Amerika (TV miniseries)
Encyclopedia
Amerika – suggesting a Russified
name for the United States – is an American television
miniseries
that was broadcast in 1987
on ABC
. It starred Kris Kristofferson
, Mariel Hemingway
, Sam Neill
, Robert Urich
, and a 17-year-old Lara Flynn Boyle
in her first major role. Amerika was about life in the United States
after a bloodless takeover
by the Soviet Union
. Not wanting to depict the actual coup, ABC Entertainment president Brandon Stoddard instead chose to set the action of the miniseries ten years after the event, focusing on the demoralized American people a decade after the Soviet conquest. The intent, he later explained, was to explore the American spirit under such conditions, not to portray the conflict of the Soviet takeover.
Described in promotional materials as "the most ambitious American miniseries ever created," Amerika aired for 14½ hours (including commercials) over seven nights (beginning February 8, 1987), and reportedly cost US$
40 million to produce. The program was filmed in Toronto
, London
, and Hamilton
, Ontario
, as well as various locations in Nebraska
– most notably the small town of Tecumseh
and Milford
, the setting for most of the action of the series. Donald Wrye was the executive producer, director, and sole writer of Amerika, while composer Basil Poledouris
was hired to score the miniseries, ultimately recording (with the Hollywood Symphony Orchestra
) eight hours of music – the equivalent of four feature films.
(which some critics felt was too pacifist
for portraying the doctrine of nuclear deterrence as pointless), Stoddard dismissed this view, pointing instead to a column in the Los Angeles Herald Examiner
by Nixon
speechwriter (and later, television personality) Ben Stein
. Stein's column appeared a few weeks before The Day After aired. He wrote, in part:
Stoddard acknowledged that Stein's remarks provided the inspiration for the series. Stein received a quitclaim deed
from ABC for the idea for Amerika and was otherwise not involved in the production of the miniseries.
Major female characters, in addition to Ballard, include Peter Bradford's wife, Amanda (played by Cindy Pickett
), Devin Milford's ex-wife, Marion (played by Wendy Hughes
), and most notably, Devin's sister Alethea (played by Christine Lahti
), who at the outset is prostituting herself to the local occupation leader. In subsequent episodes, Alethea finds her bearings and self-respect. "Alethea is the center," noted Donald Wrye. "She is a metaphor for America – not just phonically – and it is she who discovers her moral core through(out) the course of the series." Lara Flynn Boyle
played Bradford's teenage daughter, Jackie.
The human drama of these characters intersects with the political intrigue of the Soviet plans for the breakup of America. Bradford, the pragmatist, clashes with Milford, the idealist; Bradford's wife is Milford's ex-girlfriend, who finds she still has feelings for Milford upon his release from the prison camp; Denisov appoints Milford's ex-wife, a powerful magistrate (and General Samanov's mistress), to serve as Bradford's deputy/assistant in Heartland; and Kimberly's renewed sense of American pride ultimately affects her relationship with Denisov.
's economic and political decline puts it in danger of losing the Cold War
, the Soviet leadership makes a desperate gamble to rearrange the global balance of power
. Four huge thermonuclear weapons are exploded in the stratosphere
over the United States. No material destruction appears to happen, however the electromagnetic pulse
(or EMP) of these weapons destroys the nation's military and commercial communications and computer systems, electrical grid, and, indeed, any piece of equipment that relies on computer technology, such as most late-model automobiles. With America's ICBMs inoperative, and the National Command Authority
unable to contact U.S. military forces abroad to counterattack, America is forced to accept Soviet terms for surrender
: unilateral disarmament, the destruction of the dollar, and integration into the Soviet-led military/economic bloc. The United States quickly falls under Soviet military occupation – and the President of the United States
and United States Congress
become figureheads for their Soviet overseers.
The subsequent takeover of the U.S. is tamely dubbed "The Transition". The miniseries details the final phase of the transition – the breakup of the United States ten years after its defeat.
The above events are implied in the miniseries, although never directly explained. The description is taken from the novelization of the miniseries, Amerika: The Triumph of the American Spirit by Brauna E. Pouns and Donald Wrye (Pocket Books, 1987), based on Wrye's screenplay; Wrye is reputed to have written a 175-page treatment describing how the Soviets took over. An introduction to the miniseries explaining the downfall of America ended up on the cutting room floor prior to broadcast, and only a fleeting line by actor Sam Neill
alludes to an America without communications, presumably due to the effects of the electromagnetic pulse. The loss of technology and communications, however, is effectively presented in the opening scenes: no radios are heard playing, television is shown only in the Soviet leaders' offices, one scene in a church is lit completely by candlelight, and a woman is seen using an old sewing machine operated by foot pedal.
peacekeeping force called the United Nations Special Service Unit (U.N.S.S.U.). The U.N.S.S.U. is composed primarily of Eastern Bloc
forces, and is overseen by an East German, Major Helmut Gurtman. U.N.S.S.U. troops periodically engage in "training exercises," which are destructive in nature, and highly intimidating to the local population.
Those Americans who engage in dissent, or who otherwise express their opposition to the Soviet occupation, are stripped of their privileges and sent to exile camps, where they are anathema not only to the Soviets, but also to their fellow citizens. Association with (and assistance to) the exiles is generally prohibited, although a few brave souls risk the loss of their own remaining freedoms by offering humanitarian aid.
Production quota
s have been imposed, and foodstuffs rationed, with the surplus presumably being shipped to the Soviet Union. Peter Bradford and other residents of the future Heartland must settle for soy cakes with molasses at the local diner. "That's what really makes you want to give up. You can't even get a good breakfast," says one character.
