Can't-Miss Cold War Classics

As Russia continues to vex the former Soviet Union's breakaway republics with violence and threats, anyone who is too young to remember the Cold War needs to put down their Wii controllers and download some cinematic history lessons to their iPhones. Learn what life was like back when you could shamelessly smoke cigarettes, but would hide your tattoos from your mom; when our greatest fear was nuclear winter, not global warming; when it was acceptable to openly despise your nation's sworn enemies and thoroughly excoriate them in film. Listed here are some of the best Cold War cinematic classics that show why Americans were so distrustful of Russians (and why maybe we should be again).

James Bond (007) films. As several of the Cold War Bond films illustrate, the U.S. was not alone in its stance against Soviet rule as the U.K. stood as a strong ally during this perilous time. From Russia with Love (1963), You Only Live Twice (1967), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Octopussy (1983), A View to a Kill (1985), and The Living Daylights (1987) each highlight the tension between the Soviet Union and the capitalist West. Even the post-Cold War GoldenEye (1995) examines the dodgy aftermath of the failed Soviet empire.

Present-day lesson: As long as there are evil madmen bent on taking over the world and male hotties with cool U.K. accents to fill the lead role, James Bond will never die.

Take-away quotes: Bond's cool, clever come-backs and cheeky double-entendres are best heard in context, but here's a sample: "Red wine with fish. Well that should have told me something." (From Russia with Love).

Fail Safe (1964). Long before WarGames, this 1964 drama (and its 2000 remake) considers the possibility of a computer malfunction starting WWIII and a nuclear attack on an American city. Considering the fact that most of the computers that had to be corrected of the Y2K bug three-and-a-half decades later had not even been built yet, this film war rather forward thinking in regards to the "what if" factor.

Present-day lesson: We've since seen how vulnerable New York and all U.S. cities really are.

Take-away quote: "Are there any documents in New York that are absolutely essential to the running of the United States?"

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964). If Fail Safe is too heavy-handed for you, try its farcical counterpart made the same year. Peter Sellars (Inspector Clouseau from the Pink Panther movies), Slim Pickens (Taggart from Blazing Saddles), and many other talented comedic actors of the day, is reason enough to see this dark comedy. The scene where Slim Pickens rides a bomb dropping out of a plane like he's a rodeo cowboy is a classic cinematic visual.

Present-day lesson: If you can't stop the war, you can at least try to enjoy the ride.

Take-away quote: "Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room."

The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming (1966): A Soviet submarine crew finds itself stuck off the coast of New England near a quiet seashore village. What does any self-respecting Russian commander do in a situation like this? Why, invade, of course! Brian Keith, as the town's police chief, attempts to place the invaders under arrest and a tense situation ensues. If you enjoy the TV show "Family Affair," you'll enjoy seeing Keith and Johnny Whitaker working together.

Present-day lesson: It's been far too long since we've had an adorable kid with curly red hair and freckles capture our hearts.

Take-away quote: "Emergency! Emergency! Everybody to get from street!"

(During the 1970s, there was a dearth of Cold War films as Hollywood worked to exorcise the demons of Vietnam conflict and the movie-going public focused its attention on a war that happened long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away. During the Reagan administration, Tinseltown seemed to sense the world's end, but, happily, they were mistaken, and Cold War films made a come back.)

Reds (1981). Not everybody hated the Commies. Two American radicals leave behind their capitalist homeland and manage to arrive in Russia in time for the Bolshevik Revolution. Based on a true story, this film shows that there was a time when Communism appealed to quite a few people, including many in the United States.

Present-day lesson: Empowering the workers is great, but devotion to a cause only goes so far if you can't pay the bills.

Take-away quote: "I think voting is the opium of the masses in this country. Every four years you deaden the pain."

WarGames (1983). In this cybergeek classic, Matthew Broderick's day off didn't involve a purloined Porsche; instead, he skips school so he can use his telephone modem to hack into his school's computer, make bogus travel arrangements, and, oh yeah, aim Soviet missiles at Las Vegas. What makes this pic slightly different from many other Cold War dramas is that it's not the Soviet Russians who are the enemy, but technology, or, more appropriately, the fallible humans who create it, who are responsible for this near disaster.

Present-day lesson: Hackers, identity theft, and the potential for cyberterrorism are still enormous problems.

Take-away quote: "Wouldn't you prefer a nice game of chess?"

Red Dawn (1984). Before Dirty Dancing launched him to superstardom, Patrick Swayze plays a Colorado teenager who, with the help of his classmates, fights back against Soviet-led Cubans who have invaded the U.S.

Present-day lesson: Could a border fence have prevented this?

Take-away quote: "It's kind of strange, isn't it? How the mountains pay us no attention at all. You laugh or you cry . . . The wind just keeps on blowing."

White Nights (1985). Acclaimed Latvian ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov, himself a Soviet defector (in one of the few lead Soviet roles actually played by a Soviet-born actor), seems to play out his deepest fears as his character finds himself once again imprisoned behind the Iron Curtain after a plane crash. The Soviet government sends him to stay in Siberia with an African-American Vietnam veteran, who is also a bitter expatriate tap dancer (played by Gregory Hines). After a series of dance-offs with Baryshnikov, Hines' character realizes the error of his ways and the men plot their return to the U.S. to the beat from a state-of-the-art boombox.

Present-day lesson: There was once a time when the "bigger-is-better" school of thought prevailed when it came to portable listening devices (what old people call "stereos.")

Take-away quote: (Baryshnikov in panicked scream) "We're landing in Russia!"

The Hunt for Red October (1990). This cold water thriller was released just as the Cold War was winding down. Based on Tom Clancy's novel, it is the first film to feature the character of Jack Ryan, played by Alec Baldwin. Sean Connery plays the role of a Soviet submarine captain who longs to defect to the United States-the ultimate desire of every decent Russian, according to the Cold War mythos.

Present-day lesson: Unsuccessful Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson also appears in the film and utters the eloquent quote below (perhaps Obama and McCain should take note for future reference.)

Take-away quote: "Russians don't take a dump, son, without a plan."

As great as many Cold War films were, let's hope and pray they don't make a comeback!