[.ca] The Missiles of October

From Amazon.com:
Without becoming didactic, The Missiles of October does an outstanding job of presenting many points of view on the Cuban missile crisis. The film humanizes Kennedy's near impossible task of avoiding war without compromising national security. The earnestness of this 1974 made-for-television dramatization may briefly remind one of social studies class--indeed it is at times difficult to maintain consciousness while the extensive cast of characters is being introduced at the opening. Not to worry, though--soon the power plays begin and The Missiles of October becomes completely gripping. Actual news footage is spliced in with the action, nicely serving as exposition and driving home just how very close the world came to nuclear war. A crew of excellent character actors flesh out the story and reveal the psychological games behind the language of diplomacy. William Devane takes on the difficult task of playing John F. Kennedy. While he doesn't quite capture Kennedy's charisma, he does occupy the role comfortably and effectively conveys the president's deep worry and determination to avoid war. Martin Sheen plays an engaging Robert Kennedy and Michael Lerner, oddly enough, manages to make Pierre Salinger absolutely fascinating. --Ali Davis

Way better than Costner's movie !:
One of the best depictions of the Cuban missile crisis ever made- terrifically acted by a true all star cast. Too bad that a lot of the actors never got off of the T.V. set and into major movies. One of the most important aspects to this movie is the portrayal of the Soviet side of the affair and the problems Nikita Krushchev had within his own power structure. Definitely one for the library !

Superb historical drama. Worthwhile and powerful.:
There is very little to criticize about this dramatization of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The film mainly focuses on the deliberations on the American side, i.e. President John F. Kennedy and his Ex-Comm group ("Executive Committee of the National Security Council") as they try to force the Soviets to remove the missiles from Cuba while avoiding a nuclear conflict. The film successfully conveys the fears and difficulties faced by JFK and his team, their thoughts and deliberations. The script is fairly close to the actual facts as they are understood today. This is a wonderfully educational production that any parent would do well to watch with his or her children. Devane is pretty good as JFK. I thought that Martin Sheen absolutely nailed Bobby Kennedy. The supporting actors were uniformly excellent. Good casting throughout. One of the excellent things about the production is the occasional interjection of period news bulletins of nuclear tests, the escalating conflict, etc. These added a wonderful sense of authenticity even as they entertained. A few quibbles, all minor. I thought that the movie somewhat (not excessively) idolized the Kennedys. It was a bit much when one member of Ex Comm commented that "Bobby \oKennedy\c I confess your moral arguments \oagainst invading Cuba\c never occurred to me..." Come on, of course they did. The record shows that Ex Comm debated these issues extensively. Nor was Bobby Kennedy against invading Cuba--the record is pretty clear that both Kennedys had been pushing for removing Castro by various means before the crisis began. Bobby Kennedy's comment that bombing the missiles out of Cuba would be like a "reverse Pearl Harbor" was disdained as amateurish by most of Ex Comm. The movie barely acknowledges that. \oDean Acheson characterizes that analogy to JFK at one point as "false and pejorative..."\c. The movie portrays the US Navy as lusting after conflict in a manner I thought was unseemly--this was my only major criticism of the film. \o"Thirteen Days" shares this flaw.\c Hollywood often cannot pass up a chance to take a swipe at the military. This is an incredibly worthwhile production that I make a point of watching every year or so. A must for the thoughtful viewer's DVD collection.

Great Movie:
This movie is a very good and historically accurate portrayal of the Cuban Missle Crisis. If you liked "13 Days" then you will like this one, in some ways I like this one over 13 Days. It shows what is happening in both the Kremlin as well as the White House. Missiles is very well acted by a great cast. I would recomend this to any history buff, or anyone simply looking for an entertaining drama.

BEFORE the true story of the Missilie of October...:
With the publication of "The Kennedy Tapes" (May and Zelikow 1997) and, more recently, "Averting the Final Failure" (Sheldon Stern 2004), we now know what exactly was said by whom and when in the White House during these heady 13 days known universally as "The Cuban Missile Crisis". What has never really been conveyed (in print or otherwise) is the true "feeling" of what these leaders went through...I'd submit that that the true value of this video is the portrayal of the immediacy and emotion invoked by all participants during the Crisis. This film may lack some historical accuracy, but it more than makes up for it as an emotional target for this period and remains, to this day, an important and believable reference for this seminal period of the Cold War. William Devane, Martin Sheen and William DaSalva portray a version of the Crisis that is at once believable and accurate as far as the emotional element is concerned, and convey an amazingly accurate "emotional history". This, coupled with the known version of the Crisis in 1974, gives a view of the Kennedy White House inner-workings that has remained somewhat the "standard" for understanding the strategy of the "Best and Brightest" who made up the Kennedy Cabinet. Character development is based on RFK's version of the Crisis in his post-humous work "Thirteen Days", and we know now that this was somewhat contrived...only to the extent that some things were said or believed that were overly amplified for emphasis. The true feeling of these exalted gentlemen has never been questioned and I think that the prospective viewer will be impressed with the detail and emotional content of this work. So enjoy this movie and take from it the exacting and crucial motivations of a Government under siege and you'll be impressed (as I've continued to be for these 30 years) that "The Missiles of October" portrays the Kennedy government accurately as it struggled through the tortuous 13 days of the Crisis and leaves as it's legacy the true emotions of those heady days. Highly recommended!!

"MISSILES" IS A BARNBURNER:
"The Missiles of October" starred William DeVane as JFK and Martin Sheen as RFK. Both of these actors portrayed the Kennedys better than any actors ever have. This is a patriotic film that depicts how close we came to nuclear combat toe to toe with the Russkies, and how the Kennedys saw us through the crisis. This may have been the beginning of Martin Sheen's political awakening. STEVEN TRAVERS AUTHOR OF "BARRY BONDS: BASEBALL'S SUPERMAN" STWRITES@AOL.COM