THE DAY AFTER
US, 1983, 105 minutes, Colour.
Jason Robards, Jo Beth Williams, Steve Guttenberg, John Lithgow, Bibi Besch.
Directed by Nicholas Meyer.
The Day After is a telemovie made for the wide American audience, with great success, in ratings on its initial showing. It was shown theatrically around the world. The film, with the television audience in mind, is written using the techniques of television series and soap opera styles. A situation is presented with which the audience can identify easily, a range of characters, again for audience identification, is introduced and dramatic situations quickly suggested. The stories are then interwoven. Into the middle of this narrative comes the dropping of the bomb on Kansas.
The second part of the film, very grim, shows some of the repercussions for life after the dropping of the bomb. Critics and commentators said that the picture presented underestimated the impact of the dropping of the bomb and the results. However, for raising the consciousness of the popular audience, and as wide an audience as possible, including children, the film opted for suggestion rather than for absolute grim realism (as in Peter Watkins1 1960s docu-drama The War Game).
Jason Robards leads a cast of professionals, many from television. The direction is by Nicholas Meyer, novelist and screenwriter-director (The Seven Percent Solution, Time After Time, Star Trek II - the Wrath of Khan). The Day After was not designed to preach to the converted, who would find the material fairly familiar, but for the ordinary person in the street who tends not to give much attention to the reality of nuclear issues.
1. The impact of the film on American television? On cinema audiences throughout the world? The film's reputation, controversy in America? in the Soviet Union? How successful in achieving its purpose? In the context of the television audience?
2. The title and its ominous tone? The memories of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the immediate consequences of the drop of the bomb, having to rebuild the cities? The sufferings of people, the survivors? The atmosphere of the '80s, nuclear fears, debate, protest and concern? The potential clash between the United States and the Soviet Union?
3. The qualities of the film as a telemovie: the wide audience, consciousness-raising, frightening the audience? The amount of detail and accuracy possible for a film for such an audience? How real? How much touching the surface? The importance of this kind of moralising and action film?
4 The authentic atmosphere of Lawrence, Kansas? Middle America and the appeal to the middle American audience (the middle audience anywhere)? The occupations of the characters, the types of characters - easily sketched and familiar? Activities? The atmosphere of reality in the first half? The build-up to the day? The dropping of the bomb and the awesome experience? How real the day after and the repercussions?
5. The film's use of television style: structure, soap opera and incidents, the effect for audiences identifying with characters? Quick and brief sketching, the reliance on types, the recognisable emotions, drama and melodrama, pace and attention? At the end, what was the audience left with?
6. The importance of special effects - especially for picturing the missiles, the missiles going towards Russia, the nuclear explosions? The make-up for the after-effects of the bomb? The contribution of the musical score?
7. The credits and the helicopter sweep, the images of mid-America as the helicopter went over the wide range of the state of Kansas: ordinariness, city and country, military installations? The use of names and distances throughout the film to give it authenticity, especially as regards the silos and the siting of the bombs? The move of the drama to the military situation, the military personnel, plants? The background of communications: radio and TV? The atmosphere of war in Europe, the German situation, Soviet - American confrontation, the intrusion into the American consciousness? The build-up of tensions and the expectations of people for nuclear disaster?
8. The building-up of the characters: the lifestyle in middle America, the choice of groups? Russell and his work, his wife at home, the daughter and the gallery sequence, her questions and moving? Warmth? The Dahlbergs and their farm, work, the preparation for the wedding, the rehearsal, the fiance on the bike, the wife and her busyness, the farmer's! style, the daughters and their fighting, the night out and the lecture on respect? The students at the university, the young student on the road? Bruce and his wandering, the demonstrations, the haircut? The scientist and his talk? The background of science? The hospital staff and their work? The family situated next to the silo? The black soldier and his concern about his wife? Audience interest, the attention to detail, names and places, audiences identifying with this 'cross-section'?
9. The atmosphere of panic, the shops, the warnings, the people at the baseball game and the rush, the crowds on the freeway, the futility of guarding the silos? The 30-minute time lapse and people watching the bombs going to Russia? Expecting them to hit America?
10. The impact of the hit: the electricity going off, the blinding flash, the shock, the winds and the blast, the fireballs, the cloud, the gathering inferno? The power of the blast? The ruins? The people involved in the blast - the little boy in the open air, Russell in his car?
11. The aftermath: disruption of ordinary activities, cars and machines useless, the possibility of radio contact, the distances, people walking, the radiation reaction, sores and corruption? People staying inside, the darkness? The food and water? Hospital treatment? The atmosphere of panic? Looting?
12. Questions of blame, recriminations? The futility of the President's speech? The irrelevance of name-calling and blaming after such events?
13. Russell and his work: tired, the operations, the questions of water, the lights, the sores? His returning to his home? His missing his wife? Daughter? His fighting with the squatters - and the gift of the piece of fruit? The staff and their fatigue? The nurse and her coping? The scientist and the radio communications? The family in the cellar and their taking in the student? Going out to rescue the cattle? The parched and destroyed land? The girl going berserk, the mother worrying about the wedding? The control of people hiding? The shootings? The horse and the dray? The girl and her illness and hallucinating with seeing her fiance on the face of the student? The crowds, the taking of names and numbers? The black man and the old beggar?
14. The film's attention to illness, death - and the signs of sores, blindness, hair falling out? The impact of this for the ordinary audience to understand some of the consequences of radiation?
15. The final images of a familiar world destroyed, never able to be the same again, the futility of survival? The only hope for humanity being in service and availability - yet exhausting? Is a new birth for humanity and civilisation possible after such an apocalyptic holocaust?
16. What contribution does a film like this make to nuclear debate? Consciousness-raising? For wide audiences - is the film successful in achieving its aims?
