Atomic Journeys: Welcome to Ground Zero (1999)
Review by HTQ4
Film:
DVD:

Directed by Peter Kuran
Narrated by William Shatner

Features:

• Newsreel Footage of Unarmed Nukes Dropped on South Carolina town
  
• Footage of Atomic Tests from Around the World
  
• Slide Show Tours of Nevada Test Site and Hiroshima, Japan
  
• Tours of Colorado, Nevada, and New Mexico Test Sites
  
• Atomic Tour Guide: Your Personal Tour Guide to Atomic Locations Around the World
  
• Atomic Touring: Maps and Directions Slide Show
  
• Atomic Trailers
  

This documentary covers another seldom talked-about aspect of our nuclear history: The Atomic Energy Commission's Plowshare Project ("Nuclear Explosions working for your future") which tried to find "peaceful" applications for the atomic bomb...not atomic energy, but the bomb itself. They tried to use these bombs to mine natural gases and other ridiculous applications. All they did was damage these mines with radiation for the next several hundred years.

The best part about this documentary is the propaganda film that was put out by the Atomic Energy Commission to promote this idea of using the power of the atomic bomb for peaceful uses. It's just interesting to get a feel for the mentality of the nation during this time period. The documentary also covers the atomic tours that you can take should you like to go see these historic places. The Trinity site is open to the public twice a year, and people journey from all over the country to see where the whole thing began. The Hiroshima Peace Museum houses a lot of artifacts from the blast that destroyed the town during World War II. It is one of the most visited of all the atomic detonation sites. Most people also do not realize that the government also detonated these menaces in Alaska, Colorado, and Mississippi, in addition to most of the state of New Mexico.

The special features section of this DVD has maps on how to get to all of these atomic detonation sites should you desire to create your own tour. There are also newsreels from all over the world. For example, Russia had its own version of the "Plowshare" program. There is also a section where you go on video tours of the various Plowshare sites in the U.S. These "tours" give a little more detail about the effects of the Plowshare program than are presented in the documentary. In short, with this DVD, it would seem that you get as much information about these programs that is allowed by the United States Government.

Even though I think very highly of this DVD, I don't think it's justified to add it to a personal collection unless you have an intense interest in the subject matter. However, the historical importance can not be overlooked. Check it out as a rental.