Against this background, Bradford ascends to the leadership of Heartland, hoping to reform the Soviet occupation from within; Milford is released from the prison camp, hoping to be reunited with his children and fight against the occupation; and Denisov hopes to "salvage as much as possible" of the old America, while realizing that the U.S. essentially must cease to exist as a nation in order to appease the "old men in the Kremlin
."
that their fears of a revitalized America are unfounded because the country is under occupation and can no longer pose a threat. The Politburo is not convinced, and even considers exploding nuclear weapons over several American cities, as a warning to the American people, and to the world. Samanov and Denisov, both of whom want the Soviet occupation of the United States to be a relatively humane one, are horrified by this idea.
At great political risk, Samanov finally convinces the Soviet leadership to accept a compromise plan: no nuclear weapons will be detonated, the United States will be divided into "client state
s" such as Heartland, and the United States Capitol
will be destroyed as a symbolic gesture of the destruction of America. At the same time, most of the members of the United States Congress
are killed in a "terrorist
attack" (which is depicted very graphically) after they refuse to disband their legislative body.
After the attack is carried out – arguably the climactic scene of the miniseries – Samanov surveys the damage, and realizes the enormity of the crime that he has allowed to happen. Sitting in the Speaker's chair in the United States House of Representatives
, he commits suicide
. Denisov, who knows nothing about the attack until he is rushed to the Capitol and finds Samanov dead, is devastated by this turn of events.
In the final episode of the miniseries, Heartland is about to secede from the United States
, with other regions to follow. There are scenes of Americans digging up guns they have hidden for ten years. Heartland troops, along with local militia, attack the local U.N.S.S.U. compound, effectively declaring war on the Soviet occupation. One scene shows Americans raising the U.S. flag on top of a grain elevator, and there is even reference to a Second American Revolution
. The miniseries ends on a downbeat note, though, with General Sittman (the leader of the Heartland Defense Force and a former Marine) shooting Devin Milford just as he is about to make a nationwide broadcast calling on Americans to resist the breakup of the United States –- doing so because this is an act of unlawful resistance against the newly-established Heartland, which Sittman believes to be the best hope against continued Soviet domination. Although there is hope that the spirit of America lives on, in the end it appears that the Soviet plan to dissolve the United States will come to fruition.
Some sources have claimed that the finale of the miniseries was deliberately left somewhat unresolved to allow for the possibility of a weekly television series sequel
; but such plans, if they indeed existed, never materialized.
divided the United States into several "administrative areas" in 1988, roughly one year after the Soviet takeover. As the miniseries progresses, these areas are planned to become separate nations, joined together in a new North American Alliance. A map shown onscreen reveals these administrative areas to be:
In addition to these administrative areas, Washington, D.C.
apparently comprises its own National Administrative District, South Florida
is described by a character as the "Space Zone," and there is a passing reference to three "International Cities," one of which is San Francisco as briefly mentioned in the film by an outlaw DJ at a clandestine rock concert.
Alaska
is mentioned as never having been pacified, requiring continued engagement by Soviet troops, and there are also pockets of armed resistance in the Rocky Mountains
and in West Virginia
. There is no mention of what happened to Hawaii
, or to U.S. territories such as Guam
and American Samoa
.
The Rust Belt
(presumably "Ameritech") faces its own special problems. Most of its advanced factory equipment was removed at the start of the occupation and taken to the U.S.S.R. The region suffers 50% unemployment as a result, and its residents are not permitted to leave, except to volunteer for factory work in the Soviet Union, from which no one has yet returned.
Travel and communications between the various zones is heavily restricted, part of the "divide and conquer
" plan of the Soviet occupation.
, Israel
, Canada
, there was always a beacon of hope somewhere. Now there's just one world and it's all bad." This dialogue suggests that the Soviet Union or other totalitarian forces conquered other free countries after the U.S. coup (it can be surmised that the EMP which disabled American technology probably would have also crippled Canada (At one point, a Quebec
flag is shown along with other national flags) and Mexico
, for example, and Denisov even says at one point that "we control most of the world"). There is also a scene with two emigres from the German Democratic Republic
who came to the United States before the Soviet takeover and are now exiles in their new country: "It's one of life's little jokes. We escaped from East Germany to come to the promised land; now the promised land has become worse than what we left."
In this new world, Fidel Castro
heads what is now called "Greater Cuba
", embracing most of the Caribbean and Latin America, and the Chinese
region of Manchuria
evidently has been absorbed into the U.S.S.R., as General Samanov remarks at one point that a rebellion
has happened in "our own Manchuria." A person named "Mbele" heads the "Socialist Republic of Southern Africa," "Barghout" is the leader of "Iraqistan," and Eastern Europe
is described as being a "powderkeg." The Soviet/Communist occupation of the world depicted in Amerika is not a peaceful one, echoing the unrest in the occupied United States.
. Peter Bradford asks one of the Soviet leaders if they are going to arrest them, but they do not. "The Star-Spangled Banner
", America's national anthem
, is also outlawed, although this does not stop a group of citizens from singing it – haltingly at first – after the "Lincoln Week" parade.
Abraham Lincoln
is included with Karl Marx
and Vladimir Lenin
in propaganda. Indeed, the signature scene in the film is a twenty-minute, dialogue-free depiction of the celebration of "Lincoln Week" festivities (a holiday replacing the Fourth of July), with both Lincoln and Lenin displayed on banners that were most likely intended to be striking and startling to television audiences of the time.
A new Pledge of Allegiance
is given by "rehabilitated" political prisoners upon release from the American gulags. The oath states: "I pledge my allegiance to the flag of the community of American, Soviet, and United Nations of the World, and to the principle for which it stands – a nation, indivisible with others of the Earth, joined in peace, and justice for all."
While the prisoners are told that they are free to refuse to make this pledge if they so desire, the circumstances under which the oath is administered would seem to indicate otherwise.
on the part of many citizens made the Soviet takeover rather easy. At one point, a key Soviet official observes that their plans for conquering the United States succeeded far beyond their wildest dreams, because once the nation had been defeated, Americans turned inward, not caring about national issues, seeking only to retain a piece of the prosperity that had once been theirs. "It (the Soviet coup) worked because you lost your country before we ever got here," says the Soviet leader. "You had political freedom, but you lost your passion ... How could we not win?"
