Available at Amazon.com
Studio: Acorn Media
Release Date: November 13, 2007
Originally Aired: 1989
Number of Discs: 1
Running Time: 140 Minutes
MSRP: $24.99
Director:
Joseph Sargent
Cast:
Brian Dennehy……….Gen. Leslie Groves
David Strathairn……….J. Robert Oppenheimer
Tony Shalhoub……….Enrico Fermi
The film:
When one thinks of a made-for-TV movie made in the late ’80s, one generally doesn’t think good things. Both ingredients lend themselves towards cheesy over acted trash. However, Day One, with the help of some good acting, is elevated above it’s expectations.
That’s not to say Day One is amazing, but it’s a solidly entertaining docudrama. The story focuses around the building of the first atomic bomb. The main characters here are J. Robert Oppenheimer (Strathairn) and Gen. Leslie Groves (Dennehy). Both these men were in charge of the Manhattan Project, Oppenheimer on the scientific front and Groves on the military front.
The film starts with the first inklings of an atomic bomb that are scoffed at to the eventual starting of the Manhattan Project and finally the cataclysmic dropping. The film does a really good job of presenting both sides of those who were for and against the bomb. It shows how the once the scientists realized what they created they tried to stop it’s use. That last few minutes of the film will definitely sit with you long after it is over.
It’s a pretty slow-moving film as most made for TV films seem to be, but that doesn’t make it bad. The acting on most parts is good and Strahairn and Dennehy really hold the film together. Monk fans might want to check this out for an early performance by a young Tony Shalhoub, who plays one of the scientists working on the project.
Anyone one who has an interest The Manhattan Project and the bomb would benefit from watching this. It seems fairly historically actuate and manages to be entertaining as well. It also seems to have aged well which is surprising. It looks like it was filmed in the ’80s but it doesn’t hurt the film.
The Extras:
None.
