Wähle das Leben

This compilation of archival footage wants to alert the spectator to the dangers of military applications of nuclear energy. The film begins with images of the concentration camps in World War II; a war that culminated in the nuclear bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima. Mercilessly, Leiser shows the result of this decision: destruction, dead and ill people, Japanese mutilated by radiation. When nuclear tests are carried out on the Bikini Islands, this leads to fierce protests. In the archival footage, advocates and opponents talk about negative and positive applications of nuclear energy. Next, Leiser goes back to Hiroshima, as if he wants to underline that the use of nuclear energy for military purposes can only end in destruction. As a warning, he alternates cheerful and beautiful scenes with military parades and rocket launche. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)