This theme is echoed by another character later in the film:
Another speech, by politician Peter Bradford (see below), lashes out at apathetic American attitudes:
An early scene shows schoolchildren in Chicago
learning about Social Darwinism
, which is characterized as the dominant philosophy in the old United States before the Soviet conquest and occupation, and a speech delivered by one child later in the series demonstrates the extent of Soviet indoctrination in the new America:
. "It wasn't as big a hit as its supporters had hoped," said Ted Koppel, "but it wasn't a disaster, either."
Although a 35 share reportedly had been promised to advertisers, Stoddard was happy with the performance of Amerika, claiming that all or part of the miniseries had been watched by 100 million people – a ratings bonanza for ABC, then in third place among the three major networks.
The miniseries was the second-highest rated miniseries of the 1986–87 US television season
with a 18.8/29 rating/share.
objected to the U.N. being depicted as an occupying force under Soviet control. Some conservatives felt that Soviet brutality was greatly underplayed; conversely, a number of liberals dismissed the entire miniseries as right-wing paranoia. At various points, the program was scrapped, delayed, and rewritten.
For their part, the Soviet Union threatened to shut down the ABC News Moscow bureau, although this threat was not carried out and indeed seemed to strengthen ABC's resolve regarding the miniseries. "We’re going to run that program come rain, blood, or horse manure," said ABC president John B. Sias, after the still-to-be-aired Amerika had generated more controversy and viewer response than any other ABC program before or since, including The Day After
.
Amerika was preceded by an ABC special addressing the considerable controversy prior to its airing (The Storm Over Amerika), and was followed by an "ABC News Viewpoint" panel discussion moderated by Ted Koppel
, with Brandon Stoddard, Donald Wrye and several others addressing the issues surrounding the miniseries, along with questions and comments from a live studio audience in Minneapolis, Minnesota
.
In its summary of the 1986–87 US television season
, TV Guide
called the miniseries "arguably the most boring miniseries in a decade" and further said that "ABC's Amerika tried to hold America hostage for seven tedious nights (and a stupefyingly dull 14½ hours) by conjuring up a fuzzy vision of a Soviet occupation of the U.S."
box set of the miniseries was released by Anchor Bay Entertainment
in 1995, but no official DVD
release is available. Portions of the soundtrack by Basil Poledouris were released on CD
by Prometheus Records
in 2004 (in a limited edition of 3,000 copies). The novelization
is widely available from used-book sellers and online auction sites.
or of the former Soviet Union. Because of its average ratings performance, however, Amerika is thought by many to have brought an end to the "epic" miniseries often featured on American television in the 1970s and 1980s. Later productions were generally much shorter in length, with the notable exception of the 30-hour War and Remembrance
the following year.
show Saturday Night Live
as "AmeriDa", in which the U.S. is taken over by Canada
. It took several cultural shots at Canada, including having Wayne Gretzky
as the new president of AmeriDa, and the suggestion that Canada's army invaded using hockey sticks as weapons, a reference to Canada's perceived obsession with hockey. The American protagonist of this sketch (portrayed by Canadian actor Phil Hartman
) reminisces for a country "where you don't have money that's all the colours of the rainbow," and where "you can spell words like colour and flavour without using a 'u'." The flag of AmeriDa was the U.S. flag with the stars replaced by a white maple leaf.
The satirical Canadian radio program Double Exposure
parodied the series in a sketch called Kanada with a K, in which "Joe Klark with a K"
rescues the nation from "Comrade Ed"
.
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
name for the United States – is an American television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
that was broadcast in 1987
1987 in television
The year 1987 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1987.For American TV schedule, see: 1987–88 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:...
on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
. It starred Kris Kristofferson
Kris Kristofferson
Kristoffer "Kris" Kristofferson is an American musician, actor, and writer. He is known for hits such as "Me and Bobby McGee", "For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night"...
, Mariel Hemingway
Mariel Hemingway
- Early life :Hemingway was born in Mill Valley, California, the third daughter of Byra Louise Hemingway and Jack Hemingway, a writer. Her sisters are Joan Hemingway and Margaux Hemingway...
, Sam Neill
Sam Neill
Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill, DCNZM, OBE is a New Zealand actor. He is well known for his starring role as paleontologist Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III....
, Robert Urich
Robert Urich
Robert Urich was an American actor. He played the starring roles in the television series Vega$ and Spenser: For Hire...
, and a 17-year-old Lara Flynn Boyle
Lara Flynn Boyle
Lara Flynn Boyle is an American film and television actress best known for her performances as Laura Palmer's best friend Donna Hayward in Twin Peaks and Assistant District Attorney Helen Gamble in The Practice...
in her first major role. Amerika was about life in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
after a bloodless takeover
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
by the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. Not wanting to depict the actual coup, ABC Entertainment president Brandon Stoddard instead chose to set the action of the miniseries ten years after the event, focusing on the demoralized American people a decade after the Soviet conquest. The intent, he later explained, was to explore the American spirit under such conditions, not to portray the conflict of the Soviet takeover.
Described in promotional materials as "the most ambitious American miniseries ever created," Amerika aired for 14½ hours (including commercials) over seven nights (beginning February 8, 1987), and reportedly cost US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
40 million to produce. The program was filmed in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, London
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
, and Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, as well as various locations in Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
– most notably the small town of Tecumseh
Tecumseh, Nebraska
Tecumseh is a city in and the county seat of Johnson County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,716 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Tecumseh is located at ....
and Milford
Milford, Nebraska
Milford is a city in Seward County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Lincoln, Nebraska Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,070 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Milford is located at ....
