Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 (Tek) 9/26/83; site tekecs.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!tektronix!tekgds!tekecs!waltt From: waltt@tekecs.UUCP (Walt Tucker) Newsgroups: net.tv Subject: The Day After Message-ID: <3255@tekecs.UUCP> Date: Mon, 21-Nov-83 16:17:03 EST Article-I.D.: tekecs.3255 Posted: Mon Nov 21 16:17:03 1983 Date-Received: Wed, 23-Nov-83 11:19:21 EST Organization: Tektronix, Wilsonville OR. Lines: 57 ---------------- I watched "The Day After" last night and felt that it portrayed the aftermath of a nuclear war very effectively to the masses (although toned down a bit from reality to make it fit tv standards -- i.e. no dismem- berments, no shadows burnt into the concrete, no people slashed to pieces by 150 mph shards of glass, not much mention of the lack of sanitation, not much mention of the puking, skin peeling off, and death accompaning radiation poisoning, etc.). The writer put more research into this movie than most tv pablum, making it pretty much technically accurate. The special effects were excellent, and most of the plot believable. The defense footage that was used of an actual blast and missle launches made it look all the more real. All in all, it was definitely worth watching and well worth presenting. The forum afterwards served to help put things in perspective and brought out some interesting points. The combination of movie and forum will probably result a larger public awareness of the nuclear proliferation problem. However, from a plot standpoint, the movie lacked coherence. From articles that I read on the film, it was originally a (close to) four hour movie that was originally going to be shown over two nights. It was slashed to two hours 15 minutes for the single night showing. Obviously, the plot is going to suffer in this case. Some of the things I noticed, but could not find answers to as I watched the movie further. Maybe someone that has seen a more uncut version can fill in the plot holes: o Early in the movie, when the doctor is talking to his wife, the camera pans to her wristwatch at the end of the scene. The time is about 6:30. What's the significance? o When the family leaves the cellar, there is a body by the door (you only see the feet in one brief shot). Who is it? Is it the daughter's fiance? Did they know it was there? It seems like they just sort of brushed it aside, like they had a previous encounter, and knew it was there. o What ever happened to the daughter's fiance (see above)? The last shot we see, he has left the motorcycle and is running. Why? Where does he go? What happened to him? o When the family came up from the cellar, where did the horses come from? There certainly weren't any around a few days before when the girl was up running around. o What happened to the guys that crawled into the missle silo? Were they hit (probably so, but it never really says)? o Why was the farmer shot? For food (hinted at)? For fun? For points? We never see the family react to this event. Do they? I'll take myself off the net now and let someone else have a turn. -- Walt Tucker Tektronix, Inc.