The Atomic Cafe - Ending

It's pretty amazing how this entire film was made from real interviews and newspaper reels and everything in the archives. How were they able to get all of this and edit it together so nicely to get across their message? This documentary was able to show how all this war was just absurd and how the government was able to trick people into believing that the bomb was a good thing and that it would be easy to just go down to a shelter and be safe. Those scenes where people were practicing how to get under a desk or rush into the shelters were amusing as they 'ducked and covered.' It shows us that the dropping of the bomb was not as justified as they made it seem. The ending where the man says to his children, "there's nothing to do now but wait for orders from the authorities and relax" was very clever. I really enjoyed this film; it was a good film to end with.

The Atomic Cafe

While the movie is a documentary and should have an unbiased view, it is leaning towards one side. It is made up of real news footage and news reels and doesn't have a voiceover telling us what is going on. It shows that war seems like a game for the higher up generals and presidents. The scene where the President was actually laughing about something like the atomic bomb shocked me. It seems like at the time, no one knew the full extent of damage that the atomic bomb could cause. The pictures of what the bomb did in Japan were just gruesome and shocking. The power of the bomb is bigger than humans can control. The documentary, like Dr. Strangelove, has a light tone about nuclear warfare, showing scenes where they are using tape on an atomic bomb.

Dr. Strangelove

Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. I liked this movie because it really showed the irony of the Cold War situation. By turning the MAD and the end of the world into a satire, the director made the film very special. If it was made as a serious movie like it was going to be originally, it would have just bee another film. The film portrays war as just a game that big boys are playing.
When they were in the War Room, the general was worried about the Russian Ambassador seeing the 'Big Board' when it didn't really matter because the world was going to end. It was ironic when the President said, "Gentlemen, you can't fight in there. This the War Room." (I added that quote to my favorites). General Ripper was a strange character. I don't really understand his obsession with bodily fluids.
Dr. Strangelove's hand represents the lack of control. Even though the Americans and the Russians built these missiles, they ultimately do not have control as Dr. Strangelove's hand that is a part of him is something else entirely. Thumbs up for this film!