The Day After
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Movie Reviews of The Day After
Movie Review: The most controversial TV movie ever made finally on DVD
Summary: 5 Stars
There have been some controversial made-for-TV movies over the years, but I don't think any of them compare to The Day After. This is the most-talked-about TV movie I've seen in my thirty-four years. I didn't watch it when it was initially aired on ABC in 1983, which is odd because I started nursing a fear of nuclear war around that same time during my childhood. It's something every Cold War child went through at some point, although I know my own experience paled considerably compared to those coming of age in the 1950s and 1960s. I was also forming my political opinions at that age, as well, and perhaps I didn't watch the movie because of the political agenda behind it. Liberals feared Ronald Reagan at this time, fearing he would actually start a nuclear war, and that kind of political sentiment, in my opinion, lay behind this film. Of course, despite such fears by some, President Reagan went on to end the Cold War altogether.
The Day After was - and still is - a terrifying motion picture that purports to show what happens when the politicians stop making speeches and let the bombs fly. The thing about nuclear war is that it just keeps on giving - or, I should say - taking. Those who die in the initial explosion are the lucky ones, as the survivors must face a decimated, increasingly atavistic society struggling to find sustenance and medical attention (useless though it is) even as they slowly die from radiation poisoning. Make no mistake - this movie was intended to frighten the American people. Frighten them it did. Anti-nuclear activism was given a tremendous boost in terms of popular appeal - until the fervor was dragged down alongside Walter Mondale's silly pledge to raise taxes in the 1984 election.
After an hour or so of introducing us to several characters in the heartland of America - Kansas City and its outlying areas - the impetus of military clashes in Germany all too suddenly turns the Cold War red hot, and a full nuclear exchange takes place between the United States and the Soviet Union. Panic ensues as the local population watches the nearby silos unleash one ICBM after another, knowing Soviet nukes are only minutes away from their otherwise peaceful skies. You get a good couple of minutes of nuclear destruction as Soviet nukes explode all over the atmosphere of the area. The mushroom clouds hit the viewer with great force. Numerous Americans are quickly vaporized (you see a quick X-ray image of them before they disappear), and wholesale destruction is wrought on basically everything. The final hour of the movie focuses on the survivors and the dire situation they find themselves in. The entire cast is high caliber, but Jason Robards truly shines as the university doctor who stumbles back to campus and organizes his medical crew to do what they can against insurmountable odds. We also follow the fate of a farm family holed up in their cellar for days before emerging back into the light after radiation levels fall down to a survivable rate. It's an awful situation that only gets worse, as no one is safe from the deadly fallout - or their suddenly desperate fellow man.
Watching this film again now, I could not help but think how overly optimistic the film is, in a sense. As a note as the end of the movie informs the viewer, the effects of a nuclear attack would be far, far worse than you see here. One kid is blinded by a nuclear explosion, but in reality many people would basically have their eyes melted out of their heads. Radiation poisoning in the movie basically consists of a growing lethargy, rotting body parts, and hair loss - there's no sign of the deathly nausea and other symptoms that would ensue. The mushroom clouds themselves look altogether too small for such nuclear detonations, as well.
This wasn't the first movie to depict a post-nuclear America, but The Day After was the first film to try to realistically depict the unspeakable devastation of nuclear war. The folks in this film were just normal civilians living normal lives in the heartland of America. As such, the movie directly challenged everyone who thought "it can't happen here." No one is safe from the devastation of 100s of ICBMs exploding all over the country. The Day After remains a powerful and important film today. The threat of Soviet attack has been minimized (for now), but the threat of a nuclear attack is still very real, thanks to the madmen in Iran and North Korea and traitors to humanity such as Pakistan's Abdul Khan. One well-placed nuclear detonation over the American continent could wipe out all power nationwide with its EMP pulse (and I was surprised and happy to see the EMP pulse effect mentioned in the movie) and instantly turn the U.S. into a third-world nation. The worst thing we can do is to pretend the dangers of nuclear attack don't exist, and The Day After makes it all but impossible not to face up to that threat. It is still very much required viewing, in my opinion.
