The KGB Connections (1981 TV Movie) User Reviews

Scary documentary about what the Soviets were really doing in the US during the cold war

[dbborroughs · 9/10 · 31 January 2007]

Under the radar documentary about KGB operations in the US pre-1982 is a scary little film even in retrospect, since it would seem what the Soviets were doing at the end of the 70's and start of the 80's are now being done by terrorists. Have we learned anything? Clearly not.

This is a great dense little film about what the Soviets were doing here. Its picture of spies running loose and unchecked in America is a frightening one and seems to be the reason that this film has been largely unseen for the better part of the last two decades (why advertise your mistakes?). How infiltrated were we? They talk about the Russian embassy by my house on Long Island and how it existed basically as a means of listening in on phone calls from a major aircraft manufacturing plant and New York City. Not really shocking since everyone in the area suspected it but here's the proof front and center. You don't want to be proved right about somethings. Also front and center are the stories of the soviets flooding the US with spies and attachés (we see pictures and learn their names), as well as their techniques for infiltration. The cold war maybe over but this little baby is very unsettling.

Real Cold War Propaganda!

[idiv23 · 15 December 2014]

I am currently writing a book on the Cold War and ran across this little gem in a nursing homes DVD library. I have read extensively using many books and declassified documents released since 1995. This video documentary about an all encompassing plot to take over the Western World is exactly the kind of thing that kept the Cold War alive when it should have been long over by 1982 when this documentary was produced. Declassified documents of the US Government and the former Soviet Government reveal at the time this documentary was made the Soviet Union was in every way falling apart and looking for away out of the Cold War, oddly for whatever reasons the US was unwilling to give up the Cold War. The purpose of this documentary seems to be to keep the Cold War going and if possible increase the fear amongst Americans. So its a very interesting piece of period propaganda. Have fun and if you don't laugh as you watch this you need to read more about the Cold War! Quick research after I first filed this, soundman on the film crew was a KGB agent, this info developed in 2014, the absolutely right wing nuttiness of this documentary actually made me suspicious as I watched it, that the Soviets themselves were probably lurking around. The maker Martyn Burke seems like a nice guy generally, but obviously didn't even know who he was employing.

Somewhat hysterical in scope

[oscar-35 · 16 May 2012]

*Spoiler/plot- 1982, A documentary that discusses and shows the many secret government actions of the USSR against the west during the Cold War times.

*Special Stars- Historic figures of the topic from newsreel footage. With several un-credited voice actors providing the voice over plot line.

*Theme- USSR is an aggressor state and must be watched at all times to be controlled or stopped with American efforts.

*Trivia/location/goofs- American, TV Documentary.

*Emotion- An rather crazy self-serving Cold-War propagandist film drawing many conclusions, many somewhat hysterical in scope and nature to scare the US public into providing a better war effort. Fun too watch and see the public opinion of the time.