{"id":9052,"date":"2009-08-12T14:37:56","date_gmt":"2009-08-12T21:37:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=9052"},"modified":"2020-12-20T23:34:42","modified_gmt":"2020-12-21T06:34:42","slug":"atomic-cafe-the-1982","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=9052","title":{"rendered":"Atomic Cafe, The (1982)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;When not close enough to be killed, the atomic bomb is one of the most beautiful sights in the world.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Poster-202x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"202\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-58766\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Poster-202x300.png 202w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Poster-688x1024.png 688w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Poster-86x128.png 86w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Poster-181x270.png 181w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Poster.png 745w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 202px) 100vw, 202px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nArchival footage documents Cold War America&#8217;s attitudes towards nuclear threat.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Documentary<\/li>\n<li>Nuclear Threat<\/li>\n<li>Propaganda<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nAs Peary notes, this immensely popular documentary (made during the height of anti-nuclear-energy demonstrations in the early 1980s) &#8220;serves up a powerful smorgasbord of mind-blowing clips&#8221; from mid-century newsreels and governmental, military, and educational films which &#8220;both warned us about the Russian menace and eased our fears about the effects of nuclear fallout&#8221;. Audiences in 1982 were rightfully thrilled to revisit the media images and messages that most had naively accepted as legitimate and true just a few decades back; while such historical clips are now widely available on websites such as YouTube, the work of compilers Jayne Loader and Kevin and Pierce Rafferty at the time was clearly a lengthy labor of archival love. <\/p>\n<p>I disagree with Peary, however, that the &#8220;picture would have even more impact and import if we learned whether these ridiculous propaganda films were the result of government naivete or were fully intended to deceive the public about the dangers of a nuclear build-up&#8221;; adding any kind of voice-of-God narration or commentary would disrupt the film&#8217;s remarkably effective approach of simply presenting the clips as-is, and leaving viewers to decide what to think about them. With that said, Loader et al. do utilize creative editing and juxtaposition to highlight some of the most egregious mistruths perpetuated by officials: as we hear government spokesmen talking about the lack of effects of nuclear testing in the South Seas, for instance, we see deeply disturbing footage of burned natives. Whether Americans today are any less deceived by &#8220;official&#8221; government statements is debatable; despite our presumed 21st century media savvy, it could be argued that we&#8217;re just as gullible and susceptible as we were in the 1950s. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> If you can stomach it, watch the recent, highly disturbing documentary <em>Countdown to Zero<\/em> (2010) for an update on the state of nuclear threat in our world. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A powerful montage of archival footage from diverse sources<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Still.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Still-1024x641.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"401\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-58769\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Still-1024x641.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Still-300x188.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Still-128x80.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Still-768x481.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Still-1536x962.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Still-431x270.png 431w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Still.png 1637w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Still2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Still2-1024x628.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"393\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-58770\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Still2-1024x628.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Still2-300x184.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Still2-128x79.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Still2-768x471.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Still2-1536x942.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Still2-440x270.png 440w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Still2.png 1661w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Building.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Building-1024x626.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"391\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-58771\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Building-1024x626.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Building-300x184.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Building-128x78.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Building-768x470.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Building-1536x940.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Building-441x270.png 441w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Building.png 1679w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Strikingly horrific imagery of nuclear explosions<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Explosion3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Explosion3-1024x625.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"391\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-58768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Explosion3-1024x625.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Explosion3-300x183.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Explosion3-128x78.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Explosion3-768x469.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Explosion3-1536x938.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Explosion3-442x270.png 442w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Atomic-Cafe-Explosion3.png 1675w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as an effective and historically relevant documentary.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Historically Relevant<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0083590\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s442cafe.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rogerebert.com\/reviews\/the-atomic-cafe-1982\">Roger Ebert&#8217;s Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/movies.tvguide.com\/atomic-cafe\/review\/132678\">TV Guide Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.popmatters.com\/pm\/review\/68867-atomic-cafe\/\">Pop Matters Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/the-atomic-cafe\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;When not close enough to be killed, the atomic bomb is one of the most beautiful sights in the world.&#8221; Synopsis: Archival footage documents Cold War America&#8217;s attitudes towards nuclear threat. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Documentary Nuclear Threat Propaganda Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: As Peary notes, this immensely popular documentary (made during the height of anti-nuclear-energy demonstrations in the early 1980s) &#8220;serves up a powerful smorgasbord of mind-blowing clips&#8221; from mid-century newsreels and governmental, military, and educational films which&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=9052\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9052","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9052","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9052"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9052\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58772,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9052\/revisions\/58772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9052"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9052"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9052"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}