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Amazon.co.uk Review
Hideously plausible when first broadcast in 1984, this BBC TV docu-drama now seems like a terrifying might-have-been, although a great deal of what it says about the probable aftermath of a nuclear attack remains horribly pertinent. Scripted by Barry Hines (author of the novel on which Ken Loach's Kes was based) and directed by Mick Jackson (who later went to Hollywood with The Bodyguard and Volcano), at the time Threads seemed like a response to the American TV movie The Day After although it stands nobly on its own. Showing the after-effects of World War III on the United Kingdom by concentrating on two Sheffield families linked by an unplanned pregnancy, it illustrates the scientific, political, medical and social consequences of the severing of the many vital connective "threads" that support a Western society. Grim in a particularly 1980s way, this is a compulsive if uncomfortable watch and accomplishes a great deal without the distraction of spectacle, picking through all the melted milk bottles and firing squad traffic wardens to find the human horror at the heart of it all. --Kim Newman
Product Description
United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2.4 DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Mono ), English ( Subtitles ), SPECIAL FEATURES: Interactive Menu, SYNOPSIS: Originally produced by the BBC, Threads is a shattering speculative tale the onset of World War III, and the horrors of the post-apocalyptic society that struggles for survival. The film takes place in the ruins of Sheffield, a British working class town. Despite the fact that the world seems to be falling apart all around them, a young couple (Karen Meagher, Reece Meagher) intend to go ahead with their upcoming wedding. As the date draws near, however, simmering international tensions soon erupt into global thermonuclear war. In the devestation that follows, the apocalyptic erosion of society sends mankind hurtling back hundreds of years into an age where famine, strife, pestilence, and death wash over the land like an unrelenting flood of venomous bile. The central theme of the film seems to be that the adage "Life Goes On" just isn't good enough in a world doomed to a slow death by radiation. Without resorting to shock or sensationalism, this one makes The Day After and Testament look like kids' stuff. Though not picked up by any of the major American networks, Threads was widely distributed in the US through the auspices of cable mogul Ted Turner. SCREENED/AWARDED AT: BAFTA Awards, ...Threads
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
77 of 79 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Threads....set in Sheffield in the early 80's this film depicts the build-up to nuclear war, a strike on Sheffield itself and the aftermath.
Words can barely describe how profoundly disturbing this film is, especially if you lived through the era as the events preceding the attack are eerily familiar and once again have relevance given the various troubling political situations that we find the world in today. What was a film about a certain time in history has now become a timely warning about what could possibly be again.
I revisited this film when studying film at university and was actually reluctant to watch it again because of the impact it had on me the first time around (I'd have been about 9 or 10 years old then). The effect was as massive on me 20 years later and I found myself transfixed with horror. The brutal effects of mankind's most indiscriminately destructive and dirty weaponry are shown with no sparing of the audiences feelings, there is no happy ending, no hope and no winners, how this ever got to be aired on television, especially in the 80's, is remarkable.
The nearest comparison I can give to this would probably be the BBC docudrama 'The War Game' and although this is more obviously a dramatization rather than a documentary style recreation it is still highly effective and absolutely chilling.
I recommend this film wholeheartedly; it is shocking and disturbing for the right reasons.
Words can barely describe how profoundly disturbing this film is, especially if you lived through the era as the events preceding the attack are eerily familiar and once again have relevance given the various troubling political situations that we find the world in today. What was a film about a certain time in history has now become a timely warning about what could possibly be again.
I revisited this film when studying film at university and was actually reluctant to watch it again because of the impact it had on me the first time around (I'd have been about 9 or 10 years old then). The effect was as massive on me 20 years later and I found myself transfixed with horror. The brutal effects of mankind's most indiscriminately destructive and dirty weaponry are shown with no sparing of the audiences feelings, there is no happy ending, no hope and no winners, how this ever got to be aired on television, especially in the 80's, is remarkable.
The nearest comparison I can give to this would probably be the BBC docudrama 'The War Game' and although this is more obviously a dramatization rather than a documentary style recreation it is still highly effective and absolutely chilling.
I recommend this film wholeheartedly; it is shocking and disturbing for the right reasons.
42 of 43 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
The original screening of this TV film terrified any number of viewers and reviewers (and even traumatised - look at what other Amazonians say!!) back in the mid 1980s. It is so thoroughly realistic in its suburban English setting (naturally mildly dating it), and in its realisation of the underlying emotion of 'real people', that it's impossible to feel detached.
I personally (in my teens) couldn't stomach it all, and only watched the full film on a worn video in 1998. It brought back the full horror, the pessimism, the complete sense of insecurity of growing up under threat in the 1980s. The political climate may have changed (or has it? Look at the fictional news reports in the film . . .) but the 'Threads' of society are what the film is really about. Are they stronger now, or weaker? What would happen if such a thing happened in the 2000s? This is why the film is still relevant.
