By Dawn's Early Light

Infobox Film
name = By Dawn's Early Light


caption = Four People. Three Minutes. Two Choices. One Chance For Survival
director = Jack Sholder
producer =
writer = William Prochnau (novel)
Bruce Gilbert (teleplay)
starring = Powers Boothe
Rebecca De Mornay
James Earl Jones
Martin Landau
Rip Torn
Jeffrey DeMunn
Darren McGavin
Ken Jenkins
music =
cinematography =
editing =
distributor = HBO
released = 19 May 1990
runtime = 100 min.
country = United States
language = English
budget =
amg_id = 1:7699
imdb_id = 0099197

"By Dawn’s Early Light" is an HBO Original Movie, aired in 1990 and set in the year 1991. It is based on the 1983 novel "Trinity's Child", written by William Prochnau. The film holds the distinction of being the last film to depict the events of a fictional World War III before the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War.Fact|date=October 2008 Received two Emmy nominations in 1991 for "Outstanding Achievement in Special Visual Effects" and "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Special" - James Earl Jones. The film is somewhat unusual in that despite a modest budget it is replete with major name actors from the era when it was filmed.

Plot

As the Soviet Union begins to undergo radical political change, a group of renegade Soviet military officers steal a nuclear missile and launch it towards the Soviet Union from Turkey. The Soviet city of Donetsk is destroyed by the stolen missile. When the missile hits, Soviet defense systems see that the weapon was launched from Turkey, and conclude that a NATO attack is in progress.

The Soviets retaliate by launching ICBMs and SLBMs at the United States from both nuclear submarines and from land-based silos. Shortly thereafter, China launches an attack against the Soviet border, per a treaty with the United States (this treaty is never fully discussed and the China-Russia war is not covered in the film).

Moments after the Soviet attack is launched, the President of the United States receives a teletype from his counterpart in the Soviet Union saying that they have determined that the first missile was launched by renegades and not by the NATO; the Premier tells the President that the Soviet Union will accept (without retaliating) a limited U.S. counterstrike that will kill between six and nine million people. However, should the U.S. counterstrike be any larger, the Soviets will have no choice but to retaliate in kind — meaning that an all-out nuclear exchange would almost certainly ensue.

The President argues over the phone with General Renning at Strategic Air Command Headquarters at Offutt AFB, Nebraska, over whether or not the teletype can be trusted. The General believes it is a bluff intended to trick the U.S. into not counterattacking and leaving itself vulnerable, while the President is reluctant to launch a nuclear strike over what could be a mistake. General Renning orders his naval attache Harpoon on board the Boeing E-4 airborne command post and orders a launch of his land-based bombers, but most of them are destroyed in the initial Soviet attack.

After much persuasion, the President orders an initial counter-assault, just after Washington, D.C. is struck by a nuclear missile, which was originally designed to detonate over Andrews AFB, Maryland. Afterwards, the President is evacuated from The White House on Marine One and is en route to Dover AFB, Delaware, but is presumed killed when a second nuclear weapon detonates nearby and causes the helicopter to crash. The President is, however, only wounded, yet now completely blind from exposure to the light of the nuclear explosion.

Assuming the President is dead, the United States Army and the FBI locate the Secretary of the Interior in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Secretary of the Interior is (the only remaining Cabinet member known to still be alive, and thus next in line in the order of succession) is installed as the next President of the United States. Though the Secretary at first appears open to the suggestion of Harpoon, who urges a cautious approach involving reduced hostilities, he quickly decides instead to follow the advice of the hawkish Colonel Fargo, who sees the total destruction of the Soviet Union as the only acceptable resolution to the conflict.

On board the Boeing E-4, the Secretary of the Interior, acting as the President, orders a decapitating strike on the Soviet Union, concentrating on the destruction of leadership bunkers by land-based bombers and the launch of all U.S. submarine-based nuclear missiles. The Secretary of the Interior holds fast to his decision to attack the Soviet Union, even after hearing that the President of the United States is still alive, as he believes the President to be an impostor.

In Maryland, the former President is taken to a nearby FEMA emergency shelter, where he is able to get in touch with the Soviet Premier via shortwave, though there is some question at the time of whether the authentication is legitimate. He then contacts the Looking Glass command plane which recognizes that the President is still alive and pledges to stop the Secretary of the Interior. He then orders Looking Glass aircraft battle staff to stand down the bombers and land-based missiles; however, to prevent the Secretary of the Interior from ordering the launch of the submarine-based missiles from the U.S. Navy's TACAMO communications aircraft, the Looking Glass aircraft loyal to the President pledges to stop the Secretary of the Interior. The Looking Glass aircraft then hunts down the second Boeing E-4, also acting as Air Force One and, at the last minute, is able to ram it just before the Secretary of the Interior issues the order to escalate the nuclear conflict. The President then reasserts control and orders a stand-down of all U.S. nuclear and military forces.

Throughout the entire film, a sub-plot focuses on a single B-52 Stratofortress crew from the time of its emergency take-off from Fairchild AFB to receiving orders to enter the Soviet Union and begin destroying cities. The B-52 pilot and co-pilot eventually decide to disobey orders, at which time one of the airmen on board mutinies and attempts to kill the pilot. After a violent struggle, every aircrew member, except for the pilot and co-pilot, is killed. The end of the film shows the plane flying into the sunset, just after the President has ordered a stand down of the armed forces.

Differences from the source material

The movie is largely faithful to the basic plot of the original novel, but with two major differences. In the novel the crisis begins when the USSR launches a deliberate attack on the U.S. The attack is aimed at U.S. military forces only, though the Russians know and accept that major civilian casualties will result. Unable to compete with US defense spending, the Russians have engaged on this attack knowing that the U.S. will respond in kind, thus effectively ending the cold war. The second major difference is in the romantic subplot between Captain Moreau and Major Cassidy; in the book this is not merely absent but the characters actually mock the idea of such a relationship between them.

Main cast

* Powers Boothe .... Maj. Cassidy
* Rebecca De Mornay .... Capt. Moreau
* James Earl Jones .... Looking Glass General - 'Alice'
* Martin Landau .... President of the United States
* Darren McGavin .... Condor - Secretary of the Interior
* Jeffrey DeMunn .... E-4 Admiral - 'Harpoon'
* Rip Torn .... E-4 Col. Fargo
* Peter MacNicol .... Lt. Cmdr. Tom Sedgewicke
* Glenn Withrow .... Lt. Tyler
* Kieran Mulroney .... Lt. Radnor
* Nicolas Coster .... Gen. Renning - 'Icarus'
* Ken Jenkins .... Looking Glass Colonel - 'Sam'
* Daniel Benzali .... FEMA Director Bascombe

External links

* [http://www.epinions.com/content_390514970244 DVD Review by George Chabot]
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