Threads (The closest you'll ever want to come to nuclear war)

Hecate

I've been meaning to see this for ages, and I finally managed to pick up a copy, it was on BBC around 1984 I think.

Its pretty disturbing stuff, I can see why its hardly ever been shown or given a proper dvd release. The aftermath scenes are really sickening....even by todays standards, can't imagine what the reaction was like when it was shown originally.

Theres a seriously strong anti-war message running through it, the graphic imagery and the depiction of how low people can sink when they're desperate would put you off any idea of war.

ixoy

How odd, I just saw this recently too after hunting down a copy!! I posted a review of it too. Great stuff but very disturbed. Especially since you know what's going to happen and you have the whole buildup tension, released in a nasty way in the movie. It's unrelenting in its bleakness as well but I'd definetely recommend it if you can somehow see it.

Ronan|Raven

I saw it as well. Have it sitting here on my HDD, very powerful piece of film so it is. Really gets the panic and chaos of the attacks leading upto and after. Truely harrowing stuff.

YeatsCounty

Apologies for dragging up a thread that is nearly two years old, but as I was going to create a thread on this topic already, I figured why not just add to an existing discussion?

Anyway, Threads was released on DVD in late 2005. Having read reviews on IMDB and Amazon, I am unsure as to whether I should buy this film or not. On the one hand, I am sure that it is a fantastic piece of gritty film making. That is the picture that I've seen on IMDB and on this thread.

On the other hand, I really don't know if I would be able to take such a "real" account of nuclear holocaust and its aftermath, especially looking at global politics at the moment. Sure, there's no Cold War but a regional nuclear exchange could turn into a global affair. Anyway, this is not the place to discuss such affairs.

Have any other Boardsies seen this?

ObeyGiant

Threads is pretty harrowing and bleak, but was fuelled by the size of the cold war and, as such, has little relation to the current political situation. Without giving too much away, the end of the movie descends into the kind of speculative ridiculousness that comes from a paranoia about the most extreme possibilities when you have the nuclear arsenal of two superpowers bearing down on you.

Still, it's very well made, will have a lasting effect on you and, as such, is something I wish everyone would see. I don't think you should deprive yourself because you don't think you could handle it.

Drag00n79

Threads was shown originally on BBC one Sunday night in September 1984. It really freaked me out back then. Of course, the idea of nuclear armageddon was very much to the forefront of the music and movie business back then too. I recall also how we were all talking about it in school the next day. I'm pretty sure RTÉ showed it either simultaneously as the BBC that night or a short while after. Thanks to eBay I got a copy of it a couple of years back. Still very disturbing — especially the long-term effects near the end. I must buy a proper DVD of it. Another nuclear war movie which came out around that time (1986) was an animated film called 'When The Wind Blows'. Bowie supplied some of the soundtrack and it's more sad than disturbing. I have a VHS copy of it, which I recorded when Channel Four showed it back then but I wish they would release it on DVD.

Edit: I see 'When the Wind Blows' is out on DVD now too. Play.com have it here

mike65

Hav'nt seen it, Threads was part of a whole subgenre which climaxed in the mid 80s with Testament, The Day After, When the wind blows and other, lesser Nuclear dramas. Earlier examples include The War Game which has a great reputation but I guess it looks pretty tame now.

Mike.

ixoy

Got a chance to see it last year. The buildup is excellent because it's primarily taken from the POV of the ordinary person, who just sees the newspaper headlines rather than, what I'd imagine we'd see in a redoing, from the perspective of the world leaders themselves. The politics in question aren't really applicable these days but the sense of mounting tension could easily be.

The actual fallout/destruction is nicely done in the sense it's so horrific. It's helped by the sort of uber-calm documentary quality that calmly describes how millions will die, et cetera. It's the clinical approach that really got it for me. Admittedly towards the end, as ObeyGiant says, it goes a bit for the hysterical extremes of what might happen but it still has a chilling effect and I'm quite surprised that this sort of movie hasn't been nabbed for a remake..

maquiladora

Two other nuclear war related movies I remember are 'Special Bulletin' ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086350/ ) and 'The Day After' ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085404/ ).
Like Threads, they are both TV movies, but quite impressive and scary at times.

Dudess

Threads is a phenomenal film! I first heard about it on one of those I Love 1980-whatever programmes. To be honest, I thought some of the clips shown looked a bit naff. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I got to see it recently and I don't think there could possibly be a more powerful and effective indictment of nuclear war. Really, really terrifying stuff. It was written by Barry Hines, the guy who wrote the book on which Ken Loach's Kes is based. The show actually made some front pages the morning after the BBC showed it. People were understandably traumatised, because back in ’84, a nuclear strike seemed far more plausible than it does now. A similarly-themed US film, The Day After, had American audiences cacking it, but apparently that film is a walk in the park compared to Threads. What’s most horrifying is the aftermath, not the immediate one, but thirteen years on – particularly the kids who have grown up knowing nothing else. That got me the most. The War Game is also very similar and was banned for twenty years. It was made in the sixties but is just as shocking today.
The nuclear holocaust genre is obviously very scary, but kinda fascinating in a grim way. Another really good TV series on the theme is Edge of Darkness.

daveg

Threads was a good movie but, as said before, it's very depressing. I actually just got my hands on the day after which I'll be watching this week. Supposed to be very good.

