Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84 / ST 1.0; site saber.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!ihnp4!pesnta!qumix!saber!msc From: msc@saber.UUCP (Mark Callow) Newsgroups: net.movies,net.sf-lovers Subject: Re: Nuclear War films - THREADS Message-ID: <1620@saber.UUCP> Date: Fri, 8-Mar-85 15:22:19 EST Article-I.D.: saber.1620 Posted: Fri Mar 8 15:22:19 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 10-Mar-85 07:57:20 EST References: <524@ahutb.UUCP> <244@looking.UUCP> Organization: Saber Technology, San Jose, CA Lines: 32 Xref: watmath net.movies:5876 net.sf-lovers:6664 > For those who though the "Day After" and "Testament" were bad, you should > see the English-produced "THREADS". > > The reviewers say that THREADS makes the Day After look like a romp through > the daisies, and while it's not quite that bad, they are close. If you really want to be frightened see Peter Watkin's "The War Game". This was commissioned by the BBC but when they saw the finished product they deemed it too scary to show on TV. It has never been shown on TV, in Britain at least, but was released as a movie. Last August, there was mention that the BBC might finally show it, as part of an examination of nuclear war, along with Threads and some documentaries and discussion programs. 17 years after seeing it I still have vivid memories of the scenes of the fire storms and resulting hurricane force winds. With this memory, the depiction of fire storms in Threads did not seem believable. Threads did not depict the gale force winds that would result from the firestorm. I also have vivid memories of policeman shooting those too maimed to live since there were almost no medical facilities to take care of them. Just typing these few words is bringing back the feeling of horror I experienced with the realisation of how bad things were anticipated to be for the police to have instructions to do that. The War Game was a documentary style film based on the then current scientific understanding and civil defense planning in Britain. It was around this time in my life that I decided I would never work on weapons and have as little as possible to do with any other military work. -- From the TARDIS of Mark Callow msc@saber.UUCP, saber!msc@decwrl.ARPA ...{decvax,ucbvax}!decwrl!saber!msc, ...{amd,ihnp4,ittvax}!saber!msc