13 Days Movie Review

Introduction

13 days is a dramatic film that was directed by Roger, and it accounts for the Hollywood crisis in Cuba. The film takes the audience behind the scenes during a tense period in the white house when there was a nuclear war between the states and the Soviet Union. Belfer partnered with filmmakers of the film in 2000-2001 to analyze the historical accuracy of the film and the efficacy that shows the white house deliberations on the white house in respond to Soviet unions.

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Film review

The film is inspired by the "Cuban missile crisis" and benefits from the writing of scholar articles over a period, the writing of memoir among others. It shows a perspective attained from turning back at various vital issues that occurred approximately 38 years in the past. Firstly, the film is not the final word nor is it the last dictation in regards to Cuba. Otherwise, it's an evocation of good times at the period of fourteen days as we best comprehend from the present point of vantage (Laffey, & Weldes, 2016).

The narrative has forced its audience to fix events that occurred even out of the film and conflate the remarks and views of the contributors of the event to align with the requirements and expectations of the film. The narrative imposes responsibility among the film producers to stay loyal to the paramount issues and themes with the historians and policies consensus identifying the films as instituting the historic records as reflection of the American history in play.

It is hard to determine the most appropriate benchmarks for evaluating the dramatic interpretation of the film history; however, it is paramount to understand that various standards exist and must be served and identified by any responsible filmmaker. In the dramatic film, the producers and the writers with the director included were struck the chronological record nature, and they were not convinced that it was wise to range from the film. The delinquent diversified when effective storytelling was an urge of the directors in the dramatic film distilling the strong and prevailing happenings and the Missile crisis issue in a format that was accessible. The intensity of that moment was effectively conveyed by the pressure posed by the nuclear threat during the time of the cold war.

The Historical Notables and Analysis of Solving the Crisis

To portray the historical notables and the analysis of solving the crisis that occurred the white house in the dramatic film was made possible through the isolation of the character behaviors that ultimately got individuals into the situation and how they assisted them to get out of a situation. The directors and producers of the film were apt to stay near to the behavior and the real environment of the main characters or the key people; this was to make the film easy and clear to follow but remain constant with the ancient accounts. Therefore the film shows a clear understanding of the personalities, the president position and power in matters of world politics, the behavior and the advisors of the Attorney General. The Russian flank of the event is also suggested in the film at the event appearances of Dobrynin and Gromyko. However, the main focus is on the calculation side of the United States.

The film aims at making sure that the audience watches the debate then go back to the military and the civilian advisors and to watch or other track their decision-making process. The record was much compelling in the film that it needed less from the filmmakers. The films also aim at inspiring the audience into learning content in regards to Cuban Missile Crisis as it has lessons that are paramount in the present era and that set standards for how the citizens view leadership and specifically public governance in instances of adversity. The film has fought to be true to the ancient records as they overstate the story. It is sensationalized in a way that all events including the central themes, the leadership nature and importance, the nuclear danger nature, the judgment nature at the office and the president of the States vividly replicate the events that occurred in October 1962. The films firmly make sure that the main themes are exemplified in the movie and that the viewers will ultimately seek to find information on these paramount events through the testimony, websites, transcripts and documents that have been written by scholars over the years since the event occurred. The dramatic film also shows and elaborates the chronological history of the key actor's friendship. For instance, Costner plays O'Donnell as the jack of all traits in the white house and an adviser whose office in near the oval office. Kennedy has deep roots with him, and he was Bobby's roommate at the Harvard University and the campaign manager for Jack. The film depicts him as a loyal confidant who helps save civilization through his personal decisions. At an instance in the film, the joint chiefs itch to fight, and he urges one of the pilots to "look through on the other side of this thing." This was a request to lie to the superiors and avoid the impending war (Cook, 2016).

The dramatic film's flat, taut style is most appropriate for a story that is based more on speculations and facts than action. The president and his advisers are seen to study photos that are high altitude and various intelligence reports, and they are in question of Khrushchev trust. Everything at the moment depends on the decisions they would make. The film presents men shirt sleeves and in unknotted ties taking coffee cups and whiskey glasses as they try to sound rational while at the same time they are scared. The president's team fears that the other team strikes first in fear of striking second.

