Rating: 
Summary: Better Red than dead?!?
Review: This is a highly entertaining propaganda documentary film aimed at exposing the official and not-so-official lies and paranoia of the Cold War years here in the United States. The movie came out in the early 1980s, at a time when the Cold War was at its most dangerous peak of tension since the early 1960s. It was a time when fictitious "windows of vulnerability", like earlier imaginary "missile gaps", were being concocted to justify a provocative and dangerous arms build-up. I remember how eagerly those of us who supported a nuclear freeze watched the film for evidence of the fundamental mendacity of the "winnable nuclear war" theorizing, which had been revived by the first-term Reagan administration after more than a decade in which most rational people simply assumed that everyone now knew that no one could really win a nuclear war. It seemed like we were back in the days of fall-out shelters and air raid drills, Failsafe scenarios and Dr. Strangelove. This film was welcome relief and support from the revived prospect of global annihilation, when the Reagan administration argued that we needed even MORE overkill, although we could already blow up the world three or four times with the tens of thousands of nuclear warheads we already had. Insanity, sheer insanity.
The film stands up very well. It effectively exposes the way in which government propaganda attempted to make the prospect of nuclear war bearable by comparing its risks to ordinary household dangers, and by suggesting that civil defense might protect us from the worst that the Bomb might do. All nonsense, as the experts quoted on film here pointed out. It still is chilling to see how lightly some of these government and military officials, and movie actors playing government officials in propaganda films, seemed to present these dangers (this film came out about the same time as "War Games", which also underlined the futility of global thermonuclear annihilation, and which, I understand, very much impressed President Reagan with the dangers of nuclear war, or at least the possibility that such a war might be started by accident).
Much of "Atomic Cafe" is just plain funny; atomic cocktails and "Bert the Turtle" can't help but raise a grin. The juxtaposition of scenes and rhetoric and the ironic use of background music bring a chuckle, and let's face it, much of that 1950s Cold War rhetoric was simply corny. Other points in the film are powerfully moving, as with the images of Hiroshima and Nagasaki bomb victims, descriptions of the execution of the Rosenbergs, and the images of the people on the Bikini Atoll being removed from their island homes.
The film probably won't persuade anyone who believes that nuclear war really is winnable, or at least not such a big deal IF it is kept "limited" (since, as one Cold Warrior memorably put it, we would ONLY lose 20 million people and the Russians would lose 80 million, and body counts don't lie -- was that Dr. Herman Kahn, in "On Thermonuclear War" or "Thinking About the Unthinkable"?), and it probably won't convince die-hard Cold Warriors that Cold War paranoia and excesses could be dangerous to our liberties at home, or at the very least absurd (Stalinists in Mosinee, Wisconsin? -- what did they put in their cheese?). And the national security empire created during the 1940s and 1950s created new levels of secrecy and surveillance in our society that, however nececessary, still must be balanced against the need for information and open discussion in a free democratic society.
I think Reagan in his second term did come around to a better understanding of the implications of nuclear war, and while I am no fan of his administration (very far from it), I think it is true that the risk of superpower intercontinental nuclear war abated considerably after 1986, thanks both to Reagan and Gorbachev. Nobody in the Reagan administration during Reagan's second term was talking about surviving a nuclear war by getting under a few shovel scoops of dirt (think I'm kidding? Read "With Enough Shovels: Reagan, Bush, and Nuclear War," by Robert Scheer, 1982). Today the Soviet Union is gone, but the danger of nuclear weapons is no less real. Indeed, it may even be greater today in the age of terror than it was back when both the Soviets and Americans, however ruthless they might have been, both wanted to come out of the rivalry in one piece, alive (The desire to survive is an essential precondition for deterrence to work; for a fine study of the deterrence problem and critique of Herman Kahn's work, see Philip Green, "Deadly Logic:The Theory of Nuclear Deterrence", 1968).
"The Atomic Cafe" is funny and yet contains a serious cautionary tale for present generations. And it is strange, when suicide-bomber terrorists are turning fully loaded passenger planes into guided missiles for mass murders, chopping off heads, blowing up buses, and itching to get their hands on the most murderous weapons of mass destruction available, that we might actually come to feel some nostalgia for an apparently simpler time when, however dangerous things might have been, we did not actually blow the world up.
