The moment humanity learned to unmake the world—in 89 devastating minutes.
The documentary recounts the world's first nuclear attack and examines the alarming repercussions. Covering a three-week period from the Trinity test to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, the program chronicles America's political gamble and the planning for the momentous event. Archival film, dramatizations, and special effects feature what occurred aboard the Enola Gay (the aircraft that dropped the bomb) and inside the exploding bomb.
Direction
Wilmshurst balances spectacle with survivor testimony.
Practical Effects
Dramatized Enola Gay sequences feel uncomfortably immersive.
Editing
Archival footage cuts hit like physical blows.
Director
Paul Wilmshurst
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
John Hurt recorded his narration in a single day, reportedly weeping between takes.
The film aired on BBC exactly sixty years after the bombing, with survivors still demanding acknowledgment of their 'hibakusha' status denied by US occupation censorship.
GB
