Atomic Journeys: Welcome to Ground Zero

In this somewhat maddening video, the ponderously heavy music by the Moscow Symphony Orchestra underscores the dangerously insane Cold War game played by the U.S. and former Soviet Union...yet the narrative has a neutral tone that suggests the producers want to present a falsely objective history of nuclear testing. The end result is that the viewer ends up nearly rooting for the scientists involved in the projects. That said, the previously unreleased footage of the impact of a nuclear blast against test buildings and dummies is horrifyingly impressive as are the pictures of underground blasts that send test structures shaking and gyrating high into the air. On balance, because of the valuable archival footage, this is recommended, though some may find the presentation irritating. Aud: H, C, P. (S. Fisher)