The Lost Atomic Bomb Drama ‘Time of the Heathen’ Is Ready for Discovery, and a New Release — Watch

It really needn’t be said how much Christopher Nolan’s Best Picture winner “Oppenheimer” has brought the aftershock of the atomic bomb ripping through the public consciousness again.

So the current zeitgeist is as good as any for boutique distributor and arthouse restoration outfit Arbelos to uncover a lost 1961 gem: Peter Kass’ 1961 “Time of the Heathen.” Set in the immediate aftermath of the atomic bomb, the avant-garde drama was shot by American science-fiction artist Ed Emshwiller as cinematographer. The film’s bold visuals are on full display in the exclusive trailer, hosted by IndieWire, below for the re-release of “Time of the Heathen.” Arbelos will open the film at New York’s Film at Lincoln Center on May 10 and at LA’s American Cinematheque on May 12.

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Kass, who died in 2008, was best known for his work as a theater instructor in New York, collaborating with the likes of Faye Dunaway, Val Kilmer, Olympia Dukakis, Maureen Stapleton, and John Cazale. Written with Calvin Floyd, “Time of the Heathen” was his only directorial feature. Eagle-eyed classic film fans might notice “The Sting” star John Heffernan in the cast.

Here’s the synopsis of “Time of the Heathen” from Arbelos:

Emerging from the void, mysterious drifter Gaunt (Heffernan) wanders the upstate countryside in a daze with only his bible for company. But after happening upon the murder of a local female housekeeper at the hands of a rural deviant, Gaunt soon finds himself framed for the attack. Forced to flee deeper into the woods with the only witness to the crime — the woman’s young deaf-mute son Jesse — the pair forge a complex bond that culminates in one of cinema’s most memorable, psychedelic, and unclassifiable endings.

Arbelos has recently brought 4K restorations of the likes of Béla Tarr’s epic “Sátántangó” back into the world, along with Tarr’s protege György Fehér’s “Twilight” (IndieWire went behind the scenes of that restoration last year here), Wendell B. Harris’ “Chameleon Street,” and many more revived arthouse favorites.

The restoration was overseen by UCLA Film & Television Archive and Lightbox Film Center, University of the Arts and is being released by Areblos.

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