried about the impact of nuclear war.

The first UHD disc in the set contains the film, a commentary track (more on that in a moment), and a trailer.

The second disc includes the film, commentary, and a good selection of new and archive extras, as well as two short films by Wakins- The Diary of an Unknown Soldier ( 20 mins) from 1959, regarding a British soldier who reveals his hopes, fears, and disillusionment while heading into battle against the German army. The Forgotten Faces (17 mins) from 1961- it recreates the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.

So, on the new extras side, first up we have an introduction from filmmaker/ commentator Alex Cox- who is most remembered for the BBC Moviedrome series from the 80's/ 90's- which saw him introduce one hundred and forty-four movies over six years. The intro runs at just under the seven-minute mark. He begins by talking about how the film at hand was commissioned by the BBC, after the huge success Culloden; then they promptly went on to ban it from being shown after seeing the results. He talks about how the film went on to be shown in several film festivals, going on to win the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 1967 – which highlights how impactful/ real it looked. He discusses how the film steadily leaked out into the public, being shown in town halls/ similar. He points out a few nuclear war-related books on his bookshelf, including the 1967 paperback book featuring the script & stills from the film- a recreation of this can be found in this deluxe box set.

Next, we have a commentary track from film critic Kim Newman and director Sean Hogan. They start by talking about when they each saw the film, claiming it was like being hit over the head with a cricket bat. They talk about how it was a great recruitment film for Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND). They touch on the career of Pete Watkins and how much throughout it he bit the hand that fed him. They talk about how we wouldn’t have either The Blair Witch Project, or This Is Spinal Tap. They discuss how the use of an authentic BBC voice-over really sells the whole thing. Later on, they point out and talk about the chilling rings-in-the-bucket scene, which was based on facts from the Dresden bombings. They talk about the elements of dark humour/ satire in the film, and much more. Another great commentary track from these two pros of the form.

Otherwise, on the new side we have: Conflict By Design ( 24.59) Interview with Anne Davey Orr, production designer on Culloden and The War Game. Who Banned The War Game? ( 47.08) An interview with Peter Watkins historian John Cook. Games Of Fact And Fiction (17.34) Video essay by Dr. Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and filmmaker Stephen Broomer. The War Game At Cine City ( 12.41) Featurette by Journalist Eric Veillette. Nuclear Britain (30.40) Interview with Attack Warning Red!: How Britain Prepared For Nuclear War author Julie McDowall.

On the archive side, there is the following: Interview with Editor Michael Bradsell ( 21.44). Peter Watkins Reflects On The War Game And The Media ( 44.38), a 1983 Interview from The Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS). Introduction To The War Game In Sheffield By Visions Producer John Ellis ( 2.02). The War Game In Sheffield ( 43.17) Peter Watkins Recruits For A Proposed War Game Remake In Unused Footage For The UK TV Show Visions.

With this limited-edition version of the release, we get a reproduction of 1967’s paperback The War Game. This runs at one hundred and thirty pages- it brings together the script from the film, as well as stills. It features a good thickness of paper stock, with the edges of it dipped in red ink. This certainly adds to the impact of the film, and it’s great to have it as part of this set.

Otherwise, we have a double-sided postcard and a reproduction mock evacuation card from the film- all presented in a hard slip with red, black, and white colour scheme, featuring a few stills from the film.

The War Game is a devastating look at what would happen if nuclear bombs were dropped on the UK. It still retains its power and impact sixty years on since it was first released. This new release from Severin severs up hours of extras- many of them new/ wholly fascinating. If you can, I’d say go for the Ltd edition, as the book really enhances the whole impact of the whole thing.