On this day in 1983...

Rain Man · #1 11-20-2003, 11:48 AM

....the most controversial movie of the 1980s and the 2nd highest rated TV movie aired on ABC Television:

THE DAY AFTER

This movie was about the challenges of the local citizenry of Lawrence, Kansas as they prepare for and survive a major nuclear attack by Russia at the height of the Cold War.

Starring: Jason Robards, Steve Guttenberg, John Lithgow, John Cullum, JoBeth Williams.

Question(s): Did you see this movie? If so, how did you feel?

Also: WHAT IF (God forbid), this fateful day was to occur today? How would you prepare?

*I'll post my response after gauging the responses of the peanut gallery*

Honeykiss1974 · #2 11-20-2003, 01:00 PM

Well, after prayer

, I would go to one of the fallout shelter location. (we have one here at work, my old high school is one, etc.) There are plenty in my area due to our geographical location.

But honestly, we would probably be one of the first places to be bomb, due to the underground missiles here and AF bases.

On another note, the gov't sold a lot of the undermissile spaces here and some poeple bought them and turned them into undergraound homes!

I couldn't underground myself, but I they are automatically protected.

ladygreek · #3 11-20-2003, 01:14 PM

I saw that move. It scared me then and the thought of it still scares me now. And with the weaponry we have now, I am not sure there is anyway to prepare except to pray.

aurora_borealis · #4 11-20-2003, 04:36 PM

I think this is the movie my eldest sister talked about that had a disclaimer "do not watch this movie alone" because it was so scary and realistic at the time. Of course her silly self watched it and she was home alone taking care of me and scared herself.

Bamboozled · #5 11-20-2003, 05:37 PM

Man, do I ever remember this movie. I was eight years old and I begged my parents to let me watch it with my older sisters. They finally agreed and that was one of the first times I wished they had stood their ground. That movie scared the hell out of me. My eight year old mind wasn't prepared to accept that there was that kind of evil lurking in the world. I already had an unnatural fear of black cars and natural disasters and now I had to worry about nuclear weapons! Lord, I made sure I said my prayers that night and let everyone know how much I loved them. I had nightmares for a long time. My parents regretted letting me watch it. I haven't seen it since, but I'm sure if I did, I'd have the same feelings.

FeeFee · #6 11-20-2003, 05:47 PM

I remember being in junior high school when this movie came out and my mother DID NOT allow me to watch it. I had to wait years later to watch it and it was very scary.

If something like that were to really happen, I would look for the nearest fallout shelter and pray, pray, pray.

Rain Man · #7 11-20-2003, 07:42 PM

I first saw The Day After in my ROTC class in 1989. That was some scary stuff, indeed. I recall having nightmares for TWO YEARS after I saw that flick.

Then I rented it again this weekend, and I was a little disappointed with the ending. I just think it skimmed the surface with the realities of the apocalypse. It was almost as if the message TDA was telling us was "Yeah, we got blasted back to the Stone Age, but we'll be all right. We'll survive."

I then took out that tape and put in the BBC's made for TV movie Threads and IMHO that movie was MUCH better in how the apocalypse would play out. Threads is the UKs version of The Day After (it came out in 1984), only it involved the local citizenry of Sheffield, England. Very grim, very barbaric, very realistic portrayal. It takes us about 15 years after the attack (late 90s) and the message of that movie was, "We got blasted back to the Stone Age, where only the strong shall survive." Truly a decline of society and civilization and a reversion back to barbarism.

What would I do? Pray without ceasing and desire that I do not survive the attack.

stardusttwin · #8 11-21-2003, 01:59 AM

I remember watching the movie. I was a teenager and while I was scared I didn't have nightmares because to me it was just a movie of what could happen (although I did reread Revelations afterwards.)

I also remember watching Independence Day and other movies of that ilk and cheering as the buildings were blowing up etc....until I saw it for real on September 11th. Now I can't even watch the movie because what it DOESN'T show comes flying back in my memory. Prayerfully I will never see what I saw again - but trust - those movies TOTALLY understates the reality of disasters and how people are hurt and react in panic situations-that was scarier than any movie could ever be.

What I would do? Pray. I've lost some close people unexpectedly and have learned the hard way that no one is promised tomorrow. I just try to live every day doing my very best and letting those around me know that I love them.