IMDb >
Fail-Safe (1964)
Watch It
Buy it at Amazon
Rent it at Blockbuster.com
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
BETA
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsFail-Safe (1964) More at IMDbPro »
Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
7 October 1964 (USA)
more
Tagline:
It will have you sitting on the brink of eternity!
Plot:
American planes are sent to deliver a nuclear attack on Moscow, but it's a mistake due to an electrical malfunction. Can all-out war be averted? full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
3 nominations
more
User Comments:
Despite its limitations, A Thought-provoking Cold War drama
more (105 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | Dan O'Herlihy | ... | General Black |
 | Walter Matthau | ... | Groeteschele |
 | Frank Overton | ... | General Bogan |
| Edward Binns | ... | Colonel Grady |
| Fritz Weaver | ... | Colonel Cascio |
 | Henry Fonda | ... | The President |
 | Larry Hagman | ... | Buck |
| William Hansen | ... | Secretary Swenson |
| Russell Hardie | ... | General Stark |
| Russell Collins | ... | Knapp |
| Sorrell Booke | ... | Congressman Raskob |
| Nancy Berg | ... | Ilsa Wolfe |
 | John Connell | ... | Thomas |
| Frank Simpson | ... | Sullivan |
| Hildy Parks | ... | Betty Black |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
112 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound Recording)
Certification:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The big screen in the control room at Omaha was entirely front-projection, and had to be very carefully contrasted to appear clearly on black and white film. This posed a problem for the crew, as the air in the room had to be totally clear of dust so as not to disrupt the image (and make the projection obvious). The screen in the war-room used the same film-stock but was rear-projection.
more
Goofs:
Continuity: The bombers in the film are portrayed using a Convair B-58 Hustler (see trivia entry), except during the final attack on Moscow, when the plane briefly appears as a North American F-86 Sabre Jet instead. Also some on-board footage of an X-15 experimental plane launch is used to depict the contrail of the missiles fired at the last attempt to stop the bomber (also, previous external shots of the bombers did not show much of a contrail, whereas the rocket engine exhaust of the X-15 is clearly visible.)
more
Quotes:
Prof. Groeteschele:
[after recommending an unprovoked attack by the U.S. on Moscow] And the Lord said, gentlemen, "He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone."
more
Movie Connections:
References Mondo cane (1962)
more
FAQ
What is this movie's connection to Dr. Strangelove?more
more (105 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Fail-Safe (1964) moreRecommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb | Submarines: Sharks of Steel | King of the Rocket Men | Battle of Britain | Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Drama section | IMDb USA section |
| Add this title to MyMovies |
I mentioned in another comment about a series of movies made during the mid-1960's, that I call 'political noir'.
These films are easy to spot, in that there were made in B&W, dealt with a American institutional crisis and seemed to always feature Henry Fonda somewhere in the cast.
On all three counts, this film fits that criteria.
Because this film came out around the time of "Dr Strangelove", it was somewhat overshadowed, and because of the nearly identical plots, there was even talk of plagiarism, even though this film was based on a novel by two Washington-based journalists with a remarkable insight of the workings of government and was directed by Sidney Lument, one of the cinema's great directors.
Also, unlike "Dr Strangelove", which seemed to receive major studio backing, money and the freedom offered by being produced in Great Britain where this satire was more appreciated, "Fail-Safe" was independently produced in New York on a limited budget, without official backing by the Defense Department, which explains all of the flaws complained of by many viewers and posters on this site.
Yet in spite of these limitations, Lument pulls off a major coup by presenting us with an authentic piece of Armeggeddon.
In a real-time view, we watch as a million-to-one technical fault 'orders' a wing of American bombers to attack Soviet Russia, and the Defense Department and the President are helpless in trying to stop it.
We are also witness to how our military operates, trying to plan military policy, and debating theory and possible results.
Such things are sensible and harmless as far as these things go, until 'the day comes' when reality displaces theory.
Walter Matthau, who is more well-known for his comic talents ("The Odd Couple", "Grumpy Old Men"), than being an accomplished dramatic actor, is shown at the height of his powers as Prof. Groteschelle; a defense policy wonk, whose obsession with defense preparedness and Marxist theory reaches the point of detachment from human emotion, as he blindly recommends that no action be taken and the bombers be allowed to complete their mission, resulting in 'final victory' over Communism.
This is in direct contradiction to General Black, a compassionate Air Force officer who is also an intellectual, who desperately urges that every means be made to stop the bombers before it is too late.
However, it turns out to be too late, at least on the American side.
We watch how technology becomes a hindrance, as much as the distrust between the two superpowers seems to be, as the President and the Soviet Premier desperately try to seek a solution to this disaster.
The tragedy about this is that someone thought they should remake this in 2000, which in a way is flattering but certainly could not come close to the original work.
But, this only proves that the subject of 'accidental war' is still a concern.
However, how can one do better than Henry Fonda ???