The military scenes, the air bases and the sea ships are covered in the film not for anything else but information to the audience and not for settling the plot of the film. The movie tries to capture the morale of the audience when some white house operatives like O'Donnell makes quite calls to their families to say goodbye. These scenes are meaningless to the film plot and are only morale boosters.

The Importance of Decision-Making and Companionship

The film is a thriller despite the outcomes being unknown as it plays like one, we ought to know that the world does not end just like the players in the film do not, and it's not hard to identify with them at all. The film shows how powerful knowledge is through the decisions made by the characters and their guesses and hunches might be much useful that the theories of war games. Certainly, the past experiences cannot act as guidelines as no such wars will have begun and ended like the Cuba Missile war.

The film has an educative and a teaching theme that is consistent in drama. Donaldson and Costner find equal suspense of the previous movies they have produced in an essential and vital chess game dramatized in 13 days. They bring a picture that depicts that in the long run, the national defense is not encompassed by blowing and causing distractions on everything all in the name of national defense. If a case happened that no one blinked during the attack of 1962 and the missiles were fired, most people in Russia, Cuba and the Eastern States would be missing, and extensive poison would be in the air. It would have been the victory of United States, yes, but it was reckless for Khrushchev to deploy the missiles in Cuba and the president was right when he wanted them out. However, it's a good thing that someone showed concern and blinked (Cook, 2016).

Suppose the president did things differently and fired the missiles probably the United States would have gone to war with Russia. But who knows? But because Kennedy made rational but good decisions and that he had a good team with him during decision making this makes the film a real-life epic story.

All that the problem was looking for ways to get out of the Cuban Missile crisis despite him having issues with his chiefs and advisors. The film show and teaches a lesson to its viewers that, companionship and togetherness during decision making are essential for better and realistic decisions. However, it's not contradictory to say that the president was pressured and stressed to make the ultimate decisions for the team as the decisions he made were from extensive consultation as depicted in the dramatic film.

The movie deserves some critics as it is scrupulously accurate on small matters. These matters include the thin ties, the glass that was horn rimes, the cars that were tail-finned, the physical gestures made including the rotary phones and radios they were all dead. The movie should not have presented some black and white segments to allure the viewer into thinking that these were the real-time events that occurred. This is because the viewer already knows that this is dramatization and they don't expect the cameras to have been involved in what we would call a matter of national security. The scenes cement to the film's verisimilitude. When we look at the slicked hair of McNamara, it becomes more distressing when we later discover that this was not the actual scene.

Conclusion

The film has an ambiguous goal, the recreation of one of the cold war's most dramatic episodes. The film brings a high time in historical reckoning although it does not out cast the role of the United States president in any way as depicted in the movie all through. The historical events in the films act as major flashbacks points in the 60s cold war historical events, and they act as reference points that are constant in the United States Policy towards Cuba. Therefore despite the film having faced various critics as discussed in the review, it has enable the United States citizens to recapture significant policies established due to the Cuba Missile crisis.

References

Cyr, A. I. (2013). The Cuban Missile Crisis after Fifty Years. Orbis, 57(1), 5-19.

Cook, D. A. (2016). A history of narrative film. WW Norton & Company.

Kennedy, R. F. (1969). 13 days: the Cuban missile crisis October 1962. Springer.

Laffey, M., & Weldes, J. (2016). Decolonizing the Cuban missile crisis. International Studies Quarterly, 52(3), 555-577.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for Essay:

What is the main focus of the film "13 Days"?

"13 Days" centers around the Cuban Missile Crisis and explores what took place behind-the-scenes during this crucial time in the White House during that dramatic tumult.

How does "13 Days" successfully convey the intensity and suspense of Cuban Missile Crisis?

"13 Days" provides a compelling depiction of the Cuban Missile Crisis through its tight and dramatic style, transporting viewers directly into its atmosphere at the White House. Additionally, viewers witness fearful characters grappling with nuclear war possibilities while making important decisions that affect them all directly or indirectly.

What lessons can viewers learn from the film "13 Days" in terms of decision-making and the importance of companionship?

"13 Days" reminds viewers of the value of decision-making and companionship during times of crisis. This film highlights the necessity of rational decision-making processes and collaboration among advisors and team members; in addition, O'Donnell plays an essential role in saving civilization through his personal decisions; reminding audiences that collective efforts and close relationships contribute to making better and more realistic decisions.