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September 28, 2006
"When not close enough to be killed, the atomic bomb is one of the most beautiful sights in the world."
The month is ending, October is around the corner, and pretty soon we will all be up to our ears in dead leaves and seasonally ripe apples, so as a small distraction and to continue our documentary theme of the month the Cirque du Cinema pick this week is "The Atomic Cafe".
Now some may ask, "What could a documentary entitled "The Atomic Cafe" possibly be about?". Well I will put these questions to rest. It is a compilation of 1960s propaganda films surrounding 'safety precautions' to be used in case of a nuclear attack. I will admit that description sounds a bit sad but the film is actually quite funny. The featured song "Duck and Cover" was enough to leave me smiling and humming to myself for days.
So if during the aforementioned months ahead, you feel that you might want to curl up in a ball on the floor and cover your ears for a small moment of warmth, respite, and recovery, you will know that while it might help your sanity, it will not protect you from a nuclear explosion. (And now I will briefly apologize for the upcoming low browed pun) End September with a bang! And have a good weekend!
Posted by Blake at September 28, 2006 04:44 PM
Comments
I, too, wish Blake/Blaine well as he starts his journey. Since he was, obviously, not yet born in the 60s, he has no concept of the fear that pervaded the world, and even the U.S., at that time. He may have found "The Atomic Cafe" hilarious, but I can assure him that the subject matter was as serious as serious gets. I know, I was there, crouching under a school desk during air raid drills.
Posted by: BJ at September 29, 2006 12:19 PM
What a revealing film -- a tasty left-wing agitprop piece from the early 1980's -- just look at the blurbs on the box: Village Voice, New York Times, Washington Post.
Sure the US training and propaganda films of the Cold War were campy and heavy handed -- but 25 years later, this so-called "nuclear Reefer Madness" looks just as biased.
I liked this film immensely for the rarely seen film clips of LBJ, Ike, Kruschev and other leaders, and Army footage of troops at atomic tests. A box blurb calls this a "timeless classic" , and it is, but not because of the skillful editing of the filmmakers -- instead the archival footage is the timeless classic here.
Posted by: Rile Crumble at October 4, 2006 08:14 AM