Threads (1984)

The effects of a nuclear holocaust on the working class city of Sheffield, England and the eventual long-term effects of nuclear war on civilization.

Director:

Mick Jackson

Writer:

Barry Hines (by)

Stars:

Karen Meagher, Reece Dinsdale, David Brierly

4 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Karen Meagher	...	Ruth Beckett
Reece Dinsdale	...	Jimmy Kemp
David Brierly	...	Mr. Kemp (as David Brierley)
Rita May	...	Mrs. Kemp
Nicholas Lane	...	Michael Kemp
Jane Hazlegrove	...	Alison Kemp
Henry Moxon	...	Mr. Beckett
June Broughton	...	Mrs. Beckett
Sylvia Stoker	...	Granny Beckett
Harry Beety	...	Mr. Sutton
Ruth Holden	...	Mrs. Sutton
Ashley Barker	...	Bob
Michael O'Hagan	...	Chief Supt. Hirst
Phil Rose	...	Medical Officer
Steve Halliwell	...	Information Officer

Storyline

In Sheffield, ordinary people from the working class live their lives while the television news report the escalation of the tension between United States of America and Soviet Union after the invasion of Iran by the soviets. People in general do not pay much attention until the day they realize that a nuclear attack may happen and affect the mankind.

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Plot Keywords:

listening to radio | nuclear holocaust | nuclear war | post nuclear | disaster movie | 

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Taglines:

The end of the world as we know it.

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Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi | War

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Mick Jackson consulted various sources in his research, including the 1983 Science article Nuclear Winter: Global Consequences of Multiple Nuclear Explosions, penned by Carl Sagan and James Pollack. Details of a possible attack scenario and the extent of the damage were derived from Doomsday: A Nuclear Attack on the United Kingdom (1983), while the ineffective post-war plans of the UK government came from Duncan Campbell's 1982 exposé War Plan UK.

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Goofs

The mushroom-cloud repeatedly changes shape, size, and color over the course of three different shots.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: In an urban society, everything connects. Each person's needs are fed by the skills of many others. Our lives are woven together in a fabric. But the connections that make society strong also make it vulnerable.

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Alternate Versions

The original broadcast had some accompanying music for the introduction, with the narration over the spider's web. This music has been removed from all releases except the 2018 Special Edition DVD and Blu-Ray. In all cases before 2018, the music is replaced by the sound of birds.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Nuclear Bomb Scenes in Movies (2015)

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Soundtracks

Johnny B. Goode
(uncredited)
Written by Chuck Berry
Performed by Chuck Berry

User Reviews

Never far from my thoughts...

The first and only time I saw Threads was when it aired on PBS in 1985 or 1986, at 15 or 16 years old. It came near the end of my childhood obsession with world war III, in which I terrified myself to sleep many nights worrying about it.

Like no other movie Threads has, in the last 20 years, popped back in my thoughts on occasion. I remember many scenes vividly, and through the magic of IMDb, I've learned that some things that I thought I saw, but couldn't believe, actually did occur in the film. (I'm referring specifically to the "ET" scene that was mentioned in the message boards.) Having grown up in the strategic target city of Chicago, I thought: Okay, this is what I could expect if it does happen. I kept me awake into my 20's, when the cold war ended, and the threat was minimized.

There truly is no more frightening a movie ever made.

Details

Country:

UK Australia USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 September 1984 (UK)

Also Known As:

A Teia

Filming Locations:

Buxton, Derbyshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

GBP400,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Nine Network Australia, Western-World Television Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1