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The Atomic Cafe

  • 1982
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 26m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
4.8K
YOUR RATING
The Atomic Cafe (1982)
Official Trailer
Play trailer2:25
1 Video
9 Photos
DocumentaryHistory

Disturbing collection of 1940s and 1950s United States government-issued propaganda films designed to reassure Americans that the atomic bomb was not a threat to their safety.Disturbing collection of 1940s and 1950s United States government-issued propaganda films designed to reassure Americans that the atomic bomb was not a threat to their safety.Disturbing collection of 1940s and 1950s United States government-issued propaganda films designed to reassure Americans that the atomic bomb was not a threat to their safety.

  • Directors
    • Jayne Loader
    • Kevin Rafferty
    • Pierce Rafferty
  • Stars
    • Paul Tibbets
    • Harry S. Truman
    • W.H.P. Blandy
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.6/10
    4.8K
    YOUR RATING
    • Directors
      • Jayne Loader
      • Kevin Rafferty
      • Pierce Rafferty
    • Stars
      • Paul Tibbets
      • Harry S. Truman
      • W.H.P. Blandy
    • 62User reviews
    • 42Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
      • 2 wins & 1 nomination total

    Videos1

    The Atomic Cafe
    Trailer 2:25
    The Atomic Cafe

    Photos8

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    Top cast31

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    Paul Tibbets
    Paul Tibbets
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Harry S. Truman
    Harry S. Truman
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    • (as President Harry S Truman)
    W.H.P. Blandy
    • Self - Commander of the Bikini Test
    • (archive footage)
    • (as Vice Admiral W.H.P. Blandy)
    Brien McMahon
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    • (as Sen. Brian McMahon)
    Lloyd Bentsen
    Lloyd Bentsen
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    • (as Rep. Lloyd Bentsen)
    Owen Brewster
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    • (as Sen. Owen Brewster)
    Julius Rosenberg
    Julius Rosenberg
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Ethel Rosenberg
    Ethel Rosenberg
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Val Peterson
    • Self - Director of Civil Defense
    • (archive footage)
    • (as Gov. Val Peterson)
    Lyndon B. Johnson
    Lyndon B. Johnson
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    • (as Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson)
    Lewis Strauss
    Lewis Strauss
    • Self - Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission
    • (archive footage)
    • (as Lewis L. Strauss)
    George Molan
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    • (as Cpl. George Molan)
    George Portell
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    • (as Tech Sgt. George Portell)
    Jerry Schneider
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Sergeant Weaver
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Seymour Melman
    • Self - Columbia University
    • (archive footage)
    • (as Prof. Seymour Melman)
    Mario Salvadori
    • Self - Columbia University
    • (archive footage)
    • (as Prof. Mario Salvadori)
    Nikita Khrushchev
    Nikita Khrushchev
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    • Directors
      • Jayne Loader
      • Kevin Rafferty
      • Pierce Rafferty
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews62

    7.64.7K
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    Featured reviews

    10alphabettysoup

    shockingly entertaining

    The fact that this is true makes this short film scary and worrying...but doesn't stop it from being very entertaining and funny. The pieces of real life propaganda are amazing and it's often hard to believe that it's all true.

    However remember that all of the snipets of film are cut and pasted together with music added over the top, so everything you see isn't exactly as it seems... it's propaganda on propaganda...and highly entertaining. A must see for any one interested in American History, Propaganda, or just wanting a good sorry laugh.
    9elwinter

    Documentary, w/o latter day interpretation

    I saw The Atomic Cafe in a theater when it was first released. Someone exclaimed derogatorily as they walked out on it. But I thought it was brilliant. Sort of a sub-genre of documentary, this one had no commentary, narrative or explanations for the material presented. No retroactive interviews with those who were there. It relied 100% on archival materials.

    A few years back, I visited the Trinity Site (here in New Mexico) on the 50th anniversary of the first test of the bomb. Quite a few of those who were somehow involved back then and still living turned up for the event. So I did get to hear some hindsight comments. Definitely different than what was being said back then, and such commentary could have really changed the picture.

