Dramas based upon the cold war have a long history stretching back to the 50s. Most of the good ones were from early in the era. This one comes from near the end but it is a surprising good one.
The story is fairly predictable. Because of a misunderstanding, a nuclear conflict is initiated. There are various opportunities to draw things back but, because of a few bloodthirsty types, usually in US, the conflict continues to escalate and the horror continues to increase.
The show continues a few stereotypes:
Pilots are self centered and vain.
Women don't have the commitment to accomplish a hard mission.
Praying/Christian types are war mongers.
The Soviet Union isn't all that bad.
The US Navy is morally and intellectually superior to the other service (OK, this one is just my bias)
Nuclear wars are absurdly easy to trigger.
Despite the predictability, the film works. It is interesting, it has some interesting characters, it presents some horrible possibilities and there are some really honorable people. James Earl Jones in particular gives a strong and honorable performance as the airborne commander of the Looking Glass plane.
This is not very enlightening or edifying but it was interesting. Its worth watching if you have nothing better to do.
Very Scary
This is the most scary thing I ever seen and I would recommend this DVD for everyone.
By Dawn's Early Light
I saw a glimpse of this movie earlier on HBO and was interested enough to purchase the DVD. Too bad I didn't watch the movie first when it was free! James Earl Jone's acting abilities were wasted on this movie, and I won't comment on the others.
I'm glad that our armed forces are not as inept as portrayed
in this film. Sorry I can't be more complimentary, but.....
Few American movies have dealt as graphically with nuclear holocaust as The Day After, which accounted for the controversy that surrounded the telefilm at the time of its initial network broadcast. In previous films, nuclear warfare was a matter for crusading politicians or military might, but here, both are kept in the background (the airman played by William Allen Young is more concerned with returning to his new wife than his duties) and the focus is fixed firmly on middle America--literally so, as the setting is Lawrence, Kansas, the near-center of the country. Audiences are briefly introduced to a representative cross-section of American life, including a doctor (Jason Robards), a young bride-to-be (Lori Lethin), a graduate student (Steve Guttenberg), and an academic (John... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Nicholas Meyer DVD Release Date: Released the 18 May 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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I AM PRETTY EASY TO PLEASE WHEN IT COMES TO MOVIES.LOW BUDGET,HIGH BUDGET,DOESN'T MATTER.THIS MOVIE IS ACTUALLY THE WORST MOVIE I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY 45 YEARS OF VIEWING.WAS TOTALLY NOT BELIEVABLE AND THE WRITING AND DIRECTING WAS SHABBY AT BEST.DON'T WASTE YOUR HARD EARNED BUCKS ON THIS LEMON!!!!! More Info about this DVD Director(s): Robert Iscove DVD Release Date: Released the 08 July 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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There seemed to be a particular spike in nuclear-war paranoia in the early 1980s, probably having to do Reagan's finger being on the trigger. Whatever the cause, it resulted in two particularly powerful 1983 films on the subject: the made-for-TV The Day After and Lynne Littman's Testament, which had a theatrical release before playing on PBS's American Playhouse. Starring Jane Alexander (and Kevin Costner in a cameo), the film shows what happens to a suburban family in the Pacific Northwest after a nearby nuclear attack. As it turns out, those killed by the initial blast are the lucky ones; Alexander and her family must suffer through radiation poisoning and sickness, the daily diminution of life this causes, and, for Alexander, the eventual deaths of those around... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Jane Alexander - William Devane - Rossie Harris - Roxana Zal Director(s): Lynne Littman DVD Release Date: Released the 07 December 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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What do you do when you're given the deadline for the end of the world? Steve De Jarnatt's insidiously clever and utterly gripping nuclear thriller begins as a romantic lark--amiable swing trombonist Anthony Edwards meets girl of his dreams Mare Winningham--and turns into a nightmarish vision of society out of control. It all turns on the chance pick-up of a ringing pay phone at 4 a.m. and a panicked voice breathlessly warning Edwards that World War III has been launched. Genuine wake-up call or elaborate prank? De Jarnatt plays his hand close to the chest, which only increases the unnerving tension as word spreads like a contagion. Future E.R. star Edwards is perfectly cast as the everyman driven to reckless desperation and director De Jarnatt creates wonders on a small budget.... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Anthony Edwards - Mare Winningham Director(s): Steve De Jarnatt DVD Release Date: Released the 03 June 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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I would not buy this DVD again because it is in 4/3 format instead of the original Letter Box/16/9 More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Eric Braeden - Susan Clark Director(s): Joseph Sargent DVD Release Date: Released the 23 November 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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