Threads (1984)

                I had been aware of this movie for a while, but had purposely avoided it because I knew it would be depressing.  I’m not proud of myself for that.  A war movie reviewer should be able to watch any war movie.  Except maybe “Shaving Ryan’s Privates”.  “Threads” was a British/Australian production for the BBC.  It was directed by Mike Jackson (“Live from Baghdad”).  His research included consulting scientists, psychologists, doctors, and defense specialists.  For the nuclear winter scenes, he used a Science magazine article entitled “Nuclear Winter:  Global Consequences of Multiple Nuclear Explosions” by Carl Sagan and James Pollock.  The movie was filmed in 17 days in Sheffield.  The city  was chosen because it was a “nuclear free zone” which meant the city council would be amenable to the disruption of a movie production.  Unlike the similar “The War Game”, which did not air in 1966 because of pressure from the Wilson government, “Threads” was aired to a large audience.  It was nominated for 7 BAFTAs and won for Best Single Drama, Design, Film Cameraman, and Film Editor. It came up short for Costume Design, Film Sound, and Make-Up (the third degree burns were Rice Krispies and ketchup).

                The movie opens with a narrator proclaiming that society is made up of threads woven together.  This makes it strong, but vulnerable.  The film follows the families of Ruth Beckett (Karen Meagher) and Jimmy Kemp (Reece Dinsdale).  Ruth is pregnant so she and Jimmy are to be wed.  The Becketts are a working-class family and the Kemps are middle class.  The people of Sheffield are not concerned when the news reports that the Soviets have invaded Iran after a coup they blame on the U.S.  Three days later, an American sub gets sunk in the Persian Gulf.  The President claims the attack was unprovoked.  He sends American forces to Iran to protect the oil fields.  A week later, the U.S. accuses the Soviets of bringing tactical nuclear weapons into Iran.  Since Sheffield is near a NATO air base, the citizens of Sheffield should be fleeing the city.  It is an obvious target.  Most people are ignorant about the danger they are in.  Some leave when the U.S. issues an ultimatum that the USSR leave Iran.  Since governments are like people, they don’t like to back down, a red line has been crossed.

 

                I used to do a game with my American History classes in conjunction with covering the Cuban Missile Crisis. I called it “Escalation” because it emphasized that a Cold War confrontation could spiral out of control.  I divided the class into leadership councils for two countries.  They had to make decisions based on what the other country’s leadership had done.  In order to “win” or save face, it was eye-opening how far a country would go in a nuclear scenario.  My scenario had some similarities to “Threads”. 

                Since I doubt many of you will watch the movie, I’m going to run through what happens to Sheffield in the movie.  This may save your life some day as it is a realistic portrayal of what might happen.  You should not be in a major city when the nukes start flying.  We left the movie situation with the U.S. ultimatum.  Great Britain moves troops to Europe.  This results in pro-NATO and anti-war protests in Sheffield.  B-52s bomb Soviet forces in Iran. The Soviets use nuclear anti-aircraft missiles to shoot down several of them.  The Americans use a nuclear bomb on a Soviet base in Iran.  There is a naval battle in which an American carrier is sunk.  Now there is a traffic jam to get out of the city.  It’s too late. A nuclear blast over the North Sea fries all communications in Great Britain.  Nukes take out targets like the nearby air base and the city itself.   Sheffield is devastated.  Huge fires break out. Over 80 megatons of explosives hit the country.  Fallout blankets most of the country.  Few residents are prepared for the two weeks they must spend indoors away from any windows.  Hospitals are swamped with burn victims and radiation casualties.  The movie goes on to show the effects nuclear winter.  Survivors have to cope with lack of food in the present and the killing of crops and livestock in the next few months.  Ten years later, Ruth and her daughter are barely eking out their existence.  Civilization has collapsed.

                Watching “Threads” is a sobering experience.  I also could have used adjectives like gut-wrenching, depressing, emotional, and powerful.  Don’t avoid it as I did, especially if you have little idea of what a nuclear war will be like.  The scenario the movie posits is a realistic one.  Once one nuclear explosion occurs, anywhere in the world will be in danger.  If you want to live, you will have enough warning to take steps to survive.  However, watching this movie, you might not want to survive.  It is an indictment of human reaction to threats.  There was a time after the Cold War when “Threads” could be seen as a curio.  Unfortunately, the threat of nuclear war has returned. 

                For a low budget affair, “Threads” has high production values.  The special effects are gruesome, but they needed to be.  There are a lot of dead bodies, human and animal.  Don’t eat while viewing.  Just when you think it can’t be grimmer, there is a shot of a woman carrying her dead baby.  This movie is depressing.  Not one positive thing happens.  The film focuses on the emergency city council’s efforts to deal with a catastrophe that it is ill-prepared for.  There is no optimism even 13 years after war.  The final scenes depict the loss of humanity that will result from hundreds of nuclear explosions.

                The cast was mostly unknowns.  Director Jackson wanted fresh faces that the audience could identify with.  Karen Meagher stands out since her Ruth is the only character that is followed to the end.  Well, not quite the end.  Karen gives birth in a barn.  She cuts the umbilical cord with her teeth.  (That’s licorice, by the way.)  The acting is decent and kudos to make-up for showing how nuclear war will affect appearances. 

                I have the goal of seeing some more of the nuclear war subgenre.  Movies like “The Day After”, which was the American equivalent of “Threads”.  Also the animated “When the Wind Blows”.  But I think I’ll wait a while before I watch the next one.  Realistic movies about nuclear war can be real downers.

GRADE =  A