This movie is a great movie for those people who love alternate history. The acting is well done, but many of the sets look as if it were filmed on a closed factory. I hope that someday it will appear on video. If you do like this type of movie then you must read "The Devils Advocate" by Taylor Caldwell it too is about a military dictatorship in the 1960's US.
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mgrabman24 July 1999
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terryrayhiller31 October 2006When it aired, "Shadow on the Land"'s premise was barely credible: an unexplained national emergency so terrifies the country that Congress grants the President virtually unlimited emergency powers, which he promptly uses to establish a national security agency charged with hunting down the nation's external and internal "enemies." Soon the country is awash in curfews, traveling papers, checkpoints and managed news. Dissent is unpatriotic and quashed in the name of security and national harmony. In response, a small underground emerges dedicated to revealing the corruption and our loss of freedoms.
Run as a TV movie, "Shadow on the Land" should have done better than it did, and might have made an interesting series had it received better viewer response. Unfortunately, its cautionary message of a fearful America willing to surrender basic freedoms seemed preposterous. Not helping was a fairly plodding script, generally heavy-handed characterizations and an absence of any sense of impending menace or danger.
Still, "Shadow" featured such dependable lead actors as Jackie Cooper, John Forsythe, Gene Hackman, Carol Lynley, Marc Strange and Janice Rule, supported by a strong cast of future character actors including Scott Thomas, Bill Walker and Ken Swofford. All the actors -- Cooper and Hackman especially -- gave solid performances despite the script, which must have seemed something of a fantasy to everyone involved.
While many of the casting decisions were predicable, there was one truly inspired piece of casting that set the show apart: John Forsythe as General Wendell Bruce, head of West Coast security and the resident villain. Setting his likable "Bachelor Father" (1957-1962) persona on its head, Forsythe created a disturbingly complex and believable nemesis: intelligent, dedicated to his duty, sophisticated, articulate and likable, with a ready smile and well-tailored suits. It was truly chilling to watch him, and helped build a case for the type of people who might someday convince us they were only there to "protect" us.
Given the current political and social climate, "Shadow on the Land" was clearly a show forty years ahead of its time an unusually cautionary tale raised in a television era still dominated by fare such as "Beverley Hillbillies," "Batman," "Death Valley Days: and "Hawaii Five-O." Someone ought to find it in the archives, dust it off, and either run it or redo it; I think we'd be far more willing to believe its vision of America than we were in 1968.
Still, given that same climate, one has to wonder if the show could be done today. The premise strikes far too close to home, and patriotism isn't what it used to be. We've clearly demonstrated that as a people we are now perfectly willing to sacrifice a little freedom for security and safety, just as were the citizens of "Shadow."
On a final minor note, one has to wonder if our Homeland Security folks realize that their eagle logo bears a haunting similarity to "Shadow"'s homeland security agency emblem. If we don't learn from history even fictional ones we are somehow doomed to repeat it. -
mark.waltz28 April 2021What a better way for a fascist government to establish complete control over the people by blaming a series of fake insurections and rebelliousness on innocent freedom fighters only looking for the truth to be revealed? The film starts with the abduction of an enemy of the state who knows the truth about the new security task force that has taken control, with only a person in charge of the United States referred to as "the leader".
The head of this security agency (John Forsythe) may not be as calculating as the leaders of insurrection in "The Manchurian Candidate", but he wants to create further chaos by blaming terrorist acts at a California power plant on rebel leaders, only so he can declare a martial law and arrest anybody he chooses all under the name of national peace. To do this, he must capture and destroy the abducted Jackie Cooper, an army lieutenant colonel who knows the truth about the new order which has destroyed democracy without society even being aware of it.
I found it fascinating to see a late 1960's Los Angeles where the citizens act as if nothing is wrong as the obvious gestapo like agency takes control of law enforcement, making people disappear without notice. Pamphlets of this new world show evil intentions through false propaganda, and even at the airport, the chaos to get home for Christmas is rampant and scary. Special types of passes are needed, required out of the blue, and that creates a lot of anxiety and anger.
