Fail Safe

In its time, Fail Safe represented in the field of television production what Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove did in feature film. It was a classic television drama warning of the danger of nuclear weapons and the outbreak of nuclear war. When I saw Frears' remake, I initially mistook it for the original television film - such was the convincing power of the scene, costumes, and black-and-white picture. Frears practically sacrificed everything to maintain the authenticity of the original production, and it was only the cast that convinced me of my mistake. The potential feelings of the viewer of a certain shabbiness, naivety, and outdatedness of the portrayed perspective are precisely connected to the fact that the text and script, which are several decades old, have been retold. By the way, the original television production is no longer being produced in American television or its Western European counterparts, as it is an extinct genre that has been to some extent replaced by feature documentaries and reconstructions. Only a handful of dramatic works radiate such perfect paranoia of the Cold War era and the omnipresent threat of nuclear conflict. The character of the political advisor played by Hank Azaria stands out in the tragedy of the story, with his cynicism and dogmatism more reminiscent of Kubrick's satire, Dr. Strangelove. Overall impression: 90%. (19.05.2010)