Movie Review: Life As We Know It Ends...THE DAY AFTER
Summary: 5 Stars
The made-for-TV film THE DAY AFTER was enormously controversial when it was originally broadcast on ABC in November of 1983, primarily because it was promoted as being the first film to accurately and realistically depict a nuclear holocaust and its aftermath. Political right-wingers didn't like it because they believed such a film would deter support of a strong U.S. military and a large nuclear arsenal. Those on the left were concerned that it might promote the idea that a full-scale nuclear war could be survivable, thereby INCREASING support of the right-wing's push for a strong U.S. military and a large nuclear arsenal. And both sides were worried that the film would be too graphic for the prime-time position in which it was slotted to air. In fact, much of the controversy was vehement enough to worry the sponsors, so consequently not a single minute of commercial time was sold for the part of the film following the depiction of the nuclear war--the last half of the show was aired commercial free!Socio-political controversy aside, THE DAY AFTER is a very powerful and compelling drama. In the tradition of great SF and horror films, it takes a real-life potentiality--in this case, nuclear holocaust--and portrays it as graphically and as realistically as possible, thereby allowing viewers to vicariously experience the nightmare. For this film, said nightmare takes place in the small towns surrounding Kansas City, one of the ground-zero targets for the enemy's hydrogen bombs. But the real horror of it all is not the bombing itself. The real horror is being a survivor and having to suffer through the aftermath with things like radioactive fallout, nuclear winter, contaminated food and water, political anarchy, and the like.
Portraying survivors from various walks of life, the highly talented cast--which includes big names like Jason Robards, JoBeth Williams, Steve Guttenberg, and John Lithgow, to name a few--does a fantastic job running the gamut of human emotion as their characters come to grips with the traumatic and devastating situation. The excellent script for THE DAY AFTER was written by Edward Hume, a respected TV writer best known for his work on series greats like THE FUGITIVE, CANNON (which he also developed), and THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO. And the film was directed by the venerable Nicholas Meyer, who has directed other SF greats such as 1979's TIME AFTER TIME, 1982's STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN, and 1991's STAR TREK VI: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY, and who has written the screenplays for other greats like 1976's THE SEVEN-PER-CENT SOLUTION (having previously written the novel), 1986's STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME, and 1987's highly acclaimed FATAL ATTRACTION. With such great talent behind it, it's not hard to defend the claim that THE DAY AFTER is ONE of the best films, if not THE best film, made specifically for TV.
The DVD from MGM is a no-frills disc, meaning that it is without bonus material, but it does offer a nearly pristine digital transfer of THE DAY AFTER in its original aspect ratio of 1.33:1. And the asking price is very reasonable (especially with amazon.com's discount), so lovers of great films and good drama have no excuse for not having this gem in their collections.
Movie Review: Careful of pushing the buttons.....
Summary: 5 Stars
This movie originally came out my sophomore year in high school. I can still remember all the unrest and dialogue it caused; it was all everyone wanted to talk about the next day at school. So many people were so upset that I recall some teachers taking time out of class to discuss the topic of nuclear war. To say the least, this movie "hit a nerve."
For myself, I had read articles in SCIENCE magazine and had done extensive research on the subject matter. The movie was disturbing, but nothing really surprised me in it. The next day @ school I looked around and thought to myself: "Am I the only one who has ever thought about the consequences of using nuclear weapons? Are people that naive?"
While I'm sure many other people had read up on it, I'm equally as sure that that vast majority did not. That much was readily apparent. Such was the utility of this movie; to make people think about the un-thinkable. And, insofar as that is concerned, it did a terrific job.
Looking back, the FX of the bombs going off are not particularly impressive. Of course, that was not the "point" of this made-for-TV movie. It wasn't made as an "excuse" to show off great special-effects. Rather, it was designed to show what the aftermath of a nuclear confrontation would be like.
The best part of the movie is in how subtle some of its points are. The ultimate point is this: nuclear war is the great equalizer. After such a war, it matters not how educated you are, how rich you are, how poor you are, whether you're gregarious or dislike other people, whether you hold an important social position, etc. None of that matters. Anarchy replaces order and chaos replaces our social mores. The Darwininan instinct to survive trumps all else, even if it means hanging on to a life of grotesque radiation sickness.
The film is nostalgic in that it has a young John Lithgow and an even younger Steve Guttenberg. It had been so long since I saw it on TV that I did not recall Guttenberg being in the movie. Of course, he was yet to become a big name @ the time this was made.
