The Missiles of October

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The Missiles of October
DVD cover for the film
Directed by	Anthony Page
Produced by	Robert Berger Herbert Brodkin
Written by	Stanley R. Greenberg
Starring	William Devane Ralph Bellamy Howard Da Silva
Release date(s)	1974
Running time	150 mins
Country	USA
Language	English
IMDb profile

The Missiles of October is a 1974 docudrama about the Cuban missile crisis. It's name comes from the book The Guns of August by Barbara Wertheim Tuchman about the missteps among the great powers and the failed chances to give an opponent a graceful way out leading to the supposedly inevitable World War. The script is based on Attorney General Robert F Kennedy's book Thirteen Days.

[edit] Production Notes

Staged as a two and a half hour play, the production eschews gaudy or even particularly detailed sets and wardrobes, as well as physical action, in favor of dialogue and emotions. The Hollywood formula requiring an entwined romance is also ignored. The result is a particularly compelling dissertation on how the world came to the brink of, and eventually stepped away from, global thermonuclear war. The work largely lionizes President John F Kennedy, Attorney General Robert F Kennedy, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, US Ambassador to the United Nations Adlai Stevenson, and former Secretary of State Dean Acheson.

The Missiles of October takes us behind the scenes to see the inner workings, disagreements, and ultimate consensus of Kennedy's cabinet to blockade Cuba, rather than attempt to invade to dislodge the just discovered yet partially completed Russian nuclear missile emplacements in Cuba. It also details the American attempts to give the Russians room to negotiate without appearing to capitulate. Although often dismissed by movie and television critics, the piece scores extremely well in viewer polls. The exceptional performances of the cast are generally lauded even in critical reviews. Its clear intent is as a morality play for world leaders, or anyone in a position of authority.

The made-for-TV movie was directed by Anthony Page with writing credits given to Stanley R. Greenberg and Robert Kennedy.