The Atomic Cafe

Mar 17, 1982

1h 26m

★ 7.3

A hot spot in a cold war.

Overview

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.

Genres

Documentary

History

Production Companies

The Archives Project

The Atomic Cafe Trailers

Cast

Self (archive footage)

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

An exploration —manipulated and staged— of life in Las Hurdes, in the province of Cáceres, in Extremadura, Spain, as it was in 1932. Insalubrity, misery and lack of opportunities provoke the emigration of young people and the solitude of those who remain in the desolation of one of the poorest and least developed Spanish regions at that time.

4.7

Railway Station

Jan 1, 1980

Warsaw's Central Railway Station. 'Someone has fallen asleep, someone's waiting for somebody else. Maybe they'll come, maybe they won't. The film is about people looking for something.

0.0

Ieri è Oggi

Jun 4, 2025

No overview available.

8.0

Countries

Jan 16, 2021

Deep in the frozen winters of Siberia, the world's greatest weapon is discovered -- a golden Sharpie which grants its country ultimate power. The only question: which country?

7.5

Merchants of Doubt

Nov 8, 2014

Spin doctors spread misinformation and confusion among American citizens to delay progress on such important issues as global climate change.

6.5

The Polygon

Nov 4, 2014

The Polygon shines a light on the village of Sarzhal in East Kazakhstan, situated only 18kms from the perimeter of the former Semipalatinsk Test Site, that was home to over 600 nuclear detonations. Between 1949 and 1991 the Soviet Union detonated 116 above ground bombs, whose massive radioactive mushroom clouds were witnessed by thousands of innocent and unsuspecting Kazakh villagers. They gazed openmouthed at the spectacle, completely unaware that nuclear fallout was raining down on them, their children, livestock and homes. 20 years after the closure of The Polygon they are still suffering high rates of cancer, cancer related diseases and mental illness. The Polygon takes us on a journey from the twisted Cold War experiments to those victims who remain today, still suffering despite the emergence of Kazakhstan as a major economic player on the global stage.

0.0

Heroes' War in Snow and Ice

Sep 12, 1917

Heroic Struggle in Snow and Ice is a 1917 Austro-Hungarian propaganda newsreel film produced by Sascha-Film for the Imperial and Royal War Press Headquarters. The film is hand-colored and presented in two parts. It depicts the fighting on the Alpine Front between Italy and Austria-Hungary.

5.7

Victory Through Air Power

Jul 17, 1943

Based on the book by Major Alexander de Seversky's about his theories of the practical uses of long range strategic bombing. Using a combination of animation humorously telling about the development of air warfare, the film shows de Seversky illustrating his ideas of how air power could win World War II for the Allies.

7.2

Trinity and Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Movie

Sep 29, 1995

"Trinity and Beyond" is an unsettling yet visually fascinating documentary presenting the history of nuclear weapons development and testing between 1945-1963. Narrated by William Shatner and featuring an original score performed by the Moscow Symphony Orchestra, this award-winning documentary reveals previously unreleased and classified government footage from several countries.

No Image Available

0.0

Albania

Jan 1, 1945

Made by the highly influential Russian cameraman Roman Karmen, this documentary vividly features Albanian life immediately after the communists came to power in 1944. The film is especially memorable since it’s missing much of the heavy socialist realism that marked Albanian doc making. Shortly after he completed the film, Karmen set off for Berlin to shoot the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany.

0.0

Whispers of Freedom

Nov 1, 2024

Described by Deadline Hollywood as the "tragic true story" of Chris Gueffroy, it follows one of the last daring attempts to escape across the infamous Berlin Wall.

7.5

Camp Century: The Hidden City Beneath the Ice

Jan 8, 2020

How in 1959, during the heat of the Cold War, the government of the United States decided to create a secret military base located in the far north of Greenland: Camp Century, almost a real town with roads and houses, a nuclear plant to provide power and silos to house missiles aimed at the Soviet Union.

0.0

Reverse

Apr 18, 2025

They came to Donbass from different countries in search of truth. And they stayed on for the sake of those whose voices were not heard. Dialogues about war and duty, a long search for meaning amidst the ruins, working with tragic footage. This is a film about those for whom Donbass has become a refuge of truth.

7.2

Helvetica

Sep 12, 2007

Helvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. It looks at the proliferation of one typeface (which will celebrate its 50th birthday in 2007) as part of a larger conversation about the way type affects our lives. The film is an exploration of urban spaces in major cities and the type that inhabits them, and a fluid discussion with renowned designers about their work, the creative process, and the choices and aesthetics behind their use of type.

0.0

All that remains

May 5, 2016

The true story of Dr. Takashi Nagai, scientific pioneer, war hero, Christian convert and survivor of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, who worked tirelessly in his efforts to heal the wounds of a country utterly devastated by war.

0.0

Atomic: History Of The A-Bomb

Jan 1, 2019

The smallest of sparks can lead to the largest of explosions. Such is the case of the Atomic Bomb and the minds who have conceived of the deadliest force the world has ever known. This new documentary Atomic: The History of the A-Bomb follows this weapon of mass destruction from inception to detonation.

7.7

Hiroshima Mon Amour

Jun 10, 1959

The deep conversation between a Japanese architect and a French actress forms the basis of this celebrated French film, considered one of the vanguard productions of the French New Wave. Set in Hiroshima after the end of World War II, the couple -- lovers turned friends -- recount, over many hours, previous romances and life experiences. The two intertwine their stories about the past with pondering the devastation wrought by the atomic bomb dropped on the city.

6.5

K-19: The Widowmaker

Jul 19, 2002

When Russia's first nuclear submarine malfunctions on its maiden voyage, the crew must race to save the ship and prevent a nuclear disaster.