SOME OBSERVATIONS ABOUT 'THE ATOMIC CAFE'

‘The Atomic Café’ is said to be a satirical documentary film. As such I observed that it has some common characteristics with the film, ‘Dr. Strangelove’. Example of the satire in the film is the turtle displayed the “duck and cover” technique. Another is President Harry Truman plans of winning the World War II.

As in ‘Taiyo wo nusunda otoko’, ‘the beginning or the end’, and ‘the Manhattan Project’, ‘the Atomic Café’ present the ‘A’ or H-Bomb as a form of problem solving power. Example President Harry Truman delights of having the bomb first.

As a “compilation verite”, ‘the Atomic Café’ do relate to some of the films we studied in specific ways:
- In terms of family value, the Atomic Café is like the Manhattan Project, that is as Dr. Matheson, Paul, Paul’s Mom and girlfriend reunited at the end of the film, so as a family of three did and thank God after they survived the A-bomb attack on the U.S. Both films were made during the Reagan era.
- With regards, to reconciliation, it relates to ‘the Blast from the Past and Hachigatsu no Rapusodi(1991).
- As per the political factors, ‘the Atomic Café’ relates to ‘the Beginning or the End’, ‘Dr. Strangelove’ and ‘the Blast from the Past’. In all four of the films, I observed that there is a kind of race for the A-bomb or H-bomb between the USA and other outside powers like Russia and Japan.
- Fallout or Bomb shelters: ‘The Atomic Café’ as well as ‘the Blast from the Past and ‘Ikimono no Kiroku’ depict characters who wishes or used the bomb shelters for the protection of the family members. Example, Nakajima thought of a bomb shelter for protection in ‘Ikimono no Kiroku’.
- As in almost all of the films we studied, the special effect of the mushroom cloud is used in ‘the ‘Atomic Café’.

Uniqueness of ‘the Atomic Café’ film:
‘The atomic café” is said to be unique because it is a postmodern masterpiece and the single greatest collection atomic music ever assembled and released. Also the filmmakers kept away from narration and depended solely on their footage source. I also observed that amongst all the films we studied, ‘the Atomic Café’ is unique in that it is in this film the U.S. experienced atomic bomb attack where everyone tried to duck and cover.