, the setting for most of the action of the series. Donald Wrye was the executive producer, director, and sole writer of Amerika, while composer Basil Poledouris
Basil Poledouris
Vassilis Konstantinos "Basil" Poledouris was a Greek-American music composer who concentrated on the scores for films and television shows...
was hired to score the miniseries, ultimately recording (with the Hollywood Symphony Orchestra
Hollywood Symphony Orchestra
The Hollywood Symphony Orchestra a is 75-member American symphony orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. Its artistic director and resident conductor is John Scott...
) eight hours of music – the equivalent of four feature films.
Genesis
Although claims have been made that Amerika was produced partly in response to the 1983 television film The Day AfterThe Day After
The Day After is a 1983 American television movie which aired on November 20, 1983, on the ABC television network. It was seen by more than 100 million people during its initial broadcast....
(which some critics felt was too pacifist
Pacifism
Pacifism is the opposition to war and violence. The term "pacifism" was coined by the French peace campaignerÉmile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress inGlasgow in 1901.- Definition :...
for portraying the doctrine of nuclear deterrence as pointless), Stoddard dismissed this view, pointing instead to a column in the Los Angeles Herald Examiner
Los Angeles Herald-Examiner
The Los Angeles Herald Examiner was a major Los Angeles daily newspaper, published Monday through Friday in the afternoon, and in the morning on Saturdays and Sundays. It was part of the Hearst syndicate. The afternoon Herald-Express and the morning Examiner, both of which had been publishing in...
by Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
speechwriter (and later, television personality) Ben Stein
Ben Stein
Benjamin Jeremy "Ben" Stein is an American actor, writer, lawyer, and commentator on political and economic issues. He attained early success as a speechwriter for American presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford...
. Stein's column appeared a few weeks before The Day After aired. He wrote, in part:
Stoddard acknowledged that Stein's remarks provided the inspiration for the series. Stein received a quitclaim deed
Quitclaim deed
A quitclaim deed is a legal instrument by which the owner of a piece of real property, called the grantor, transfers his interest to a recipient, called the grantee. The owner/grantor terminates his right and claim to the property, thereby allowing claim to transfer to the...
from ABC for the idea for Amerika and was otherwise not involved in the production of the miniseries.
Major characters
The storyline of Amerika primarily follows three political leaders:- Devin Milford (played by Kris KristoffersonKris KristoffersonKristoffer "Kris" Kristofferson is an American musician, actor, and writer. He is known for hits such as "Me and Bobby McGee", "For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night"...
) was a maverick politician before the Soviet occupation, and ran for President in 1987 (in the novel, 1992), after the U.S. defeat. He was placed in a prison campInternmentInternment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
for daring to speak the truth about the Soviet conquest during his presidential campaign. At the beginning of the miniseries Devin is declared "rehabilitated" and is released back into society, into the custody of his father, who lives in the Nebraska county run by Peter Bradford (see below). - Colonel Andrei Denisov of the KGBKGBThe KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
(played by Sam NeillSam NeillNigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill, DCNZM, OBE is a New Zealand actor. He is well known for his starring role as paleontologist Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III....
) is the Soviet administrator for the American Central Administrative Area. At times, Andrei seems disappointed by the ease with which America has been conquered. He is romantically involved with Kimberly Ballard (played by Mariel HemingwayMariel Hemingway- Early life :Hemingway was born in Mill Valley, California, the third daughter of Byra Louise Hemingway and Jack Hemingway, a writer. Her sisters are Joan Hemingway and Margaux Hemingway...
), an actress who discovers her American patriotism during the miniseries. Andrei's immediate superior and mentor is General Petya Samanov (played by Armin Mueller-StahlArmin Mueller-StahlArmin Mueller-Stahl is a German film actor, painter, writer and musician.-Early life:Mueller-Stahl was born in Tilsit, East Prussia...
), the Soviet military leader in charge of the occupation. - Peter Bradford (played by Robert UrichRobert UrichRobert Urich was an American actor. He played the starring roles in the television series Vega$ and Spenser: For Hire...
) is a well-meaning, honest, county administrator in NebraskaNebraskaNebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
who cooperates with the Soviets to create a better life for his community. Bradford attracts the attention of the Soviet leadership because, although interested in cooperating, he is independent, and widely respected by his constituents. At the series' climax, the Soviets carve a new BantustanBantustanA bantustan was a territory set aside for black inhabitants of South Africa and South West Africa , as part of the policy of apartheid...
-like state called "Heartland" out of the MidwestMidwestern United StatesThe Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
, with ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
as the capital and Bradford as its "Governor-General".
Major female characters, in addition to Ballard, include Peter Bradford's wife, Amanda (played by Cindy Pickett
Cindy Pickett
Cindy Lou Pickett is an American actress best known for her 1970s role as Jackie Marler-Spaulding on the CBS soap Guiding Light; her role as Dr. Carol Novino on the hugely popular television drama St...
), Devin Milford's ex-wife, Marion (played by Wendy Hughes
Wendy Hughes
-Career:Hughes began her career on television in the early 1970s with appearances in Homicide, Number 96, Matlock Police and in 1976, ABC Mini-Series, Power Without Glory...
), and most notably, Devin's sister Alethea (played by Christine Lahti
Christine Lahti
Christine Lahti is an American actress and film director. Lahti has had a successful career in television and film. Throughout her career she has garnered 2 Golden Globe Awards from 8 Nominations, An Emmy Award from 6 Nominations and 2 Academy Award nominations...
), who at the outset is prostituting herself to the local occupation leader. In subsequent episodes, Alethea finds her bearings and self-respect. "Alethea is the center," noted Donald Wrye. "She is a metaphor for America – not just phonically – and it is she who discovers her moral core through(out) the course of the series." Lara Flynn Boyle
Lara Flynn Boyle
Lara Flynn Boyle is an American film and television actress best known for her performances as Laura Palmer's best friend Donna Hayward in Twin Peaks and Assistant District Attorney Helen Gamble in The Practice...
played Bradford's teenage daughter, Jackie.
