Although the time period and the technological limitations of early 80s tele-journalism are enough to clearly date this film as a relic, it was still highly enjoyable to watch, and I am still overpowered each time I watch it.
I had the good fortune to see this film when it was originally broadcast. And as soon as I saw the opening break-in to the fictional "RBS" television network, I knew I was witnessing an eerie, modern-day equivalent of the "War of the Worlds" scare of the 1930s.
As I watch it today, I still feel the cold shivers, even while watching Ed Flanders of "St. Elsewhere" verbally duking it out with David Rasche of TV's "Sledge Hammer".
Okay, many of the actors are clearly that - actors. Many of the "facts" about nuclear annihilation are in fact watered down. (Sorry, the cameras and video recorders would not still be working due to the severe electromagnetic pulse delivered by a nuclear blast. So there would be no way to rewind the tape and do a playback.)
Yet the issues given voice here are as poignant today as they were almost twenty years ago. We still stand on the brink, as the Chinese hold pilots of a downed US spy plane hostage, even while the Russians (no longer Soviet) trade barbs and spy accusations with our government. Add the dangerous political instability in the Middle East, Bosnia, Chechnya, political unrest in many parts of Africa and South America, and shake well. And Timothy McVeigh clearly indicated that not all of our enemies come from foreign nations. No, the Cold War did not end - someone just moved the air conditioner on us.
In many ways, "Special Bulletin" COULD have and SHOULD have had the same impact as "The Day After", shown later that same year. Probably because of the news-media backlash (Remember, some of this film does not paint television journalists in a favorable light), it was not given nearly the marketing blitz that accompanied that other film.
"Special Bulletin" remains a chilling, yet mostly forgotten piece of Cold War heritage. Take this film for what it strives to be - a warning about what could happen and how we as a nation could react to the unthinkable...
I had the good fortune to see this film when it was originally broadcast. And as soon as I saw the opening break-in to the fictional "RBS" television network, I knew I was witnessing an eerie, modern-day equivalent of the "War of the Worlds" scare of the 1930s.
As I watch it today, I still feel the cold shivers, even while watching Ed Flanders of "St. Elsewhere" verbally duking it out with David Rasche of TV's "Sledge Hammer".
Okay, many of the actors are clearly that - actors. Many of the "facts" about nuclear annihilation are in fact watered down. (Sorry, the cameras and video recorders would not still be working due to the severe electromagnetic pulse delivered by a nuclear blast. So there would be no way to rewind the tape and do a playback.)
Yet the issues given voice here are as poignant today as they were almost twenty years ago. We still stand on the brink, as the Chinese hold pilots of a downed US spy plane hostage, even while the Russians (no longer Soviet) trade barbs and spy accusations with our government. Add the dangerous political instability in the Middle East, Bosnia, Chechnya, political unrest in many parts of Africa and South America, and shake well. And Timothy McVeigh clearly indicated that not all of our enemies come from foreign nations. No, the Cold War did not end - someone just moved the air conditioner on us.
In many ways, "Special Bulletin" COULD have and SHOULD have had the same impact as "The Day After", shown later that same year. Probably because of the news-media backlash (Remember, some of this film does not paint television journalists in a favorable light), it was not given nearly the marketing blitz that accompanied that other film.
"Special Bulletin" remains a chilling, yet mostly forgotten piece of Cold War heritage. Take this film for what it strives to be - a warning about what could happen and how we as a nation could react to the unthinkable...