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    Threads [DVD]

    Karen Meagher (Actor), Reece Dinsdale (Actor), Mick Jackson (Director, Producer) Rated: Suitable for 15 years and over Format: DVD
    4.3 out of 5 stars 213 ratings
    IMDb7.9/10.0
    £14.95
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    5 Sept. 2005     		—
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    Product description

    Documentary-style account of a nuclear attack on Sheffield during the 1980s. Ruth Beckett (Karen Meagher) and Jimmy Kemp (Reece Dinsdale) live in Sheffield and are busy preparing for their upcoming marriage. When Russia invades Iran, hoping to bring the country under its influence, tension is increased throughout the West, and particularly at the local R.A.F. base. Blissfully unconcerned with world events, Ruth and Jimmy carry on with their wedding preparations. However, when two Russian ICBM's hit Sheffield, turning the landscape into a radioactive desert, Ruth and Jimmy are forced to face up to the harsh reality of life in the aftermath of a nuclear explosion.

    Product details

    • Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 4:3 - 1.33:1
    • Is discontinued by manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
    • Rated ‏ : ‎ Suitable for 15 years and over
    • Language ‏ : ‎ English
    • Package Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 19 x 13.6 x 1.6 cm; 80 g
    • Manufacturer reference ‏ : ‎ 5014138302177
    • Director ‏ : ‎ Mick Jackson
    • Media Format ‏ : ‎ PAL
    • Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 52 minutes
    • Release date ‏ : ‎ 5 Sept. 2005
    • Actors ‏ : ‎ David Brierly, Karen Meagher, Nicholas Lane, Reece Dinsdale, Rita May
    • Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English
    • Language ‏ : ‎ English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
    • Studio ‏ : ‎ 2entertain
    • Producers ‏ : ‎ Mick Jackson
    • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0009S9LNK
    • Writers ‏ : ‎ Barry Hines
    • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
    • Best Sellers Rank: 38,429 in DVD & Blu-ray (See Top 100 in DVD & Blu-ray)
    • Customer reviews:
      4.3 out of 5 stars 213 ratings

    Customer reviews

    4.3 out of 5 stars
    213 global ratings

    Customers say

    Customers find this film well-made and realistic, with one noting it's as authentic as EastEnders or Heartbeat. The movie is thought-provoking, with one customer describing it as an essential warning. The pacing and atmosphere receive mixed reactions, with some finding it harrowing while others describe it as depressing. The story quality and viewing experience are also mixed, with several customers noting there's no happy ending and it's difficult to watch.

    Select to learn more

    QualityRealismThought provokingHorror contentPacingStory qualityAtmosphereViewing quality
    43 customers mention ‘Quality’36 positive7 negative

    Customers praise the quality of the film, describing it as an amazing piece of television that is well worth viewing.

    "Brilliant film. Every politician should be made to watch this film, then they might think twice about nuclear weapons." Read more

    "Incredible Film. A absolute must see." Read more

    "Difficult to watch but worth watching. This is not about entertainment but an education of the reality of a nuclear war...." Read more

    "This is a very good film, but I won't be watching it again - not because it's not good but because it's very scary indeed!" Read more

    17 customers mention ‘Realism’12 positive5 negative

    Customers find the movie realistic, with one comparing it to EastEnders or Heartbeat in terms of authenticity.

    "I remember it from 1984 It's very realistic and moving Probably true to the sheer panic and terror of real ppl in a nuclear attack...." Read more

    "interesting portrayal of the effect of a nuclear exchange based upon sheffield,a town of limited tourist potential and therefore not known by as..." Read more

    "...As other reviews have said, it is terrifyingly realistic. For me, more so...." Read more

    "Very Realistic!" Read more

    12 customers mention ‘Thought provoking’9 positive3 negative

    Customers find the movie thought-provoking, with one customer noting it serves as a set text for military and strategic studies, while another describes it as an utterly essential warning.

