The Day After
They told us it would be impossible to make this movie. They told us it would be impossible for you to watch it. We hope nothing is impossible.
1983 | 127m | English
Popularity: 5 (history)
| Director: | Nicholas Meyer |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Edward Hume |
| Staring: |
| In the mid-1980s, the U.S. is poised on the brink of nuclear war. This shadow looms over the residents of a small town in Kansas as they continue their daily lives. Dr. Russell Oakes maintains his busy schedule at the hospital, Denise Dahlberg prepares for her upcoming wedding, and Stephen Klein is deep in his graduate studies. When the unthinkable happens and the bombs come down, the town's residents are thrust into the horrors of nuclear winter. | |
| Release Date: | Nov 20, 1983 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Nicholas Meyer |
| Writer: | Edward Hume |
| Genres: | Science Fiction, Drama, TV Movie |
| Keywords | nuclear war, refugee, refugee camp, isolation, radiation, cold war, nuclear radiation, darkness, post-apocalyptic future, chaos, hysteria, lawlessness, insanity, high school, delirium, environmental protection agency, kansas, usa, nuclear explosion, end of the world, nuclear holocaust, disaster, apocalypse, armageddon, anarchy, nuclear, nuclear threat, nuclear fallout, mushroom cloud, disfigurement, radiation sickness, catastrophe, revolver, nightmare becomes reality, world war iii, epa, mass destruction, emp, mass grave, mass killing, destroyed city, nuclear winter, psychotronic film, ensemble cast, college campus, danger, pandemonium |
| Production Companies | ABC Circle Films |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Jul 30, 2025 Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Jason Robards | Dr. Russell Oakes |
| JoBeth Williams | Nurse Nancy Bauer |
| Steve Guttenberg | Stephen Klein |
| John Cullum | Jim Dahlberg |
| John Lithgow | Joe Huxley |
| Bibi Besch | Eve Dahlberg |
| Lori Lethin | Denise Dahlberg |
| Amy Madigan | Alison Ransom |
| Jeff East | Bruce Gallatin |
| Georgann Johnson | Helen Oakes |
| William Allen Young | Airman Billy McCoy |
| Calvin Jung | Dr. Sam Hachya |
| Lin McCarthy | Dr. Austin |
| Dennis Lipscomb | Reverend Walker |
| Clayton Day | Dennis Hendry |
| Doug Scott | Danny Dahlberg |
| Ellen Anthony | Joleen Dahlberg |
| Kyle Aletter | Marilyn Oakes |
| Alston Ahern | Cynthia |
| William Allyn | Professor |
| Antonie Becker | Ellen Hendry |
| Pamela Brown | Nurse |
| Jonathan Estrin | Julian French |
| Stephen Furst | Aldo |
| Arliss Howard | Tom Cooper |
| Rosanna Huffman | Dr. Wallenberg |
| Barbara Harris | TV Host |
| Bob Meister | Cody |
| Vahan Moosekian | Mack |
| George Petrie | Dr. Landowska |
| Glenn Robards | Barber #2 |
| Tom Spratley | Barber #1 |
| Stan Wilson | Vinnie Conrad |
| Arthur Ashe | TV Newscaster (uncredited) |
| Billy Beck | Dying Old Man Squatter (uncredited) |
| Brian Beltran | College Student (uncredited) |
| Bill Baker | College Student (uncredited) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Nicholas Meyer | Director |
| Michael Westmore | Makeup Designer |
| Judy Crown | Hairstylist |
| Gary C. Bourgeois | Sound Re-Recording Mixer |
| Penelope Gottlieb | Title Designer |
| Gayne Rescher | Director of Photography |
| William Paul Dornisch | Editor |
| Peter Wooley | Production Design |
| David Raksin | Original Music Composer |
| Robert Florio | Editor |
| Edward Hume | Writer |
| Robert Blalack | Special Effects |
| Hal Galli | Production Manager |
| Elie Cohn | First Assistant Director |
| Gail Joyce Fortmuller | Second Assistant Director |
| Neil Roach | Second Unit Director of Photography |
| Scott Thaler | Second Unit First Assistant Director |
| Mary Ann Good | Set Decoration |
| Joseph G. Pacelli Jr. | Set Designer |
| Lavar Emert | Property Master |
| Barbara Amato | Script Supervisor |
