Atomic Filmmakers, The: Behind the Scenes [VHS]
Their entire careers shrouded in secrecy, the filmmakers of Lookout Point, the Air Force's fully contained film-production studio located in the Hollywood Hills, finally get their due in this brief (50 minutes) but thoroughly engrossing documentary.  A worthy companion toTrinity and Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Movie, this film introduces us to the great lengths that the U.S. government went to in order to capture on film the numerous atomic tests of the late 1940s and '50s.  With full funding from the Atomic Energy Commission, Lookout Point was no low-budget educational film house cranking out 16mm cheapies on the dangers of VD.  Located  near the hustle and bustle of Hollywood, the filmmakers were quick to take advantage of the latest technology.  You really can't beat seeing an atomic-bomb test in full Technicolor and Cinemascope, as is shown here for the first time.  Other technologies utilized were VistaVision (Hitchcock used this process, as well) and stereophonic sound.  Over the course of 20 years, the Lookout Point facility produced more than 6,500 shorts, many of which are still classified to this day.--Kristian St. Clair