Panic in Year Zero! (1962)

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

Lack of good storyline.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

As luck would have it, "Harry Baldwin" (Ray Milland) and his family are leaving Los Angeles to go camping and fishing. While they are traveling, an atomic war starts and destroys all of the major cities, to include Los Angeles. Harry then acquires a single-minded focus to keep his family alive and comes up with several innovative decisions to ensure their survival. Now, rather than revealing the entire story I will just say that, although certainly dated, this is a pretty good film dealing with the subject of the aftermath of a nuclear war. And while I thought Harry was correct in adopting a survivalist mindset, I didn't care for his autocratic "father knows best" attitude or for the way his wife "Ann" (Jean Hagen) continued to question every single decision he made. It got old after the first few times. Still, the movie remained fairly interesting and I recommend it to those who enjoy films of this particular genre.

Being a fan of apocalyptic fiction I'd been dying to see this movie for years . I'd first heard about in John Brosnan's highly regarded sci-fi critique Future Tense. A father and his family survive a nuclear attack on the United States and leads the brood in a desperate fight for survival . Okay it's a premise often used in this type of genre but it's one that works well and makes you think that that only civilization separates us from animals hence its common usage . After finally seeing the movie I'm not surprised that it's little seen - it's dreadful It's always a sign of a bad movie when the opening score seems at odds of the genre the film belongs to . You want a gritty film set in a post nuclear hell ? Then what better that having a cool jazz score ? Hmmm I'm feeling mellow baby , someone roll me another doobie daddy-o . This is the fundamental problem with the movie - it's called PANIC IN THE YEAR ZERO but there's absolutely no panic whatsoever , none . Upon finding out LA has been nuked patriarch Harry Baldwin leads his family to the nearest diner and despite being witnesses to world war three customers are more interested in what's missing on the menu . Right so millions of people have just been vaporised and all you're worried about is not getting your side order of eggs ? Right on daddy-o . Just roll me another one and lets listen to some more cool jazz It's impossible to buy in to this scenario at all . There's no political build up to the nuclear strike . For those of us who remember the peak of the cold war in the early 1980s you'd know something like a war in the Middle East or Central Europe would lead to the inevitable use of tactical nuclear weapons finally leading to strategic nuclear weapons meaning the end of humanity . Here however all the indications is that the nasty communists in the USSR and China have launched a pre-emptive nuclear strike , a later radio broadcast confirms this . If that's the case then why didn't the communist block use all their arsenal ? Only the very major cities in the west like New York , LA , Philidelphia , London , Paris and Rome are destroyed . Why such a half hearted attack that invites hellish retaliation ? The whole point about a pre-emptive strike is to stop an enemy nation retaliating against you . Maybe the Politburea were too busy smoking pot and listening to decadent bourgeois jazz to care daddy-o ? That said the subtext seems to be about survivalism in much the same as as a John Christopher novel . Indeed you can't help be reminded of his 1956 novel The Death Of Grass , so much so that you believe the producers have stolen many of the ideas of the book then decided to set it against a World War 3 backdrop which doesn't work at all . Despite seeing a mushroom cloud in the distance and talk of fall out most of the characters don't react as you'd expect them to in the face of civil devastation , no one for example comes to the conclusion that money will be worthless . Despite being ahead of the game Harry slugs a greedy gas station owner and leaves for the money for the gas . Incidentally there's not the slightest hint of irony to this and the film continues in this vein It's interesting how well received PANIC IN THE YEAR ZERO has been on this page . One can't help thinking this reception is down to be it being a rather audience friendly film . After seeing the BBC nuclear holocaust teleplay THREADS away back in 1984 I couldn't sleep for days . Likewise despite its numerous flaws NO BLADE OF GRASS based on the John Christopher novel also stuck out in my mind due to its bleakness . Here however bleakness seems confined to a family getting there fishing trip ruined for a few days . One can accept the Hays Code being enforced during this period but it doesn't excuse the lack of logic and the excess of right on daddy-o muzak