| Charles T. Knight | Production Sound Mixer |
| Bob Dawson | Special Effects |
| John S. Perry | Costume Supervisor |
| Dianne Cohoon | Costumer |
| Zoltan Elek | Makeup Artist |
| Dorothea Long | Hair Designer |
| Paul Dixon | Editor |
| David McCann | Post Production Supervisor |
| Christopher T. Welch | Sound Editor |
| Frank Serafine | Sound Designer |
| Walton Domisch | Assistant Editor |
| Janet Bartels-Vandagriff | Assistant Editor |
| Barbara Palmer Dixon | Assistant Editor |
| Sharon Burke | Assistant Editor |
| Paul Stader | Stunt Coordinator |
| Gene Griffith | Key Grip |
| Andree Juviler | Location Manager |
| Steve Dayan | Location Manager |
| Dean Williams | Still Photographer |
| Romolo Acquistapace | Gaffer |
| Jack Wright | Extras Casting |
| Mort Zwicker | Construction Coordinator |
| Gene Clinesmith | Transportation Coordinator |
| Mary West | Casting Associate |
| Ross Brown | Casting |
| Hank McCann | Casting |
| Bill Flores | Costumer |
| Steven-Charles Jaffe | Second Unit Director |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Stephanie Austin | Associate Producer |
| Robert Papazian | Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 19 | 28 | 11 |
| 2024 | 5 | 20 | 31 | 10 |
| 2024 | 6 | 17 | 28 | 12 |
| 2024 | 7 | 18 | 32 | 9 |
| 2024 | 8 | 16 | 32 | 10 |
| 2024 | 9 | 13 | 27 | 10 |
| 2024 | 10 | 20 | 42 | 9 |
| 2024 | 11 | 15 | 37 | 10 |
| 2024 | 12 | 14 | 28 | 9 |
| 2025 | 1 | 14 | 20 | 10 |
| 2025 | 2 | 10 | 15 | 3 |
| 2025 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 2 |
Trending Position
This was solid and, considering its epoch, scary. I remember being a teen when this came up, and with U.S./Soviet relations at a nadir, nuclear war films were just starting to appear on the cinephile's radar once again, after taking a breather from their 60's heyday for the sake of the glut of natur ... al disaster films that hit theatres in the interim. This was one of the first and best, simply because director Nicholas Meyer was so good at sci-fi. I fervently wish he had made a lot more movies.
Well worth the view and it's surprisingly hard-hitting, for an American movie. TDA depict the full nuclear exchange between NATO and the Warsaw-pact and how this affect the population in and around Kansas. I think TDA really works better as a pure movie, because it is. Compared to the UK-made ... "Threads", which is more of a docudrama, TDA sets the scene and develop the characters. Many of the characters also survive the initial attack and we follow them 2-4 weeks after the initial attack. Even though TDA was both politically incorrect at the time and is also pretty bleak and scary, it does fall into the trap of being more of a movie than a film meant to shock and present facts. Some of the cheesy dialogue and characters also feels a little 'meh' (love stories, family-drama etc). Threads also has some of that, but avoid the most cheesy moments, because it's more 'real' than 'played out by actors'. Anyway, TDA works well, it will keep you seated and you will indeed feel moved by the buildup and attack-scene, as well as the aftermath. Acting is for the most part very good and the film flows nicely trough the story. The thing I don't like too much with TDA, is that it does pull it's punches concerning the consequences of such a nuclear exchange and it does leave the viewer with a slightly positive outlook, that things will improve in time and that mankind will prevail. Dr. Oakes, one of the main-characters in the film is probably the voice of the most realistic views on what is to come, but his views aren't lifted up as being the view of the movie itself. Still a highly recommended film, it does cover a subject only covered properly by this and the UK made 'Threads'.
James Robards is exceptional in this sad nuclear holocaust fable, made for TV but a top notch production in most all respects. ...