Fail-Safe (1964)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Sidney Lumet

Writers:

Walter Bernstein (screenplay)
Eugene Burdick (novel) ...
(more)

Release Date:

7 October 1964 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

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?

Plot Keywords:

Bomber | General | Strategic Air Command | Colonel | U.S. Air Force

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Dan O'Herlihy	...	General Black
Walter Matthau	...	Groeteschele
Frank Overton	...	General Bogan
Ed 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
Janet Ward	...	Mrs. Grady
Dom DeLuise	...	Sgt. Collins
Dana Elcar	...	Foster
Stewart Germain	...	Mr. Cascio
Louise Larabee	...	Mrs. Cascio
Frieda Altman	...	Jennie
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Charles Tyner	...	Jet fighter pilot (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Sidney Lumet

Writing credits
Walter Bernstein		(screenplay)
Eugene Burdick		(novel) &
Harvey Wheeler		(novel)
Peter George		uncredited

Produced by
Charles H. Maguire	....	associate producer
Max E. Youngstein	....	producer

Cinematography by
Gerald Hirschfeld		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Ralph Rosenblum

Art Direction by
Albert Brenner

Set Decoration by
J.C. Delaney		(as J.C. DeLaney)

Costume Design by
Anna Hill Johnstone

Makeup Department
Harry Buchman	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Harry Falk	....	assistant director (as Harry Falk Jr.)

Sound Department
Jack Fitzstephens	....	sound editor
William Swift	....	sound mixer

Camera and Electrical Department
Howard Fortune	....	chief electrician
Edward Knott	....	chief grip
Albert Taffet	....	camera operator (as Al Taffett)

Other crew
Marguerite James	....	continuity

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1964) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1966) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Columbia Films (1964) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Columbia Films (1965) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Columbia-Bavaria Filmgesellschaft m.b.H. (1964) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar (200?) (Brazil) (DVD)
• GoodTimes Home Video (video)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Nordic (2007) (Finland) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Storyboard Inc.

Other Companies

• F. Hillsberg  titles

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | West Germany:16 | Australia:PG | UK:PG | Finland:K-8 | Sweden:15

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The view of the satellite zooming into a closer shot is actually film taken from a camera mounted on a captured German V2 rocket launched from White Sands, New Mexico. The film is run backwards to show the illusion of zooming closer to the ground.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: In scenes intended to be simultaneous, the time is 5:30 AM in New York, Washington, Omaha, and Anchorage. Consideration of sunrise times shows that 5:30 AM Eastern Time must have been what was meant.

Quotes:

Defense Secretary Swenson: General Stark, are there any papers or documents in New York which are absolutely essential to the running of the United States? General Stark?
Gen. Stark: No sir. There are important documents, but none of them absolutely essential.
Admiral Wilcox: Will there be any warning given? A lot of lives could be saved if people had a few minutes.
Defense Secretary Swenson: On this short notice, an alert to a big city would do more harm than good. It only produces panic.
Admiral Wilcox: What about this?
[Wilcox tosses a newspaper onto the table, showing the First Lady in NYC, prominently featured on the main page. Swenson sees it, then gives the paper to General Stark]
Gen. Stark: Maybe... maybe he doesn't know his wife is there.
Defense Secretary Swenson: [shaking his head] He knows.
[Groeteschele finishes writing something onto some paper]
Prof. Groeteschele: Gentlemen, we are wasting time.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Twilight Zone: Shatterday/A Little Peace and Quiet (#1.1)" (1985)

A Great Film!

I have watched "Fail-Safe" more than once and consider it to be a classic film which shows the anxiety and fear which we faced with the Cuban missile crisis of 1962. The cast is top notch, Dan O'Herlihy, Henr Fonda, Frank Overton, Walter Matthau, and all the other fine performers. In comparison to "Dr. Strangelove, which I have also seen repeatedly, I must say that the main reason for my enjoyment of that dark comedy is the performance of Peter Sellers, as the Nazi scientist who is still devoted to the fuhrer; while in "Fail-Safe" I am involved throughout the film. It resembles a documentary and, interestingly, in some ways reflects Stanley Kubrick's tone in the "Paths of Glory", which I consider to be his greatest film.

Sidney Lumet direction is superb, maybe even excelling his direction in "Twelve Angry Men". I consider "Fail-Safe" as a thoughtful anti-war film in the company of "All Quiet on the Western Front and "The Paths of Glory". I recommend this fine film .