THE ACCIDENT

The brand new Helios nuclear station in West Germany houses the biggest reactor in the world. As Anne Weiss, a local opponent of the spread of atomic power, says, ""It is a symbol of the new German megalomania. . . ."" So it's not surprising that when officials start arriving for the opening ceremonies of the new plant, plant manager Martin Born starts receiving bomb warnings. The warnings demand nothing, only state that the plant is already mined and ready to blow. But Born has borne too many of these threats and will open no matter what. In any case, nothing could stop young Alexander Fuchsis, the determined and crazy saboteur. He hates his father, an overworked surgeon and symbol of technocracy; what's more, he has a strange genital swelling, perhaps from excess sex with Martin Born's nympho wife Sybille. An unlikely plot connection, you say? Well, it's no more strained than that Born should find himself abed with dissident Anne Weiss. No matter: the plant does open as scheduled, and the disaster occurs, with the uranium pile melting and radioactive clouds forming. An intentional fire must be spread to avoid nuclear devastation, saving millions of lives at the cost of tens of thousands. Some leaden German humor, but mainly a straightforward and heavy-handed disaster-documentary.