Forsyth is a sensational villain, very ill-tempered, and without any type of soul. Gene Hackman is cast as Cooper's priest brother who becomes involved in destroying Forsythe's agenda only when he has to. Set during the Christmas holiday, this film shows this new world as anything but Christian. The ending also leaves it open for continuation, but as this did not end up with a sequel or a TV series, the viewer is a bit stuck at the end. I'm not sure that the national anthem stuck on at the end was a part of this movie, as it reminded me of TV channel sign offs before they became 24 hours. While not perfect, it is intriguing and scary, and as a "what if" film with a "just imagine" concept, it can shake the viewer up with more distrust to an already toxic environment. -
Mark-12917 December 2001A rarely shown TV movie and series pilot that I have not seen in decades. All I remember is the film revolves around the takeover of the U. S. by a totalitarian authority and the efforts of an underground movement trying to ferment resistance. The film opens with a violent attack on a military base by the underground, leading to one of the most startling results I have seen on television. Anyone who has seen it knows what I mean. It was meant to shock the audience, and it did.
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Falkenberg200614 March 2008When this film came out, it was decried by both critics and science fiction fans as being preposterous because in America such an event could never happen.
Now the conspiracy theorists say that our current President is ready to have events occur which will bring this movie to a realization.
I have always been surprised that this movie has never come out on tape or DVD as a warning that it COULD happen here.
The movie is flawed in many ways, but having to show id at airports, being screened at airports, on roads, at bus & train stations was unthinkable 40 years ago, yet it has occurred.
Sinclair Lewis was right. We did not learn from his book or take heed the warning of this film.
Politicians once they have power will do anything to keep it, even usurp the Constitution which they have sworn to protect and defend. -
onelincoln2026 February 2005A rarely seen gem that hasn't been broadcast in Los Angeles since 1987!! Luckily I grabbed a VHS copy. The plot follows a group of freedom fighters called the Society of Man in their struggle against a fascist government that takes control of the U.S. Fine acting from all the principles, including a young Gene Hackman. It asks a lot of questions about political laziness and expediency. Note: the airport scene at LAX; it almost mirrors the chaos that goes on now with the TSA and their security! Remember this was filmed in 1968! Also the scene at the concentration camp with the freedom fighters and the American Flag is awe inspiring. I wish this film would be released on DVD.
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"Shadow on the Land" was the first made-for-TV movie produced and broadcast on ABC and includes in its cast Jackie Cooper, John Forsythe, Gene Hackman, and Carol Lynley. Its producer, Matthew Rapf, produced series like Ben Casey and Kojak. Its screenwriter, Nedrick Young, won an Oscar as co-writer of The Defiant Ones.
I was 16 when I saw it and its portrait of the United States devolved into a fascist dictatorship made an indelible impression on me. It's one of the most important films in the library of liberty ever made, and it deserves to be revived and seen by every lover of freedom who weeps that the United States is well down the path to tyranny shown in this movie.
But this film also shows seeds of hope, in its portrayal of an underground called the Society of Man.
Watch this! It has more power than a dozen tracts on economics and politics, or political campaigns. -
weedwarrior5114 April 2004This is a movie that needs to be seen by everyone now. A fascist dictatorship takes over the country in an "election" when everyone is scared by events. No longer called the president, he is now "The Leader" (which is what Der Fuhrer means) and has taken emergency powers voted in by a panicked Congress (a la' The PATRIOT ACT) and has created a Gestapo called the Internal Security Force (Homeland Security). People can't pass from one part of the country to another without an internal passport, a la' the old Soviet Union (and the proposed national ID cards now). A small resistance called the Society of Man learns from a patriotic Air Force colonel that the INF is going to launch terrorist attacks to blame on the resistance to take even more control and erode public support for the Society of Man. No wander this movie is never shown on tv and isn't available on VHS or DVD. People would recognize the parallels to todays situation.
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drholingue22 December 2003This is a 1968 made for TV movie which was aired only a few times. It is an excellent science fiction- future history movie with the premise that America has descended into a dictatorship because Americans have voluntarily given up their freeedoms in the face of an outside threat. Now that threat has been eliminated, the people in power seek to keep their power... They are opposed by a secret underground called The Sons of Liberty.
