Product: Special Bulletin (TV-Movie) [VHS] (1983)
Rating: 5.0
Special Bulletin
I saw this movie when it came out in 1983. Afterward, it seemed to disappear. I couldn't find a copy anywhere until I bought it at Amazon this year (thank you Amazon!). Looking back approximately three decades, it reminds me of the Cold War mentality of the times. It's a great message about peace and it shows the perceived threat of nuclear war of that era. What's both funny and amazing is that the technology seems so dated. They were broadcasting in analog with cables and poor reception, etc. Look how far the communications industry has come so quickly. It's a brilliant approach to make the scenes of the movie feel like real news and to make RBS seem like a real network. The "acting" was excellent - it hardly seemed like acting at all. All the characters were so believable. The expressions of the news anchors and the press secretary convey the tension beyond words. The scene with the young female reporter near the end of the movie just rips your heart out. I don't think this movie ever got the credit it deserved - even though it did win an Emmy. Few people have ever even heard of this movie, I guess it scared people so much that it was never shown again. The movie grips you in many ways but the real "kick in the gut" to me is the scene where they lead with the story about Charleston and then move on to other troubles in the world, as if to say "Oh well, life goes on."