...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

The War Game

189 statements
36 feature instances
9 referencing feature instances

The War Game	type	TVTItem
The War Game	label	The War Game
The War Game	page	TheWarGame
The War Game	comment	Before The Day After and Threads, there was The War Game, a 1965 mockumentary drama created by Peter Watkins.The film's intention was to realistically portray the effects of a nuclear attack on Britain, and to demonstrate how utterly ineffective the actual UK Government plans then in place were with regard to preparing the country for survival and rebuilding after such an attack. That the plans were so ineffective is largely because, in reality, it would have been totally impossible to save even half of the country's population from death in the event of even the most conservative nuclear strike; the contemporary USA calculated that even she (the world's no. 1 economy) did not have the medical supplies and facilities to treat those wounded in a single attack upon a city such as Detroit. Given her inability to protect her citizens in the event of an actual strike, and to forestall the constant fear and paranoia that public knowledge of this would bring, successive British governments decided to keep secret the details of the 1955 Strath Report and its recommendations, and to focus the UK's limited resources on nuclear deterrance. As they saw it, the only nuclear strike that the British people could hope to survive was one that never came.Originally created to be shown by The BBC, it was banned from television after being determined to be "too horrifying for the medium of broadcasting". However, the film did receive a limited theatrical release (and remains the only film to win an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature while being a work of fiction) and was finally shown on television in its entirety in 1985, as part of a week-long BBC programming block commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings.
The War Game	fetched	2023-08-25T22:44:20Z
The War Game	parsed	2023-08-25T22:44:20Z
The War Game	processingComment	Dropped link to Mockumentary: Not a Feature - ITEM
The War Game	isPartOf	DBTropes
The War Game / int_1237828f	type	Anyone Can Die
The War Game / int_1237828f	comment	Anyone Can Die: Played grimly straight.
The War Game / int_1237828f	featureApplicability	1.0
The War Game / int_1237828f	featureConfidence	1.0
The War Game	hasFeature	The War Game / int_1237828f
The War Game / int_1282bf4f	type	No Celebrities Were Harmed
The War Game / int_1282bf4f	comment	No Celebrities Were Harmed: Some of the more prominent interviewees (namely the Bishop and Nuclear Strategist) aren't named, but the film makes it clear that their dialogue is based on actual words said by real people in their discipline. Also in the segment where the US President is forced to deploy NATO tactical nukes, the President is not named but a picture of then US President Lyndon Johnson is shown.
The War Game / int_1282bf4f	featureApplicability	1.0
The War Game / int_1282bf4f	featureConfidence	1.0
The War Game	hasFeature	The War Game / int_1282bf4f
The War Game / int_17fc8b9c	type	Storyboarding the Apocalypse
The War Game / int_17fc8b9c	comment	Storyboarding the Apocalypse: The film realistically describes what would happen in the event of a nuclear attack on Britain.
The War Game / int_17fc8b9c	featureApplicability	1.0
The War Game / int_17fc8b9c	featureConfidence	1.0
The War Game	hasFeature	The War Game / int_17fc8b9c
The War Game / int_21d70919	type	Crapsack World
The War Game / int_21d70919	comment	Crapsack World: The pre-nuclear world isn't too great either. In addition to the ongoing conflict, the British Government's transition to war plans take effect at the start of the film. It's pointed out that the policies are so disruptive that even if there wasn't a war, it would take 1-4 years for Britain to recover economically.
The War Game / int_21d70919	featureApplicability	1.0
The War Game / int_21d70919	featureConfidence	1.0
The War Game	hasFeature	The War Game / int_21d70919
The War Game / int_25dc6ef5	type	Apathetic Citizens
The War Game / int_25dc6ef5	comment	Apathetic Citizens: Subverted; the film makes the point that public ignorance and apathy has a lot to do with failure of the authorities and the media to address the subject of nuclear war.
