The Atomic Cafe dvd movie.|
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List Price: $24.95 Our Price: $21.49 You Save: $3.46 Features • Color • DVD-Video • NTSC In Theaters : 1982 DVD Release : 26 March, 2002 |
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The Atomic Cafe description The atomic bomb changed the world forever, and this wonderful film shows how Americans expressed wonder over atomic weapons and then suffered from the pervasive fear that America would be on the receiving end of a Soviet nuclear attack. Atomic Cafe is a brilliant compilation of archival film clips beginning with the first atomic bomb detonation in the New Mexico desert. The footage, much of it produced as government propaganda, follows the story of the bomb through the two atomic attacks on Japan that ended World War II to the bomb's central role in the cold war. Shown along with the famous "duck and cover" Civil Defense films are lesser-known clips, many of which possess a bizarre black humor when seen today, and it's easy to see why this film, which was produced in the early 1980s, became a cult classic sometimes referred to as the "nuclear Reefer Madness." Bellicose congressmen are shown advocating a freewheeling policy of nuclear strikes against China during the Korean War, suburban families are shown enjoying the comforts of their bomb shelters, and footage of a boy trying to bicycle to a bomb shelter in a "bomb survival suit" his father designed is priceless. Atomic Cafe is at once clever and poignant, a canny and offbeat look at a significant period in American history. --Robert J. McNamara |
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| ♥♥♥♥♥ | we're gonna live, live LIVE---IN MY FALLOUT SHELTER !!! |
| The Atomic Cafe gives us an excellent look at the development of the atomic bomb, the H bomb and the repercussions it had on the world, including America. Although some parts provide black humor, I saw things like the "duck and cover" scenes as being symptomatic of a time when people truly thought America could at any time come under nuclear attack by its arch enemy, the former Soviet Union.
The film begins with the test detonation of an atom bomb in the desert of New Mexico and proceeds roughly chronologically to tell the story of how the atom bomb helped to end World War II. We get footage of the bomb's mushroom cloud after it was dropped on Hiroshima; and there is a plethora of footage and film clips from the era regarding how government taught Americans to think about the bomb as the tool to destroy all our enemies. We also see much paranoia fueling these government films which are often little more than poorly disguised propaganda films of the day. However, a closer look reveals the absolute obsession Americans experienced about the threat of the Soviet Union to rob them of their "American dream." Communism was fought against vigorously--not just in Congress but in the form of protest marches, films churned out by the American government and radio and TV talk shows of the day. I could not help but feel sympathy for people who genuinely believed that at any moment an enemy like the Soviet Union could destroy almost all of Los Angeles, Minneapolis or New York. I remember how I myself had those fears at times when I was a young boy. Overall, the footage and the pace of the documentary provide us with excellent insight about how Americans thought and dealt with the newborn atomic age during tough times; and this film held my attention well. The DVD comes with few extras. We get scene selections and credits but little else. Oh, well. The Atomic Cafe is indeed a cult classic; and it also makes for a rather interesting look at the abject fear and dread Americans truly experienced at a time when the "cold, cold war" between America and the Soviets was full blown. I highly recommend it for people studying this period in time. People who want a better understanding of the American experience in the aftermath of the atomic bomb will do well to watch this movie. |
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