The human drama of these characters intersects with the political intrigue of the Soviet plans for the breakup of America. Bradford, the pragmatist, clashes with Milford, the idealist; Bradford's wife is Milford's ex-girlfriend, who finds she still has feelings for Milford upon his release from the prison camp; Denisov appoints Milford's ex-wife, a powerful magistrate (and General Samanov's mistress), to serve as Bradford's deputy/assistant in Heartland; and Kimberly's renewed sense of American pride ultimately affects her relationship with Denisov.
Backstory
In the late 1980s, as the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
's economic and political decline puts it in danger of losing the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, the Soviet leadership makes a desperate gamble to rearrange the global balance of power
Balance of power in international relations
In international relations, a balance of power exists when there is parity or stability between competing forces. The concept describes a state of affairs in the international system and explains the behavior of states in that system...
. Four huge thermonuclear weapons are exploded in the stratosphere
Stratosphere
The stratosphere is the second major layer of Earth's atmosphere, just above the troposphere, and below the mesosphere. It is stratified in temperature, with warmer layers higher up and cooler layers farther down. This is in contrast to the troposphere near the Earth's surface, which is cooler...
over the United States. No material destruction appears to happen, however the electromagnetic pulse
Electromagnetic pulse
An electromagnetic pulse is a burst of electromagnetic radiation. The abrupt pulse of electromagnetic radiation usually results from certain types of high energy explosions, especially a nuclear explosion, or from a suddenly fluctuating magnetic field...
(or EMP) of these weapons destroys the nation's military and commercial communications and computer systems, electrical grid, and, indeed, any piece of equipment that relies on computer technology, such as most late-model automobiles. With America's ICBMs inoperative, and the National Command Authority
National Command Authority
National Command Authority is a term used by the Department of Defense of the United States of America to refer to the ultimate lawful source of military orders. The NCA comprises the President of the United States and the Secretary of Defense jointly, or their duly deputized successors, i.e...
unable to contact U.S. military forces abroad to counterattack, America is forced to accept Soviet terms for surrender
Surrender (military)
Surrender is when soldiers, nations or other combatants stop fighting and eventually become prisoners of war, either as individuals or when ordered to by their officers. A white flag is a common symbol of surrender, as is the gesture of raising one's hands empty and open above one's head.When the...
: unilateral disarmament, the destruction of the dollar, and integration into the Soviet-led military/economic bloc. The United States quickly falls under Soviet military occupation – and the President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
and United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
become figureheads for their Soviet overseers.
The subsequent takeover of the U.S. is tamely dubbed "The Transition". The miniseries details the final phase of the transition – the breakup of the United States ten years after its defeat.
The above events are implied in the miniseries, although never directly explained. The description is taken from the novelization of the miniseries, Amerika: The Triumph of the American Spirit by Brauna E. Pouns and Donald Wrye (Pocket Books, 1987), based on Wrye's screenplay; Wrye is reputed to have written a 175-page treatment describing how the Soviets took over. An introduction to the miniseries explaining the downfall of America ended up on the cutting room floor prior to broadcast, and only a fleeting line by actor Sam Neill
Sam Neill
Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill, DCNZM, OBE is a New Zealand actor. He is well known for his starring role as paleontologist Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III....
alludes to an America without communications, presumably due to the effects of the electromagnetic pulse. The loss of technology and communications, however, is effectively presented in the opening scenes: no radios are heard playing, television is shown only in the Soviet leaders' offices, one scene in a church is lit completely by candlelight, and a woman is seen using an old sewing machine operated by foot pedal.
Geopolitical situation presented
A decade after its defeat, America is occupied by a United NationsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
peacekeeping force called the United Nations Special Service Unit (U.N.S.S.U.). The U.N.S.S.U. is composed primarily of Eastern Bloc
Eastern bloc
The term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...
forces, and is overseen by an East German, Major Helmut Gurtman. U.N.S.S.U. troops periodically engage in "training exercises," which are destructive in nature, and highly intimidating to the local population.
Those Americans who engage in dissent, or who otherwise express their opposition to the Soviet occupation, are stripped of their privileges and sent to exile camps, where they are anathema not only to the Soviets, but also to their fellow citizens. Association with (and assistance to) the exiles is generally prohibited, although a few brave souls risk the loss of their own remaining freedoms by offering humanitarian aid.
Production quota
Production quota
A production quota is a goal for the production of a good. It is typically set by a government or an organization, and can be applied to an individual worker, firm, industry or country. Quotas can be set high to encourage production, or can be used to limit production to control the supply of goods...
s have been imposed, and foodstuffs rationed, with the surplus presumably being shipped to the Soviet Union. Peter Bradford and other residents of the future Heartland must settle for soy cakes with molasses at the local diner. "That's what really makes you want to give up. You can't even get a good breakfast," says one character.
Against this background, Bradford ascends to the leadership of Heartland, hoping to reform the Soviet occupation from within; Milford is released from the prison camp, hoping to be reunited with his children and fight against the occupation; and Denisov hopes to "salvage as much as possible" of the old America, while realizing that the U.S. essentially must cease to exist as a nation in order to appease the "old men in the Kremlin
Kremlin
A kremlin , same root as in kremen is a major fortified central complex found in historic Russian cities. This word is often used to refer to the best-known one, the Moscow Kremlin, or metonymically to the government that is based there...
."
Plot and resolution
The Soviet leaders of the occupation are faced with the dual problem of keeping America pacified and convincing the PolitburoPolitburo
Politburo , literally "Political Bureau [of the Central Committee]," is the executive committee for a number of communist political parties.-Marxist-Leninist states:...
that their fears of a revitalized America are unfounded because the country is under occupation and can no longer pose a threat. The Politburo is not convinced, and even considers exploding nuclear weapons over several American cities, as a warning to the American people, and to the world. Samanov and Denisov, both of whom want the Soviet occupation of the United States to be a relatively humane one, are horrified by this idea.