    "...This is a must see, very thought provoking and proof that a nuclear war would be just pointless, nobody wins." Read more

    "...Or it may just make you think what I thought; while it is profound and well written, this should never have needed to have been made, and it should..." Read more

    "...in an easy to the eye, somewhat dated drama,but then descends into a brutally thought provoking and chillingly real horror without the typical 'gore..." Read more

    "...A superb insight into one of the futures mankind could end up facing...." Read more

    46 customers mention ‘Horror content’22 positive24 negative

    Customers have mixed reactions to the horror content of the film, with some finding it deeply disturbing and scary to watch, while others appreciate its shocking nature.

    "...Sobering, depressing and it ends on a particularly sour scene, but an excellent piece of work that more people should watch...." Read more

    "Scary and makes you think - watched it twice and gave me bad dreams - hope this will put those in charge make this never happen ! Great service too" Read more

    "...over her town - the whole warning scene, and indeed the attack, is frightening - not because the graphics are wonderful, but because the screenplay..." Read more

    "...This film is amazing. Timeless, haunting and truely clever, it weaves a tale from character setup to TEOTWAWKI (The End Of The World As We Know It)..." Read more

    19 customers mention ‘Pacing’8 positive11 negative

    Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the movie, with some finding it harrowing, while one customer notes its long and gripping build-up.

    "...Harrowing, depressing yet compulsive viewing, in convincing drama-documentary style...." Read more

    "...Threads as a drama is extremely well paced with a long build-up of escalating tensions as conflict ignites in Russia and the Middle East...." Read more

    "I enjoyed watching this, but it is dated. It is a very depressing view of human behaviour when the chips are down" Read more

    "...It is pertinent even today. It is scary just to watch it. It is scary in the sense that is could happen then and it can happen today...." Read more

    17 customers mention ‘Story quality’10 positive7 negative

    Customers have mixed opinions about the movie's story, with several noting there is no happy ending.

    "...Is it worth getting? Yes Is it any good? yes Good storyline? Yes Good acting? yeah its alright...." Read more

    "...There is no hope in this film, no way out, no rescue, no happy ending, no winners. Only death and the end of civilisation...." Read more

    "harrowing story, very watchable" Read more

    "...Civil Defence and all that. I don't like sad endings and this ending is devastating...." Read more

    11 customers mention ‘Atmosphere’6 positive5 negative

    Customers have mixed reactions to the movie's atmosphere, with several finding it depressing, while one customer notes its brilliant evocation of the Cold War era and another mentions its long build-up of escalating tensions.

    "...This is probably best watched in daylight, and in a very good mood...." Read more

    "...Sobering, depressing and it ends on a particularly sour scene, but an excellent piece of work that more people should watch...." Read more

    "...that its been produced on a very low budget, it still maintains some atmosphere and is a grim reminder of what might have been if the West and the..." Read more

    "...There's none of the calm feel of the original "On the Beach", nor the appalling acting of "By Dawn's Early Light" to allow you to watch..." Read more

    11 customers mention ‘Viewing quality’7 positive4 negative

    Customers have mixed opinions about the viewing experience of the movie, with some finding it difficult to watch, while others say it shows quite well.

    "harrowing story, very watchable" Read more

    "Difficult to watch but worth watching. This is not about entertainment but an education of the reality of a nuclear war...." Read more

    "...The filming of 'Threads' is a masterly display of making the best of limited funds...." Read more

    "...would be dead but truth is people would have survived and this shows quite well what it would have maybe been like." Read more

