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Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audience Rating: Unrated
Binding: DVD
Brand: Sony
EAN: 9780767854993
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD-Video, Letterboxed, Special Edition, Widescreen, NTSC
ISBN: 0767854993
Label: Sony Pictures
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
Number Of Items: 1
Picture Format: Letterbox
Publisher: Sony Pictures
Region Code: 99
Release Date: October 31, 2000
Running Time: 112 minutes
Sales Rank: 3489
Studio: Sony Pictures
Theatrical Release Date: October 07, 1964
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
One of the greatest anti-war thrillers ever Fail-Safe stars Henry Fonda Walter Matthau Dan O Herlihy Larry Hagman and Fritz Weaver (in his film debut) as a group of military men on the verge of World War III.When a military computer deploys a squadron of SAC bombers to destroy Moscow the American President (Fonda) tries to call them back. But their sophisticated fail-safe system prevents him from aborting the attack so he must convince the Soviets not to retaliate. In desperation the President offers to sacrifice an American city if his pilots succeed in their deadly mission over Moscow. A four-star techno-thriller that builds tension and suspense with every tick of the nuclear clock.System Requirements:Starring: Dan O Herlihy Walter Matthau Frank Overton Ed Binns Fritz Weaver Henry Fonda Larry Hagman and William Hansen. Directed By: Sidney Lumet. Running Time: 111 Min. B&W. This film is presented in 'Widescreen' format. Copyright 2000 Columbia TriStar Home Video.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: G UPC: 043396054240 Manufacturer No: 5424
Amazon.com essential video:
It's Dr. Strangelove, but without the laughs. Fail Safe, made within a year of Strangelove and at the height of cold war atomic anxiety, posits a similar nightmare scenario. A U.S. bomber is accidentally ordered toward Moscow, ready to drop its load. The U.S. president (Henry Fonda) and various military and congressional leaders must then scramble to deal with the disaster. The built-in suspense is well maintained by director Sidney Lumet, working from a script by former blacklisted writer Walter Bernstein. The solemn, serious approach doesn't begin to touch the brilliance of Strangelove's inspired take on the nuclear nightmare, but Fail Safe is absorbing and well acted (a memorable role for Walter Matthau, for instance). The movie enters unexpected territory in its final minutes; conditioned for feel-good endings, viewers are still genuinely shocked by the plot turns in the final reels. The climax comes as a sobering slap in the face, intriguingly staged by Lumet. Now that the cold war has passed on into history, Fail Safe stands as--thank goodness--an interesting period piece. --Robert Horton
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Fail Safe
Good movie. could possibly happen in the real world. A good visit to the war room. I enjoyed the scene when the general (Blackie) was getting up from bed and talking to his wife. I remember him sitting by the side of the bed and saying something like; "is it possible that our dreams are really what we live and what we think we live are only dreams." I don't remember the exact quote, however, if anyone knows exactly, I sure would like to know. I'v seen this movie more then ten times and I still enjoy it very much.
Rating:  - We have nothing to fear
But perhaps the machines we have built to protect us.
"Fail Safe" was filmed in 1964 at the height of the Cold War nuclear anxiety. The premise is that our US technology mistakenly labeled a troubled passenger aircraft as an incoming Soviet bomb and scrambled our own Air Force fighters against Moscow. President (Henry Fonda) and the Soviet Premier must work together to try and diffuse the situation and ultimately to solve the problems our failed 'fail safe' system created.
I am aware this film was redone in color and I am not sure it could ever be as good. The starkness of the black and white adds to the drama and period authenticity of the situation. Plus, Henry Fonda is in my opinion one of the best US Presidents on screen. This film is a classic and well worth the cost of the disc to add to your collection if you are a political science or a war buff.
Rebecca Kyle, June 2008
Rating: - FEEL SAFE ?
A "cold war' chiller that still maintains one's attention today after 44 years.While a brilliant, but truly eerie professor (Matthau) is holding center stage at a symposium, pontificating on the number of "acceptable losses" in a nuclear war, a computer malfunction sends an American bomber streaking towards Moscow. As scientists scurry to contact the jet,Fonda, doing a superb job as American President,effectively uses the "hot line",trying to buy time and to allay the fears of the Soviets. The plane is finally contacted, but the pilot has been specifically trained to disregard any orders from anyone once he has flown past his fail-safe point.Fonda then relays an impromptu plan to the Soviets to avoid nuclear warfare. Stay tuned! I would assume that all age groups, once seated, will still find this film downright scary and absorbing.
Rating: - A Great, Great movie
Fail-safe happens to be one of the few books I've read. A great book and a fine theatrical adaptation. I feel that Larry Hagman and Henry Fonda gave some of the best performances of their carrers. Very true to the book, in my opinion. I would watch it, commercials and all, each time it would come on broadcast TV and finally checked to see if it was on DVD. An exciting cold war thriller. I highly recommend this DVD.
Rating: - Exercise in Tension.
Fail-Safe (Sidney Lumet, 1964)
That Sidney Lumet has traditionally been one of America's finest directors almost goes without saying; this is the man who directed 12 Angry Men, Long Day's Journey into Night, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, Network, and Equus, among many, many others. Fail-Safe came relatively early in his career; while he had done a good deal of television work, it was only his sixth big-screen feature. It takes the tension of 12 Angry Men and ramps it up another couple of notches.
The story: a series of mechanical mishaps causes a routine alarm to turn into a potential nuclear catastrophe when a flight of bombers doesn't receive a stand-down signal. With the bombers on their way to deliver a nuclear payload to Moscow, the president (Henry Fonda) gets into a frantic series of impromptu peace talks with the Soviet premier. Meanwhile, we're also given glimpses into the cockpit of the lead bomber, the control room where things went wrong, and a Pentagon war room whose cast have become last-ditch advisors to the President. Their job is somewhat complicated by the presence of a pundit (Walter Matthau) who believes this is the perfect opportunity to launch a strike that would wipe the Soviet Union off the map forever.
While it's never explicitly stated, the action seems to take place in real time. This is a tricky trope to pull off (and when it doesn't work, it really bombs, viz. Brian de Palma's Snake Eyes), but Lumet handles it perfectly. As well, Lumet, ... Read More
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