The War Game / int_25dc6ef5	featureApplicability	-0.3
The War Game / int_25dc6ef5	featureConfidence	1.0
The War Game	hasFeature	The War Game / int_25dc6ef5
The War Game / int_260926c3	type	Failure Is the Only Option
The War Game / int_260926c3	comment	Failure Is the Only Option: One of the purposes of the film, aside from realistically portraying a nuclear attack, is to show how unrealistic the preparations of the British Government were in regards to coping with the aftermath, and would most likely fail even if no missiles were fired.
The War Game / int_260926c3	featureApplicability	1.0
The War Game / int_260926c3	featureConfidence	1.0
The War Game	hasFeature	The War Game / int_260926c3
The War Game / int_4e3d253b	type	Downer Ending
The War Game / int_4e3d253b	comment	Downer Ending: The final segment of the film takes place at Christmas. It doesn't make the scene any less depressing.
The War Game / int_4e3d253b	featureApplicability	1.0
The War Game / int_4e3d253b	featureConfidence	1.0
The War Game	hasFeature	The War Game / int_4e3d253b
The War Game / int_61a503a7	type	Hell Is That Noise
The War Game / int_61a503a7	comment	Hell Is That Noise (In-Universe): A nuclear blast wave is described as resembling "the sound of an enormous door, slamming in the depths of Hell".
The War Game / int_61a503a7	featureApplicability	1.0
The War Game / int_61a503a7	featureConfidence	1.0
The War Game	hasFeature	The War Game / int_61a503a7
The War Game / int_66181568	type	Outgrown Such Silly Superstitions
The War Game / int_66181568	comment	Outgrown Such Silly Superstitions: Mockingly invoked by one scientist interviewee:
The War Game / int_66181568	featureApplicability	1.0
The War Game / int_66181568	featureConfidence	1.0
The War Game	hasFeature	The War Game / int_66181568
The War Game / int_77b2803c	type	Vox Pops
The War Game / int_77b2803c	comment	Vox Pops: The main action is intercut with several man-in-the-street interviews showcasing the general public's ignorance of the effects of nuclear war and their feelings about a hypothetical retaliatory attack.
The War Game / int_77b2803c	featureApplicability	1.0
The War Game / int_77b2803c	featureConfidence	1.0
The War Game	hasFeature	The War Game / int_77b2803c
The War Game / int_7870735b	type	From Bad to Worse
The War Game / int_7870735b	comment	From Bad to Worse: Things deteriorate significantly as the film goes on. An American soldier points this out in the segment where NATO battles Soviet troops.
The War Game / int_7870735b	featureApplicability	1.0
The War Game / int_7870735b	featureConfidence	1.0
The War Game	hasFeature	The War Game / int_7870735b
The War Game / int_83856158	type	Worthless Yellow Rocks
The War Game / int_83856158	comment	Worthless Yellow Rocks: One survivor recalls somebody offering him a pound note in exchange for a loaf of bread. He refuses, saying "You can't eat a pound note." Wedding rings are removed from corpses; not because they're valuable, but because the authorities hope the inscriptions on the rings can be used to identify those burnt beyond recognition. One official is shown holding up an entire bucketful of them.
The War Game / int_83856158	featureApplicability	1.0
The War Game / int_83856158	featureConfidence	1.0
The War Game	hasFeature	The War Game / int_83856158
The War Game / int_8bf8adfa	type	Just Before the End
The War Game / int_8bf8adfa	comment	Just Before the End: The film begins two days prior to the nuclear attack.
The War Game / int_8bf8adfa	featureApplicability	1.0
The War Game / int_8bf8adfa	featureConfidence	1.0
The War Game	hasFeature	The War Game / int_8bf8adfa
The War Game / int_91e894b4	type	Apocalypse How
The War Game / int_91e894b4	comment	Apocalypse How: Class 1 by the end of the film. This is in stark contrasts to statements given in interviews throughout the film that predict a Cozy Catastrophe.