    Top reviews from United Kingdom

    • Mr. Jonathon T. Beckett
      5.0 out of 5 stars A harrowing yet essential viewing experience
      Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 September 2010
      Verified Purchase
      To understand just how powerful this television drama is, it is as well to remind oneself of the era it was made in. The threat of a breakdown of relations between America and its allies and The Soviet Union was a palpable reality, and therefore 'Threads' was a very real 'horror' film. I remember well how we all talked about what we had watched in school the next day, which was Monday. We certainly didn't laugh and joke about it though. In other words it had a very real effect on our teenage minds.
      This was the first time I had watched Threads since its initial transmission. It was even more terrifying watching it now, its power had not diminished one jot.
      The film brings a human elelment to proceedings right from the start as we are introduced to Ruth(Karen Meagher) and Jimmy(Reece Dinsdale) and their respective families. Although we see and hear broadcasts of a worsening situation in Iran, the Becketts and the Kemps are too busy just trying to get by to really concentrate on the terrible global events around them. The first discussion we hear about the threat of war is between Jimmy and his dad at the allotment.
      Then the actual nuclear attack takes place. Although there have been television broadcasts informing the general public of safety measures to protect themselves, very few are prepared for the horror of what is to come. The scenes during and immediately after the nuclear attack are difficult to watch due to some excellent actings and some necessarily disturbing images.
      The real spark of hope comes from pregnant Ruth, and her sheer will and determination to carry her unborn child safely till full term. This makes Threads final shocking denouement even more upsetting.
      Still very relevant today, Threads should be essential viewing for every politician let alone every school kid. It has a hard hitting message about the utter futility of war and the devastating human suffering that comes with it, and at a time when the threat of nuclear confrontation is raising its ugly head again, we must be more vigilant than ever.
      Essential, unmissable television. 5 out of 5.
      4 people found this helpful
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    • P. Harlow
      4.0 out of 5 stars "war is hell"...but it's nothing compared to the aftermath...
      Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 May 2010
      Verified Purchase
      This is an incredibly well made film; the actors are excellent, the acting itself doesn't suffer from the melodramatic style that inflicts other British dramas of the early 80's and the sets and special effects are utterly believable. This film doesn't shy away from or gloss over any of the horrific effects of a nuclear war and brutally reports on exactly what would happen when an entire country and its society are completely destroyed. Many modern "disaster" films follow the route of society rebuilding itself and everything turning out alright in the end - Threads leaves you in no doubt that, after an event as destructive as a nuclear bomb going off, nothing will ever be alright ever again.

      Sobering, depressing and it ends on a particularly sour scene, but an excellent piece of work that more people should watch. I only give it 4 stars as 5 stars apparently means "I love it" which seems perverse in this case - I defy anybody to watch this and say they "love it".
      4 people found this helpful
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    • Honahon
      5.0 out of 5 stars The good news: they’ve dropped a nuclear bomb on Sheffield. The bad news: they’ve dropped ‘em pretty much everywhere else too.
      Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 August 2016
      Verified Purchase
      Marginally more depressing even than your average episode of Eastenders, Threads has nevertheless worn surprisingly well given how rooted it is in the politics of its day. In fact the programme brilliantly succeeds in having its radioactive cake and eating it. Meaning: it excels both as a doomsday action adventure and as a meticulously-researched documentary with grim factoids popping up regularly on the screen to regale you with such delights as ‘Likely epidemics: cholera, dysentery, typhoid’ (and all in zippy 80s typeface).
      The first thirty minutes really does resemble a slightly downbeat soap opera, with young Ruth up the duff and her parents and in-laws none too ‘appy. For me there was the added pleasure of a nifty little time trip back to 1984 when I were a teenager. Back then crap hand held games with LCD ink splatts lolloping across the screen, them was state of the art. No 80s music soundtrack, alas. (We could obviously have had Two Tribes, then just out of the charts, or – even better – Duran Duran’s Is There Something I Should Know? with the worst line in pop history: ‘Don’t say you’re easy on me / You’re about as easy as a nuclear war’).
      Threads as a drama is extremely well paced with a long build-up of escalating tensions as conflict ignites in Russia and the Middle East. The programme of course is rooted in the Cold War era of Soviet Russia v the Free West but otherwise not much at all has changed in the news bulletins. The long and gripping build-up means that when the bomb-swapping starts you’re completely immersed in the drama and nearly inclined as the lady in the street to piddle yourself in jaw-dropping terror. The scenario, or sub-plot, involving all the clueless local Government bods who are supposed to take matters in hand post-nuclear-meltdown but end up screaming asininely at one another in their airless bolthole is as brilliant as it is plausible.
      The post-nuclear scenes are, inevitably, the bleakest. Watch pregnant Ruth tramping through the post-apocalyptic landscape and its artful displays of charred limbs in search of her bird-loving (yes, both sorts) boyfriend. Watch as Ruth and her boyfriend’s old drinking buddy dine out al fresco in the dark nuclear winter on raw sheep. Inevitably, as we move further away from the attack – years and eventually decades – the picture painted becomes more speculative. Still, the final scene is almost artistic in its sheer grimness. My guess is that you won’t sign off from Threads in elated spirits, but then of course you aren’t meant to. Have no doubt: this is a masterpiece which stands the ever so pernickety test of time.
      4 people found this helpful
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    Top reviews from other countries

