Academy Awards, USA 1988
| Nominated Oscar | Best Documentary, Features Robert Stone
For episode "Radio Bikini".
|
PBS
Directed by Robert Stone
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Docurama)
In the months after the surrender of Japan, the US conducts a series of atom bomb tests near the remote Pacific island of Bikini. Through documentary footage and an interview with a living elder, we see the cruel relocation of the island natives by the Navy. As the test approaches, we see even worse footage of animals shackled near ground zero in order to see how they are impacted by the blast (not very well). Enlisted men are seen carelessly lounging on deck unprotected before and afterwards. In the final reveal, a surviving sailor, our narrator, is shown to be horribly disfigured by cancer decades later. Expertly edited, heartbreaking and essential look at the hypocrisy and lies told by our government to its most dedicated citizens.
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