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Ahh, the beautiful
islands of the Bikini Atoll are a vacationer’s
paradise. Plenty of sun, surf, and beaches,
along with a healthy dose of radiation that
offers travelers a weekend of fun that is
sure to leave them glowing. Especially at
night… when the lights are off…
The 1987 Academy Award nominated documentary
“Radio Bikini” offers an interesting
look at a time in our history during the
Cold War, when the testing of weapons of
mass destruction were the soup du jour for
the military. Back then, the threat of a
nuclear war hung over the heads of Americans
like the Sword of Damocles. And with this
threat came the need to make sure we could
strike back. Through archival footage, much
of which was once highly classified, director
Robert Stone turns our attention to the
effects all this testing had on this once
peaceful island and the Navy sailors who
spent their time there.
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Much of our attention is focused on John Smitherman,
a cancer-ridden multiple amputee who ‘survived’
these tests. His story is as fascinating as it
is horrifying, and really opens our eyes to the
misinformation that pervaded our military at the
time. Just looking at the back of the DVD case
and seeing the photograph of a mushroom cloud
shaped cake being cut in celebration is enough
to give me the willies.
As I watched the documentary, I spent most of
my time shaking my head in disbelief. Between
the out and out lies that were told by the government
and the simple naïveté of the people
in charge, more damage was done to the waters
around these islands than we could ever imagine.
And beyond that, the lives of the men that were
sent out to run the tests were changed forever.
Looking at what is going on in the world today,
I really have to wonder if times have changed
all that much.
“Radio Biikini” is enlightening,
illuminating and deserving of its Academy Award
nomination. Some of the footage is disturbing,
but necessary to tell the whole story.
I know a lot of you may not be fans of documentaries,
but I’ve always agreed with the statement
that knowledge is power. We should only be as
lucky to know as much about what is going on behind
the scenes in the government today as we do about
what they did in the past.
Director: Robert Stone
Extras: Filmmaker Interview, Filmmaker Statement
Specifications: Full Screen
Studio: Docurama
Release Date: 12/30/2003
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website
We'll give Radio Bikini an A.
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