The Day After

"They told us it would be impossible to make this movie. They told us it would be impossible for you to watch it. We hope nothing is impossible."

1983 2h 7m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

🍅

86%

FRESH

⭐

IMDB

★6.8TMDB · 467🍅86%Rotten Tomatoes★7IMDB · 20,679

Science FictionDramaTV Movie

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In the mid-1980s, the U.S. is poised on the brink of nuclear war. This shadow looms over the residents of a small town in Kansas as they continue their daily lives. Dr. Russell Oakes maintains his busy schedule at the hospital, Denise Dahlberg prepares for her upcoming wedding, and Stephen Klein is deep in his graduate studies. When the unthinkable happens and the bombs come down, the town's residents are thrust into the horrors of nuclear winter.

“They told us it would be impossible to make this movie. They told us it would be impossible for you to watch it. We hope nothing is impossible.”

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Cast

Jason Robards
Dr. Russell Oakes
JoBeth Williams
Nurse Nancy Bauer
Steve Guttenberg
Stephen Klein
John Cullum
Jim Dahlberg
John Lithgow
Joe Huxley
Bibi Besch
Eve Dahlberg
Lori Lethin
Denise Dahlberg
Amy Madigan
Alison Ransom

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Nicholas Meyer
Writers: Edward Hume
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 / 7

ERA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Nicholas Meyer, shot by Gayne Rescher. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by David Raksin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Jason Robards and JoBeth Williams and Steve Guttenberg carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "They told us it would be impossible to make this movie. They told us it would be impossible for you to watch it. We hope nothing is impossible.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0085404 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Nicholas Meyer directs. Gayne Rescher behind the camera. David Raksin scores. Robert Florio cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

143 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by Nicholas Meyer, shot by Gayne Rescher. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by David Raksin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Robert Florio shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Jason Robards and JoBeth Williams and Steve Guttenberg carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "They told us it would be impossible to make this movie. They told us it would be impossible for you to watch it. We hope nothing is impossible.".
7IMDB entry: tt0085404 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 44 themes, including "high school", "environmental protection agency", "nuclear war", "isolation".

The technical file

Cinematography: Gayne Rescher
Original score: David Raksin
Editing: Robert Florio
Production design: Peter Wooley
Makeup / hair: Zoltan Elek
Sound: Frank Serafine
Stunt coordinator: Paul Stader
Runtime: 127 min · 2h 7m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Day After (1983)
Rotten Tomatoes: 86% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 7/10 · 20,679 votes
MPAA: TV-PG

Awards

Won 2 Primetime Emmys. 6 wins & 11 nominations total

Also by

Nicholas Meyer

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

talisencrw2016-07-03
★ 9/10
This was solid and, considering its epoch, scary. I remember being a teen when this came up, and with U.S./Soviet relations at a nadir, nuclear war films were just starting to appear on the cinephile's radar once again, after taking a breather from their 60's heyday for the sake of the glut of natural disaster films that hit theatres in the interim. This was one of the first and best, simply because director Nicholas Meyer was so good at sci-fi. I fervently wish he had made a lot more movies.
znapper2017-02-21
★ 8/10
Well worth the view and it's surprisingly hard-hitting, for an American movie. TDA depict the full nuclear exchange between NATO and the Warsaw-pact and how this affect the population in and around Kansas. I think TDA really works better as a pure movie, because it is. Compared to the UK-made "Threads", which is more of a docudrama, TDA sets the scene and develop the characters. Many of the characters also survive the initial attack and we follow them 2-4 weeks after the initial attack. Even though TDA was both politically incorrect at the time and is also pretty bleak and scary, it does fall into the trap of being more of a movie than a film meant to shock and present facts. Some of the cheesy dialogue and characters also feels a little 'meh' (love stories, family-drama etc). Threads also has some of that, but avoid the most cheesy moments, because it's more 'real' than 'played out by actors'. Anyway, TDA works well, it will keep you seated and you will indeed feel moved by the buildup and attack-scene, as well as the aftermath. Acting is for the most part very good and the film flows nicely trough the story. The thing I don't like too much with TDA, is that it does pull it's punches concerning the consequences of such a nuclear exchange and it does leave the viewer with a slightly positive outlook, that things will improve in time and that mankind will prevail. Dr. Oakes, one of the main-characters in the film is probably the voice of the most realistic views on what is to come, but his views aren't lifted up as being the view of the movie itself. Still a highly recommended film, it does cover a subject only covered properly by this and the UK made 'Threads'.
Nutshell2019-08-03
★ 7/10
James Robards is exceptional in this sad nuclear holocaust fable, made for TV but a top notch production in most all respects.