Trinity and Beyond (1995) (V)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Peter Kuran

Writers:

Scott Narrie (writer)
Don Pugsley (writer)

Release Date:

29 September 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | History

Plot:

A documentary presenting mankind's most ambitious effort at perfecting the means to its own annihilation...

Plot Keywords:

Vaporization | Voice Over Narration | Detonation | Military | Mushroom Cloud

Cast

William Shatner	...	Narrator (voice)
Edward Teller	...	Himself (also archive footage) (as Dr. Edward Teller)
Frank H. Shelton	...	Himself (as Dr. Frank H. Shelton)
Randall William Cook	...	Newsreel Narrator (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
W.H.P. Blandy	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Vice Admiral W.H.P. Blandy)
Nikolai Bulganin	...	Himself (archive footage)
Winston Churchill	...	Himself (archive footage)
Everett Dirksen	...	Himself (archive footage)
Albert Einstein	...	Himself (archive footage)
Dwight D. Eisenhower	...	Himself (archive footage)
Reed Hadley	...	(archive footage)
Averell Harriman	...	Himself (archive footage)
Adolf Hitler	...	Himself (archive footage)
Hubert H. Humphrey	...	Himself (archive footage)
John F. Kennedy	...	Himself (archive footage)
Nikita Khrushchev	...	Himself (archive footage)
Anastas Mikoyan	...	Himself (archive footage)
Marilyn Monroe	...	Herself (archive footage)
J. Robert Oppenheimer	...	Himself (archive footage)
Franklin Delano Roosevelt	...	Himself (archive footage)
Dean Rusk	...	Himself (archive footage)
Adlai Stevenson	...	Himself (archive footage)
Leo Szilard	...	Himself (archive footage)
Paul Tibbets	...	Himself (archive footage)
Wernher von Braun	...	Himself (archive footage)
Mao Zedong	...	Himself (archive footage)

Also Known As:

The Atomic Bomb Movie

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Filming Locations:

Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Company:

Visual Concept Entertainment (VCE)

Movie Connections:

Edited into Thirteen Days (2000)

A fascinating and visually stunning history piece

This ranks as one of my all time favourite documentaries. Trinity and Beyond's wealth of information is only overshadowed by its visually stunning presentation. Beautifully crafted, this film is not only an informative documentary, but truly is a work of art. It is perfect in every regards, from the laborious undertaking of restoring all of the test footage, to the insightful presentation of interviews, to the excellent choice of William Shatner as narrator (something he has a true talent for), to the beautiful musical score. I have absolutely no trouble recommending this film to anybody.

Reading over the negative reviews in this forum, I think that many people who dislike it have missed the point. Sure, we have all seen images of buildings being blown over and vehicles destroyed, but never before has it been presented in such a comprehensive manner and in such a way as we see the actual progress of nuclear weapons.

Watching this film, you see the development of nuclear weapons in a way where you can finally get a grasp on exactly how powerful the explosions are. Watching the first Kilotonne detonation of TNT, and then following the testing of every device from that point on, this is the most comprehensive view of exactly how far along nuclear weapons have come. Showing a 10 Kilotonne explosion followed by a 10 Megatonne is not nearly as impressive or understandable in terms of perception as when you see every step along the way as well.

This is a must-see, not only for anybody who wants an understanding of what nuclear weapons are truly capable of, but for anybody who appreciates beautiful film-making.