The Atomic Cafe

"A hot spot in a cold war."

1982 1h 26m EN

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 78

DocumentaryHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A disturbing collection of 1940s and 1950s United States government-issued propaganda films designed to reassure Americans that the atomic bomb was not a threat to their safety.

“A hot spot in a cold war.”

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Cast

Harry S. Truman
Self (archive footage)
Lyndon B. Johnson
Self (archive footage)
Nikita Khrushchev
Self (archive footage)
Lewis Strauss
Self (archive footage)
Julius Rosenberg
Self (archive footage)
Ethel Rosenberg
Self (archive footage)
Paul Tibbets
Self (archive footage)
Lloyd Bentsen
Self (archive footage)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jayne Loader
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

86 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.3M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 7% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

44 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Kevin Rafferty shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Harry S. Truman and Lyndon B. Johnson and Nikita Khrushchev carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A hot spot in a cold war.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jayne Loader directs. Kevin Rafferty cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

186 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Shot for just $0.3M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
3Earned back only 7% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
444 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
5Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
6Editor Kevin Rafferty shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Harry S. Truman and Lyndon B. Johnson and Nikita Khrushchev carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "A hot spot in a cold war.".
9IMDB entry: tt0083590 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 78 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.