nuclear war

When I was a kid I lived near Strategic Air Command outside of Omaha Nebraska. One night on the news I saw a simulation of what would happen if a nuclear bomb exploded in Omaha. To say I was traumatized would be a huge understatement (fuck you Dan Rather). From that point on I was obsessed with nuclear war. I spent my teenage years as one of those insufferable nuclear freeze people until I gave up and became an angry punk who thought humanity was doomed.

Part of my obsession was a constant search for images depicting nuclear war. I wanted to know what it looked like, what it would be like, when the end came. I watched every movie or TV show I could get me hands on. This of course did not calm my fears, but I have always been a bit of a masochist so I did it anyway.

The recent flap over the START treaty brought my anxiety about nuclear way back (though with a lot less intensity). I was trying to explain to a 24 year old coworker why the treaty was so essential and why nuclear disarmament is so important. I realized that we had grown up in totally different worlds and that people younger than me don’t remember the anxiety of the “we begin bombing in five minutes” world. So I am creating an archive of the insanity here. These are some of my favorites depictions of nuclear war, the boogeyman of my childhood.

The Day After: I actually watched this at a nuclear freeze meeting. The group had a viewing during the broadcast. My friend Patty lost it and sobbed for an hour after it was over. It is really not one of my faves, but it does have the guy form Third Rock from the sun and Steve Guttenberg. Here’s the money shot:

Threads: This is the British film that is a bit like The Day After. It is actually grimmer, and it is a lot more graphic. I love the honesty of this film (there will be no escape in a nuclear war). Here is a clip, but you can actually watch the whole film on YouTube if you would like.

Special Bulletin: This 1983 made for TV movie is about terrorists detonating a bomb in Charleston, South Carolina. This is formatted like a newscast in a sort of War of the Worlds kind of format. I watched this when it originally aired and didn’t sleep for a week afterwards.

When the Wind Blows: An animated film about an older British couple in the aftermath of a nuclear attack. This movie is actually quite sweet, and it has music by David Bowie.

Miriale Mile: The ultimate love story of the Cold War starring Anthony Edwards and Mare Winingham (bonus: Denise Crosby is in it also). Edwards finds the girl of his dreams on the night LA is attacked by the Soviets and he races to escape the city with his new love. This is a great movie.

Testament: A haunting, beautiful movie about the aftermath of a nuclear war for residents of a California suburb. This movie doesn’t have the gore or violence of the others (you never see the actual attack). Instead it focuses on the emotional story of a family trying to survive and adapt to their new reality. This is a wonderful film about the inhumanity of war and the decency and courage of ordinary people. ( No embedding on the clip and sorry about the audio, this was the best clip I could find).

Watch it here.

It is interesting to me that we seem to have all  forgotten about the risk of nuclear war. Because we somehow survived the Cold War we have grown complacent. However, it is foolish to think that the risk is gone. We should not let our hubris get the best of us and these movies are a little reminder of that. Sleep tight Crasstalkers, and dream of peace.