Trinity and Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Movie (1995)
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Since I'm on a "Cold War" run to start off the site, lets look at 1995's "Trinity and Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Movie."
"Trinity" is a documentary that explores the creation and development of nuclear weapons technology, primarily in the US military, but with a little bit of Soviet action thrown in as counterpoint.
Being a documentary, action is non-existant. That's not the point. The big draw of this film is the absolutely *stunning* film of the seemingly endless nuclear tests conducted in the South Pacific, in atmosphere (which I never knew were conducted) and underground. It's absolutely incredible to believe that something so infinitely destructive could at the same time be so, well, beautiful. You will find yourself feeling guilty at marvelling at the slow-motion footage of these detonations, only to realize their intended purpose. The different stages of the explosions, how they progress from initial detonation, to shock wave, thermal expansion and beyond are visible in nearly every one.
It starts off detailing how they came up with the "benchmark" for nuclear weapons strength, the kiloton. In essence, they put 1000 tons of TNT up on a test stand and set it off. I felt honestly scared for these guys manually carting box after box of TNT up onto the stand and tapping it firmly into place with their hammers. *shudder*
The absolute devastation of the bombs are shown in detail, both at their first two actual uses in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and at the various test islands and atolls. Literally wiping them clean of pretty much everything.
There's a bit of a look at the 50s-60s cold-war hysteria that went on, and when you look at this footage and what was being developed, its easy to see why the entire country was so nervous.
I'd recommend this to anyone interested in the history of nuclear weapons, and to anyone who scoffs at the seriousness and destructive power of the atom. I'd put it in the "must see at some point" category.
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Description
Trinity & Beyond The Atomic Bomb Movieis the top secret, strange and visually compelling history of the design, production and testing of Atomic Hydrogen bombs. Renowned special effects filmmaker Peter Kuran (Star Wars, Star Trek II & V, Robocop) offers up amazing film footage chronicling the top secret, strange and visually compelling history of the design, production and testing of Atomic Hydrogen bombs by the United States. With the development and use of award-winning new film restoration systems, Kuran has perfectly preserved these haunting images for generations to come. Original version includes separate music tracks. Narrated by William Shatner (Boston Legal, Star Trek), Trinity & Beyond features extremely rare film segments from top secret government archives and startling footage of nuclear bomb tests conducted by Great Britain and China, plus the largest atomic explosion ever created by Russia. Whether being exploded under the ocean, suspended by a balloon, shot from a cannon or even detonated in space, these weapons are capable of devastating destruction - the quality of these images is as startling as are remarkable. This award-winning production also features an amazing explosion segment that must be seen with 3D glasses to truly take in its full impact. Trinity & Beyond features an original score performed by the Moscow Symphony Orchestra and an interview with Dr. Edward Teller a developer of nuclear weapons and one of the most controversial figures of the 20th century. Trinity & Beyond is an extraordinary production that provides an important understanding of events and the creations of technologies that have changed the world forever. Special Features: - Atomic Bomb 3-D Bonus Section - Live-Action Bomb Explosion with Actual Sound Delay - Mind-Blowing Photo Slide Show - Reference Chart of All The Nuclear Detonations by the U.S. Including Yields
In the salad days of nuclear-weapons testing, the United States detonated 331 atomic, hydrogen, and thermonuclear bombs. Many of those explosions appear in Trinity and Beyond, which utilizes a lot of declassified footage, most of it in color. Standouts include the United States' South Pacific detonation of an atom bomb 90 feet below the water to study the effects on a fleet of ships. Surprise, surprise, they sink! If that wasn't enough, the navy also loaded the decks with sheep to study the effects of the blast on life forms. Surprise, surprise, they die! Glowing leg of lamb anyone? This film will alternately amuse and horrify you at the rampant irresponsibility of the Soviets and Americans in their quest for nuclear domination. The Russians have the honor of having detonated the largest nuclear bomb ever at a whopping 58 megatons. The Hiroshima bomb was barely a kiloton. Of course, after the U.S. and Russia ceased their activities, the Chinese decided to get in on the act. But that's a different story for a different documentary. --Kristian St. Clair
DVD Information
Binding: DVDAspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Brand:
Manufacturer: VCE Inc.
Original Release Date:
Actors:
- William Shatner
- Edward Teller
- Frank H. Shelton
- Randall William Cook
- Paul Tibbets
Reviews
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Call me a sucker for stuff like this, but I really ilked 1982′s The Atomic Cafe. It’s a roughly 90-minute film constructed entirely of bits and pieces of government films from various sources, news footage, and a soundtrack chock full of period pieces wh