Atomic Bomb Blast Effects
Atomic Bomb Blast Effects is a short film from 1959/03/00 released on 35mm. It is held in the Prelinger Archives collection.
Color footage of atomic bomb tests with active duty military personnel at Camp Desert Rock, Nevada Test Site, Nevada. Shows soldiers in foxholes as nuclear detonation occurs nearby; light and shockwaves; blowing dust; soldiers climbing out of foxholes and running towards mushroom cloud. Some of this footage is familiar by virtue of having been seen in the film Atomic Cafe.
Astounding footage of nuclear weapons testing; atomic bomb explosion in the southwestern US desert (New Mexico); great mushroom cloud shots; soldiers in trenches passing time in the desert.
00:01:13:06 1950s to 1960s line of army jeeps drive toward camera down long straight road in desert nuclear test site; jeeps pass sign If Your Wouldn t Tell Stalin, Don t Tell Anyone.
00:01:21:24 CU sign in blue and red letters on white board Talk Means Trouble, Don t Talk.
00:01:26:17 CU sign posted along desert road in blue and red letters on a white board If You Get Your Information Here, Leave It Here.
00:01:43:08 Soldiers in camouflage helmets and green uniforms walk past camera; one soldier on large walkie-talkie radio phone.
00:01:56:19 Great shot of army truck parked in the desert of what looks like the southwestern United States; two men stand atop the truck while a third man walks away from the truck toward the camera passing between two soldiers filming him with 35mm cameras set up on tripods.
00:01:59:27 Group six standing soldiers, one African-American soldier, three on walk-talkie radio with large antennas; soldiers are standing around waiting, looking out into the desert.
00:02:03:27 Three soldiers, one in camouflage helmet, another in hat, sitting cross-legged on the desert floor playing cards. Visible in the distance are other groups of soldiers scattered about.
00:02:07:27 Soldier in uniform and helmet lies flat on his back, eyes closed, one knee slightly bent, clutches bag under one arm, holds a cigarette in his other hand; rifle lies several yards away resting on desert shrub.
00:02:10:07 MS solder in unstrapped camouflage helmet, reads comic book smiling; empty desert and desert mountains along the horizon behind him.
00:02:13:03 MS low angle soldier in hat and aviator sunglasses on phone; blue sky behind him and the corner of a sandbag fortification.
00:02:28:20 VS armed combat soldiers in American South West desert simultaneously jumping into trenches and waiting.
00:02:46:05 Soldier in helmet crouched in trench, holding rifle upright, anxiously smokes cigarette.
00:02:50:29 CU shot from above to soldiers play cards while crouched in trench.
00:02:56:01 Two soldiers waiting gazing out from behind trench wall; one soldiers checks his wristwatch.
00:03:00:17 VS soldiers standing behind desert bunkers duck for cover down into bunkers and trenches.
00:03:22:22 VS soldiers in helmets, many holding rifles, anxiously waiting in trenches; soldiers with heads ducked down in trenches.
00:03:32:26 VS abandoned or unoccupied tanks in the desert; dummy of a soldier in winter fur-lined coat lying face down on desert floor; MS stuffed soldier dummy with painted face of Japanese soldier.
00:03:42:02 Silhouette of man s profile speaking into microphone in dark bunker looking out of window; outside of bunker window is back of blonde-haired soldiers head looking out upon desert landscape.
00:03:45:15 Beautiful shot of desert landscape and mountains in distance dotted with sandbags from trenches in foreground; shot flashes with extremely bright light from nuclear explosion.
00:03:51:04 Shocking and amazing shot of soldiers nervously waiting in trench stand up, camera turns following soldiers gaze revealing bright nuclear explosion, soldiers in trenches shielding their eyes; enormous mushroom cloud forms looming over the soldiers.
00:04:12:20 Two soldiers with rifles rise from trench are struck by strong gust of sand and dust.
00:04:17:09 Long row of soldiers in trench looking out into desert, are unexpectedly met by strong gust of dust and sand.
00:04:19:17 VS soldiers rise from trenches and walk toward explosion with helmets on head and rifles in hand; surreal shot of soldiers walking in desert dwarfed by behemoth nuclear mushroom cloud; camera pans up towering mushroom cloud continually growing higher into the sky.
00:04:58:28 VS 50 to 100 soldiers standing in the desert looking up at the sky in awe.
00:05:04:07 Great POV shot from behind soldiers shoulder looking up at mushroom cloud.
00:05:11:10 MS two soldiers wearing helmets with rifles slung over shoulder, gaze up at mushroom cloud in awe.
00:05:13:14 Surreal shot of nine soldiers in a line in the desert completely dwarfed by enormous cloud of smoke beginning several hundred feet of the ground; camera pans up to reveal the mushroom cloud ceaselessly spreading into the blue sky.
00:06:03:11 Aerial shot of obliterated tanks in desert, buried in sand.
00:06:24:02 VS men in khaki jumpsuits, wearing white gloves, aviator sun glasses and hats, surveying the damage of the nuclear test blast; Cu white gloved hand holding and pointing out radiation levels on Geiger counter dial.
00:06:37:04 Long row of soldiers marching along desert trail.
00:06:42:06 Two stuffed Japanese dummy soldiers standing in desert, a third lying face first in sand, beside two white surrender flags blowing in the wind.
00:06:48:02 VS soldiers looking at stuffed soldier dummy burning on ground from nuclear explosion as they walk past it; CU burning shoes and debris on desert floor; CU stuffed soldier lying face first, arms spread with rifle beside it in trench; CU empty sandbag lined desert trench with lone machine gun; CU gas mask strap on stuffed canvas bag; trashed gas mask on desert floor; army jeep with Test Eqpt, Off Limits stenciled beneath windshield; VS of destroyed trucks and tanks in desert and soldiers surveying the scene.
00:08:15:24 Desert landscape flashes with light; enormous fiery nuclear explosion center of frame in distance; mushroom cloud grows spreading upward.| Atomic Bomb Blast Effects | |
|---|---|
| Produced by | U.S. Army |
Production company | U.S. Army |
| Distributed by | U.S. Army |
Release date | 1959/03/00 |
Running time | ca. 640 Feet |
| Language | English |
- Thumbnail
