Corsa alla bomba

Just wanted to put it out there that the Canadian Broadcasting corporation has no idea how to commercialize its product. Many great titles were shown once

This wonderful miniseries, probably the best on the subject is not available on either VHS or DVD. Someone uploaded a really crappy home VHS copy onto You Tube that is unwatchable.

After its original broadcast the copyright was allowed to lapse. It is now in the public domain for commercial exploitation by anybody who wants to hunt down a good quality print and transfer and distribute it.

Rare War Films has made a copy available for purchase from a print with Danish subtitles. It can be ordered online. The quality is doubtful and it comes without packaging.

I just wish one of the original producers would get their act together and put together a proper DVD release.

Un-like the highly romantic American films "Fat Man and Little Boy" and "Enola Gay" or the Truncated "Day One" or the well-made "Hiroshima" this is a detailed re-telling of the Manhattan Project with a lot of fascinating side bars. I saw this one first and it really got me going on the subject! All of the above mentioned are recommended for those interested in the subject, but this one is head and shoulders above the rest.

I remember watching this wonderful series when it first came out and was taken aback by the level of detail and accuracy. There have been many movies and docudramas that have followed or proceeded it including "Day One" and the splendid series "Oppenheimer" starring Sam Waterston in the title roll, but none can compare to "Race for the Bomb". It simply takes its time to cover all aspects of the story, human and historical, and captures the era to perfection. Maury Chaykin is memorable as General Leslie Groves and the rest of the international cast is without fault including Jean-Paul Muel as Leo Szilard and Tom Rack as Oppenheimer.

I'm really surprised that this series is not available in DVD or even VHS, I'm sure the producers could gain some revenue from it and make a new and old audience very happy. I did have a VHS copy that I made when the series was first aired but it's long gone now, more's the pity. If you do happen to see this in a rerun somewhere, don't miss it, unfortunately I don't see that happening.

Maybe someone may resurrect it for its twentieth anniversary. One can only hope. If the Aussies can release an old series ("1915") from the 80's then there may be hope.