I wish this was available to buy in DVD! -
charlesblank10 September 2005The Movie is an excellent story of the emergence of a fascist dictatorship in the U.S.But a greater threat is an covert,evolving surveillance state and a birth of a joint political,military,intelligence,&corporate infrastructure over all areas of America;where a overt police state is a magnet for resistance forces.This group could rule the country without overthrowing the gov't and still maintain due process & civil rights because they control and observe the bureaucracy and agencies of all the government.An public police state would create great resistance while this system is so hidden and dispersed that you would have to spent years clearing out the supporters and any attacks on "suspected" sites would make the underground look like terrorists.To understand about this theory- read " Friendly Fascism".This book scare me to death .
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Indigo0026 January 2006This is a prophetic made for TV movie (first shown in 1968), particularly in light of current events in the US (2006).
It is basically about a rebel group fighting a fascist government that has taken over the US. The airport scenes are a bit eerie now and the creation of the new federal police force as authorized in the Patriot Act sure looks like the Internal Security Force in the movie.
No wonder this movie as not seen the light of day in years...If you want your paranoia level to go up, watch this movie and think about todays events...
I AM LOOKING FOR A COPY OF THIS MOVIE. Email me at Indigo00@comcast.net. -
c_c_colvin4 April 2014Hard to believe, but I was 12 years old when this movie was first shown on TV.
Like other reviewers, "Shadow on the Land" made an impact on me like no other made for TV movie that the networks were churning out at the time, with the exception of "Duel" and perhaps "The Brotherhood of the Bell".
There were just three networks: ABC, CBS, and NBC. Nothing else. Cable TV and video recorders didn't exist.
It is a little dated, considering it was 1968, but the message about the possibility of an American fascist state coming into existence is scary.
This movie is prophetic and well worth your time to find.
I am looking for a copy of this movie. Please email me at c_c_colvin (AT)yahoo(dot)com -
remingtonresearch-127 October 2004I saw this movie when I was about twelve and it made a profound impression on me. Coming from a conservative Republican family, it got my wheels and gears turning so that when Watergate happened, I saw the parallels.
In reading the comments, I wondered about a couple of things. While I saw it more than 35 years ago, I remember that the resistance group was called the "Brotherhood of Man" or something similar. Also, the facility that they attacked was a power plant or vital production facility.
I'd be grateful for any insight on these questions, and I too wish it that were available on DVD or VHS. -
bcwatson5 February 2006I too saw this when I was a teenager (I'm almost 49 now). I only saw it once, but I remember enough of it very well. The idea that through apathy or lack of controls, our government could be hijacked from us left a lasting impression on me as a young teen. I remember the resistance movement, the concentration camp, the flag at the end... Now, I'm telling everyone about it in light of the events unfolding in our nation today. People need to pay attention to what's going on... If anyone can provide me with a copy of this movie in any condition, on any media (VHS, DVD, .mpg file) let me know please. Does anyone find it "weird" that you can't find a copy of this anywhere to buy? Not on Amazon or on Ebay?
bcwatson@yahoo.com - Barry -
maddutchy7 March 2006I saw this movie when it first played on TV. For those who read this who were not conscious in the late '60s it may seem confusing. It was a time of unrest and doubt. People were constantly asked to "trust the government". The makers of the film obviously wanted to remind us to always regard with skepticism those who seek power in order to 'protect us'. Its message was timely then and applies equally to now.
I do not attach its message to any particular political party or persons in office. That would be to make it a matter of partisanship. The film deserves better. Like D.W. Griffith's "Intolerance" it is a movie for all time for freedom loving people. I hope that it comes out on DVD someday. If it does, it should be shown in every classroom in America along with "Intolerance".
Right after the Towers fell on 9/11, I thought of this movie. I hoped that 9/11 would not become our "Reichstag Fire". If you don't know what the "Reichstag Fire" was, LOOK IT UP! Anyone who values Liberty should be aware of that term. By the way, it is used in the movie. Time will tell if 9/11 will be our "Reichstag Fire".
