The Atomic Cafe: 1982 documentary on the bombing of Hiroshima, Nagasaki & Cold War propaganda
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Comments below quoted from source
Not a moment too soon, THE ATOMIC CAFE is back to provide us with a much-needed release of comic energy. A dark comedy in the truest sense, this timeless classic took the nation by storm when it first debuted in 1982. The film recounts a defining period of 20th century history and serves as a chilling and often hilarious reminder of cold-war era paranoia in the United States--artfully presented through a collage of newsreel footage, government archives, military training films, and fifties music. Profoundly shocking and perversely topical, THE ATOMIC CAFE craftily captures a panicked nation, offering a fascinating and witty account of life during the atomic age and resulting cold war, when fall-out shelters, duck-and-cover drills, and government propaganda were all a part of our social consciousness.
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Prepare students to view the video, "The Atomic Cafe," by asking them to put themselves in the place of school children of the 1950s and to think about how they would have reacted to the anti-communist educational campaign and popular songs of the period. After the film, ask first for immediate reactions uncensored by rational argument or information. Using these responses as a starting point, ask them how much they know about the development of nuclear weapons, delivery systems and proliferation. There are several good visual representations of the total stockpile of nuclear weapons available from groups such as SANE-FREEZE, American Friends Service Committee or the Union of Concerned Scientists. With the end of the Cold War and dismantling of certain classes of weapons by the superpowers, two new concerns which today's students must live with are the disposal of containments and the proliferation of nuclear technology and its possible use in regional conflicts.
