ABSTRACT
Film content can sometimes capitalize upon popular anxieties through the use of metaphor and the selection of specific genres. In the case of atomic technology, Hollywood selectively incorporated an existing body of residual themes available within the culture in order to address the fears and anxieties of audiences and to allow a venue for questioning the wisdom of the official government agenda. The success and influence of films incorporating atomic themes coincided with larger social issues such as the rapid technological advances in nuclear fusion, ICBMs and satellite technology. Political events and policies like the Korean War and the Atomic Energy Commission's domestic testing program; and a growing public awareness of and concern with political and strategic postures like "mutually assured destruction," the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the growing dangers of fallout. Many argued that the policy of "mutually assured destruction" had worked, as evidenced by the peaceful resolution of the crisis.