Rating:
Summary: Remember Kids. What do you do? DUCK AND COVER!
Review: "The Atomic Cafe" is an example of Eisenstein's notion of montage on the macro level. Produced and directed by Jayne Loader, Kevin Rafferty and Pierce Rafferty, this film achieves it rhetorical potency simply by editing together old film and documentaries from the 1940's and 1950's. By putting a cartoon of Tommy the Turtle teaching school children to "Duck and cover" next to film of actual atomic bomb tests, "The Atomic Cafe" renders the Cold War both ludicrous and chilling at the same time. Without narration and by using a few choice songs, this documentary finds a surprising strong voice against the insanity of nuclear destruction. It is important to remember that by the end of the 1950's, and for quite some time after that, it was assumed that one day there would be World War III and that it was going to be an all-out nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union. ... The manner in which Americans cheerfully prepared for a nuclear war cannot help but seem patently absurd to us today, but these images are unforgettable. Still, you have to admire the spirit of American inventiveness that would come up with radiation suits and quickie shelters. "The Atomic Cafe" manages to inform us about the mentality of the American people during that period of the Cold War, while harshly critiquing that view from our informed perspective of today. I have always been impressed by how this could be achieved simply by arranging the order in which we view these historic bits of film and adding a dramatic counterpoint through the use of music. Very simple but quite powerful. Final Note: be prepared for Hugh Beaumont (a.k.a. Ward Cleaver) to show up in a military training film to explain what happens when an atomic bomb goes off.
Rating: 
Summary: Propaganda about Propaganda
Review: Although on the surface of things it would appear that this is a revealing look at government lies etc. It is infact subtle propaganda achived by Jayne Loader through skillfull and clever editing. I find it unfair how she makes fun of and shames what I think were legitimate atempts by people to learn to live with the bomb through Civil Defense (even if they weren't effective) I don't think that the government really thought people would buy the "Let's go up a see whats left of our house" line etc. I believe that the nation at this time was still learning to grapple with the huge implications of such a powerful weapon. Also, I don't quite get were she get's off making the Rosenbergs seem like some sort of victims. The only victims were there children and the American people. They were indeed guilty of being "Atomic Spies" as revealed by Soviet papers after the cold war. I don't quite see were the sympathy comes from with the exception of the fate of their children. All in all it's a warped view of history that can only be come to in retrospect of the worst part of the Cold War and being away from immediate danger (yes I know this was made in '82) On the other hand it's great to have these historically important clips on one VHS even if they've been butchered and taped back together to make a "point" Despite what she might think, and how weird it sounds and how it might not make sense. I think our nuclear deterrence saved our [butts].
Rating:
Summary: Nothing has changed!
Review: As easy as it is to look back and laugh at the naivety of our nation some fifty-years ago, one still questions how far from that point have we come? Sure our science was flawed, but it will always be in retrospect. It's easier to look at this film and think how far we have come from the "duck and cover" days, than it is to see it as a social parallel that neither time nor technology has broken. After 9/11 we all went through, and are still going through, a time of fear and recovery. This day opened my eyes and allowed me to view this film in a different light. Sure we are seemingly further along the path of knowledge than people during the Cold War era, just as we are in hindsight of those eyes that will turn oneday and look upon us. This film points out the irony of the human condition. We can study and disect the past, even poke fun at it, but be sure we hardly ever learn from it!
Rating:
Summary: I'm amazed we're still here! Party on!
Review: As I watched the Atomic Cafe I was reminded of my visit to the Titan Missle Museum just south of Tucson, AZ, USA - Jan 2003. During that visit (Completely open to public - $6) our guide noted that the 100 foot missle in the silo was once armed with a 9 Megaton nuclear warhead (600x more powerful than each bomb dropped on Japan). There were about 50 Titans in silos back then, now all concreted (Except the museum) over due to newer technology (oh sorry - weapons of mass destruction). As I looked down the silo for the first time and saw the missle there with my own eyes, my opinion of mankind instantly went in the toilet.