The performances in Shadow On The Land were of high quality and the writing was good. It wasn't the best movie ever made but it did its job well and is worth seeing and sharing. The message is what is important. -
planktonrules16 February 2017in light of USA in 1968, not that far-fetched--less crazy than wild in the streets
If you see this film and do not understand its context, you'll likely miss something. Back when the film was made in 1968, the United States (as well as France and in a few other countries) there was civil unrest. On one hand, you had traditionalists...very conservative in their views and trusting of the government. On the other, there were the hippies, liberals and others who not only distrusted the government, but some of them actively sought to destroy it. These radicals were not huge in number but had a huge impact on folks in the first group--folks who would have longed for a government crackdown on 'those sorts of folks'. It's actually pretty amazing we made it through these times...and so a film in which the US becomes a fascist-style nation isn't that surprising for 1968. In fact, another similar though VERY outlandish film came out also in 1968, "Wild in the Streets"...a film in which hippies and teens took over and sent all the older folks to concentration camps! Again...considering the times, you could understand the films--though "Wild in the Streets" is a bit silly if you see it today. On the other hand, "Shadow on the Land" TRIES to be more plausible--more a look at what actually cold occur in America sometime in the near future.
When the film begins, a repressive fascist government is in place. However, there is resistance and the film concerns an undercover resister who is working for the Security branch of the regime. In this position, he's able to try to help an escaped prisoner--a Colonel who refuses to knuckle under to the oppressive demands of the government. Additionally, he needs to find out what secret this Colonel has..something which turns out to be akin to the Nazis burning the Reichstag in order to usher in a stronger, more repressive government.
This is a very interesting film and I appreciate that the fascists are NOT portrayed as Nazis...that would have made it seem comical and ridiculous. Instead, it's an interesting look where the country MIGHT end up going if we aren't careful. The film, incidentally, would have made an interesting TV series. And, it sure looked like a pilot episode...with its dangling plot and many questions still waiting to be answered. Well worth seeing and thought provoking.
Among the stars in the film, two interesting ones are John Forsyth, as he plays a truly evil sort of character and Gene Hackman as a pusillanimous priest...in one of his earlier roles. -
I saw this movie on the ABC network movie on Friday night. I was just out of high school. I had always been interested in becoming futurist. Read many books and articles on how our futures will be if we are not mindful. This movie was so in time with the times. Even now if it were should it would makes us so aware of our freedoms and how much we take them as a matter of fact. It had a documentary feel to it. Marc Strange had a troubled feel of a man doing a job that it hated and saw it as being wrong. The powers that be had cut the links that make it answerable to it's citizens. I statement from the "Killers Elite:There is no government any where in the world that gives a damn about the people that it is suppose to service" This movie written before big government got married to high tech is a look into where we are on our way. It was a warning that I have never fail to me mindful of. I highly recommend, hippies where not just trouble makes they saw something that others didn't. If you get a chance rent it, study it, compare it to now, and remember always be mindful.
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davidemartin14 September 2004I saw the movie the two times it ran way back when. At the time, I thought it was a neat parallel world tale and an interesting alternate take on espionage flicks. The notion of a conservative, openly fascistic takeover of the US, shredding the Constitution, and preserving its rule by an internal security force capable of creating hoaxes to turn the public against outsiders.... well, at the time, it sure looked like scifi!
Sadly, we now know better. The film is a chilling, Nostradamus-like tale about Bush/Cheney, Homeland Security, the Patriot Act, and all the rest of the evil that has been foisted upon America these past three years. The climax of the film, in which Internal Security agents plan to commit an atrocity and blame it on the underground, is disturbingly close to something Rumsfeld, Cheney, and Ridge might plan. After all, an "al Quaeda" terrorist attack, "successfully foiled" by Homeland Security forces, would be a powerful propaganda stunt to ensure Bush's election. -
pmaranci19 January 2005Chalk me up as another view who saw this movie decades ago, and never forgot it. The parallels to the Bush regime are haunting.
Unfortunately I have it on good authority that this movie will NOT be released on DVD unless an independent company is willing to take it on, a la Shout Factory! and SCTV.
The problem is that SotL probably isn't well known enough. The potential sales are too low. On the plus side, the master film DOES still exist...and there has definitely been an increase in interest lately, thanks to Mssrs. Bush & Cheney.
It has been a long time, but I still remember the final scene, when the flag was raised...the hair on the back of my neck stood straight up. What a powerful moment!
A remake would be pretty mind-blowing, don't you think?
I'm rating it a "9", because it has been so long since I saw it. There's a lot that I don't remember. -
dinamts3 September 2015Just watched this movie again after 20 years & I found it even more frightening second time around. This film is not only important for Americans to see, but all freedom loving people in the world need to see this movie, not too scare them but to make them aware of the warning signs. To be vigilant and not complacent to ensure this never happens anywhere.
