Threads Film Analysis

In 1983, the Cold War was in a heightened stated. Early in the year, Ronald Reagan gave his famous Evil Empire speech as justification for deploying NATO nuclear-armed missiles. The SDI or “Star Wars” plan was a sign of heightening tensions between the NATO countries and the Warsaw Pact ones. Other events, like the Soviet downing of Korean Airlines 007, Massive Nuclear Protests in Europe and the Able Archer exercises, were further signs of rising Cold War tensions. It was in this atmosphere that the British Broadcasting Agency commissioned the film Threads. This powerful, intense cold war film showed the full horror of nuclear war, including a nuclear winter and was a vivid depiction the fear that people on both sides of the Iron Curtain shared. Early 1983 was a time of heightening tensions between the USA and the USSR. The Soviet Union installed new nuclear missiles in Eastern Europe. In turn, The US unleashed the Strategic Defense …show more content…
Views of melting milk bottles, animals writhing in pain and humans simply disintegrating, put to film citizens unspoken fears. The film 's depiction of a nuclear winter was the first of its kind. Other films, like America’s the Day After, show the aftermath of nuclear war, but Threads, with its long descent into literal darkness and night, served to bring a new level of terror to the Public.
This film is dark. The viewer sees the long-term results of the war as England is reduced to its medieval population and way of life. The film shows thirteen years post war. We see a destroyed economy, a destroyed ecosystem and a generation of new children with stunted growth, lack of education and no sign that things will improve. The final scene of the film shows the child of the main character gives birth to a stillborn baby. The screens immediate cut to black leaves the viewer with no hope at all for the future.
The film had far-reaching