85 The China Syndrome

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domino harvey
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85 The China Syndrome

#1 Post by domino harvey » Fri Apr 13, 2018 11:43 pm

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When a reporter and cameraman are assigned to cover the daily routine of a nuclear power plant, they witness and record an accident which could have wiped out the whole of Southern California, but their bosses refuse to broadcast the footage. Starring Jane Fonda (The Chase, Klute) Jack Lemmon (Some Like It Hot, Missing) and Michael Douglas (Basic Instinct, The Game), this daring and controversial thriller was nominated for four Academy Awards®, and proved to be horrifyingly prescient when the real-life Three Mile Island accident happened at a nuclear generator in Pennsylvania just 12 days after it was released in US cinemas.

INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES:
• High Definition remaster
• Original mono audio
• Alternative 5.1 surround sound track
The John Player Lecture with Jack Lemmon (1973, 80 mins): archival audio recording of an interview conducted by Philip Oakes at London’s National Film Theatre
Assessing the Fallout (2018, 18 mins): Professor Tony Shaw, author of Rotten to the Core: Exposing America’s Energy-Media Complex in ‘The China Syndrome’, discusses the film and the issues it raises
A Fusion of Talent (1999, 28 mins): documentary about the making of the film, featuring interviews with cast and crew, including Jane Fonda, actor-producer Michael Douglas, executive producer Bruce Gilbert, and actor Jack Larson, partner of director James Bridges
Creating a Controversy (1999, 30 mins): a look at the film’s impact and the real-life events which occurred just after its release publicity stills and promotional material
• Deleted scenes (4 mins)
• Theatrical trailer
• New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• Limited edition exclusive 40-page booklet with a new essay by Neil Sinyard, notes on the rejected score by Gergely Hubai, an interview with Bruce Gilbert, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits
• UK premiere on Blu-ray
• Limited Edition of 3,000 copies

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Re: 85 The China Syndrome

#2 Post by MichaelB » Tue May 29, 2018 3:59 pm

Full and final specs:

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Re: 85 The China Syndrome

#3 Post by MichaelB » Sat Jun 16, 2018 5:54 pm


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Gregory
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Re: 85 The China Syndrome

#4 Post by Gregory » Sat Jun 16, 2018 6:36 pm

An interesting bit of trivia about this film is that the actual nuclear plant that was the model for this film's sets was the same one that was located less than an hour away from Matt Groening's home town of Portland, which is widely believed to have been the inspiration for the Springfield plant (though Groening's publicist has denied this).

The production team behind The China Syndrome got permission from Portland General Electric to tour and photograph the Trojan plant's control room and areas that were otherwise inaccessible to anyone who wasn't an employee or an inspector apparently by avoiding revealing that they were making a disaster pic, instead saying that it was a film about what it's like to work in a nuclear power plant. PGE hoped that whatever film was made after this guided tour would be pro-nuclear, and when The China Syndrome was released, company representatives reportedly said that felt very betrayed (and indeed they had been tricked to some degree).

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Re: 85 The China Syndrome

#5 Post by MichaelB » Sun Jun 24, 2018 6:26 pm


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Re: 85 The China Syndrome

#6 Post by MichaelB » Fri Jun 29, 2018 4:47 pm


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Lost Highway
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Re: 85 The China Syndrome

#7 Post by Lost Highway » Sat Jun 30, 2018 3:51 am

I saw this when it came out, when the Three Mile Island accident lent it some extra power. I rewatched it a couple of years ago and apart from Jack Lemmon’s performance it doesn’t hold up that well. It’s visually drab and very much feels like a TV movie, another 70s vehicle for Jane Fonda where she gets to play a character who becomes woke to an issue. Mike Nichols’ Silkwood (the Karen Silkwood case was one of the inspirations on The China Syndrome) is a far better movie. Unlike The China Syndrome Silkwood has characters who feel like they have lives beyond of the plot mechanics of a conspiracy thriller.

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therewillbeblus
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Re: 85 The China Syndrome

#8 Post by therewillbeblus » Sun Apr 12, 2020 4:02 am

I saw this a lot as a kid and revisited it a few years ago to mixed results, but another watch unveiled some attributes I had largely ignored. First, in the wave of corporate thrillers this plays strongly against type, acting as more of a chamber drama with a few long setpieces and minimal suspense outside of them. The focus is on plain people who are almost allergic to showing any exciting qualities, which serves the truth of the story even if it stops the film from being as engaging to some. The strongest aspect is the subtle touches on the challenge between adhering to loyalty in agency politics or personal ethics, and the bystander effect of looking the other way or ignoring concerns subconsciously because of the consequences of conflict that come with not following suit as expected. This takes a systems perspective, both literally in the plant and figuratively in the ideologies of being a worker at a large institution, in how removing one bolt affects the whole wheel, and motivating oneself to be that rogue agent is a lot more difficult than simply a gut feeling or even clear evidence. Fonda also plays a relatively straight character empowered with confidence at the height of the feminist movement, refusing to flare up dramatics which is even more striking in battling with the sexual politics that come up in this film. Great work all around and a lot more original than I thought, hidden away by the modesty in favor of authenticity. The ending with that alarm pounding through our blood vessels is somehow as suspenseful as a traditional thriller, and the glacial pace pays off in spades.

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