A CONTROVERSIAL film about nuclear war that was banned by the BBC then went on to win an Oscar is to be shown in Glasgow.
The event coincides with the 60th anniversary of CND Scotland and a discussion following the screening will feature Professor John Cook who uncovered evidence that the UK government was heavily involved in the BBC ban.
Although The War Game is over 50 years old and shot in black and white, Cook said it still had the power to shock.
“The director Peter Watkins carefully researched his scenes and drew on information about the effects of dropping the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and it is astonishing what he created on a BBC budget,” said Cook, professor in Media at Glasgow Caledonian University. “He simulated nuclear war and did it in such a stunning way that the film went on to win an Oscar.
“What he did was shoot the film as if it was a documentary to make it seem as if the camera person was present at the end of the world. That’s the style of many of today’s documentaries and when I show clips to students they respond to it. It still packs a punch.
It was when he was examining declassified files that Cook found that Harold Wilson’s Government was closely involved in the BBC ban.
“I was surprised at the level of scrutiny the government paid to the film and how explicit discussions were to suppress it,” he said. “Politicians, not just civil servants, were involved, including then prime minister Harold Wilson.
“Much as we think we live in the era of political spin, the emphasis in the discussions was less on whether to censor but how best to present that censorship to the public.”
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The film, which portrays a devastating nuclear strike on the UK, was shown in cinemas on limited release but Watkins was so angry by the BBC ban he resigned from the corporation and two years later, left the UK altogether.
It is now to be shown at Glasgow Caledonian University as part of the Economic and Social Research Council’s (ESRC) Festival of Social Sciences.
The public screening on November 6 will be followed by a discussion.
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