The War Game / int_91e894b4	featureApplicability	1.0
The War Game / int_91e894b4	featureConfidence	1.0
The War Game	hasFeature	The War Game / int_91e894b4
The War Game / int_97fa0a10	type	Mass "Oh, Crap!"
The War Game / int_97fa0a10	comment	Mass "Oh, Crap!": When the sirens sound, everyone panics.
The War Game / int_97fa0a10	featureApplicability	1.0
The War Game / int_97fa0a10	featureConfidence	1.0
The War Game	hasFeature	The War Game / int_97fa0a10
The War Game / int_9f80e1da	type	Sarcasm Mode
The War Game / int_9f80e1da	comment	Sarcasm Mode: The voice delivery of the American nuclear strategist segments often comes across as this, making the lines about "planning for World Wars IV-VIII" and whether or not American lifestyles would survive a nuclear exchange seem like pithy snark, making the guy a potential stealth Only Sane Man.
The War Game / int_9f80e1da	featureApplicability	1.0
The War Game / int_9f80e1da	featureConfidence	1.0
The War Game	hasFeature	The War Game / int_9f80e1da
The War Game / int_a2b38d3b	type	Eye Scream
The War Game / int_a2b38d3b	comment	Eye Scream: Thankfully any actual injuries to the eyes are not shown. That doesn't stop the narration from describing them however.
The War Game / int_a2b38d3b	featureApplicability	1.0
The War Game / int_a2b38d3b	featureConfidence	1.0
The War Game	hasFeature	The War Game / int_a2b38d3b
The War Game / int_a340a474	type	CozyCatastrophe
The War Game / int_a340a474	comment	Cozy Catastrophe: Interviews with Government experts predict a post-nuclear holocaust Britain would be this. The reality is...quite different.
The War Game / int_a340a474	featureApplicability	1.0
The War Game / int_a340a474	featureConfidence	1.0
The War Game	hasFeature	The War Game / int_a340a474
The War Game / int_a4c37cbe	type	Mood Whiplash
The War Game / int_a4c37cbe	comment	Mood Whiplash: Done intentionally. The more disturbing scenes are juxtaposed with interviews of people claiming that a nuclear war is survivable, and even necessary.
The War Game / int_a4c37cbe	featureApplicability	1.0
The War Game / int_a4c37cbe	featureConfidence	1.0
The War Game	hasFeature	The War Game / int_a4c37cbe
The War Game / int_ab24b030	type	Red Alert
The War Game / int_ab24b030	comment	Red Alert: The Four Minute Warning is shown. The narration points out that it's only effective for ICBMs, for missiles launched from submarines the warning time would be less than 30 seconds.
The War Game / int_ab24b030	featureApplicability	1.0
The War Game / int_ab24b030	featureConfidence	1.0
The War Game	hasFeature	The War Game / int_ab24b030
The War Game / int_abbea4f7	type	Dumb Struck
The War Game / int_abbea4f7	comment	Dumb Struck: The survivors of the attack. The film describes them as having intense lethargy and inertia, and the children don't want to grow up to be anything. Even the soldiers can't bring themselves to speak above mumbling.
The War Game / int_abbea4f7	featureApplicability	1.0
The War Game / int_abbea4f7	featureConfidence	1.0
The War Game	hasFeature	The War Game / int_abbea4f7
The War Game / int_ae3d6438	type	Deadpan Snarker
The War Game / int_ae3d6438	comment	Deadpan Snarker: The statements from the "American nuclear strategist" (possibly an Expy of Herman Kahn or Henry Kissinger) come across as this, especially his stated belief that both sides of the conflict in World War III could stop just shy of complete destruction and go into a recovery/armistice phase, during which time World Wars 4-8 could be planned out. Hard not to hear the sarcasm in that last bit.
The War Game / int_ae3d6438	featureApplicability	1.0
The War Game / int_ae3d6438	featureConfidence	1.0
The War Game	hasFeature	The War Game / int_ae3d6438
The War Game / int_b1346878	type	Fate Worse than Death
The War Game / int_b1346878	comment	Fate Worse than Death: One of the title cards for the post attack segment outright states "Would the survivors envy the dead?"
