An experiment of psychological effects under stressful conditions in a shelter. When fifteen strangers are put into a nuclear shelter to see how long they can survive without interaction with the outside, things work out fine.
Acting
Lancaster's coldly calculating scientist anchors the descent.
Direction
Montaldo turns one room into a pressure chamber of dread.
Director
Giuliano Montaldo
Ben Gazzara
Mike Zella
Kate Nelligan
Sarah Howell
Kate Reid
Camille Dupont
Burt Lancaster
Dr. Herbert Monroe
Erland Josephson
Swanson
Ingrid Thulin
Mrs. Havemeyer
Cyrielle Clair
Laura Swanson
William Berger
Mr. Peterson
Jean Benguigui
Max Bloch
Andréa Ferréol
Rosy Bloch
Flavio Bucci
Herman Pundt
Zeudi Araya
Sheba (as Zeudi Araya)
Andrea Occhipinti
Matteo
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was legendary actor Burt Lancaster's final theatrical film before his death in 1994.
Released during Cold War nuclear anxiety, the film literalizes fears of shelter mentality and societal breakdown.
IT
