The Salem Cinema presents "Dark Circle" on Virtual Cinema. When you buy a ticket, 50% of the proceeds go straight back to the Cinema to support them during this difficult time.

It’s been 75 years this month since the start of the Atomic Age, with the U.S. nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki killing hundreds of thousands of civilians, but its trail of destruction has never ended.

"Dark Circle" covers both the period’s beginnings and its aftermath, providing a scientific primer on the catastrophic power of nuclear energy while also relating tragic human stories detailing the devastating toll radioactive toxicity has taken on people and livestock—focusing in large part on Rocky Flats, Colorado, whose plutonium processing facility infamously contaminated the surrounding area.

Documentary Grand Prize winner at Sundance, Academy shortlisted for Best Documentary, and Emmy winner, "Dark Circle" is no less potent today than it was 40 years ago. This new 2K HD Restoration was assisted by the Academy Film Archive and supervised by co-director Judy Irving.

"'Dark Circle' is one of the most horrifying films I've seen, and also sometimes one of the funniest (if you can laugh at the same things in real life that you found amusing in 'Dr. Strangelove'). Using powers granted by the Freedom of Information Act, and sleuthing that turned up government film the government didn't even know it had, the producers of this film have created a mosaic of the Atomic Age. It is a tribute to the power of the material, and to the relentless digging of the filmmakers, that the movie is completely riveting. Four Stars!"
- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

"You owe it to yourself to see this chilling documentary. A much needed warning sign on a very dangerous road. Rated: A."
- People Magazine

A film by Judy Irving, Christopher Beaver & Ruth Landy

82 minutes, color, 1982
Optional English subtitles for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing