The China Syndrome (1979)

A reporter finds what appears to be a cover-up of safety hazards at a nuclear power plant.

Director:

James Bridges

Writers:

Mike Gray, T.S. Cook

Stars:

Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon, Michael Douglas

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 8 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jane Fonda	...	Kimberly Wells
Jack Lemmon	...	Jack Godell
Michael Douglas	...	Richard Adams
Scott Brady	...	Herman De Young
James Hampton	...	Bill Gibson
Peter Donat	...	Don Jacovich
Wilford Brimley	...	Ted Spindler
Richard Herd	...	Evan McCormack
Daniel Valdez	...	Hector Salas
Stan Bohrman	...	Pete Martin
James Karen	...	Mac Churchill
Michael Alaimo	...	Greg Minor
Donald Hotton	...	Dr. Lowell
Khalilah 'Belinda' Ali	...	Marge (as Khalilah Ali)
Paul Larson	...	D.B. Royce

Storyline

While doing a series of reports on alternative energy sources, a reporter, Kimberly Wells, witnesses an accident at a nuclear power plant. Wells is determined to report the incident but soon finds herself entangled in a sinister conspiracy to keep the full impact of the incident a secret.

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Plot Keywords:

power plant | radiation | nuclear power | reporter | cover up | 

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Taglines:

Today, only a handful of people know what it means... Soon you will know.

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Producer-actor Michael Douglas explained the selection of James Bridges as director and co-screenwriter: "Jim Bridges was an ideal choice for many reasons. As actors, we were attracted to his ability to elicit very natural performances. As viewers, we observed that he is able to create great suspense. Above all, he is an accomplished writer with a strong feeling for people".

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Goofs

When Hector (the sound guy) is being pursued at high speed in his red car, (as he tries to hurriedly get the falsified X-rays to Jane Fonda), after the second bump from the car behind; there is a shot-change to the side of his car. In the reflection in the window of his car we can see a Panavision camera with a roll of movie film on top, filming the scene from a truck.

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Quotes

Churchill, Mac: Richard, I want that goddamn film.
Richard Adams: You can kiss my ass!

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Crazy Credits

The end credits run in total silence.

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Connections

Featured in The '80s: The Decade That Made Us: Lift Off (2013)

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Soundtracks

Somewhere In Between
by Stephen Bishop

User Reviews

I may be wrong, but I'd say you're lucky to be alive.

Ripped from today's headlines! An explosion at a nuclear power plant on Japan's devastated coast made leaking radiation — or even outright meltdown — the central threat menacing a nation just beginning to grasp the scale of a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami.

A crew from a local TV station was present when an accident occurred at a nuclear power plant, and the core cam dangerously close to being exposed. Like Japan, this accident was caused by an earthquake. The TV station is trying to hide the story, but the cameraman (Michael Douglas) shows the film he surreptitiously took to experts. Wanting to get out of reporting fluff, Jane Fonda follows up to get the plant expert (Jack Lemmon) to talk.

Fonda is magnificent in this film, and Lemmon shows a whole range of emotion during the accident, and afterward as a man who wants to tell the truth even if it hurts his company.

When a company stands to lose a billion dollar investment, you can be sure that there will be an attempt to murder someone (Daniel Valdez) to keep things quiet.

Lemmon and Fonda were both nominated for Oscars, and probably should have gotten them.

Things depicted in the story have actually occurred in the past (before this film), and it was fascinating to see the reactions of the characters. The writers did a magnificent job, and were also nominated for an Oscar.

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Movie Channel [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 March 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

Misuse Of Power

Filming Locations:

Sunset Gower Studios - 1438 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$51,718,367

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$51,718,367

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, IPC Films, Major Studio Partners

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1