At great political risk, Samanov finally convinces the Soviet leadership to accept a compromise plan: no nuclear weapons will be detonated, the United States will be divided into "client state
Client state
Client state is one of several terms used to describe the economic, political and/or military subordination of one state to a more powerful state in international affairs...
s" such as Heartland, and the United States Capitol
United States Capitol
The United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall...
will be destroyed as a symbolic gesture of the destruction of America. At the same time, most of the members of the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
are killed in a "terrorist
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
attack" (which is depicted very graphically) after they refuse to disband their legislative body.
After the attack is carried out – arguably the climactic scene of the miniseries – Samanov surveys the damage, and realizes the enormity of the crime that he has allowed to happen. Sitting in the Speaker's chair in the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
, he commits suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. Denisov, who knows nothing about the attack until he is rushed to the Capitol and finds Samanov dead, is devastated by this turn of events.
In the final episode of the miniseries, Heartland is about to secede from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, with other regions to follow. There are scenes of Americans digging up guns they have hidden for ten years. Heartland troops, along with local militia, attack the local U.N.S.S.U. compound, effectively declaring war on the Soviet occupation. One scene shows Americans raising the U.S. flag on top of a grain elevator, and there is even reference to a Second American Revolution
Second American Revolution
The first American Revolution spanned from 1775 to 1783, after which the United States received recognition of independence by and from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
. The miniseries ends on a downbeat note, though, with General Sittman (the leader of the Heartland Defense Force and a former Marine) shooting Devin Milford just as he is about to make a nationwide broadcast calling on Americans to resist the breakup of the United States –- doing so because this is an act of unlawful resistance against the newly-established Heartland, which Sittman believes to be the best hope against continued Soviet domination. Although there is hope that the spirit of America lives on, in the end it appears that the Soviet plan to dissolve the United States will come to fruition.
Some sources have claimed that the finale of the miniseries was deliberately left somewhat unresolved to allow for the possibility of a weekly television series sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
; but such plans, if they indeed existed, never materialized.
The divided United States
In this fictional timeline, the United States CongressUnited States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
divided the United States into several "administrative areas" in 1988, roughly one year after the Soviet takeover. As the miniseries progresses, these areas are planned to become separate nations, joined together in a new North American Alliance. A map shown onscreen reveals these administrative areas to be:
- California Special District: CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, NevadaNevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its... - Western Semi-Autonomous: ColoradoColoradoColorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, IdahoIdahoIdaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, MontanaMontanaMontana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, UtahUtahUtah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, WyomingWyomingWyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High... - Northwest: OregonOregonOregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, Washington - Southwest: ArizonaArizonaArizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, New MexicoNew MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S... - North Central: MinnesotaMinnesotaMinnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, North DakotaNorth DakotaNorth Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
, South DakotaSouth DakotaSouth Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, WisconsinWisconsinWisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is... - Central: IllinoisIllinoisIllinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, IowaIowaIowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, KansasKansasKansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, MissouriMissouriMissouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, NebraskaNebraskaNebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
(this is Peter Bradford's administrative area, and the territory which eventually becomes Heartland, with OmahaOmahaOmaha may refer to:*Omaha , a Native American tribe that currently resides in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Nebraska-Places:United States* Omaha, Nebraska* Omaha, Arkansas* Omaha, Georgia* Omaha, Illinois* Omaha, Texas...
as its capital) - South Central: ArkansasArkansasArkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, LouisianaLouisianaLouisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, OklahomaOklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in... - Southern: AlabamaAlabamaAlabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, GeorgiaGeorgia (U.S. state)Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, MississippiMississippiMississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi... - Mid-Atlantic: DelawareDelawareDelaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
, MarylandMarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, North CarolinaNorth CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, South CarolinaSouth CarolinaSouth Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, VirginiaVirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there... - Appalachia: KentuckyKentuckyThe Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, TennesseeTennesseeTennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, West VirginiaWest VirginiaWest Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east... - Ameritech: IndianaIndianaIndiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, MichiganMichiganMichigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, OhioOhioOhio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
(presumably named after the phone companyAmeritechAT&T Teleholdings, Inc., formerly known as Ameritech Corporation , was a U.S. telecommunications company that arose out of the 1984 AT&T divestiture. Ameritech was one of the seven Regional Bell Operating Companies that was created following the breakup of the Bell System...
that serviced these areas) - Northeastern: ConnecticutConnecticutConnecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, MaineMaineMaine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, MassachusettsMassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, New HampshireNew HampshireNew Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Rhode IslandRhode IslandThe state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
, VermontVermontVermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
In addition to these administrative areas, Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
apparently comprises its own National Administrative District, South Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
is described by a character as the "Space Zone," and there is a passing reference to three "International Cities," one of which is San Francisco as briefly mentioned in the film by an outlaw DJ at a clandestine rock concert.
Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
is mentioned as never having been pacified, requiring continued engagement by Soviet troops, and there are also pockets of armed resistance in the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
and in West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
. There is no mention of what happened to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, or to U.S. territories such as Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
and American Samoa
American Samoa
American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the sovereign state of Samoa...
.
The Rust Belt
Rust Belt
The Rust Belt is a term that gained currency in the 1980s as the informal description of an area straddling the Midwestern and Northeastern United States, in which local economies traditionally garnered an increased manufacturing sector to add jobs and corporate profits...
(presumably "Ameritech") faces its own special problems. Most of its advanced factory equipment was removed at the start of the occupation and taken to the U.S.S.R. The region suffers 50% unemployment as a result, and its residents are not permitted to leave, except to volunteer for factory work in the Soviet Union, from which no one has yet returned.
Travel and communications between the various zones is heavily restricted, part of the "divide and conquer
Divide and conquer
Divide and conquer may refer to:* Divide and rule, in politics, sociology and economics, a strategy to gain or maintain power...
" plan of the Soviet occupation.