The War Game / int_b1346878	featureApplicability	1.0
The War Game / int_b1346878	featureConfidence	1.0
The War Game	hasFeature	The War Game / int_b1346878
The War Game / int_b7042372	type	Cycle of Revenge
The War Game / int_b7042372	comment	Cycle of Revenge: One of the questions asked of civilians is if they would want the British V-Bomber force to destroy an equal number of Russian cities if Britain was attacked. Juxtaposed with shots of the nuked city of Rochester are the responses from the civilians who all express a wish to retaliate. Some do express misgivings about retaliating but still say they'd want a retaliation because there would be no other option.
The War Game / int_b7042372	featureApplicability	1.0
The War Game / int_b7042372	featureConfidence	1.0
The War Game	hasFeature	The War Game / int_b7042372
The War Game / int_bb40e7e0	type	Failed Future Forecast
The War Game / int_bb40e7e0	comment	Failed Future Forecast: Perhaps one of the few examples where this was thankfully played straight. The film predicts that, due to the worldwide proliferation of nuclear arms, the events it depicts could likely occur by 1980.
The War Game / int_bb40e7e0	featureApplicability	1.0
The War Game / int_bb40e7e0	featureConfidence	1.0
The War Game	hasFeature	The War Game / int_bb40e7e0
The War Game / int_bc00493f	type	Precision F-Strike
The War Game / int_bc00493f	comment	Precision F-Strike: One man whose house is billeted to house displaced refugees quietly utters "Bloody hell," which is quite shocking for the time the film was made.
The War Game / int_bc00493f	featureApplicability	1.0
The War Game / int_bc00493f	featureConfidence	1.0
The War Game	hasFeature	The War Game / int_bc00493f
The War Game / int_c3debc8e	type	V-Sign
The War Game / int_c3debc8e	comment	V-Sign: After the ammunition truck is sacked and the drivers are killed, a youth is shown cocking and loading a gun he steals out of the back. Noticing the camera is filming him, he angrily flips a two-fingered salute at the cameraman.note a V-sign with the back of the hand facing towards the observer is considered an offensive gesture in the UK and the Commonwealth roughly equivalent to Flipping the Bird This would have been considered very shocking in 1965.
The War Game / int_c3debc8e	featureApplicability	1.0
The War Game / int_c3debc8e	featureConfidence	1.0
The War Game	hasFeature	The War Game / int_c3debc8e
The War Game / int_c4240537	type	Moral Event Horizon
The War Game / int_c4240537	comment	Moral Event Horizon (In-Universe): Even the traditionally law-abiding middle class resort to theft and murder to get food from government storage warehouses. After policemen are murdered, the authorities resort to firing squads in an attempt to keep law and order.
The War Game / int_c4240537	featureApplicability	1.0
The War Game / int_c4240537	featureConfidence	1.0
The War Game	hasFeature	The War Game / int_c4240537
The War Game / int_caf89e54	type	Taking You with Me
The War Game / int_caf89e54	comment	Taking You with Me: After the Missiles fall upon Britain, the commentator grimly states the time and notes that by the time the cities and military sites were bombed and the country was in flames (literally), The V-bomber force would have reached the borders of the USSR and would have exacted Great Britain's retaliation. Ensuring that the Soviets will burn just like the UK. The final words uttered about their role says that their targets are cities and people, just like the missiles that hit their country.
The War Game / int_caf89e54	featureApplicability	1.0
The War Game / int_caf89e54	featureConfidence	1.0
The War Game	hasFeature	The War Game / int_caf89e54
The War Game / int_d028ca10	type	Deliberately Monochrome
The War Game / int_d028ca10	comment	Deliberately Monochrome: Justified, because British television didn't get colour until 1967.
