The Atomic Cafe [Blu-ray]

Director: Jayne Loader, Pierce Rafferty, Kevin Rafferty Jayne Loader

Overview

An ironic documentary about American propaganda during the early days of the atomic bomb, The Atomic Cafe makes its point through skillful editing of period footage. Instructional films such as the infamous "Duck and Cover" are contrasted with actual footage of atomic testing. The result is alternately hilarious and frightening.

Product Details

Release Date:	12/04/2018
UPC:	0738329235802
Original Release:	1982
Rating:	NR
Source:	Kino Classics
Language:	English
Time:	1:28:00
Sales rank:	4,859

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Lyndon B. Johnson	archival footage
Nikita Khrushchev	archival footage
Julius Rosenberg	archival footage,archival footage
Paul Tibbets	archival footage
Lloyd Bentsen	archival footage
J. Robert Oppenheimer	archival footage
Miklós Rózsa	Composer

Technical Credits

Jayne Loader	Director,Producer
Pierce Rafferty	Director,Director,Producer,Producer

Editorial Reviews

Produced when the anti-nuclear movement was finding new strength in the United States, The Atomic Cafe is a disturbing and disquieting but frequently hilarious meditation on the early days of the atomic bomb. Produced with no voiceover narration, Cafe tells its tale through the editing of various clips from the 1940s and 1950s, along with some vintage nuclear-themed recordings of the era. Contemporary audiences will likely be mystified at the naïveté and ignorance exhibited by many of the ordinary citizens interviewed therein, and appalled at the lies of many of those in authority at the time. The blatant manipulation within much of the propaganda certainly produces laughs, but it also makes one ponder the gullibility of the American public, regardless of era. The many shots of atom and hydrogen bombs exploding also have a strange effect. While they are frequently frightening, the images themselves when taken objectively have a certain beauty. While the repetition of the film's basic message -- that America was (and continues to be) unwilling to face the unpleasant truth about its involvement with nuclear artillery and denied that truth in a variety of ways -- and its ironic tone both become wearing after a while. Nevertheless, the finale, in which a series of devastating explosions is intercut with people engaging in the futile "safety" tips given them by the government, is powerful and haunting.