V (1983) (TV)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Kenneth Johnson

Writer:

Kenneth Johnson (written by)

Release Date:

1 May 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Humankind's last stand.

Plot:

When aliens come to Earth to ask for our help, a few suspicious humans discover their horrific true intentions and prepare to resist.

Plot Keywords:

One Letter Title | Beautiful Woman | Reptilian | Alien Invasion | Television Reporter

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 2 nominations

Cast

Jane Badler	...	Diana
Michael Durrell	...	Robert Maxwell
Faye Grant	...	Juliet Parrish
Peter Nelson	...	Brian
David Packer	...	Daniel Bernstein
Neva Patterson	...	Eleanor Dupres
Tommy Petersen	...	Josh Brooks (as Tommy Peterson)
Marc Singer	...	Mike Donovan
Blair Tefkin	...	Robin Maxwell
Michael Wright	...	Elias Taylor
Bonnie Bartlett	...	Lynn Bernstein
Leonardo Cimino	...	Abraham Bernstein
Richard Herd	...	John
Evan C. Kim	...	Tony Wah Chong Leonetti (as Evan Kim)
Richard Lawson	...	Dr. Ben Taylor

Also Known As:

Storm Warnings (USA) (original script title)
V: The Original Mini Series (USA) (DVD title)

Runtime:

197 min | Finland:189 min (DVD)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Norway:15 (video premiere) | Iceland:16 | Argentina:13 | UK:12 (DVD rating) | UK:15 (VHS version) | USA:TV-14 | USA:Unrated | West Germany:16 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Anheuser-Busch Brewery, Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Kenneth Johnson Productions

Trivia:

The mother ships are matte paintings. There wasn't a large-enough budget to build miniatures for them.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When the voice is counting down in multiple languages the Greek part is not correct: enea (9), theka (10), octo (8).

Quotes:

Michael Donovan: You always said it couldn't happen here... Then one day we woke up and we were living in a Fascist state.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Science Fiction: A Journey Into the Unknown (1994) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Theme

Classic Science Fiction Television

Considered by many to be one of the best in the genre, V is a television classic.

Airing during 'May Sweeps' on NBC over two nights, the mini-series was a surprise ratings smash. Critically praised for it's introspective tale with strong themes, the special effects were top-notch, particularly for television of the time.

NBC had taken a gamble with this cutting-edge, creative, and creepy alien-invasion story that pays off in some memorable performances from members of the large cast.

Twenty-plus years later, Kenneth Johnson's epic V holds up extremely well, it's message of resistance and sacrifice being ever more relevant in this Post- 9/11 world.