World War III (miniseries)
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World War III | |
---|---|
Genre | Drama Thriller |
Written by | Robert L. Joseph |
Directed by | David Greene Boris Sagal |
Starring | David Soul Brian Keith Cathy Lee Crosby Jeroen Krabbé Rock Hudson |
Theme music composer | Gil Mellé |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Executive producers | David Salzman Bill Finnegan Patrick Finnegan |
Producers | Bruce Lansbury Scott Winant (associate producer) |
Production locations | Oregon, U.S. |
Cinematography | Stevan Larner |
Editors | Robert L. Kimble Parkie L. Singh |
Running time | 200 min. |
Production companies | David Greene Productions Finnegan Associates NBC |
Original release | |
Network | NBC |
Release | January 31, 1982 |
World War III is a
Plot
This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. (August 2017) |
The story begins in 1987. At the critical point of the
Out of the plane, the Soviets launch a secret incursion into Alaska. The Soviets have inserted a cold weather
Upon learning of the situation, US President Thomas McKenna (Rock Hudson) orders Caffey's National Guard troops to be federalized and orders Caffey to do all that he can to stop the Soviet troops. McKenna orders a media blackout on the emergency but then orders US forces to be mobilized in response to the Soviet incursion under the pretext of unscheduled training exercises. McKenna fears that the US people will demand a declaration of war against the Russians for the attack. Fierce winter weather prevents US military units from bases and forts in southern Alaska from reinforcing Caffey's unit. Caffey deduces the Soviet assault unit's goal. He uses the two US Army helicopters at his disposal to move his unit to a new pumping station ahead of the Soviets.
Meanwhile, Soviet Premier Gorny (Brian Keith) has learned that the Soviet military and KGB leadership have executed the plan without his permission. He is informed of the US mobilization and orders Soviet forces to a similar posture. In Alaska, Colonel Caffey realizes that his men have an inadequate supply of ammunition, grenades, and mines. Using combat tactics that he learned in Vietnam, Caffey sets up a defensive perimeter around the pumping station making use of surplus lengths of large-bore oil pipe to establish a position from which to ambush the enemy. The Soviet troops approach the pumping station, unaware of the American soldiers' presence until they trigger US land mines buried in the snow. The Soviets suffer casualties and fall back, but they continue to surround the buildings. McKenna and Gorny secretly meet in Iceland to negotiate an end to the crisis. They are unable to reach an agreement, and both return to their countries but promise each other that the talks will continue.
The US responds to the Soviets' continuing mobilizations, as officials recognize that they are consistent with a fictional
In the meantime, the Soviet troops in Alaska launch a final assault on the pumping station. Soviet Colonel Vorashin, however, has become concerned about the rapidly-growing prospect of a
The situation collapses in bloodshed, with a sergeant of the Alaskan Scouts managing to send one final message that the last US position is being overrun. Receiving the news, McKenna calls the Soviet leadership and discovers that Gorny is unavailable to speak with him. The Soviet leadership claims that Gorny has been felled by severe intestinal
Cold War themes
The film focuses on a number of Cold War themes, including
Cast
The cast included Rock Hudson as the US president, Brian Keith as the Soviet premier, and Cathy Lee Crosby and David Soul as US military officers. It also included Jeroen Krabbé, Robert Prosky, Katherine Helmond and James Hampton.
Production notes
Robert L. Joseph wrote the miniseries.
The director, Boris Sagal, was killed in a helicopter accident in Oregon during the early stages of production. He was replaced by David Greene.[2]
According to
Novelization
This section needs expansion with: examples of how it differs from the miniseries. You can help by adding to it. (February 2017) |
A novelization of the teleplay, which differs from the miniseries as aired in several key respects, was written by Harold King under the pen name Brian Harris. Its 1981 publication by Pocket Books anticipated the airing of the miniseries by several months. It is undocumented whether the changes were King's, or whether they reflected an earlier draft of the script.
See also
- Amerika(TV miniseries; US)
- The Day After (TV film; US)
- Threads (TV film; UK)
- The War Game (TV film; UK)
- Countdown to Looking Glass (made-for-cable movie; Canada)
- World War III (German film)
References
- ^ "World War III". New York Times Television. Archived from the original on November 23, 2015. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
- ^ Kennedy, Shawn G. (May 24, 1981). "Boris Sagal, 58, Movie Director, Dies After A Helicopter Accident". The New York Times. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
External links
- World War III at IMDb