Movie: The Day After

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Anyone remember this movie about what would happen if there were a nuclear attack on the US?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2H1E02iMHg

Sure, it's one of my favourite disaster movies.

Sure,

I picked it up as soon as it came out here on DVD. A great "what-if" movie.

I remember going to see it with my classmates - there was a Yr 9 excursion to see it ('cos we were reading Z for Zachariah at the time). Everyone was stunned when all the cars stopped - we hadn't been taught about EMP then.

I remember it on tv back in the early 80's, there was another movie made in Britain called Threads, which was more frighting

I agree with the last post. "Threads" was far superior to the lame "The Day After."

Thats was one of the most depressing movies in the 80's, there was that other one If You Love This Planet a nuclear disarmament documentary by Helen Caldicott, one of the best documentaries on the effects of nuclear war, also check out one from the 1960's
On The Beach which was also a great but depressing movie

Sure I remember. That movie was intense.

(Mind you, the British mockumentary, "The War Game" was better.)

We had to watch clips from that in global history the other day, right before spring break. It was quite odd. But not the worst movie I ever watched in history. In 8th grade, we watched The Wind and the Lion. It was about the real-life Perdicaris incident, in which a US guy named Perdicris was abducted by the Moroccsan Raizulli and Teddy Roosevelt used his great power to free him. However, in this movie, Perdicaris was a woman who fell in love with the Raizulli. And there was also this big deal about a grizzly bear and Roosevelt, which I don't remember much about. But it was horrible.

I watched it last year. Depressing.

Threads was and still is an outstanding film. Admittedly it is a little dated, but it is infinitely disturbing. Perhaps more disturbing for me because I live within 25 miles of Sheffield, and within 6 miles of Finningley airbase, as was. It is un-nerving seeing places you know in such a situation, though by far the most frightening thing about that film are the truly ludicrous "Protect And Survive" advice clips, which are still knocking about on Youtube. I dont know what scares me more. The fact that anyone ever believed that a door and some mattresses would be a feasible shelter against a nuke, or that our government still peddles this shite as good advice against "terrorist" attacks...



[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IaeeSKpwSQ&feature=related[/youtube]

Now I want to see "Threads" but it's not available anywhere in Australia.

They knew it wasn't good advice. What else are they going to say? "Watch and die"? There's nothing you can do to save yourself. If that happens, and you're there, you're dead, period. If not immediately then soon after.

The advice they recycled is now aimed at surviving a slightly less "End Of The World" scenario. All the advice is essentially the same, but it makes no mention of nukes, merely euphemistic "emergencies." As a group the authorities were and still are aware that this crap is merely a placebo, akin to giving people oxygen on a crashing plane. It's makework, designed to stop panic and running around. Our government has never made suitable arrangements for the general populace to survive any nuclear exchange, however limited. The last time we got any help with bombing was during the blitz, and even then everyone ended up in the subways, which are NOT nuclear hardened, its worth noting.

Threads itself makes several pertinent comments about this.. the fact that there is a hierarchy of emergency services for every major city and town, and that the members of that hierarchy are usually IN said city, and thus DEAD, because they have no more efficient shelter than the proles. All of the major plant and manpower needed for a significant emergency was (and still is) located IN the cities and are thus DEAD as well.

Having said that, a limited nuclear exchange IS survivable, so long as you dont live too close to a major target. Sadly, I do, so when the sirens sound, I'll call last orders at the bar, and then get shockingly drunk as fast as I humanely can.

What country are you talking about? Nearly all of the US has no subways. Only major cities have subways, and even then, not all of them do. What we do have here are bomb shelters. They're in schools, town halls, places like that. They are leftovers from WWII but they probably still provide the best protection we're going to get in most disaster scenarios.

To clarify: I'm referring to the UK, which is the setting for the film "Threads".

We dont even have bomb shelters. From what I recall there is sufficient shelter provided for about 5% of the UK population, something incredibly small like that, as compared to one of the scandanavian nations (forget which) that can shelter something like 80%. Basically, the only people in the UK who will survive a nuclear war are the swine who helped start it. Happy days!

I liked "The Young Ones" when they have a nuclear bomb in their living room.

Neil follows appropriate advice; he paints himself white and hides under the table.

Also: Anyone who has seen "The Iron Giant" cartoon movie (a brilliant film) will notice that the kids are being taught that hiding under tables will keep them "nuclear-safe". Not too far from what they really were teaching in those days.