Product Details

• Actors: Artist Not Provided
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: A&E Home Video
• DVD Release Date: September 27, 2005
• Run Time: 50 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000AABL5I
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #20,519 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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  #8 in	Movies & TV > Documentary > Series & Studios > Modern Marvels
  #53 in	Movies & TV > Documentary > Military & War > Military History

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

At 5:30 a.m., July 16, 1945, scientists and dignitaries awaited the detonation of the first atomic bomb in a desolate area of the New Mexico desert aptly known as Jornada del Muerto--Journey of Death. Dubbed the Manhattan Project, the top-secret undertaking was tackled with unprecedented speed and expense--almost $30-billion in today's dollars. Los Alamos scientists and engineers relate their trials, triumphs, and dark doubts about building the ultimate weapon of war in the interest of peace.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars From Theory to Weapon...., March 14, 2008

By	D. S. Thurlow (Alaska) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

History Channel's "The Manhattan Project" offers a concise, nicely balanced history of the making of the atomic bomb in just under 50 minutes. This 2004 episode of Modern Marvels manages to explain the physics and the technology behind the bomb in layman's terms, while crafting a suspenseful narrative around the costly ($30 billion in current dollars) military-civilian collaboration.

"Manhattan Project" begins with the state of atomic science as the Second World War got underway in 1939, and why the United States decided it should build a bomb before Nazi Germany could. At the center of the narrative are Army General Leslie Groves and scientist Robert Oppenheimer, a yin and yang combination who together solved the technical problems of building a bomb, then in record time put together the industrial resources to provide the necessary uranium and plutonium. "The Manhattan Project" concludes with the Trinity Test of July 1945 and the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.

The narrative benefits from interviews with some of the surviving personnel who worked on the project. These interviews put a human face on a massive industrial effort. Some prominent historians offer a larger perspective on the project. The narrative does not shy away from the moral implications of use. Some of the concluding comments suggest that warfare has been changed forever by the invention of a weapon that could annihilate millions in a major exchange.

This short feature on the Manhattan Project is highly recommended as a concise but reasonably comprehensive survey at the popular history level of the making of the first atomic bomb.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From "The Gadget" to the end of WWII, July 6, 2008

By	Jason (Backwater, Alabama) - See all my reviews

In what is described in the early stages of the documentary as the journey of death - because human kind would be inventing the means to its own destruction - The Manhattan Project accurately and compellingly chronicles the scientific, moral, political, and logistical aspects of the rise of the atomic age.

With wonderful usage of authentic footage, recent interviews with informed and involved personnel, as well as the usage of intricate animations explaining and displaying how the science behind the bomb works, and how the great power of fission was harnessed to provide fuel for a bomb, there are vivid details about every aspect of the bombs' timeline. From uranium to plutonium, from "The Gadget" to Little Boy to Fat Man, the scientific data and supporting information is amplified by smooth narration, profound historical and contemporary minds providing first-hand insight, and a succint wrapup of all other pertinent and/or interesting details. There are even superb interviews with Paul Tibbets - the man who piloted the Enola Gay, the plane responsible for dropping Little Boy on Hiroshima.

Particularly impressing were the details about two of the sites involved: Los Alamos, NM and Oak Ridge, TN. The sheer numbers involved to pull of the creation and successful usage of the bombs are truly staggering. To think that Oak Ridge became the fifth largest city in Tennessee as a result of bomb production is unbelievable, and a testament to the amount of clout this project was given.

The documentary is a fair and accurate portrayal of all parties involved. Roosevelt, Truman, Oppenheimer, Groves, and the numerous scientists given credit for the astounding accomplishments, and consequent world-altering impact, are all given proper weight and historical perspective.

I highly recommend The Manhattan Project for those interested in either the science of the bomb, or the related military history.

4.0 out of 5 stars A Look Into Our Atomic Past, November 20, 2009

By	S. Jewett "PianoKeys" (Council Bluffs, IA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

The Manhattan Project Modern Marvels - The Manhattan Project (History Channel) was thrilling to watch! I purchased a copy for my Mother's Birthday (we both watched it.) Mother and I have a few relatives who lived in Oak Ridge, Tennesee, and were part of it. The information I learned in school did not encompass any details at all. I thought I knew a lot about it but, found out the opposite was true, that I knew virtually nothing about it! I also learned that the papers were passed (at one point) to a Russian spy somewhere in the Mount Washington Hotel in New Hampshire (Only an hour and 45 minutes drive by car for me). I am native to New Hampshire (18 years,) so this information was a little intimidating to me to learn about, the ramifications which will be felt for many years to come by all peoples of the world. You will learn about Robert Oppenheimer, Einstein, and various other important scientists who changed the course of history. You will find out that the Americans dug up half a mountian of dirt, and rock, for an element called "hornblende" (a hard, heavy, dark-colored, monoclinic mineral) which is where a small amount of uranium was extracted after processing it. All in all, I gave this DVD 4 stars for the vast amount of information it had in it. The DVD was produced very well. I watched it several other times. There's no way you can get all the information from this DVD alone, you must do some research to find out other details. I encourage everybody to purchase a copy of this DVD! This program caused me to ponder many things and impell many questions in my mind.