This movie was originally made as a pilot for a television series that never eventuated.
A remake is really needed as this one is really dated. All freedom loving people in the world need to see this movie, not too scare them but to make them aware of the warning signs.
This movie can be found here: http://bit.ly/ShadowOnTheLand_Opt2 -
beowulf66612 June 2013saw this at school when I was in the sixth grade ! the entire school was shown the film . after wards we were told to never forget this film ! to remember it as long as we lived , because it could happen ! sadly it's beginning to look like the warning was dead on ! everyone should see shadow on the land ! was well acted well thought out piece ! seems to be unavailable at this time ! would love to see it released on DVD ! would make a good addition to any 60's film collection , and one with relevance to the situation we find ourselves in today ! yes it is political ! but politics plays an important part in todays world . it affects everyone of every race , religion and walk of life !
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dnyknot9 August 2007I too saw this movie , twice , I was living in Berkely Ca. and was about 20 years old . At the time James Rector had just been killed by the police , we had riots in the street , the weathermen , Black Panthers ,SDS and others , these were our call to unite it never happened , at least not on a scale that the movie suggest . It was almost real ,I remember watching this with my father , both times being the far thinker he was , it made him shiver it was that real . What has happened to this movie , does the government control the movie industry ? .
I wonder if finding a copy of the book is possible ( Sinclair Lewis ) or has that too been banned in the name of Freedom . Soon I will leave this country and go live in another , I know it matters not , all government's are corrupt , or perhaps live in a small town in the mountains . This movie forever changed my life and made me aware of how corrupt and immoral the US really has become.
Will Rogers or mother Teresa never watched this movie .
Any one with a copy please contact me , so I can show my grandchildren that we were warned .
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dukee26541 May 2010I remember seeing this movie a couple of times in the late 60's. A very profound movie that was ahead of its time. It had a very great effect on me as a teen growing up. Gene Hackman and Jackie Cooper did great jobs in their roles. The raising of the American Flag was the most important scene in this movie. The dictator in this movie, as played by John Forsythe, smacks of what this county would be like under fascist or communist rule (both of which are on the left, people!): AKA Obama and his administration. The Society of Man in this movie is very much like the Tea Party movement of today: Both were vilified by the mainstream press and the dictator in power.
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temlakos10 December 2004This film ought to remind everyone that freedom is never a thing to take for granted. I saw this film just once all the way through, and have never forgotten it.
But if any administration has been parallel to the corrupt "Leader" of this film, then it was the Bill Clinton administration, not Bush. Janet Reno ran the Waco operation exactly the way General Bruce, head of the ISF, would have run it. And when the Murrah Federal Building blew up, and Clinton blamed domestic terrorists, many in the "militia movement" alleged that it was an FBI sting operation gone wrong, for a variety of reasons. (Of course, the culprits turned out to have been some truly whacked-out protesters who had plenty of the wrong kind of help--from Iraq. Their more sober-minded associates would have done better to thwart that operation, just like--well, never mind. If you ever get your hands on an ancient home video of this film, you'll find out what I'm talking about.)
And if you want another real-life counterpart to the ISF, in addition to the Nazi SS, how about the KGB? Its name, "Committee for State Security," could also translate roughly as "Internal Security Forces." Furthermore, the KGB had a paramilitary arm just like that of the ISF, right down to the separate uniforms, superseding the Army, and so on. In short, this film could as easily have shown a bookstore limiting its sales to "Quotations from your Great Friend and General Secretary" as its chosen title, "Our Struggle." And when people try to pretend that totalitarianism can come only from one direction, that's often the first step in allowing it to take power--from the opposite direction. -
kbellive_sfu28 November 2009Why hasn't this movie been shown on television for years? There's definitely a consistency of opinion amongst those who are old enough to have been around on it's first showing in 1968 that it had a powerful and frightening message.
I am one of those who saw it so many years ago, and it's a movie that I've been wanting to see again ever since, but amazingly, it's never been shown or even now released on VHS or DVD.
The subject of the film that the US government is taken over by a totalitarian regime seemed impossible back then, but today whenever I see Dick Cheney talking on television it makes this concept seem not so implausible.
If this film ever becomes widely available, it should be watched in conjunction with 1964's Seven Days In May as a warning to future generations to be ever vigilant for the freedoms they currently enjoy.