What sort of idiocy would lead a society to create such large and so many WMD? A few for preventative measures (Of smaller size)- ok. Enough to blow up the world dozens of times? Lunacy. Later I found out the Russians tested a 50 Megaton bomb (Look it up). Of course today, we don't build them as large, but there are a heck of a lot more in total and coverage (submarines) and more dangerous (MIRVs). Watching this video at times made me ashamed to even call myself a human. We are just self-glorifying apes aren't we? Prone to mass hysteria, fear, greed via the military -industrial complex, and riding the wave of inertia I suppose. Stock markets, genocides, and fads come to mind.
Having been born in the 1970s I personally could not identify with the hilarious duck and cover scenes. I still can't get the turtles out of my head. I grew up in a generation where our idea of nuclear war is Terminator and T2 and an occassional TV special on a nuclear holocaust.
Since early 2003 I have seen the destruction caused (And rebuilding) in Hiroshima, Japan, the Los Alamos Museum, and have driven across New Mexico - passing near Trinity. Also the Int'l Spy Museum in WA DC which has a section on nuclear espionage. Next up - the Nevada Test Site! www.atomictraveler.com is a good site.
This video is a wonderful insight into the mindset back then. I wonder how many thought - maybe I wouldn't want to be alive. So much thought on fallout shelters. Why bother? Party till you drop! The video was actually too "painful" to watch after 30 minutes - I had to stop and watch the rest later. An odd combination of humor and sadness. The Atomic Cafe is much better than over-rated Radio Bikini. Some scenes in Atomic Cafe are duplicated in Radio Bikini too.
The funny thing is, with all the ignorance (Of existing nuclear weapons in existence), fear-mongering, talk of WMD prevention despite huge existing stockpiles of our own, use of new 20k pound convential bombs, paranoia, etc, it makes me wonder how much farther we actually have (or haven't) come since the 50s and 60s.
Rating:
Summary: Superb film which captures early Cold-War insanity
Review: Atomic Cafe is an excellent collection of short clips from newsreel, government film, and God-awful gospel-country music singing of atomic doom. Used with "The Atomic Bomb Movie", an excellent look back at the "duck and cover" days (remember those drills in school?).
Rating:
Summary: Never did annihilation sound so cheerful !
Review: Be prepared to roll on the floor with laughter.When you watch these excerpts from 50's government "educational" films,the only rational possible response to the inanity and unintentional black humor that follows will be to laugh.If you want to see how inherently ridiculous the human race really is,then look no further:a cartoon that deflects radiation off its chest as though it were superman,the "duck and cover" kiddies,godawful jingles,and horrid actors blithely mouthing dialogue so preposterous it'll remind you of those infamous films you saw in junior high school health classes.Nuclear annihilation is presented so casually and flippantly in these old films it can only be described as a perfect synthesis of stupidity,cynicism and insanity.Watch with disbelief as humanity stares into the abyss...and blankly mouths "duck and cover".Forget Stephen King and Richard Pryor.The Atomic cafe is all the horror and comedy you'll ever need.
Rating: 
Summary: Movie - 5 Stars - DVD - 3 Stars - Average - 4 Stars
Review: Before Peter Kuran and his special effects magic on old atomic films, there was "The Atomic Café." It's a psuedo-documentary (it's all pieces of old Civil Defense, nuclear testing, and government films cobbled together, with some newsreel footage to boot) by Jayne Loader and Kevin Rafferty (George W. Bush's cousin, who later added his talents to a little production called "Roger and Me.") The humor is dark (and funny) only in retrospect, as "The Atomic Café" explores some of the most insidious and stupid moments of the cold war. It starts with the Manhattan Project and the effects of the Bomb on Japan, and segues right into the Rosenberg's trial and the insanity of McCarthyism. Next, you have the famous "duck and cover" films along with lesser-known civil defense stuff, including fallout shelter plans and so forth. There is little narration, and what you hear, comes from the Rosenberg's testimony, army technicians explaining how radiation can be avoided (yeah, right) and the viewer's own common sense, saying, "man, we really believed this hogwash once, and it helped us sleep better at night." This new DVD presentation gives us the film in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio, with a two-channel stereo soundtrack. The print is decent, but as none of these old films were restored before compilation, there is grain and color loss throughout, but it's a problem with the source material, not the DVD itself (this is how Atomic Café was supposed to look). The sound is the biggest disappointment: Kuran was kind enough to give his Atomic films a dynamic 5.1 DD soundtrack, and Atomic Café sounds more like a radio broadcast than a DVD. Plus, there are zero extras to speak of. Normally, extras do not make a DVD (how many times are you going to watch them, anyway?) but this is one of those times when an interview, or a commentary track, or even a movie trailer, would have been nice. All in all: worth the price, especially to an Atomic collector. This film belongs on the shelf of any serious nuke-film aficionado, and this DVD will probably be the best version we're going to see.
