rigney@uokvax.UUCP (11/25/83)
#N:uokvax:6000004:000:1856 uokvax!rigney Nov 23 02:00:00 1983 I think the controversy concerning how damaging this film would be to the gentle psyches of children was vastly overblown. The actual film was a severe letdown after all the buildup. I didn't find it at all depressing; dull in spots, but not depressing. Even after a "toe-to-toe newclear confrontation with the Russkies," to [mis]quote a certain well-known B-52 pilot, there was still civil order, the national guard, functioning radio stations (and therefore power networks), central government, and perhaps most important, caring. Despite all the horror, (some) people still cared for each other, as in the late scene where the dying victim is comforting Jason Robard's character. Very touching if you're touched by that sort of thing. What frightened me most in this film was not the attack sequence (stock footage, plus those ridiculous x-ray vaporizations), but the appalling ignorance displayed by the people. "Daddy, what's Radiation?" It's probably an accurate portrayal of the actual population's ignorance, and that scares me even more. I do wish it would've taken a moment to point out the necessity of ventilation; the family huddled in their basement would have suffocated without an air pump, even one of cardboard. And the scene with the woman smoking a cigarette in the hospital shelter! For that matter, some time afterwards (as shown by the falling radiation rates), the (oriental?) doctor still has a cigarette to smoke in a moment of stress. Maybe he had a stockpile hidden somewhere in the hospital? I point these out not so much to pick nits as to indicate the production's lack of accuracy, or even thought. Finally, this movie pulled a huge share (anyone know if it was larger than M*A*S*H's final episode?), I wonder if the networks will follow with more; perhaps even a post-WW3 situation comedy? Carl ..!ctvax!uokvax!rigney