    This is a rare approach, and therefore thought provoking. One can argue that the choice of material, editing and music track impose some interpretation, and there may be something to that. Although it's unlikely that one could turn the story into something really different unless latter-day, hindsight interviews were added to provide a different spin.

    Being a "Baby Boomer", I was born during the times depicted in the movie, and have some early memories of them. For those who were alive in that time, it's fascinating to see how it tweaks your memory. I, for one, didn't think deep thoughts about the "duck and cover" drills at school - it was just another thing that got us out of our seats, like fire drills and recess. But it does tweak memory, to bring back things not thought of for many years. Interesting to consider how one's own memory is incomplete, wanders, can be influenced, etc. (Now, re-read Orwell's 1984.)

    Brilliant, and disturbing. Interesting to consider in light of current events (spring 2003).
    9jongru

    Duck and cover

    I could watch this movie again and again. If you remember the days when we were all terrified of impending nuclear war with the Soviet Union, this puts your half-remembered anxieties and prejudices in perspective. There's rare archive footage of the first nuclear bombs being primed and detonated. There's stomach churning archive footage about the execution of the Rosenbergs for espionage. And the now hilarious footage about how civilians should protect themselves against the bomb. Makes fun of politicians and broadcasters, and leaves you feeling that you've learned something and that you won't be fooled again.
    9Calaboss

    Duck And Cover Everyone!

    With no narration other than that provided by historical clips, this movie justly states how ludicrous the idea of nuclear war was, and is. The producers of this film spent years going through declassified governmental film archives to find some of the most chilling, and hilarious, footage ever taken. It also tells how the US government screwed over the Bikini Islanders, and has some fine coverage of the spoon-feeding of propaganda to the US public through the 40's and 50's.

    A great movie for just a laugh, or for some interesting historical perspective on a unique time in the recent US past. I loved the clip of the guy who invented a lead-lined suit, put it on his son, and then had him try to ride a bike. Could we have possibly been this gullible just a few decades ago? Can you say "duct tape and plastic sheeting"?

    Duck and cover everyone!
    Douglas_Holmes

    Horrifying and hilarious.

    A great look into the ultra-paranoid mindset of the Cold War which I lived through. It is truly amazing how such madness (paranoia and intolerance of someone who dares to exercise REAL freedom of speech, of which examples are clearly shown) was accepted in those times.

    The "Bert the Turtle" sequence cracked me up. I REMEMBER doing this "Duck and Cover" idiocy! When I was in grade school, we had Civil Defense drills: we were taught to leave the classroom, go out in the hall, face the wall, lean against it and cover our faces with our folded arms. Never you mind that the wall that was behind us consisted mostly of window glass! A shockwave hitting it would have blasted the shards into our backs. It would have looked like the St. Valentine's Day Massacre!

    A great film.

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    Related interests

    Dziga Vertov in Man with a Movie Camera (1929)
    Documentary
    Liam Neeson in Schindler's List (1993)
    History

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The segment "Duck and Cover" showed how school children were reassured by "Bert the Turtle" that they would survive a nuclear bomb by simply forming a huddle together by the wall of the school-house. "The Atomic Cafe" has been attributed to raising public consciousness of the short film "Duck and Cover" and introducing it to a whole a new generation.
    • Quotes

      Army information film: When not close enough to be killed, the atomic bomb is one of the most beautiful sights in the world.

    • Connections
      Featured in Sneak Previews: The Thing, The Atomic Café, The Weavers: Wasn't That a Time, Megaforce (1982)
    • Soundtracks
      When the Atom Bomb Fell
      Written by Karl Victor Davis and Connecticut 'Harty' Taylor

      Performed by Karl and Harty

      Courtesy of CBS Records, Inc.

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    FAQ16

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 29, 1982 (Finland)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Up Close and Personal with Producer Jayne Loader
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Atomic Cafe
    • Production company
      • The Archives Project
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $300,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $22,293
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $4,098
      • Aug 5, 2018
    • Gross worldwide
      • $22,293
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 26m(86 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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