Radio Bikini (1988)
WMB Rating:
(No Ratings Yet) 
Loading ...
Radio Bikini is a short documentary that explores the "able" and "baker" nuclear weapons tests at Bikini Atoll in 1946. Actually the movie is sort of a two-fold documentary.
One part examines the "takeover" of the atoll by American forces and the subsequent "relocation" of the native peoples. Basically they fed them a bunch of hooey and afterwards none of them were very pleased about it. Can you really blame them? What were they going to do? "Oh, hai. We're here to blow up your island, you'd probably better leave." I mean, really. It's an unfortunate but unsurprising story.
Then, there's the second part. Probably the most disturbing. What happens to you after you're exposed to metric sh*tloads of atomic fallout and radiation. In hindsight its shocking to think that the military would just hand these guys a set of welding glasses and say, "hey, watch this!" But, on the other hand we really didn't have a clue exactly *what* would happen. To listen to these guys, it was pretty much a matter of daily business, and not until years later did the true effects manifest themselves. It's almost funny in an ironic sort of way, to watch these guys mulling about on the decks of the ships that were at the center of the blast, smiling as the doctors hold up the pegged Geiger counters....
Almost. Then you realize how completely screwed up it all was. Radio Bikini is a perfect companion to "Trinity and Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Movie", which shows in great detail the span of nuclear weapons testing on both sides from Trinity and Hiroshima up through the cold war. Including early 1950's tactical weapons tests where entire squads of troops were in close proximity to the blasts....
Insert facepalm picture here.
Radio Bikini culminates with the sad story of one of those sailors who was exposed at Bikini, and developed bizarre deformities in his hands, feet, and legs. Things that *should not happen* under normal natural circumstances. You really feel for him, feel angry that this could even happen, and yet somehow, sadly, you're not surprised. At all. That they were just told to get out there, and that "there's nothing to be afraid of".... When the reality is they were guinea pigs in a much larger picture.
Makes you wonder what else we *don't* know.
IMDB: Radio Bikini (1988)
Amazon: Radio Bikini (1988)
Doesn't look like this is in circulation anymore, but Netflix has it available via streaming, which is where I saw it....
A short clip, which pretty much sums up the "WTF?!" factor involved....
 |
Radio Bikini Sale Price: $52.00  Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days  |
Description
Nominated for an Academy Award(r) as well as the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, Radio Bikini is a sensational, eye-opening film that gets to the bottom of one of the most terrifying tragedies of the nuclear age. Hailed by The Los Angeles Times as "an outstanding achievement on all levels," this classic documentary serves as a chilling reminder of what happens when man's quest for power surpasses his ability to control its devastating effects. In the tradition of THE ATOMIC CAFE, RADIO BIKINI transports us back to The Cold War, a terrifying time when the threat of nuclear war was part of daily life. Told in a hauntingly perceptive tone, this critically-acclaimed film is one of the most powerful and insightful films ever made on the overwhelming destructiveness of nuclear power. By using extraordinary and rarely seen archival footage, much of which was once kept classified by the U.S. government, director Robert Stone brings to light the largely untold story of Bikini Atoll. A peaceful and tropical island located in the Pacific, it was the unwitting sight of a series of high-profile atomic bomb tests conducted by the US in 1946. With startling eyewitness accounts by a naval serviceman and the chief of the native Bikinians, the film reveals the stark reality of these tests-thought to be harmless, they instead left Bikini Island uninhabitable for over 40 years and exposed thousands of sailors to heavy doses of radiation. The film's virtually surreal footage of sailors fishing in contaminated waters, mushroom clouds filling the skies, and top level government officials professing the safety of the tests leaves us in utter shock and disbelief-how could something so horrific gone untold for so long?
DVD Information
Binding: DVDAspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Brand:
Manufacturer: New Video Group
Original Release Date:
Actors:
- Kilon Bauno
- John Smitherman
- Bernard Baruch
- Woodrow P. Swancutt
- William E. Kepner
Reviews
Related posts:
