Historically,made-for-TV movies have always beenhit or miss, butone forgotten after-school special still holds important lessonsfor any generation. Directed byAlex Grasshoff,The Waveis a 1981 familydramathatrecounts the real-life classroom experimentof history teacher Ben Ross (Bruce Davison), an educator who sets out to answer the question of why so many average German citizens went along with the Nazis' horrific actions during World War II. Despite clocking in at just under 50 minutes, thisABCfilm still holds up nearly 50 years later, deliveringa timely cautionary tale about the temptation of fascismin a world filled with young people who should know better.
What Is ‘The Wave’ About?
Based on the same story, which subsequently inspired a German adaptation of the same name in 2008,Die Welle,The Wavedidsuch a compelling job adapting the circumstances of the original experimentthatit won an Emmy for Outstanding Children’s Programat the 1982 awards ceremony, and it’s easy to see why. While the film doesn’t take the time to dramatize every aspect of Mr. Ross' methods—it doesn’t, for instance, feature scenes of students putting each other on trial or being banished to the library—The Wavenevertheless remains faithful to the emotional core of the unbelievable true story. Seeking to show his students just how easy it isto succumb to authoritarian influence,Mr. Ross initiates his students into a new classroom community called The Wave(or The Third Wave, in the original experiment), an in-school organization which soon takes on a dangerous life of its own.
Imitating the same rigidity, strict values, and iconography implemented by the Nazi Partyin WWII-era Germany, The Wave seizes the students' imagination and immediately makes them feel superior to their classmates, and it doesn’t take long before each of them abides by a stern new sense of classroom decorum. Consequently, what makesThe Wavesuch a horrifying film is not any gore, violence, or upsetting visuals that result fromMr. Ross' unethical experiment, but ratherthe speed with which normal, everyday students quickly devolveinto miniature fascists. Empowering the class outcasts and alienating intelligent students like Lauree (Lori Lethin), a writer whose protests quickly make her a target of her boyfriend,The Waveeffectively argues thatanyone can be vulnerable to the allure of powerbuilt on systemic prejudice.
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What makesThe Waveso unique is its decision to all but dismiss the typical conventions of dramatic filmmaking. Neglecting individual character developmentand the metaphorical subtletythat typically defines stellar storytelling,Grasshoff’s film is instead incredibly heavy-handed in its messaging, and it doesn’t revolve around its classroom setting for nothing. As Mr. Ross’ students begin organizing outside of class, and grow increasingly aggressive.The Waveturns more andmore into a moral lecture, with Davison succinctly articulating an anti-fascist message in orderto remind his students of the kind of person who really leads the movementthat inspired The Wave in the first place. Yet, while this moralizing tone may cause any other film to feel slow, tedious, and overly educational,The Wave’s subject matter is important enough to warrant its own discussion.
As a result, and with the help of Mr. Ross' unethical (yet incredibly engaging) experimentation,The Wavenever feels anything but deeply thought-provoking and insightful. By proving how something as simple as a classroom exercise can quickly spawn a very real threat to safety and freedom,The Wavedelivers a stern critique of fascist ideologymeant to leave viewers with a real warning against right-wing radicalization. Giventhe current rise of fascism in America today, this message couldn’t possibly be more relevant, nor is its consequences more horrifying. During an age whenmany real young Americans are seeking fulfillmentfrom the same kinds of maxims that indoctrinate members of the Wave,it’s more important than ever that people return to this movieto understand just how easy fascism is to romanticize. Otherwise, if the world continues ignoring its history, a grade level won’t be the only thing we are doomed to repeat.
