Testament (1983)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Lynne Littman

Writers:

Carol Amen (story)
John Sacret Young (screenplay)

Release Date:

December 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

It happened in an instant. The televisions went blank, the radios - silent. The cities were gone, the future abandoned. And the only thing they have left to hold onto, is the people they love.

Plot:

Nuclear war in the United States is portrayed in a realistic and believable manner. The story is told...

Plot Keywords:

Nuclear | Nuclear War | Missile | Nuclear Holocaust | Father Daughter Relationship

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Jane Alexander	...	Carol Wetherly
William Devane	...	Tom Wetherly
Rossie Harris	...	Brad Wetherly (as Ross Harris)
Roxana Zal	...	Mary Liz Wetherly
Lukas Haas	...	Scottie Wetherly
Philip Anglim	...	Father Hollis Mann
Lilia Skala	...	Fania Morse
Leon Ames	...	Henry Abhart
Lurene Tuttle	...	Rosemary Abhart
Rebecca De Mornay	...	Cathy Pitkin
Kevin Costner	...	Phil Pitkin
Mako	...	Mike
Mico Olmos	...	Larry
Gerry Murillo	...	Hiroshi
J. Brennan Smith	...	Billdocker

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | Hong Kong:IIA | Sweden:11 | Finland:K-12 | Norway:15 | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Sierra Madre, California, USA

Company:

American Playhouse

Trivia:

Final film of Lurene Tuttle.

Quotes:

Newscaster: This is San Francisco. We have lost our New York signal. Radar sources confirm the explosion of nuclear devices there, in New York, and up and down the East Coast. Ladies and gentlemen, this is real. This is...
Emergency Broadcast System Announcer #1: [interrupting with a high-pitched tone] We interrupt this program at the request of the White House. This is a national emergency. This is an Emergency Action Notification. I repeat, we interrupt this program at the request of the White House. Do not use your telephone. Telephone lines should be kept open for official use. Important instructions will follow.
Carol Wetherly: [telephone rings] Hello? Tom? Hello?
Emergency Broadcast System Announcer #2: Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States.
[the TV suddenly goes dark, a blinding flash appears outside the living room window, and air raid sirens begin to wail]
Brad Wetherly: Mom?
Mary Liz Wetherly: Mom?
Carol Wetherly: Get away from that window!
Scottie Wetherly: Mommy!
Carol Wetherly: Get down on the floor. Get down!
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in Testament at 20 (2003) (V)

Soundtrack:

Hello! My Rag Time Gal!

Powerful, gripping look at nuclear hell

1983..The cold war was in full swing and the fear of nuclear armageddon hung over all our heads. ABC released "The Day After", (which I have already commented on) but in all the furor around that, "Testament" was released. This is THE 1980's nuclear war film. It doesn't deal with the effects on an entire community, but rather on one small, close knit family in California. Jane Alexander's performance was one of legend, and is possibly one of the classic dramatic performances of all time. The day begins innocently enough, dad heads off to work, the kids watch "Sesame Street"..then the Emergency Broadcast System cuts in and the world stops. Ignore all the Y2K mumbo-jumbo and put yourself back in 1983 (most of us know where we were) and watch this film. You may not be "entertained", but you will appreciate what you have just a bit more.