New international zones
Both the novel and miniseries leave the impression that, with the death of freedom in America, there is nowhere else in the world where it may be found. In the novel, one character muses: "The truth is, we've reached the first time in history where there's no place left to escape to. America, EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, there was always a beacon of hope somewhere. Now there's just one world and it's all bad." This dialogue suggests that the Soviet Union or other totalitarian forces conquered other free countries after the U.S. coup (it can be surmised that the EMP which disabled American technology probably would have also crippled Canada (At one point, a Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
flag is shown along with other national flags) and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, for example, and Denisov even says at one point that "we control most of the world"). There is also a scene with two emigres from the German Democratic Republic
German Democratic Republic
The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...
who came to the United States before the Soviet takeover and are now exiles in their new country: "It's one of life's little jokes. We escaped from East Germany to come to the promised land; now the promised land has become worse than what we left."
In this new world, Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
heads what is now called "Greater Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
", embracing most of the Caribbean and Latin America, and the Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
region of Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
evidently has been absorbed into the U.S.S.R., as General Samanov remarks at one point that a rebellion
Rebellion
Rebellion, uprising or insurrection, is a refusal of obedience or order. It may, therefore, be seen as encompassing a range of behaviors aimed at destroying or replacing an established authority such as a government or a head of state...
has happened in "our own Manchuria." A person named "Mbele" heads the "Socialist Republic of Southern Africa," "Barghout" is the leader of "Iraqistan," and Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
is described as being a "powderkeg." The Soviet/Communist occupation of the world depicted in Amerika is not a peaceful one, echoing the unrest in the occupied United States.
National symbols
The flag of the occupation is the pale blue UN flag, with crossed American and Soviet flags superimposed on the sides. The American flag is shown without its stars, and this starless flag is displayed during the "Lincoln Week" ceremonies (see below). The standard American flag is outlawed, although one scene early in the series shows a group of war veterans marching with the old American flag upside down, this being intended as a distress signalDistress signal
A distress signal is an internationally recognized means for obtaining help. Distress signals take the form of or are commonly made by using radio signals, displaying a visually detected item or illumination, or making an audible sound, from a distance....
. Peter Bradford asks one of the Soviet leaders if they are going to arrest them, but they do not. "The Star-Spangled Banner
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...
", America's national anthem
National anthem
A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...
, is also outlawed, although this does not stop a group of citizens from singing it – haltingly at first – after the "Lincoln Week" parade.
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
is included with Karl Marx
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
and Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and communist politician who led the October Revolution of 1917. As leader of the Bolsheviks, he headed the Soviet state during its initial years , as it fought to establish control of Russia in the Russian Civil War and worked to create a...
in propaganda. Indeed, the signature scene in the film is a twenty-minute, dialogue-free depiction of the celebration of "Lincoln Week" festivities (a holiday replacing the Fourth of July), with both Lincoln and Lenin displayed on banners that were most likely intended to be striking and startling to television audiences of the time.
A new Pledge of Allegiance
Pledge of Allegiance
The Pledge of Allegiance of the United States is an expression of loyalty to the federal flag and the republic of the United States of America, originally composed by Christian Socialist Francis Bellamy in 1892 and formally adopted by Congress as the pledge in 1942...
is given by "rehabilitated" political prisoners upon release from the American gulags. The oath states: "I pledge my allegiance to the flag of the community of American, Soviet, and United Nations of the World, and to the principle for which it stands – a nation, indivisible with others of the Earth, joined in peace, and justice for all."
While the prisoners are told that they are free to refuse to make this pledge if they so desire, the circumstances under which the oath is administered would seem to indicate otherwise.
Social criticism
Amerika criticized American society in the 1980s, implying that apathy and an unwillingness to defend freedomFreedom (political)
Political freedom is a central philosophy in Western history and political thought, and one of the most important features of democratic societies...
on the part of many citizens made the Soviet takeover rather easy. At one point, a key Soviet official observes that their plans for conquering the United States succeeded far beyond their wildest dreams, because once the nation had been defeated, Americans turned inward, not caring about national issues, seeking only to retain a piece of the prosperity that had once been theirs. "It (the Soviet coup) worked because you lost your country before we ever got here," says the Soviet leader. "You had political freedom, but you lost your passion ... How could we not win?"
This theme is echoed by another character later in the film:
Another speech, by politician Peter Bradford (see below), lashes out at apathetic American attitudes:
An early scene shows schoolchildren in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
learning about Social Darwinism
Social Darwinism
Social Darwinism is a term commonly used for theories of society that emerged in England and the United States in the 1870s, seeking to apply the principles of Darwinian evolution to sociology and politics...
, which is characterized as the dominant philosophy in the old United States before the Soviet conquest and occupation, and a speech delivered by one child later in the series demonstrates the extent of Soviet indoctrination in the new America:
Ratings
The first two nights of Amerika garnered huge ratings, but audience numbers dropped thereafter, and the overall miniseries averaged around 19 percent of American television households, compared to a 46 rating for The Day AfterThe Day After
The Day After is a 1983 American television movie which aired on November 20, 1983, on the ABC television network. It was seen by more than 100 million people during its initial broadcast....
. "It wasn't as big a hit as its supporters had hoped," said Ted Koppel, "but it wasn't a disaster, either."
Although a 35 share reportedly had been promised to advertisers, Stoddard was happy with the performance of Amerika, claiming that all or part of the miniseries had been watched by 100 million people – a ratings bonanza for ABC, then in third place among the three major networks.
The miniseries was the second-highest rated miniseries of the 1986–87 US television season
1986-87 United States network television schedule
This was the United States television schedule on all three commercial television networks for the fall season beginning in September 1986. All times are Eastern and Pacific, with certain exceptions, such as Monday Night Football....
with a 18.8/29 rating/share.
