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The Atomic Cafe

Armageddon has never been so darkly funny. This 1982 cult classic juxtaposes Cold War history, propaganda, music and culture, seamlessly crafted from government-produced educational and training films, newsreels and advertisements.
The Atomic Cafe is rated 4.0 out of 5 by 3.
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Rated 3 out of 5 by from Interesting retro look at 1950s nuclear propaganda A cute pastiche of old 1940s-1950s black and white clips that may be more entertaining for those who did not live through the duck-and-cover school days, just like shown toward the end. Three stars for its retro charm and lack of pretension, but only 3 because it also lacks any cohesive narrative or substantial artistic effort. When released in 1982 it resonated with Reagan's posturing on the eve of the USSR's collapse - now it's merely mildly amusing.
Date published: 2023-01-17
Rated 4 out of 5 by from Enjoyable Throwback Movie to a Nuclear Dawn Watching this movie was extremely enjoyable and kept my interest. I enjoyed seeing what was originally put out to the public concerning our knowledge and expectations of the atomic bomb, radiation, and future use. There was a lot of spots that were humorous and other spots where you were shocked and couldn't grasp how the people of that era came to some of their conclusions. Worth at least watching once and Operation Teacup is going to be a new area of study fo rme.
Date published: 2022-12-30
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Educational but wrongly described This is a brilliant piece of cinema. I have never seen a single piece of media that makes it so clear how America was completely snowed by capitalist propaganda and the military industrial complex after World War II. I would recommend it to anyone. That being said, the subject matter and the truth of how it has shaped our nation, our world, and our lives today is absolutely bone-chilling, and anyone who would regard this movie as "funny" would have to be a psychopath.
Date published: 2022-05-17
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Overview

Armageddon has never been so darkly funny. This 1982 cult classic juxtaposes Cold War history, propaganda, music and culture, seamlessly crafted from government-produced educational and training films, newsreels and advertisements.

About

Kevin Gelshenen Rafferty II (May 25, 1947 – July 2, 2020) was an American documentary film cinematographer, director, and producer, best known for his 1982 documentary The Atomic Cafe.

By This Director

Jayne Loader was born in Weatherford, Texas and grew up in Fort Worth. Following the release of The Atomic Cafe, she wrote a novel, Between Pictures, and a collection of short stories, "Wild America", both published by Grove Press. In 1995, Jayne shifted gears yet again and created a CD-ROM and website, "Public Shelter,” featuring “WWWench," one of the first blogs. During the 2000s, Jayne and her husband, the astronomer Robert Kirshner, were Masters of Quincy House at Harvard College. She lives in Portola Valley, California and Friendship, Maine.

By This Director

Following the release of The Atomic Cafe in 1982, Pierce Rafferty co-founded Petrified Films, an independent stock footage library located in the Meat Market District, New York City. From 1984 to 1994, Petrified's holdings grew exponentially to include various corporate in-house libraries, including those of Warner Bros. (pre-1951) and Columbia Pictures (pre-1965). In 1994, Petrified Films sold its collection to Image Bank, a company that was subsequently purchased by Getty Images. In 2002, Pierce moved to Fishers Island, NY, where he works as the director of the Henry L. Ferguson Museum, an institution with archaeological, natural history and history collections, that also holds and manages the island’s only Land Trust.

By This Director

The Atomic Café

01: The Atomic Café

Armageddon has never been so darkly funny. This 1982 cult classic juxtaposes Cold War history, propaganda, music and culture, seamlessly crafted from government-produced educational and training films, newsreels and advertisements.

87 min