    Translate all reviews to English
    • Michael Dobey
      5.0 out of 5 stars the most realistic cold war senario film ever probably
      Reviewed in the United States on 6 February 2011
      Verified Purchase
      We still live under the cloud of nuclear war, although it's not like it was during the cold war, a time when total devastion of the entire world was a REAL possibliity. The senario involving IRAN too remains topical, but in todays world IRan wants the bomb so they can use it on Isreal, or the west. this is not the same as the cold war era at all. This film looks great and it was shot on film , not all bbc dramas were shot that way back then. Although the tape era was thankfully coming to a end by the time they made this movie. THis is similiar to the very good 'the day after' but done with a smaller cast. The cast does a great job and the film builds up logically to the war for about 45 minutes and then it's a horrorfest of devastation and doom. But that's what that type of war would have been like. I am glad this film is in such good shape too, often we get films with scrathes and lines in them , 'the day after' has this problem. This one looks great and the effects of the war stand up even today. The scenes of the aftermath are very effective too. It would have taken hundreds of years for some sort of real society to return probably after this type of devastation and this film is worth every penny. Why it's not out in region one is beyond me. It's one of the bbc's finest moments fromt the 1980's. So you need a ALL region player which available right here on amazon.com to watch this. Get this one. It's very realistic and pulls no punches.
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    • Alain Stimamiglio
      5.0 out of 5 stars Terrifiant "film-culte" sur l'apocalypse nucléaire...
      Reviewed in France on 17 May 2010
      Verified Purchase
      Pour beaucoup de Britanniques de 30-40 ans, il y a deux "traumatismes" filmiques de jeunesse, tous deux dus à un scénario de Barry Hines: le poignant "Kes" de Ken Loach et ce glaçant "Threads" de Mick Jackson. Ce dernier étant un téléfilm qui plongea dans l'effroi les familles anglaises devant leur poste un soir de Septembre 1984, alors que la guerre froide, dans ses dernières années, n'avait toujours pas effacé le spectre de la guerre nucléaire... Le film est proche dans sa structure de son équivalent américain, "The Day After" de N.Meyer (1985), mais il est encore plus effrayant et bien plus pessimiste, car totalement dépourvu d'espoir. Les fictions post-atomiques américaines laissent toujours entrevoir la possibilité d'une reconstruction de la société ou du moins, de la persistance d'une forme d'instinct de survie, de la préservation d'un lien affectif avec ses êtres les plus proches. Ces "liens", justement qui expliquent le titre anglais, disparaissent irrémédiablement après la guerre atomique, c'est le tissu même des relations entre les êtres humains qui se désintègre... On est paralysé de terreur et de tristesse en assistant à la disparition de tout ce qui constitue la notion d'humanité et qui rend justement impossible (en s'ajoutant aux dommages causés par les radiations et l'"hiver nucléaire") toute naissance d'une "nouvelle société", même néo-primitive... On comprend que les Britanniques aient été traumatisés par ce cauchemar surgi sur leurs petites lucarnes ce soir-là...
      La mise en scène sobre rappelle un certain cinéma anglais "social" et certains aspects docu-fiction en font le complément du terrible "The War Game" de Peter Watkins (le trauma tv atomique british de la génération précedente :-)) , les acteurs sont parfaits (mais on sait que les Britanniques sont des acteurs nés à la justesse de jeu inégalable).
      Enfin, bref, disons juste que même le très noir "The Road" est "rose" à côté ! Vous voilà prévenus.
      (DVD anglais zone 2 - version anglaise - sous-titres anglais - pas de vf ou de stf)
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    • Gunnar Kaltofen
      5.0 out of 5 stars Erschütternde und Prägende Doku
      Reviewed in Germany on 15 July 2010
      Verified Purchase
      Der Film Threads aus dem Jahre 1984 versucht aufzuzeigen, wie durch eine große Katastrophe - eben einen Atomkrieg - die sensiblen Fäden (engl. threads), die eine moderne Gesellschaft zusammenhalten, zerstört werden.

