3/3 The Day After | 1983 Nuclear War Movie

A 30-minute rework of the 1983 nuclear war film The Day After focused on the documentary aspect of the movie.

The Day After is an American-made-for-TV movie first broadcast on the ABC television network in 1983. More than 100 million people, in nearly 39 million households, watched the initial broadcast. The film hugely impacted US audiences and aired on Soviet state TV in 1987. The Day After is often credited with helping to usher in a period of nuclear arms reduction treaties in the late 1980s and was ranked the highest-rated television film until 2009.

The Day After depicts a scenario of rising tensions along the East-West border of a divided Germany during the latter phase of the Cold War. Relations between NATO and Russia rapidly deteriorate as events spiral out of control leading to armed conflict and nuclear war. The film focuses on Lawrence, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri where several family farms sit close to nuclear missile silos. The Day After documents the actual state of nuclear readiness maintained by the US and Russia. Both nations maintain a nuclear triad in constant readiness for thermonuclear war.

The Day After was first conceived by ABC Motion Picture Division president Brandon Stoddard who came up with the idea after watching The China Syndrome. Veteran television writer Edward Hume undertook a massive amount of research on the likely effects of nuclear war and went to work on a script in 1981. Due to the graphic content of the subject matter, however, several drafts were rejected by the network until the characters and plot finally seemed acceptable for a family audience. Most of the actors in The Day After were Kansas City residents recruited from local shopping malls.

Director Nicholas Meyer had just completed Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and wanted to create a film that accurately portrayed the consequences of nuclear war. After wrangling with the US Department of Defence and the ABC censors, Meyer released a compromise version of The Day After for primetime TV screens. According to the message at the end of the film:

‘The catastrophic events you have just witnessed are, in all likelihood, less severe than the destruction that would occur in the event of a full-scale nuclear strike against the United States.
It is hoped that the images of this film will inspire the nations of this earth, their peoples and leaders, to find the means to avert the fateful day.’

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[WaleedHiggins]

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[pbdye]

The scariest thing about this movie is that it profiled a *limited exchange* between the US and USSR.

[BradFalck-mnpc]

This movie needs to be broadcast again worldwide

[emmettredding]

Growing up during the cold war I asked my Dad once if we should do anything to prepare for such an event. He said, "Sure, we just need to make sure the truck has enough gas for an hour drive!"...I asked where we would be going, he said, "Ft. Benning, GA"...which was about 50 miles north of us and is one of the largest military bases in the world. Being young and naive I thought he meant we would be safe there....but he immediately clarified that Ft. Benning would most likely be a primary target and we would need to go there to get it all over with!!

[laserfloyd]

The missile sequence absolutely terrified me as a kid. Absolutely no one wins this kind of war. As War Games said, the only winning move is not to play.

[larrybaldwin]

I was 15 and watched with my Family, NEVER EVER Saw my Dad CRY Until this Aired! Went to bed Cried and had Nightmares for a Week! Our Whole School talked about it for such a long, long time

[robertdavis]

I worked as a propmaker on this show in the 80's. I was a member of the consruction crew. The burnt out hospital was a debfunked east L.A. hospital. Instead of building sets, we just tor up the hallways and hospital lighting. Good job to get. Most of my memories of the show are good. Good video from Sacramento

[davidwhitney]

As described in a famous, 1960s poster usually sold in novelty shops - "In case of Atomic Attack: 1. Stand Still. 2. Bend Over. 3. Kiss Your Ass Goodbye."

[rdreeves]

I had graduated from High School the year before this movie released. I hoped we would have changed by now. This movie should be shown every year until we do grow up as a species.

[stickpictures]

Those scenes of the rockets rising out of the green pastures and everyone knowing what that meant stuck with me more than anything.

[johncampbell]

I remember this being broadcast commercial free for long periods. Rare for network tv . they wanted maximum impact on the audience

[ricbroc]

I was 23 and in good health when I watched this and today I'm 62 and have a pacemaker.

[johnh]

I was a student at the Univ. of Kansas when this movie was filmed on location. Many of my friends were extras in the "walking wounded" scenes. When it premiered, we gathered together to watch it in my dorm and I remember the impact of watching the missile launches was greatly diminished when we saw all the shooting locations around campus. "There's the stadium". "There's our dorm!" "There's Wescoe Hall", etc.

[billydillingham]

It needs to be broadcasted all over the world and updated

[joeyboedeker]

"Rest assure your political masters in dc are safe and secured. Once the dust settles, your hard work and dedication to their comforts will not go unnoticed."

[finscreenname]

My high school history teacher had a map on the wall with different circles on it of all the confirmed USSR targets and blast radiuses from each hit from vaporized to sunburn. Our school and my house were surrounded with 5 targets. We knew, if the bombs went off, we might as well go up to the roof to watch the fireworks instead of the basement bomb shelter. It's funny to know as a young teen that there was no hope if it all went south.

[wilhelmhesse]

I remember watching this as a kid back in the 80s...more scary than Friday the 13th or any other horror of the times because even as a kid I knew this could actually happen some day.

[joeyonikas]

I recall This film had a huge impact on President Regan.

[Ama-hikn]

I was 9 years old when this movie came out. I still remember it to this day. Along with Threads and Testament.

[nicolavivarelli]

I was at school at the time and remember very well this movie...fear! Real fear for the end of our world after a nuclear war: no one win ! Masterpiece movie, from Italy 🇮🇹🇺🇲