May I also recommend Trinity and Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Movie. Superb documentary about the development of the atom/nuclear bomb.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114728/

maquiladora

daveg wrote:

Threads was a good movie but, as said before, it's very depressing. I actually just got my hands on the day after which I'll be watching this week. Supposed to be very good.

May I also recommend Trinity and Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Movie. Superb documentary about the development of the atom/nuclear bomb.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114728/

Trinity & Beyond is incredible, one of the most dramatic and memorable documentaries I've ever seen. The footage is both terrifying and strangely beautiful. I had the pleasure of talking with the director a couple of times a few years ago, he's a really great guy with a background in special effects, he worked on the original Star Wars film.

maquiladora

Actually, you know what, after watching The War Game, I think its a better film than Threads, despite the fact that it pre-dates it by 2 decades and is under an hour long its very effective and its style and realism, to me at least, packs an even starker and more memorable punch. Very powerful 'documentary' indeed.

Dudess

Yeah, I saw The War Game and Threads back to back on UK Documentary or one of those type channels - a nuclear holocaust "double bill" if you will. Delightfully light-hearted. Huge similarities between the two, and the makers of Threads obviously got a lot of inspiration from The War Game. The War Game was banned in 1965 as the British government felt it was too much for the public (and a bit too realistic). But twenty years on, once Threads was shown, the ban was lifted. Threads is possibly more hard-hitting, since drama is integrated with the documentary stuff. The War Game is purely docudrama.

YeatsCounty

Thanks to everyone for your comments. I will be viewing "Threads" within the next few days and I'm certain that the experience will be interesting, to say the least.

I plan on watching "The War Game" and "Trinity & Beyond" if I can get my hands on them. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to have a look at "When the Wind Blows" so far. I will keep trying though.

I saw "Special Bulliten" around ten years ago. I was 11 and I really liked it. It scared me.

Dudess

Watched Threads yet, YeatsCounty?

deman

Coincidently and strangley enough, I've seen threads recently too.

I have to say it's one of the most disturbing, if not THE most disturbing film I've ever seen. As a teenager of the 80s, all the thoughts and fears, I had, of nuclear warfare came flooding back. Frankie Goes To Hollywood immediately came to mind :rolleyes: with Two Tribes.

Would I recommend this film? I dunno. It depends on the person. Whoever watches it will not enjoy it and that's what films should be all about in my opinion. I've watched and enjoyed many horror films down the years but they were different. Threads is a possible reality...... even today!:(

Dudess

It was shown in 1984. Another really scary film from 1984 is, erm, 1984. What is it about that year? Were the makers of Threads all like, "George Orwell has everyone ****ting it about this year so let's make them **** even more"..?

TerrorFirmer

I don't suppose anyone wants to lend me a copy of threads? Sounds superb - had never heard of it prior to this thread.

Dudess

I understand where you're coming from, HavoK. It's really expensive to buy. Hmmm....do you have access to Sky Digital? It's been shown a few times on UKTV Documentary. I'd say they'll repeat it ad nauseum if you want to keep an eye out for it.

Lochaber

HavoK wrote:

I don't suppose anyone wants to lend me a copy of threads? Sounds superb - had never heard of it prior to this thread.

Don't know where anyone else is getting it but I rented out of the well-known video / dvd rental store in Ranelagh (can we mention names here?). Now I realise you're in Galway so it's not an option but perhaps there's a video store you might be able to find it in there?

I thought it was great, as people mentioned earlier, very disturbing but gripping viewing.

Sauron

I also have it on my HDD. Just saw it there for the first time last night. It was incredible. The sheer reality of such an event had never dawned on me before but the film really gets across the bleak and terrifying truth at the ground level. I kept on having to remind myself that some of the scenes were only a year after the attack, and that it was the 1980's. Pretty disturbing but I'd seriously recommend it.

I had never heard of it before this thread either...

Drag00n79

Dudess wrote:

I understand where you're coming from, HavoK. It's really expensive to buy.

Yes, it used to be expensive to buy the original as it was a deleted title but It was re-released on DVD 5th September 2005, so it's much cheaper now.
Play €15.99
Sendit £11.99 Stg

nlgbbbblth

YeatsCounty wrote:

Anyway, Threads was released on DVD in late 2005.

Threads was re-released on DVD in 2005.

Revelation Films released it on DVD in 2000 - those DVDs ended up selling for up to £100 on ebay prior to the re-issue.