The Beginning or the End

Feb 19, 1947

1h 52m

★ 6.1

Behind a forbidden door is a terrifying secret!

Overview

The research, development, and deployment of the first atomic bomb, as well as the bombing of Hiroshima, are detailed in this docudrama.

Genres

Drama

Documentary

History

War

Production Companies

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

The Beginning or the End Trailers

Cast

Maj. Gen. Leslie R. Groves

Brian Donlevy

Col. Jeff Nixon

Robert Walker

Matt Cochran

Tom Drake

Anne Cochran

Beverly Tyler

Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer

Hume Cronyn

Jean O'Leary

Audrey Totter

Dr. John Wyatt

Hurd Hatfield

Dr. Enrico Fermi

Joseph Calleia

President Franklin D. Roosevelt

Godfrey Tearle

Dr. Marre

Victor Francen

Dr. Chisholm

Richard Haydn

Dr. Vannevar Bush

Jonathan Hale

At 89, Doctor Hida, a survivor of the 1945 atomic bomb at Hiroshima, continues to care for some of the other quarter of a million survivors. Atomic Wounds retraces his dedicated journey and highlights how the terrible danger of radiation was concealed by successive American administrations in the 50's - 70's so that nuclear power could be freely developed, with no concern for public health.

7.5

Empire of the Sun

Dec 9, 1987

Jamie Graham, a privileged English boy, is living in Shanghai when the Japanese invade and force all foreigners into prison camps. Jamie is captured with an American sailor, who looks out for him while they are in the camp together. Even though he is separated from his parents and in a hostile environment, Jamie maintains his dignity and youthful spirit, providing a beacon of hope for the others held captive with him.

7.4

Hiroshima

Oct 7, 1953

Historical fiction about the aftermath of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, on 6 August 1945, and its effects on various civilians, especially children, of that city.

0.0

Millions of crosses

Jan 27, 2025

A short documentary made from archival footage that explores the various dynamics of Japan and the U.S.A. during ww2

0.0

Nuclear Armageddon: How Close Are We?

Jan 18, 2024

With the Doomsday Clock the closest it's ever been to midnight, Jane Corbin investigates the proliferation of nuclear weapons across the globe. She visits Los Alamos, home to the United States’ nuclear weapons development facility and the historic home of Oppenheimer’s Manhattan Project. In Scotland, she reveals the strategy behind Britain’s nuclear deterrent, and speaks to campaigners in Suffolk fighting against US weapons they fear will be based on UK soil. Jane also discovers how many of the global agreements and safeguards that have constrained the spread of nuclear weapons since the 1970s are breaking down. This is a story told by the scientists, investigators and diplomats who set the clock and have fought to ensure that the ultimate deterrent has not been used in over 70 years.

0.0

Effects of the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Jan 1, 1946

This was the only documentary made in the aftermath of the atomic bombings of 1945. Japanese filmmakers entered the two cities intent on making an appeal to the International Red Cross, but were promptly arrested by newly arriving American troops. The Americans and Japanese eventually worked together to produce this film, a science film unemotionally displaying the effects of atomic particles, blast and fire on everything from concrete to human flesh. No other filmmakers were allowed into the cities, and when the film was done the Americans crated everything up and shipped it to an unknown location. That footage is now lost. However, an American and a Japanese filmmaker each stole and hid a copy of the film, fearful that the reality of Hiroshima and Nagasaki would be hidden from history. Eventually, these prints surfaced and became our only precious archive of the aftermath of nuclear warfare -- a film that everyone knows in part, yet has rarely seen in its entirety.

0.0

Uncle Jack: Manhattan Project and Beyond

Nov 12, 2016

The Manhattan Project was an enormous undertaking that required the efforts of many of the world's most brilliant intellectuals. Hundreds of physicists, mathematicians, and engineers were needed to design, build, and test the world's first atomic weapon and the Unites States government did everything in its power to lure these individuals to the Manhattan Project. Documentary to include: Interviews with Scientists conducted by the World War II Foundation Interviews with World War II Historians Interviews with WWII veterans Interviews with those who worked with John Gray in the world of Atomic Energy Interviews with authors who have written extensively about the Manhattan Project Interviews with people from the world of academia. This film is personal: One of those assigned to the project was my uncle John Edmund Gray, a University of Rhode Island graduate with a brilliant mind. —Tim Gray

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.

7.3

Kabei: Our Mother

Jan 26, 2008

Set in Tokyo in 1940, the peaceful life of the Nogami Family suddenly changes when the father, Shigeru, is arrested and accused of being a Communist. His wife Kayo works frantically from morning to night to maintain the household and bring up her two daughters with the support of Shigeru's sister Hisako and Shigeru's ex-student Yamazaki, but her husband does not return. WWII breaks out and casts dark shadows on the entire country, but Kayo still tries to keep her cheerful determination, and sustain the family with her love. This is an emotional drama of a mother and an eternal message for peace.

6.9

The Heroes of Telemark

Nov 12, 1965

Set in German-occupied Norway, resistance fighter Knut Straud enlists the reluctant physicist Rolf Pedersen in an effort to destroy the German heavy water production plant in rural Telemark.

7.2

Rhapsody in August

May 25, 1991

An elderly Nagasaki hibakusha spends a summer caring for her four grandchildren, whose curiosity about the 1945 bombing stirs buried memories and moral questions. When an American nephew from Hawaii visits, the family confronts grief, guilt, and the possibility of reconciliation across generations.

6.6

The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms

Jun 13, 1953

The controlled explosion of an atomic bomb in the Arctic Circle awakens a frozen dinosaur that will wreak havoc in New York City.

6.2

Panic in Year Zero!

Jul 5, 1962

While on a fishing trip, Harry Baldwin and his family hear an explosion and realize that Los Angeles has been leveled by a nuclear attack. Looters and killers are everywhere. Escaping to the hills with his family, he sets about the business of surviving in a world where, he knows, the old ideals of humanity will be the first casualties.

0.0

Radio Love

Feb 1, 2014

No overview available.

7.5

White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Aug 6, 2007

Steven Okazaki presents a deeply moving look at the painful legacy of the first -- and hopefully last -- uses of nuclear weapons in war. Featuring interviews with fourteen atomic bomb survivors - many who have never spoken publicly before - and four Americans intimately involved in the bombings, White Light/Black Rain provides a detailed exploration of the bombings and their aftermath.

8.0

Oppenheimer

Jul 19, 2023

The story of J. Robert Oppenheimer's role in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II.

7.3

Battles Without Honor and Humanity

Jan 13, 1973

In the teeming black markets of postwar Japan, Shozo Hirono and his buddies find themselves in a new war between factious and ambitious yakuza.

6.4

The Sum of All Fears

May 31, 2002

When the president of Russia suddenly dies, a man whose politics are virtually unknown succeeds him. The change in political leaders sparks paranoia among American CIA officials, so CIA director Bill Cabot recruits a young analyst to supply insight and advice on the situation. Then the unthinkable happens: a nuclear bomb explodes in a U.S. city, and America is quick to blame the Russians.