Director Frank Perry, in collaboration with his then-screenwriter wife Eleanor, followed up their acclaimed debut, David and Lisa, with this powerful cautionary tale about the nuclear arms race. A suburban elementary school is ordered to evacuate to the nearest bomb shelter after an air raid warning. The teachers, unsure from their instructions if it is a drill or the real thing, apprehensively shepherd the children through the neighborhood, the fear and tension rising as the minutes tick by. As panic slowly takes hold of some of the more anxious students, tragedy looms. Actors William Daniels (The Graduate, The President’s Analyst), Estelle Parsons (Bonnie and Clyde) and Jane Connell appear in their first film.
Print courtesy of the Joe Dante and Jon Davison Collection at the Academy Film Archive.
“This terrifying account of life under the fear of nuclear war successfully illustrates the harm undue panic and thoughtlessness can provoke.” – TV Guide
“Frank Perry utilizes deliberate pacing and a disconcertingly quiet atmosphere to enhance the aura of mounting fear…a superbly made film boasting flawless performances and a uniquely chilling atmosphere of encroaching doom.” – Adam Groves, The Cutting Edge
Ariel Schudson writes about Frank & Eleanor Perry on the New Beverly blog.
