Hideously plausible when first broadcast in 1984, this BBC TV docu-drama now seems like a terrifying might-have-been, although a great deal of what it says about the probable aftermath of a nuclear attack remains horribly pertinent. Scripted by Barry Hines (author of the novel on which Ken Loach's Kes was based) and directed by Mick Jackson (who later went to Hollywood with The Bodyguard and Volcano), at the time Threads seemed like a response to the American TV movie The Day After although it stands nobly on its own. Showing the after-effects of World War III on the United Kingdom by concentrating on two Sheffield families linked by an unplanned pregnancy, it illustrates the scientific, political, medical and social consequences of the severing of the many vital connective "threads" that support a Western society. Grim in a particularly 1980s way, this is a compulsive if uncomfortable watch and accomplishes a great deal without the distraction of spectacle, picking through all the melted milk bottles and firing squad traffic wardens to find the human horror at the heart of it all. --Kim Newman
United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2.4 DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Mono ), English ( Subtitles ), SPECIAL FEATURES: Interactive Menu, Scene Access, SYNOPSIS: Originally produced by the BBC, Threads is a shattering speculative tale the onset of World War III, and the horrors of the post-apocalyptic society that struggles for survival. The film takes place in the ruins of Sheffield, a British working class town. Despite the fact that the world seems to be falling apart all around them, a young couple (Karen Meagher, Reece Meagher) intend to go ahead with their upcoming wedding. As the date draws near, however, simmering international tensions soon erupt into global thermonuclear war. In the devastation that follows, the apocalyptic erosion of society sends mankind hurtling back hundreds of years into an age where famine, strife, pestilence, and death wash over the land like an unrelenting flood of venomous bile. The central theme of the film seems to be that the adage 'Life Goes On' just isn't good enough in a world doomed to a slow death by radiation. Without resorting to shock or sensationalism, this one makes The Day After and Testament look like kids' stuff. Though not picked up by any of the major American networks, Threads was widely distributed in the US through the auspices of cable mogul Ted Turner. SCREENED/AWARDED AT: BAFTA Awards, ...Threads
During World War 2 Carrie and Nick are evacuated to a small Welsh town to live with the strict Mr Evans and his sister Auntie Lou and find they've entered a world of curses witches and druids; a world where nothing is quite what it seems...
The original BBC drama that shocked a generation. Set in the paranoia of nuclear war this chilling and BAFTA-award winning BBC2 drama was aired causing outrage and anxiety amongst the viewing public due to its graphic and realistic storytelling of a possible nuclear strike. After its initial airing Threads became a national talking point and became a powerful and terrifying glimpse into a post holocaust world after a devastating nuclear bomb. Even more terrifyin
Sharpe's Justice The Peninsular War is over and Sharpe returns to England with his reputation fully restored. He is soon ordered to the North of England to take command of a local militia force in his home town as it is troubled with unrest and machine-breakers. Sharpe finds that he is torn between two sides - that of the corrupt gentry and that of his own people the rough tough and spirited masses who are kept down by their superiors. He finds himself faced with one of the
Hideously plausible when first broadcast in 1984, this BBC TV docu-drama now seems like a terrifying might-have-been, although a great deal of what it says about the probable aftermath of a nuclear attack remains horribly pertinent. Scripted by Barry Hines (author of the novel on which Ken Loach's Kes was based) and directed by Mick Jackson (who later went to Hollywood with The Bodyguard and Volcano), at the time Threads seemed like a response to the American TV movie The Day After although it stands nobly on its own. Showing the after-effects of World War III on the United Kingdom by concentrating on two Sheffield families linked by an unplanned pregnancy, it illustrates the scientific, political, medical and social consequences of the severing of the many vital connective "threads" that support a Western society. Grim in a particularly 1980s way, this is a compulsive if uncomfortable watch and accomplishes a great deal without the distraction of spectacle, picking through all the melted milk bottles and firing squad traffic wardens to find the human horror at the heart of it all. --Kim Newman
A wonderfully evocative three DVD box set which features three films each telling a wartime story. Goodnight Mister Tom: John Thaw (Inspector Morse) stars as the widowed and cantankerous Tom Oakley in this charming film adaptation of the prize-winning children's novel by Michelle Magorian. When the Second World War is declared Tom finds that his quiet life in the village of Little Weirwold is set to change when nine-year old Willie Beech (Nick Robinson) is evacuated from Lo
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