These days, THE DAY AFTER does not carry quite the same poignancy as it did in the 1980s. The chances of an all-out nuclear war are fairly slim at this point in time. The much greater concern now is a nuclear weapon(s) being detonated by a terrorist organization. Still, IF that were to happen (and I hope it doesn't in my lifetime - or ever!!), much of what you see in this movie will be true-to-form. Hence, 20+ years after its inception, this movie still bears a chilling warning about what scientists like to call "tickling the dragon."
Movie Review: Could This Really Happen?
Summary: 5 Stars
Jason Robards stars in this movie about an all-out nuclear exchange between the Soviet Union and the United States.
The movie is set in and around Lawrence, Kansas. There is an air force base nearby, as well as approximately 150 nuclear missile silos. All in all, this part of the country has a huge target on it's back. The Soviets have invaded West Germany, and tactical nuclear weapons have been used by each side. But these tactical nukes are only the beginning, as each side eventually fires off their ICBMs.
The lives of several families in Kansas are about to change forever. Robards stars as Dr. Russell Oakes. As soon as the missiles strike, he begins helping patients suffering from widely varying degrees of injuries. Although injured himself, he, along with other doctors and nurse Nancy Bauer (JoBeth Williams), continues to treat patients.
John Cullum stars as Jim Dahlberg. He and his wife Eve (Bibi Besch) own a farm very close to one of the missile silos. Their daughter Denise (Lori Lethin) is planning her wedding day. Suddenly, the peace is shattered as the missile silo near their home opens up and releases its deadly cargo. Eve is upstairs making the bed as if nothing is happening. Jim is forced to drag his wife, who's kicking and screaming, to the basement. Meanwhile, Denise pauses to pick up her wedding dress, which she'll never be able to wear, on her way to the basement. The Dahlbergs are joined later on by Stephen Klein (Steve Guttenberg), a University of Kansas student who was on his way home to see his parents when the missiles hit.
John Lithgow stars as Joe Huxley, a professor who attempts to re-establish communications after the attack by placing a small receiver on the roof of a building.
I was eighteen years old when this program was aired on network television. I can still remember being glued to the screen as the missiles were launched at the Soviets while the Soviet missiles destroyed Lawrence, Kansas. The special effects, including the billowing mushroom clouds, are very good, and the other aspects of the attacks, such as the onset of nuclear winter and the devastating effects of radiation poisoning, are handled very well, too.
I recommend this movie very highly. The acting is very good, and the story is chilling. Although the threat of nuclear war has greatly diminished in the years following the release of this movie, viewers can still get a glimpse of what could possibly happen. Let's hope it never does.
Movie Review: A unique movie of historical reach!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Quite simply, only a handful of movies have given me more chills down the spine than this one. The Day After accurately and intimately depicts the tragedy of a nuclear holocaust. Viewers end up thinking that the lucky ones are those that were killed immediately by the blast and, in no case, the actual survivors...
The story is quite simple: a group of US citizens go through their daily occupations in a Mid-West city while, at the same time, political and military escalation between Russia and the US builds up. What must happen finally happens and, guess what, the nukes fly off and cross each other in the sky on their way to their respective targets.
The movie goes on in its depiction of the war after the nukes actually detonate. The fate of the survivors is therefore shown in graphic, vivid and utterly realistic details. Each and every viewer is therefore capable of identifying him/herself to any of the featured characters, making for a closer personal proximity to the movie action and unfolding drama.
The main originality and interest of this movie is that, first, unlike its predecessors and successors, this end-of-the-world tale goes beyond the actual act of the ICBM's lifting off their launch pads. It's like the movie finally dares lifting some veil off the real mystery and horror of the survivors' conditions and struggle to remain alive. The survivors are just human beings that constantly have to fight their radioactive "illness". We all know how futile and useless such a struggle is...
Second, this movie was of almost historical reach when it was first released in 1983. Its shock-wave in the media and public opinion was so powerful that it made the headlines of newspapers back then. People talked about it with fear in their heart and mind. It certainly played a great role in making people accutely aware of the end results of a nuclear conflict, whereas most of them had never questioned its necessity until then. I have no doubt that this movie led to a greater level of awareness on this subject in the West and ultimately helped in negotiating the non-proliferation of nuclear WMD's treaties between the US and Russia throughout the 80's and early 90's.
A must-see movie about what nukes can do and the conditions they would leave us in as a species -should they ever take to the skies...