This 1989 t.v. movie, debuting on DVD for the first time, has both the usual strengths and drawbacks of made for television fare. Director Joseph Sargent oversees a large and mostly exceptional cast, including the wonderful David Ogden Stiers doing a nicely understated FDR, an impossibly young Tony Shalhoub as Enrico Fermi and, anchoring the two hour plus production, an impressive duet between Brian Dennehy as Les Groves, the General overseeing the project, and David Straitharn, absolutely pitch-perfect as chief scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer. The bulk of the supporting cast, including such stalwarts as Hume Cronyn, Hal Holbrook, John McMartin and Barnard Hughes, all excel in their relatively briefer roles. One unexpectedly comic moment comes from the quick introduction of Peter Boretski as Einstein, whose unfortunate makeup (including a literally unbelievable moustache) makes him look more like Holbrook's oft-performed alter ego, Mark Twain.

The production packs a fascinating amount of detail into its narrative, including what are evidently actual conversations, taken from transcripts, between the government lackeys (who didn't quite know what they had gotten themselves into), General Groves, and the physicists, who were something of an unruly frat house congregation, not especially prone to taking orders from anyone. Watching the interplay between Dennehy and Tucker in this regard provides some much needed comic relief. There's also a fair amount of suspense, with plenty of backstage intrigue, somewhat surprising since the ultimate outcome is so well known.

The drawbacks of the film are among those commonplace to most television movies of the time, including hurriedly filmed scenes with sloppy camerawork, and some strange storytelling and editing choices (what, for example, is one to make of the bizarre segment with Michael Tucker staring at changing traffic signals early in the film?). While production values are generally high (at least for this type of movie), it simply doesn't have the sweep that a big-budget widescreen epic would have. But since it concentrates largely on the interrelationship of the characters, that's probably a good thing, overall.

All told, Day One boasts such exceptional performances and casts such superb illumination on this epoch making event that its shortcomings can probably be overlooked by most viewers.

The DVD

Video:
The source elements for Day One show occasional damage. The full frame transfer is quite dark, making some scenes murky. The entire video has the soft look of alot of late 80s television.

Sound:
As is usually the case with these older television productions, the soundtrack fares better, with a well-rendered standard stereo track.

Extras:
None are offered.

Final Thoughts:
Day One is an engrossing history lesson for anyone who lived through the birth of the Atomic Age, or is affected by its aftermath (which includes just about everybody). Dennehy and Straitharn crackle with intensity in this above-average t.v. movie, and it certainly is worth a rental to see if it belongs in your permanent collection.

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"G-d made stars galore" & "Hey, what kind of a crappy fortune is this?" ZMK, modern prophet