Dark Circle

Filmmakers Judy Irving, Chris Beaver, and Ruth Landy's Dark Circle may not seem quite as grave as when it first appeared in 1982, with Cold War tensions fueling a new arms race between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. Nonetheless, this acclaimed production (which won the Grand Prize at Sundance and an Emmy Award) provides a chilling record of the reckless practices that went into the creation of America's nuclear arsenal, looking at the Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Facility outside of Denver, source of the plutonium used for the nation's atomic bombs, as well as the Diablo Nuclear Power Plant in California, and the two most infamous uses of atomic power: the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But one doesn't need actual bombs to create catastrophe: the lax safety procedures followed at the Rocky Flats facility created health problems that plagued the local community (one interviewee died of brain cancer before the production was completed). Interweaving previously classified government footage (which provides damning evidence of the careless coordination of the nuclear program), together with personal stories, this classic documentary remains highly relevant in light of today's global volatility. DVD extras include the excellent 1995 documentary Nagasaki Journey (VL-1/96), which offers testimony from survivors; the 1984 documentary Hidden Voices on Karen Silkwood, the plutonium plant union activist whose mysterious death has been blamed on her whistle-blowing efforts regarding the lack of occupational safety in the nuclear industry; and an interview with the filmmakers. Highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (P. Hall)