The Day After (1983)

The effects of a devastating nuclear holocaust on small-town residents of eastern Kansas.

Director:

Nicholas Meyer

Writer:

Edward Hume

Stars:

Jason Robards, JoBeth Williams, Steve Guttenberg

Won 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 4 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jason Robards	...	Dr. Russell Oakes
JoBeth Williams	...	Nurse Nancy Bauer
Steve Guttenberg	...	Stephen Klein (as Steven Guttenberg)
John Cullum	...	Jim Dahlberg
John Lithgow	...	Joe Huxley
Bibi Besch	...	Eve Dahlberg
Lori Lethin	...	Denise Dahlberg
Amy Madigan	...	Alison Ransom
Jeff East	...	Bruce Gallatin
Georgann Johnson	...	Helen Oakes
William Allen Young	...	Airman Billy McCoy
Calvin Jung	...	Dr. Sam Hachiya
Lin McCarthy	...	Dr. Austin
Dennis Lipscomb	...	Reverend Walker
Clayton Day	...	Dennis Hendry

Storyline

The frightening story of the weeks leading up to and following a nuclear strike on the United States. The bulk of the activity centers around the town of Lawrence, Kansas.

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Plot Keywords:

fallout | nuclear war | nuclear holocaust | radiation | murder | 

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Taglines:

The day before. The day of. The Day After.

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Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 November 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Day After

Filming Locations:

De Soto, Kansas, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

ABC Circle Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

127 min 120 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (CFI)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

After watching this, President Ronald Reagan sent a pile of suggestions to Nicholas Meyer how it should be edited.

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Goofs

Dr. Oakes is driving at speed along I-70 towards Kansas City when the first bomb is air-burst over downtown. Subsequent exterior shots show that vehicles heading out of Kansas City were crossing over to the wrong side of the freeway in panic to get around the outbound gridlock before the EMP effect stalled them. However Dr. Oakes drives as if there were no other cars heading towards him the wrong way at speed.

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Quotes

Airman Billy McCoy: Where you going?
Man from Leeton: Holden.
Airman Billy McCoy: Oh, yeah? How come?
Man from Leeton: P-People there.
Airman Billy McCoy: How do you know?
Man from Leeton: Man with a C.B. back in Leeton.
Airman Billy McCoy: You from Leeton? How's Sedalia?
[the man doesn't respond]
Airman Billy McCoy: I said, how's Sedalia?
Man from Leeton: There ain't no Sedalia. No Greenridge. No Windsor. No nothin'.

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Crazy Credits

[After movie has ended, before end credits.] The catastrophic events you have just witnessed are, in all likelihood, less severe than the destruction that would actually occur in the event of a full nuclear strike against the United States. It is hoped that the images of this film will inspire the nations of this earth, their peoples, and leaders to find the means to avert that fateful day.

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Alternate Versions

The German EuroVideo DVD runs 115 min.

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Connections

Referenced in Vsechnopárty: Episode dated 31 December 2011 (2011)

User Reviews

YIKES!!!

This movie can never be outdated. One of the two scariest non-horror movies I have seen (deliverance is the other), this movie portrays a realistic (if to a lesser degree) of what could happen if there ever were a nuclear attack. Gosh, did it ever scare me! It made me think, too. I still rank is as an excellent film, even though it has been so long since I saw it.

*** out of ****