One of my criteria here was that the film should be made before the end of the Cold War – which I would date at about the time the Berlin Wall came down (1989) .
I tend to prefer earlier Cold War movies that were made at a time when paranoia was peaking - before the age of détente.
This list is in chronological order and spoilers follow - but as the films run from 1951 – 1974 everyone should have seen them by now.
The Day the Earth Stood Still (Robert Wise - 1951) This tale of aliens arriving on Earth and sorting out the Cold War nuclear threat found a deeply popular niche in the popular psyche. Even now people meet and/or channel aliens that advise that “humankind should change its ways” by “giving up all atomic weapons”. Early Cold War classic that just looks like a Science Fiction movie and launched a thousand imitators – none of which were half as good as this.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Don Siegel - 1956) – The ultimate 5th columnist tale as identikit aliens take over America in a story of deep paranoia and metaphoric confusion. Who are the “pod people” – infiltrated communists from behind the Iron curtain or McCarthyite brainwashed Americans? You decide - and then decide who you would trust.
The Mouse That Roared (Jack Arnold - 1959) – Suppose a small bankrupt country declared war on America expecting to be defeated? With the hope of large post-war grants for “reconstruction” after surrender? And then got their hands on a “doomsday weapon” by mistake? A Cold War comedy classic.
The Manchurian Candidate (John Frankenheimer- 1962) – Brainwashing, assassination and paranoia about the “Dark State” make this a deeply disturbing movie. This is one of the earliest films to deal with the “Dark State” theme - using the idea that the Communists were “brainwashing” people with drugs, and hypnosis tp perform covert assassination. Strangely enough, at this time the CIA were experimenting with brainwashing people with drugs and hypnosis under the MK-Ultra program. The fact that the USA were soon to be rocked by a series of political assassinations and accusations of mind control makes this a highly prescient work – especially as the novel was written in 1959.
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (Stanley Kubrick - 1964) – Mad Nazi scientists, mad military and technological malfunction cause WWIII. This film has to be seen to be believed – it reeks of Cold War paranoia and insanity – and then some. It could be classed as a Cold War comedy classic – if you think laughing at the destruction of the planet is funny. This film is slick, sarcastic, cynical and funny as hell – ending with the Vera Lynn WWII song “We’ll Meet Again” was a stroke of genius.
Fail-Safe (Sidney Lumet - 1964) – This tale of technological malfunction ends with a trade off you would never want to make. Similar in theme to Dr. Strangelove, this dark and brooding film asks questions that only conspiracy theorists should ask: How far would you go to stop a nuclear war?
The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (Martin Ritt - 1965) – This is the perfect antidote to the “Spy” genre films epitomized by James Bond and his clones. As this sinister tale unfolds you realize that your friends are really your enemies, your enemies are still your enemies, and when trapped in a web of intrigue sometimes betrayal can only come from within.
The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! (Norman Jewison - 1966): Suppose some Russians arrived in a nuclear submarine by mistake and didn’t want to start a war? Misunderstandings fuel laughs in this tale of non-invasion and paranoia – another Cold War comedy classic. I particularly liked the Paul Revere type character who is still riding across the wilderness shouting “The Russians are Coming!” even as the film comes to an end .Is he the lone voice in the wilderness or a rumour monger stirring up trouble?
The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola - 1974) - Surveillance, betrayal, paranoia and the big question – just who IS watching the watchers? This is possibly one of the scariest films on the planet. After watching this film I realised that just because I am paranoid doesn’t mean they are NOT out to get me – because they have a living to earn. Highly recommended - if you can stand the heightened level of paranoia that lingers for days afterwards.
The Parallax View (Alan J. Pakula - 1974) – An intrepid reporter investigates the mysterious “Parallax Corporation” and ends up being framed as an assassination patsy in a film that mixes anxiety and paranoia with the fear that the Cold War has created a “Dark State” which is now out of control. This, along with “The Manchurian Candidate” - was one of the first films to introduce the very popular “Dark State” genre which continues up until this day.
ALSO RAN:
High Noon (Fred Zinnemann - 1952) - This film, for various reasons, has often been cited as a “Cold War” film – but I have a different textual reading of this film that is too small to fit into the margin. “High Noon” is still a great film – just not a Cold War film in my opinion.
Thunderball (Terence Young -1965) – Is still my favourite Cold War “Bond” film - and any claims for “Dr.No” and “From Russia With Love” fall on my deaf ears. Maybe we should file “Bond” films under the “Spy” genre – but in this film an evil scientist tries to take over the world by engineering war between the USA and USSR. It exploits the common fear that somebody else could cause WWIII against the wishes of the USA and USSR – a theme that has found great popularity over the years.
Tags: cold war new cold war nuclear threat paranoia movies