The War Game / int_d028ca10	featureApplicability	1.0
The War Game / int_d028ca10	featureConfidence	1.0
The War Game	hasFeature	The War Game / int_d028ca10
The War Game / int_d2a9f080	type	Opening Scroll
The War Game / int_d2a9f080	comment	Opening Scroll: Played straight in the beginning, explaining Britain's nuclear deterrent policy, and used several times throughout the film. Often to juxtapose a statement about nuclear weapons with a scene of what would really happen to demonstrate just how unrealistic the expectations of what nuclear war would be like were.
The War Game / int_d2a9f080	featureApplicability	1.0
The War Game / int_d2a9f080	featureConfidence	1.0
The War Game	hasFeature	The War Game / int_d2a9f080
The War Game / int_e11e88b6	type	Thousand-Yard Stare
The War Game / int_e11e88b6	comment	Thousand-Yard Stare: Pretty much all of the interviewees After the End.
The War Game / int_e11e88b6	featureApplicability	1.0
The War Game / int_e11e88b6	featureConfidence	1.0
The War Game	hasFeature	The War Game / int_e11e88b6
The War Game / int_e6043813	type	Like You Would Really Do It
The War Game / int_e6043813	comment	Like You Would Really Do It (In-Universe): The rioting in Berlin is juxtaposed with interviews of civilians who are convinced there will not be a war. Even the "experts" interviewed consider nuclear war an unlikely scenario:
The War Game / int_e6043813	featureApplicability	1.0
The War Game / int_e6043813	featureConfidence	1.0
The War Game	hasFeature	The War Game / int_e6043813
The War Game / int_f3626b09	type	Mercy Kill
The War Game / int_f3626b09	comment	Mercy Kill: Police shoot Category 3 wounded because their injuries are fatal and drugs can't be spared to ease their passing.
The War Game / int_f3626b09	featureApplicability	1.0
The War Game / int_f3626b09	featureConfidence	1.0
The War Game	hasFeature	The War Game / int_f3626b09
The War Game / int_ffad4e9f	type	Shown Their Work
The War Game / int_ffad4e9f	comment	Shown Their Work: Arguably a factor in the show being banned from broadcast: The effects of a nuclear explosion are accurately portrayed, drawing reference from the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The first strike polices of NATO and the Soviet Union are explained: NATO was at the time planning to increase reliance on tactical nukes (even if the Soviets used conventional weapons), and most of the Soviets' ICBMs were stored above ground (and thus vulnerable to attack) which means when they were facing a nuclear strike, they would have to literally use them or lose them. An extensive analysis is done on Britain's policies regarding a nuclear conflict, explicitly how inadequate and unrealistic the plans for surviving the attack were (due to the British government misleading people about a nuclear holocaust being a survivable affair like The Blitz, something the Strath Report had explained at length was very much not the case), and how ill informed the public was.
The War Game / int_ffad4e9f	featureApplicability	1.0
The War Game / int_ffad4e9f	featureConfidence	1.0
The War Game	hasFeature	The War Game / int_ffad4e9f
The War Game / int_name	type	ItemName
The War Game / int_name	comment
The War Game / int_name	featureApplicability	1.0
The War Game / int_name	featureConfidence	1.0
The War Game	hasFeature	The War Game / int_name
The War Game / int_name	itemName	The War Game

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

The War Game	hasFeature	Apathetic Citizens / int_5967c843
The War Game	hasFeature	God Help Us All / int_5967c843
The War Game	hasFeature	Non-Answer / int_5967c843
The War Game	hasFeature	Shot at Dawn / int_5967c843
The War Game	hasFeature	Speculative Documentary / int_5967c843
The War Game	seeAlso	The War Game
The War Game	hasFeature	Thousand-Yard Stare / int_5967c843
WarHorse	seeAlso	The War Game
The War Game	hasFeature	World War III / int_5967c843

Copyright of DBTropes.org wrapper 2009-2013 DFKI Knowledge Management. Imprint. - Thanks to Bakken&Baeck for hosting. Contact.
Copyright of data TVTropes.org contributors under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.