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This is a riveting BBC documentary that uses a blend of historical footage, contemporary interviews, historical recreations, and graphic animation to recount the events leading up to the dropping of the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima -- and the horrific devastation caused by the nuclear explosion.

It is particularly timely, since the anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing occurred on August 6.

This is an expertly crafted film that recounts the first step into an era that could lead to the destruction of the earth.

"Hiroshima" doesn't moralize. It tells the story from the perspective of historical records, with a special focus on the crew of the Enola Gay (which dropped the bomb on Hiroshima) and a group of Japanese survivors of the bombing.

It is rare that a historical documentary literally sears you with the reality of its subject matter. It is superbly crafted and edited.

Extras include a revealing interview with the director/producer of "Hiroshima" and a vintage army news real, circa 1945, about the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Although there is a narrator -- the actor John Hurt -- the film is so gripping that you heardly notice that someone is guiding you through it.

The recreated scenes of Hiroshima, cross-cut with the recollections of survivors after the atomic explosion, are excruciatingly real and bring home the full nightmare of a nuclear bomb.

"Hiroshima" is part of a series the BBC produced last year on World War II. It is 90 minutes long, but moves along at an absorbing pace.

The documentary leaves the final judgment on the morality of dropping the bomb on Hiroshima -- and the second bomb on Nagasaki -- up to the viewer.

But what is most terrifying is how it rekindled in us the terror of the nuclear age. The genie has long been out of the bottle.

The hot head nuclear Neo-cons will scare you even more after seeing "Hiroshima." Because we could be bombed too, if they start preemptive nuclear attacks. It would be insanity.

BUZZFLASH REVIEWS