Use of Realism in The War Game Docudrama by Peter Watkins

The War Game Name: Institution: Date: Use of Realism in The War Game Docudrama by Peter Watkins Film directors use different styles to infuse realism on their works because it helps captivate the audience and heighten the entertainment value of their works. Some of the ways they use realism is through using realistic and places, featuring experts to expound on a subject, re-enacting historical happenings, featuring famous people that are relatable to the audience etc. Peter Watkins in the The War Game uses some of these methods to tell his nuclear story. This essay will focus on some of the ways how Watkins incorporated realism in the War Game docudrama. The director creates realism by featuring actual interviews conducted by the film production team on various people and collected their thoughts on the nuclear war. The director shows how people are ill-informed on their preparedness and understanding of the nuclear war. In one scene, it shows a woman claiming that the British should retaliate to its would-be aggressors with an equal force should Britain be attacked. Most of the interviewed people echoed this stance on nuclear war not knowing the short-term and long-term effects. The interviews also show that the people did not understand the mandate they had given their leaders and the potential consequences of the actions and decisions of their leaders. It also shows how the government has failed in disseminating important information to the public especially on radiation and short and long long-term effects of radiation. There are also some interviews on government officials which help show the government’s position and preparedness of a nuclear war. These realistic interviews help the audience to connect with the people on a new level relating to their experiences and understanding of nuclear war. It even challenges their ideologies about war and its effects. The documentary also featured some information about the preparedness of the government on a nuclear war based on primary sources showing how the British government was conducting its affairs at the time. In one instance, the director quotes the government’s circulation of home office manual which was circulated in 1959 on nuclear war. It cites that the government had started an active program to educate its citizens on matter radioactivity and it was to be infused in various learning curriculums in the subsequent year. However, the efficacy of the program seemed to have failed to judge from the ways the people were ill-informed about radioactivity. It also details the government’s plan in case of the nuclear attack. In one instance the government manual contained the specifics of the steps and documents the people had to take with them to hiding areas. In another instance, the director featured the ignorance of the public on the effects of a nuclear war. One woman is featured saying that nuclear weapon uses ‘some sort of gun powder.’ In another instance, Watkins describes how the public continued to be misled by the clergy imposing their own beliefs on...