The Missiles of October

Starring:William Devane, Ralph Bellamy, Howard Da Silva, James Hong, Martin Sheen, Bern Hoffman, William Prince, John Randolph, Dennis Patrick, Richard Eastham, Nehemiah Persoff, Paul Lambert, Richard Karlan, Stacy Keach Sr., Peter Canon, George Wyner, Buddy Ochoa, Larry Gates, Arthur Franz, Harris Yulin
Director: Anthony Page
Studio: Mpi Home Video
Product Type: DVD

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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

Customer Reviews:

The Missiles of October.......2007-07-05

Interspersed with newsreel footage to heighten its gripping realism, Page's riveting and groundbreaking made-for-TV docudrama reaches for "you-are-there" verisimilitude in its depiction of the thirteen days in October 1962 when JFK agonized over whether to go to war with Russia, a time when the world came close to nuclear annihilation. Well-scripted and directed with nail-biting intensity by Page, "Missiles" boasts tremendous performances by Devane, Sheen, and Howard Da Silva as Premier Khrushchev. See it before (or in spite of) the more Hollywood-ized Kevin Costner vehicle, "Thirteen Days."

The Missiles of October.......2007-05-24

As a high school history teacher it is always a pleasure to find a movie about a significant historical eveent in which the event is not flowered up. Thiss movie does so. While a bit slow and plodding at times, a bit convoluted for a contemporary high schooler to follow all of the players in JFK's Whitehouse, it does convey the fear and angst associated with the times at the height of the Cold War.

"Missiles of October or Thirteen Days"? .......2007-04-06

Missiles of October is a superior telling of the story from a historical and dramatic point of view. Its treatment of the whole event is more complete and more accurate than that provided by Thirteen Days.

Thirteen Days will be the popular choice because it is produced as a movie, while "Missiles" is a filmed stage play. This fact alone will guarantee the mainsteam viewer will turn to Thirteen Days everytime.
This is a shame because the story in Thirteen Days is dumbed down considerably by comparison to "Missiles".

DVD With No Restoration.......2007-04-03

I very much enjoyed the excellent casting and acting of The Missiles of October. However, I am insulted by the way they portrayed the Republicans. I also find it childish for Kennedy to be flipping the Republicans off in the guise of holding his cigar. This was as immature as the exiting Clinton staff trashing the White House.
My low rating, however, is with the zero care in restoring this dramatization of history. Much of the lip-syncing was off and the copy was no different than my VHS. I am pretty sure they could have cleaned up the badly scanned frames that appeared about once every 1 to 5 minutes.

The Brink of Nuclear War.......2007-03-22

In the autumn of 1962, the Soviet Union began placing medium and intermediate range nuclear missile sites in Cuba. These missiles were a direct threat to the entire United States, Mexico, Latin America, and portions of Canada. During those thirteen days, the United States and the Soviet Union teetered on the brink of nuclear war. This excellent movie depicts what life was like in the Kennedy White House during those long, trying days.

William Devane stars as President John F. Kennedy. He is told that intelligence reports have shown that the Soviets are building nuclear missile sites in Cuba. Upon confirmation of the reports, the President, along with his cabinet members, begin to formulate a plan as to how to deal with the threat. Bobby Kennedy (Martin Sheen) is in favor of a naval blockade, while members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff prefer bombing the sites. President Kennedy is determined to not let the Soviets know that the U.S. has found out about the missiles. As each day passes, the missiles get closer and closer to being operational. The tension continues to rise throughout the crisis, and the strain is evident on President Kennedy's face.

Meanwhile, Premier Nikita Khrushchev (Howard Da Silva) has proclaimed that the missiles were placed in Cuba as protection for Castro's regime after the failed Bay of Pigs invasion attempt. He claims they are for defense only.

The two sides continue to free-fall toward nuclear war. Kennedy insists that the missiles must be removed. The Soviets want the United States to remove their missiles from Turkey before they pull out from Cuba. A naval blockade of the island is set up, with the Americans given orders to stop and turn back any Soviet vessel trying to get past the blockade. The Soviets threaten to sink the American vessels so their ships may pass. Unfortunately, the blockade doesn't work as planned, and soon, the missile bases were operational. Now, Kennedy had another choice to make; should he bomb the sites? During this time, an American U-2 spy plane was shot down by the Cuban missiles. The two superpowers moved ever closer to war. But, an 11th hour breakthrough between the two countries saved the world from nuclear war. The Soviets agreed to remove all of their missiles from Cuba if the United States pledged to not invade Cuba. This agreement saved the world from nuclear armageddon.

This is an excellent movie. William Devane does a first-rate job as President Kennedy. He even managed to copy Kennedy's thick Boston accent. Martin Sheen is equally good as JFK's loyal brother. Perhaps one of the best performances is delivered by Ralph Bellamy as U.N. Ambassador Adlai Stevenson. The scenes where he's sparring with the Soviet ambassador, telling him he's prepared to wait until hell freezes over for a response is one of the best parts of the film.

Although I was not alive during this crisis, I've read much about it, and I commend President Kennedy for his unwavering insistence that the missiles be removed from Cuba, and this movie does his memory justice in that aspect. I give this movie my highest recommendation. The historical accuracy is excellent, and the acting is impeccable. For thirteen days in the autumn of 1962, the security of the world hinged on two people. Thank goodness, they came to an agreement.

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