Critical reception
Amerika arrived amid much controversy. Many critics and viewers felt it was too long and unrealistic, a number of people argued that it would be damaging to Soviet-American relations, and a spokesperson for the United NationsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
objected to the U.N. being depicted as an occupying force under Soviet control. Some conservatives felt that Soviet brutality was greatly underplayed; conversely, a number of liberals dismissed the entire miniseries as right-wing paranoia. At various points, the program was scrapped, delayed, and rewritten.
For their part, the Soviet Union threatened to shut down the ABC News Moscow bureau, although this threat was not carried out and indeed seemed to strengthen ABC's resolve regarding the miniseries. "We’re going to run that program come rain, blood, or horse manure," said ABC president John B. Sias, after the still-to-be-aired Amerika had generated more controversy and viewer response than any other ABC program before or since, including The Day After
The Day After
The Day After is a 1983 American television movie which aired on November 20, 1983, on the ABC television network. It was seen by more than 100 million people during its initial broadcast....
.
Amerika was preceded by an ABC special addressing the considerable controversy prior to its airing (The Storm Over Amerika), and was followed by an "ABC News Viewpoint" panel discussion moderated by Ted Koppel
Ted Koppel
Edward James "Ted" Koppel is an English-born American broadcast journalist, best known as the anchor for Nightline from the program's inception in 1980 until his retirement in late 2005. After leaving Nightline, Koppel worked as managing editor for the Discovery Channel before resigning in 2008...
, with Brandon Stoddard, Donald Wrye and several others addressing the issues surrounding the miniseries, along with questions and comments from a live studio audience in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
.
In its summary of the 1986–87 US television season
1986-87 United States network television schedule
This was the United States television schedule on all three commercial television networks for the fall season beginning in September 1986. All times are Eastern and Pacific, with certain exceptions, such as Monday Night Football....
, TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
called the miniseries "arguably the most boring miniseries in a decade" and further said that "ABC's Amerika tried to hold America hostage for seven tedious nights (and a stupefyingly dull 14½ hours) by conjuring up a fuzzy vision of a Soviet occupation of the U.S."
Availability
Amerika has remained unseen on American television since its original telecast on ABC. A VHSVHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
box set of the miniseries was released by Anchor Bay Entertainment
Anchor Bay Entertainment
Anchor Bay Entertainment is a U.S. based home entertainment and production company and is a division of Starz Media, which is a unit of Starz, LLC. It was previously owned by IDT Entertainment until 2006 when IDT was purchased by Starz Media. Anchor Bay markets and sells feature films, series,...
in 1995, but no official DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
release is available. Portions of the soundtrack by Basil Poledouris were released on CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
by Prometheus Records
Prometheus Records
Prometheus Records is a Belgium-based soundtrack label, established in 1980 by Luc Van de Ven, which originally began as a film music magazine known as Soundtrack. The magazine ceased production in 2004, but the label still continues to issue film score CDs with the assistance of Ford A...
in 2004 (in a limited edition of 3,000 copies). The novelization
Novelization
A novelization is a novel that is written based on some other media story form rather than as an original work.Novelizations of films usually add background material not found in the original work to flesh out the story, because novels are generally longer than screenplays...
is widely available from used-book sellers and online auction sites.
Influence
Amerika did not appear to have affected public opinion either of CommunismCommunism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
or of the former Soviet Union. Because of its average ratings performance, however, Amerika is thought by many to have brought an end to the "epic" miniseries often featured on American television in the 1970s and 1980s. Later productions were generally much shorter in length, with the notable exception of the 30-hour War and Remembrance
War and Remembrance
War and Remembrance is a novel by Herman Wouk, published in 1978, which is the sequel to The Winds of War. It continues the story of the extended Henry family and the Jastrow family starting on 15 December 1941 and ending on 6 August 1945. This novel was adapted into a mini-series presented on...
the following year.
Parodies
In February 1987, the miniseries was parodied on the NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
show Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
as "AmeriDa", in which the U.S. is taken over by Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It took several cultural shots at Canada, including having Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Douglas Gretzky, CC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. Nicknamed "The Great One", he is generally regarded as the best player in the history of the National Hockey League , and has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters,...
as the new president of AmeriDa, and the suggestion that Canada's army invaded using hockey sticks as weapons, a reference to Canada's perceived obsession with hockey. The American protagonist of this sketch (portrayed by Canadian actor Phil Hartman
Phil Hartman
Philip Edward "Phil" Hartman was a Canadian-American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and graphic artist. Born in Brantford, Ontario, Hartman and his family moved to the United States when he was 10...
) reminisces for a country "where you don't have money that's all the colours of the rainbow," and where "you can spell words like colour and flavour without using a 'u'." The flag of AmeriDa was the U.S. flag with the stars replaced by a white maple leaf.
The satirical Canadian radio program Double Exposure
Double Exposure (comedy series)
Double Exposure was a Canadian radio and television comedy series which mocked contemporary Canadian politics. The show starred Linda Cullen and Bob Robertson, and focused primarily on the stars' voice impersonations of Canadian political and cultural figures...
parodied the series in a sketch called Kanada with a K, in which "Joe Klark with a K"
Joe Clark
Charles Joseph "Joe" Clark, is a Canadian statesman, businessman, and university professor, and former journalist and politician...
rescues the nation from "Comrade Ed"
Ed Broadbent
John Edward "Ed" Broadbent, is a Canadian social democratic politician and political scientist. He was leader of the federal New Democratic Party from 1975 to 1989. In the 2004 federal election, he returned to Parliament for one additional term as the Member of Parliament for Ottawa Centre.-Life...
.
External links
- http://conelrad.com/newswire.php?id=P261
- The flags shown in the series from Flags of the WorldFlags of the WorldFlags of the World is an Internet-based vexillological association and resource. Its principal project is the Internet's largest website devoted to vexillology, containing comprehensive information about all kinds of flags, and an associated mailing list...
. - TIME Magazine article about Amerika
- Amerika trailer at YouTube
- Turner Classic movies request for release on DVD