Le Vol du secret de l'atome

The Atomic City refers to the community of Los Alamos in New Mexico where nuclear scientists live and work. It's a self contained private community with right security as tight as when it began during World War II. But on a school trip, Lee Aaker son of atomic scientist Gene Barry, is kidnapped and held for ransom for the secret of the newly developed hydrogen bomb.

This film was made in 1952 at the time when Julius and Ethel Rosenberg's case was on appeal and front page headlines. So it was a timely film back during the McCarthy era.

It's a tightly edited little noir thriller. I recommend it highly as an antique of bygone days.

What was amusing to me is the way the FBI is portrayed. In this day and age I'm not sure too many people really care other than for political posturing as to how terrorists are treated. Back then though the FBI had this all American image. They don't do things like torture prisoners.

When Leonard Strong one of the kidnappers is nabbed, he laughingly flings the Bill of Rights and the FBI's code of conduct in their faces and won't divulge anything. Then Milburn Stone, the FBI agent takes a break and father Gene Barry goes in with the prisoner alone. Needless to say, Strong coughs up what they need but quick.

J.Edgar Hoover was most concerned about the image of his bureau and his agents, so the third degree for the FBI couldn't be shown. Kind of laughable today.

I have just watched The Atomic City for the first time and was very impressed by it.

A nuclear scientist's son is kidnapped when he goes out of the confines of Los Almos on a school trip. The kidnappers want to know the secrets of the H bomb, but it isn't long before the FBI are on the case and the kidnappers eventually track down the boy and the kidnappers in some old cliff dwellings. The boy is rescued at the end, but not before he nearly falls from a cliff trying to escape the kidnappers.

This movie was filmed on location in Los Almos and San Francisco and good use is made of these locations. It gives you an idea on what life was like in this period.

The movie's cast includes Gene Barry (War Of The Worlds), Nancy Gates (World Without End) and the boy is played well by Lee Aaker (The Challenge of Rin Tin Tin).

I enjoyed this movie and is worth watching if you get the chance.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5.

I found "The Atomic CIty" somewhat disappointing after two viewings. It starts from an interesting platform; young son of big-shot post-war nuke scientist bottled-up in New Mexican middle-of-nowhere research base is kidnapped and held for intelligence ransom. But after 30 minutes it descends straight down to a very mediocre, run-of-the-mill kidnapped kid story complete with all cliché trimmings (hysterical mother, overwrought macho dad).

The film drifts between styles. The lead-in sets up a documentary-style narrative. But then the early family scenes present a more dramatic style. Scenes where the cops are tracking down the kidnappers slide back into documentary. It's a goofy stew with uneven pacing.

To make matters worse none of the characters are well developed and by the end you'll probably find that you just don't care what happens very much any more.

A slick, good-looking thriller with excellent location work, which uses the backdrop of Los Alamos to bring it's story bang up to date. It acknowledges that despite the comforts of postwar affluence the world was never the same again after the development of the atom bomb; the kid in this film giving voice to the existential trauma wrought on every succeeding generation when he says "if" rather than "when" he grows up...

The title suggests sci-fi, but kidnapping children for a ransom had been an ever-present nightmare since the abduction of Charles Lindbergh's son twenty earlier. This time the kidnappers are dastardly commies whose price for the return of the kid is atomic secrets; and choosing between the life of a cute kid and countless others remains a perennial nightmare, as Col. Helen Mirren was recently reminded in 'Eye in the Sky'.

The young son of nuclear physicist Dr. Frank Addison (Gene Barry) is kidnapped by enemy agents. They offer up his life and well-being in trade for the H-bomb secret knowledge Dr. Addison possesses of America's atomic program.

This cold war paranoia thriller is in some ways ahead of its time as many such themed films would get made in the years to come. While it has its moments, maintaining an high level of suspense with regards to the continued safety of Dr. Addison's son Tommy (well played by Lee Aaker) and creating an exciting climax at the end, this disappoints in that it never delves into the negative possibilities associated with the H-bomb secrets falling into enemy hands, an exploration of which I feel would have given this the bite it lacks. Also the villains remain much too colorless and forgettable aside from a chilling sequence where they try and lure the child Tommy out of a cave hideaway. All in all though, it's better than I expected thanks in no small part to a good cast and tight-paced direction.