| The Atomic Cafe | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Kevin Rafferty Jayne Loader Pierce Rafferty |
| Written by | Kevin Rafferty Jayne Loader Pierce Rafferty |
| Produced by | Kevin Rafferty Jayne Loader Pierce Rafferty |
| Edited by | Kevin Rafferty Jayne Loader |
| Music by | Consultant: Charles Wolfe |
Production company | The Archives Project |
| Distributed by | Libra Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 86 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $300,000 |
| Box office | $1 million[1] |
The Atomic Cafe is a 1982 American documentary film directed by Kevin Rafferty, Jayne Loader and Pierce Rafferty.[2][3][4] It is a compilation of clips from newsreels, military training films, and other footage produced in the United States early in the Cold War on the subject of nuclear warfare. Without any narration, the footage is edited and presented in a manner to demonstrate how misinformation and propaganda was used by the U.S. government and popular culture to ease fears about nuclear weapons among the American public.
In 2016, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."[5]
- ^ "14. The 1980s and American Documentary". Contemporary American Cinema. McGraw-Hill Education. May 16, 2006. p. 291. ISBN 9780335228430. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
- ^ McLane, Betsy (1983). "Domestic Theatrical & Semi-Theatrical Distribution and Exhibition of American Independent Feature Films a Survey in 1983". Journal of the University Film and Video Association. 35 (2): 17–24. JSTOR 20686938.
- ^ Canby, Vincent (17 March 1982). "DOCUMENTARY ON VIEWS ABOUT ATOM BOMB". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
- ^ Epstein, Sonia (March 30, 2018). "False Truths: The Atomic Cafe Seen Today". Sloan Science & Film. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
- ^ "With "20,000 Leagues," the National Film Registry Reaches 700". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-05-18.