Reagan Film Sparks Debate
New movie 'The Brink of War' dramatizes 1986 Reykjavik Summit, but critics argue it gives too much credit to Ronald Reagan's role in ending the Cold War, with the film's writer and director inspired by a meeting with former Secretary of State George Shultz
A new film, The Brink of War, has sparked debate over its portrayal of the 1986 Reykjavik Summit between US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev. The movie, which stars Jeff Daniels as Reagan and Jared Harris as Gorbachev, highlights their efforts to discuss nuclear arms control and potentially end the Cold War.
The Reykjavik Summit, which took place on October 11-12, 1986, in Reykjavik, Iceland, was a last-minute meeting that lasted for over 30 hours, with Reagan and Gorbachev fiercely debating nuclear arms control. The summit laid the groundwork for the implementation of two major disarmament agreements: the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (1987) and Strategic Offensive Arms Reductions Treaty (1991).
The film's writer and director, Michael Russell Gunn, was inspired to make the film after meeting with former Secretary of State George Shultz, who was present at the Reykjavik Summit. Shultz reportedly told Gunn that Gorbachev had said the Reykjavik Summit was a pivotal moment in ending the Cold War. The film is dedicated to Shultz, who provided Gunn with the declassified transcript of the conversation between Reagan and Gorbachev.
However, some critics argue that the film gives too much credit to Reagan's role in the summit's outcome, and that it leans too much in the opposite direction of the liberal orthodoxy about Reagan. The film's accuracy and portrayal of the event have been subject to scrutiny, with some arguing that it oversimplifies the complexities of the arms race and the end of the Cold War.
## Context The debate over the film's portrayal of the Reykjavik Summit reflects the ongoing discussion about the role of individual leaders in shaping historical events. The end of the Cold War was a complex and multifaceted process, and the Reykjavik Summit was just one of many factors that contributed to its conclusion. While the film may give too much credit to Reagan's role, it also highlights the importance of the summit as a pivotal moment in the history of the Cold War.