      Als Szenerie dient die nordenglische Stadt Sheffield, im Mittelpunkt steht ein junges Liebespaar, Ruth Beckett (dargestellt von Karen Meagher) und Jimmy Kemp (Reece Dinsdale), sowie deren Familien. Die (fiktive) Handlung beginnt im März 1983 mit einer Invasion der sowjetischen Armee im Iran. Hieraus entsteht schnell eine ernsthafte Krise zwischen der Sowjetunion und den USA, die einen Rückzug der sowjetischen Streitkräfte fordern. Die Krise spitzt sich immer weiter zu und es kommt zum Atomschlag zwischen Ost und West. Dabei wird auch England massiv getroffen.

      Die Folgen dieser Atombomben werden in diesem Film nicht verharmlost, im Gegenteil, sie sind Horror pur. Die Panik und das Chaos werden noch intensiver als in The day after dargestellt. Der Zuschauer wird mit eindrucksvollen Bildern auf das Ende vorbereitet.
      Neben Briefe eines Toten und The day after ein Mussfilm für alle, welche einen 3. Weltkrieg für undenkbar halten. Für die anderen ein Mahnmal, auf das wir diese Bedrohung so niemals erleben müssen. Richtet das auch den Politikern aus!!!!!!
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    • martin romain
      5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
      Reviewed in France on 24 August 2014
      Verified Purchase
      TB mais VO exclusive, dommage qu'il n'y ait pas de traduction française. La BBC a produit beaucoup d'excellents films. Recommander
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    • JOHN P. HANSSEN
      4.0 out of 5 stars Initial attack scenes not nearly as frightening as "The Day After", but the aftermath is worth the price of admission
      Reviewed in the United States on 10 January 2007
      Verified Purchase
      This film took awhile for it to really grow on me. Perhaps the best aspect about this film is the powerful metaphor contained therein. Yes-this planet, with its current technology and fragile ecosystem-is like a delicate fabric and when one of the "threads" is missing, then the whole beautiful mosaic collapses like a house of cards. Excellent reasoning from the producers of this film. The aftermath also was quite brutal, and contained a lot of good scientific information as well. However, even with all these redeeming qualities, I still find this film a lot less FRIGHTENING then "The Day After", especially in the initial attack scenes. Oh, sure, Threads is more GRAPHIC in the aftermath, but this still does not make a film necesarily BETTER. In fact, there are a number of horror films that are excellent in that they rely more on chills and thrills rather than just out and out gore. I found the attack scenes in "The Day After" to be far more chilling, especially with the display of the rockets being launched and the the black demon-like mushroom clouds arising into the air. "Threads" seem to lack this single effect and I found this aspect of the film rather disappointing. However, the excellent metaphor and realistic-enough aftermath make this film worth viewing.
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