I watch this film occasionally, at the very least because the feeling of suspense is so skillful. Ordinary, domestic, things are going on - and then a teleprinter will chatter a fragment of doom over the top. At first matter-of-fact, and gradually more chill sets in. Characters can't sleep (neither will you!), and when the mushroom cloud finally appears, you can only feel the awe voiced by one of the characters, frozen to the spot: '. . . they've done it . . .'
I suspect a lot of people were haunted by that phrase. You care for all the different characters, empathise with them. And then . . . the world we know vanishes (even dear old Woolworths) and hope goes with it, forever. The grating roar of poison wind sets in. This packs a punch, and when the film finishes, you'll want to open the window and breath fresh air, quite honestly. Back in the 1980s, I'd already turned off. Watch it now - as history lesson, science fiction, or powerful drama.
I personally (in my teens) couldn't stomach it all, and only watched the full film on a worn video in 1998. It brought back the full horror, the pessimism, the complete sense of insecurity of growing up under threat in the 1980s. The political climate may have changed (or has it? Look at the fictional news reports in the film . . .) but the 'Threads' of society are what the film is really about. Are they stronger now, or weaker? What would happen if such a thing happened in the 2000s? This is why the film is still relevant.
I watch this film occasionally, at the very least because the feeling of suspense is so skillful. Ordinary, domestic, things are going on - and then a teleprinter will chatter a fragment of doom over the top. At first matter-of-fact, and gradually more chill sets in. Characters can't sleep (neither will you!), and when the mushroom cloud finally appears, you can only feel the awe voiced by one of the characters, frozen to the spot: '. . . they've done it . . .'
I suspect a lot of people were haunted by that phrase. You care for all the different characters, empathise with them. And then . . . the world we know vanishes (even dear old Woolworths) and hope goes with it, forever. The grating roar of poison wind sets in. This packs a punch, and when the film finishes, you'll want to open the window and breath fresh air, quite honestly. Back in the 1980s, I'd already turned off. Watch it now - as history lesson, science fiction, or powerful drama.
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
What an absolute nightmare! The prospect of living (or existing) after a nuclear attack has never been portrayed with more realism than this absolutely shocking but totally gripping film. The images are intense although don't expect ground breaking effects. This film doesn't need them and keeps you focused more on the characters and their misery. The matter of fact delivery of the narrator as he tells us how many people may eventually die(give or take a million) is even more shocking than some of the things on the film. If you are feeling slightly low don't watch this as there are no redeeming features. The threads of civilisation are still severed 15 years after the attack.
To be honest the DVD isn't really much cop - the picture is full frame which is the correct ratio anyway and quite grainy, but with a film as good as this who cares.
The threat of nuclear war may have slightly diminished since the early 1980s but let this film be a stark warning to anyone with their finger on the button.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
The ultimate nightmare?
I'm not sure precisely what prompted me to watch 'Threads' again now, just a few years after buying the DVD (the original broadcast in 1984 having passed me by). Read more
Published 8 days ago by Richard Butterworth
all politicians should watch this.
I bought this film, having seen 'The War Game' at school nearly 40 years ago. That film was upsetting enough, but this really hit hard. Read more
Published 10 days ago by small and covered in hair
Horrifying and amazing
I remember back in the late 80's we had a power cut and my family and I sat around and discussed the film we had all seen; 'Threads'. Read more
Published 13 days ago by P. D. Childs
Threads
A brilliant film/drama, made in sheffield and showing much that is no longer there or standing. A film that makes you wonder about our future and well worth a look... Read more
Published 1 month ago by al
Sheffield gets a revamp
I enjoyed this film partly because I am from the city of Sheffield, which is where Threads is set. Although its obvious that its been produced on a very low budget, it still... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Wednesday Special
A mirror to a disastrous future that could yet happen
I imagine that if you have got to this particular product review of `Threads', you will already have read countless five-star reviews of this film; and rightly so. Read more
Published 1 month ago by SportsBioFan
I'd probably put a warning on the cover, life changing, shocking film,...
I was 14 when I saw this and to be honest I probably should never have been allowed to see it.
I've watched a lot of films in my time and yet it's probably one of the... Read more
I've watched a lot of films in my time and yet it's probably one of the... Read more
Published 2 months ago by SteveINtheUKok
THREADS
I was doing acid whilst watching this when originally shown on TV. It was a worse trip than the blot I dropped for 'The Day After'.
Published 3 months ago by Willem
Ill never forget the day and it was around 18 years ago....
I was I think, around 15 and was shown this at school. I remember I came home and wept in the kitchen while my mum cooked dinner. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Alex
Good watch, one or two "room for improvement" s
I don't think I saw this originally, but I am glad I bought it. It gets stuck a bit between documentary and drama which can make it a little bit 'bitty'. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Owzat
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