Rating:
Summary: Movie - 5 Stars - DVD - 3 Stars - Average - 4 Stars
Review: Before Peter Kuran and his special effects magic on old atomic films, there was "The Atomic Café." It's a psuedo-documentary (it's all pieces of old Civil Defense, nuclear testing, and government films cobbled together, with some newsreel footage to boot) by Jayne Loader and Kevin Rafferty (George W. Bush's cousin, who later added his talents to a little production called "Roger and Me.") The humor is dark (and funny) only in retrospect, as "The Atomic Café" explores some of the most insidious and stupid moments of the cold war. It starts with the Manhattan Project and the effects of the Bomb on Japan, and segues right into the Rosenberg's trial and the insanity of McCarthyism. Next, you have the famous "duck and cover" films along with lesser-known civil defense stuff, including fallout shelter plans and so forth. There is little narration, and what you hear, comes from the Rosenberg's testimony, army technicians explaining how radiation can be avoided (yeah, right) and the viewer's own common sense, saying, "man, we really believed this hogwash once, and it helped us sleep better at night." This new DVD presentation gives us the film in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio, with a two-channel stereo soundtrack. The print is decent, but as none of these old films were restored before compilation, there is grain and color loss throughout, but it's a problem with the source material, not the DVD itself (this is how Atomic Café was supposed to look). The sound is the biggest disappointment: Kuran was kind enough to give his Atomic films a dynamic 5.1 DD soundtrack, and Atomic Café sounds more like a radio broadcast than a DVD. Plus, there are zero extras to speak of. Normally, extras do not make a DVD (how many times are you going to watch them, anyway?) but this is one of those times when an interview, or a commentary track, or even a movie trailer, would have been nice. All in all: worth the price, especially to an Atomic collector. This film belongs on the shelf of any serious nuke-film aficionado, and this DVD will probably be the best version we're going to see.
Rating:
Summary: Movie - 5 Stars - DVD - 3 Stars - Average - 4 Stars
Review: Before Peter Kuran and his special effects magic on old atomic films, there was "The Atomic Café." It's a psuedo-documentary (it's all pieces of old Civil Defense, nuclear testing, and government films cobbled together, with some newsreel footage to boot) by Jayne Loader and Kevin Rafferty (George W. Bush's cousin, who later added his talents to a little production called "Roger and Me.") The humor is dark (and funny) only in retrospect, as "The Atomic Café" explores some of the most insidious and stupid moments of the cold war. It starts with the Manhattan Project and the effects of the Bomb on Japan, and segues right into the Rosenberg's trial and the insanity of McCarthyism. Next, you have the famous "duck and cover" films along with lesser-known civil defense stuff, including fallout shelter plans and so forth. There is little narration, and what you hear, comes from the Rosenberg's testimony, army technicians explaining how radiation can be avoided (yeah, right) and the viewer's own common sense, saying, "man, we really believed this hogwash once, and it helped us sleep better at night." This new DVD presentation gives us the film in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio, with a two-channel stereo soundtrack. The print is decent, but as none of these old films were restored before compilation, there is grain and color loss throughout, but it's a problem with the source material, not the DVD itself (this is how Atomic Café was supposed to look). The sound is the biggest disappointment: Kuran was kind enough to give his Atomic films a dynamic 5.1 DD soundtrack, and Atomic Café sounds more like a radio broadcast than a DVD. Plus, there are zero extras to speak of. Normally, extras do not make a DVD (how many times are you going to watch them, anyway?) but this is one of those times when an interview, or a commentary track, or even a movie trailer, would have been nice. All in all: worth the price, especially to an Atomic collector. This film belongs on the shelf of any serious nuke-film aficionado, and this DVD will probably be the best version we're going to see.
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