"The Day After" returns to the small screen

[GalvestonDuck]

Watched the day after again after many years. It is still chilling. My daughter--born in 1981--did not like it and could not understand the fear the movie evoked back when it was made (and still does to those of us that lived through the cold war and nuclear threat.

Brings back many memories, many of them unpleasant, but not so unpleasant I can't let them go. My children, in their 20's don't really understand it either.

I think now, after 9/11 and after being able to see so many disaster/terrorism/action movies like "Sum Of All Fears," "Under Siege," "Deep Impact," "Armageddon," etc., TDA probably just doesn't have the same effect for the younger generation. For us, it was one of the first movies of its kind, wasn't it? It was our first glimpse at what could happen if someone pushed "the button." Back then, there were songs about the Cold War and the nuclear thread, like "99 Red Ballooons," "Burning Heart," "1999," "Leningrad," "Russians," just to name a few. It was on a lot of our minds.

Man, how things have changed.

[Miss Mary]

I finally watched this movie. I believe it's the first time I've seen it, I honestly don't recall these graphic, disturbing scenes when it first was aired. That said, I've read TV Land deleted certain scenes more disturbing than the ones shown (people being pulvarized into thin air, exploding, etc.). I am SO glad they deleted those scenes. I could hardly get thru this movie. I kept hoping for some good to come near the end but it didn't. The only good was the scroll and message before closing credits. That what was depicted would be less severe if this really happened. OMG! Worse I ask? I just hope if something like WWIII ever does happen this way, I am NOT spared. The condition survivors were in, was shocking. If you look at what the message was, peace must prevail and nothing like a nuclear attack should ever happen, then yes, this movie was worthwhile.

I read posts about the Sybil movie and I am so glad I skipped that viewing! I remember many, extremely disturbing scenes from that movie as well. The kitchen one to be specific.

TV Land sure shook up TV viewing recently didn't? This certainly wasn't like watching Andy Griffith or Leave it to Beaver!!!

Mary

PS - just went back a page and read your post Shawn. You were right, they did delete scenes. Here's the website I read about this movie....
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085404/?fr ... ft=25;fm=1

[CentralFlGal]

The Day After gave me nightmares for years after I saw it. I was 12 when I saw it back in 83. I don't think I want to see it again.

Same here. I had to watch it as a homework assignment for a social studies class and it scared the poop out of me. Kick-started me into the existential realm (what is the meaning of life if it can all end tomorrow?) which is pretty heavy stuff to pile on a pre-adolescent's shoulders.

I watched it the other night and just couldn't get into it. The agenda stuck out like a sore thumb (as well as the acting); perhaps all that "sky is falling" indoctrination from my youth has backfired and presented itself now in the form severe cynicism.

[Miss Mary]

Well, it scared me and this is 2005! I can only imagine what a first time viewing felt like back then, especially to kids! One of my daughters asked me to turn it off, this movie was too depressing. Let's just say it's not my typical disaster type movie - she's watched a few with me. And quite frankly she prefers spoofs on disaster movies (Airplane!, for one, who wouldn't?). She said - thanks mom, now I will have nightmares tonight. She wanted to know why we were at war with the Soviet Union! At that I let out a big sigh and tried explaining they were the enemy back then......no matter what I said, it fell on deaf ears. This generation growing has no idea what it was like for my generation's parents to drum into our head, Russia is the enemy. I remember those instant drills in school, crouching under our desks. Forget what the signal was but you stopped what you were doing and were under your desk within 30 seconds. Despite the fact that they were drills, we heard our parents speaking in soft whispers, reading the paper intently, enough to know hey these drills might not be drills someday. It was somewhat of a scary time back then - from a kid's point of view. This movie brings it all home too.

I'm still glad I watched it but I think I'll pass on the other movies. Maybe I would have liked to see Brian's Song again, for a good cry (more like a sob cry, from what I remember about that movie!).

Mary

[CentralFlGal]

I only had to do a few of those drills; though they were more for the possibility of a nearby nuclear power plant meltdown than for incoming ICBMs. Still, a lot to put on a kid's shoulders - and useless. Like crouching under a piece of wood or lining up in the hallway in the fetal position was going to assist in surviving a nuclear blast.

I make it a point for my children to understand history. They still think previous generations' reactions have been a little overdone, but it's their job to pretend to know more than the rest of us Their world is so amazingly different from that of the early-to-mid 20th century; information is at anyone's fingertips in the blink of an eye now. But, previous animosities don't go unnoticed - sit down with my teen and get her opinion of Putin. You'll get an earful.

On the history note, I'm still trying to figure out who's in charge of advertising for Racetrack gas stations. Heard their commercial yesterday that praised the U.S. for inventing the interstate highway system. Huh wha? Hitler did that in the 30s with the autobahns, and Roosevelt and Eisenhower both thought about it for a while and felt it was a pretty dang good idea, so we copied it.

I'm still shaking my head. It doesn't matter whether people happen to know the tidbit or not, but if you don't - then don't include bad information in an advertising campaign. It makes us all look stupid.
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