Panic in the Year Zero was probably one of the first nuke movies that I remember seeing on those late late late shows as a kid. It was probably made during The Cold War era when people had to consider the possibility of a Nuclear Attack. In a way, it kind of served as a teaching tool on surviving the Bomb....that is if you were lucky to escape to a Nuclear Free Zone for a fighting chance.Which is what happened. The story begins with the Baldwin Family setting out at dawn to the mountains of Northern California for a fishing / camping trip. (N CA. was probably considered a nuclear free zone at the time) There light hearted mood drastically changes as they witness a mushroom cloud rising over L.A. The family is snapped back in reality by their father Harry Baldwin who now faces the challenge of how his family will survive. He tells his wife and kids to stock up on the non perishable foods (no eggs, no milk--use dry ingredients and definitely get yourself a hand gun or a rifle!) He starts to see people change to fighting for survival and the Law of the Jungle reins supreme. His plan is to hide out in the mountains and isolate his family from danger---which does not work.Rape is a prevalent in this film, which kind of surprised me because the time it was made. Some 1950 movie censors did not like showing this to the kiddies themselves. You will not see graphic images but you will get the drift in some scenes.The ending of the film somewhat falls flat possibly from the dialogue. The family desperately searching for safe harbor and their son needs medical help, finds a haven by running into the armed forces. The soldier who assists them says "There go 5 of them--one of the good ones". Oddly it seems a happy ending because the family has found safe haven at last---but what of the rest of the world and future?---Radition Sickness? Possibly eventually wiping out mankind? Well, we'll save that for another time and movie.The soundtrack is that most oddest thing and one everyone likely remembers from the movie. It has a low a torchy sax with a brass band playing a sort of tough guy / stripper music. I guess it was added to give the audience a survival type feel to it. It is also a film where you will see Frankie Avalon play a serious role and not prancing about in swim trucks and surfing and singing beach tunes. I would have liked to see more of him in serious roles.Panic in the Year Zero is a very quiet flick--you will not see any horrific radiation mutilations or bombing scenes. But you will get the same uneasiness of witnessing a nightmare scenario such as a nuclear holocaust. Not a bad try for Ray Milland as a director. So turn off the lights and grab the popcorn and see it for the heck of it!

By itself, "Panic in Year Zero," is a very good movie. The cast has some prominent actors and stars of the past, all of whom give top performances. The film has a solid plot and script, and excellent cinematography and direction (by Ray Milland himself). The black and white film helps build a sense of angst, uncertainty and concern for the characters. But what sets this film apart as somewhat exceptional, and thus worthy of being in a film library, is the time and culture that it covers. After more than a decade into the 21st century, today it's hard to find much social consciousness, awareness or memory of that time of the Cold War that so influenced life for most of four decades. Especially in the U.S., but also around the world. This film was set at the height of the Cold War. From the late 1940s through the 50s and into the 60s, the U.S. and Soviet Union may have been the closest to getting into an all-out nuclear war. The threat of widespread global destruction was very real -- much more real than how some today refer to it as a paranoia of the past. To those pundits of paranoia, I would just point to the Cuban missile crisis of 1963."Panic in Year Zero" does more than tell a story and show what might happen from a nuclear disaster. It shows the dark side of human nature and how many people revert to barbarism in times of chaos when rule and order are absent. It focuses on one family and one man's drive to save his family from the brutality and chaos that would follow nuclear blasts. It shows his struggle to keep a sense of right and morality, and to be able to judge right from wrong in such a time of upheaval. And it shows his drive to keep right and morality ever before his family members. We see the emotional and spiritual struggle of this one man as he and his family cope with the challenges to survive, and as he tries to protect them from harm and evil inherent in societal upheaval. This film has considerable historical and social value for this portrayal and study alone. And it should be seen as no less relevant in the 21st century -- where we yet have nuclear threats from other nations. But it should be a warning as well about what might happen without nuclear war, in a world where social drives are blurring the lines of morality, freedom, and human rights, and where the resulting amorality, hedonism and relativism are fast obliterating basic rights and morals of human nature and democracy.A single flag in the film stands as a warning to society for all time. A news report heard on the radio early in the film says that leaders around the world have agreed that because of the global reach of the nuclear devastation, "this year will henceforth be known in history as Year Zero." World War I, World War II, and all other wars, conquests and disasters of the past were always set in the time they occurred in history – in the modern calendar – the Gregorian calendar. But, mankind has reached such a state that the power and forces of man himself are so great that he can now rule and determine time in the universe. Clearly, God is removed from society and humanity itself. So, the ego of man will triumph in guiding society into a future without boundaries, morals and restraints in which it could not long survive. Did the producers, writers and director intend this film to go much beyond a story of survival and emotional and moral struggle in the face of threats to survival? Who knows? But it should be clear to anyone who thinks about this film while watching it, that here is a morality play unfolding that has much deeper meaning and messages than of the immediate situation the film covers. Nuclear war isn't the greatest threat to the survival of humanity today. It's man's own ego. Without moral guidelines, without protection of basic human rights, without respect for human life, and in a godless society, anarchy is sure to reign. Without basic human rights and respect for life, civility crumbles. It's happened in every such case in world history. Can we, will we get the message for today? I highly recommend "Panic in Year Zero" as a movie for all to see. And to show to children and teen grandchildren.