Nuclear War is one of the greatest threats to mankind. It can destroy cities and contaminate the world. In 1984 the BBC broadcast Threads, a film that showed the impact of nuclear war in and around Sheffield.
There are increased tensions in the Middle East when the Soviet Union invades Iran after an American-backed coup in the nation, pushing the world to war. In Sheffield two families view these tensions, the Becketts and Kemps becoming overwhelmed with the stress of potential war and a young couple preparing to have a child.
Threads was split into three parts: the first part was about the run-up to war, the second showed the nuclear attack and the immediate aftermath, and the third showed the long-term consequence of a nuclear war. Threads was so bleak and devasting that it made films like Requiem for a Dream and The Road look like good-time entertainment. It was a film that showed the worst scenario as society breaks down during these three stages and one of the darkest endings a film could have.
Threads was made with excessive research. The film’s director, Mick Jackson consulted many scientists, doctors, psychologists, and defence specialists during pre-production and read many scientific papers and journalist works. Jackson and his screenwriter, Barry Hines, used the 1980 British government exercise Square Leg as the basis for their scenario and showed how underperformed Britain was for a nuclear war. This scenario was made to be as accurate as possible.
The film showed constant societal degradation. As the likelihood of war became more apparent citizens panic buy goods and fled to the countryside, the local authority hoarded food and fuel, and anti-war protests and anti-Soviet protests were happening around the country. When the country gets attacked law and order breaks down, communication between local and central governments breaks down, and food was viciously guarded. In the final act, Britain regressed to an agrarian society and the younger generation spoke a primitive form of English.
Threads showed constant chain reactions. The government hordes food, resulting in with causing the survivors raiding and clashing with the authorities, and society had to revert to hard farming. When the bombs did drop, they caused enormous ecological damage, and not just due to the radiation. The bombs caused a nuclear winter which made survival even harder and when the winter did end the ozone layer was damaged which caused more health problems for the survivors.
Threads has been compared to another British nuclear film, The War Game. Both showed the Cold War getting hot, people were evacuated to the countryside, and the Emergency Powers Act was enacted leading to power devolving to the regions. Both also showed the horrors of a nuclear blast such as the effects of a firestorm, and the breakdown in law and order. The War Game was a story that showed British police officers using lethal force to punish looters. Yet there were differences between the two films. The War Game was made to be a documentary since it was made to be factual, using maps, graphics, and talking heads. It was the only fictional film to win the Academy Award for Best Documentary. Threads was a docudrama, it had factional information yet it had more of a narrative as it focused on a family struggling to survive the apocalypse. Threads looked at the longer-term consequences of a nuclear blast, not just the initial aftermath.
Threads was written by Barry Hines, a working-class writer who focused on working-class themes. Besides Threads, Hines was best known for his work with Ken Loach since he adapted his novel for 1969’s Kes and wrote the two-part drama The Price of Coal. Threads focused mostly on the lives of working people who work, go to the pub, and re-decorate a flat before the bombs drop. Threads had a kitchen-sink aesthetics, feeling gritty and real and the story was human. Family members got stressed, and the council workers were overwhelmed when they were made to govern and had to make horrible decisions that no one would want to make. There were small details like the head of the council saying goodbye to his wife and later seeing a picture of her after the Soviet attack.
When the attack did happen Threads turned into a constant wave of misery. It was blow after blow of horror. It started with the firestorm showing the “Protect and Survive” preparations were useless since homemade protections were no defences against blasts of fire and anyone or anything that was outside would suffocate to death. There were shocking sights like one of the family members getting set on fire and a cat suffocating in the rubble. The IMDB trivia page had a happier note because the cat was given catnip and the footage was played in reverse, so the kitty was probably having the time of his life.
Threads was a low-budget film, it cost £400,000 or would be £1,290,611 in 2023 money. The filmmakers had support from Sheffield Council and were allowed to use a housing estate set for demolition. When the story moved to the post-apocalypse setting, the filmmakers used still photos to show the destruction and suffering. This was done to save money but it felt like Threads was emulating the influential French featurette La Jetée.
Threads is a great and important film considering its subject matter. It is one of the best films about nuclear but Threads was so depressing and horrifying that it would be advisable to cleanse your pallet with something more joyful afterwards.
