what would happen if england were nuked ( Threads 1984 )

I did not find this being posted here before (sorry if its allready). BBC made a docudrama in the 80's about the consequences of large scale nuking of england. By my knowledege best document about the effects of nuclear war. Worth to watch for anyone preparing for such event and shows what happens to the unprepared, as allso to those who have prepared. shows that its not about only the immidiate surviving of the attacks.

Threads (1984)

Unlike american probaganda stuff this has no happyendings. Ugly thing to watch. At my opion should be aired every new years eve around globe. would make couple less trigger happy.

[edit on 30/3/08 by hopea]

welcome to ATS.

Threads is a old topic on the ATS survival boards. Sorry to burst your bubble but it is a watered down remake of an American film.

The Day After
I don't know ware you get your idea of American Propaganda but America and Americans tend to be more in your face doom sayers then any other nation.

I recall both ~THREADS` and ~THE DAY AFTER~ came out right about the same time they came out ALMOST the same year. They were so close together there is no doubt they were being made at the same time.
Neither one had a happy ending and they were BOTH very powerful true to life examples of surviving after 'the bomb'
I think both of those movies should be REQUIRED VIEWING for any and al politically minded people. If someone runs for ANY office they should be made to sit down and watch both of those movies.


[edit on 30-3-2008 by theRiverGoddess]

The day after 20 November 1983 (USA)

Threads 23 September 1984 (UK)

Hmm you might be right its a hard push to get together a movie that quickly. just repeating what I was told. If I was wrong ime sorry.

must check out that american film

Sorry for that americanism comment, but hollywood stuff tend to be guite over shooting in catastrophy films. disasters look larger than they really are and your chances of surviving are larger than they should. like deep impact and day after tomorrow. You have lots of catastophe films, but you allways survive in them, which is not very propable.

offcourse there are good and guite realistic stuff in there like testament ( which is allso from 1983). very good film: no action or big effects, but very good drama.

Might be true that threads was motivated by day after, but i would not say it a down play at least on realism perspective. it was based on military study. offcourse effects are not as big, because it is a tv docudrama, not a movie.

PS. thank you for welcome. i have been lurking around for sometime. posted couple post now and then, mainly about finnish military stuff.

anyway, if it has been posted here, then no more about that.

[edit on 31/3/08 by hopea]

Originally posted by hopea
must check out that American film

Sorry for that americanism comment, but hollywood stuff tend to be guite over shooting in catastrophy films.

Of course you are correct. I personally feel that Hollywood is not representative of the American people. I am also known to be a little over sensitive about my country, because I love being an American. To some people that means I am against them. I am not against anybody I just love my country.

Might be true that threads was motivated by day after, but i would not say it a down play at least on realism perspective. it was based on military study. of course effects are not as big, because it is a tv docudrama, not a movie.

Oh I just learned something new I figured it was a movie not A TV deal. I believe the day after was a tv drama too but not sure on that.

PS. thank you for welcome. i have been lurking around for sometime. posted couple post now and then, mainly about finnish military stuff.

We always need new blood to keep our community alive. A community that does not grow dies. Are you presently active or retired like me?

Hollywood tends to like happy endings - it sells more tickets (or so they believe). But also I think hopea has a point about our films. Americans in general tend to be more optimistic than some others and this influences our entertainment.

The Day After is much more touchy feely than Threads. Threads is a better movie, IMHO, as it takes the consequences into the future. Those that saw it know what I mean.

I also think Threads goes into better detail on the aftermath of full war. Day After has some good scenes of casualties, but this is to be expected from the events.

BTW: your British snobbery is well appreciated Say it like you mean it and don't hold back, but do be civil.

Both movies are as bad as each other when it comes to touchy feeliness. The Day After shows a family getting ready for their Daughter's wedding, Threads has a young couple getting ready for their very own shotgun wedding ... they're both dramas & you need a bit of a story to engage you, huh ? Each movie plays to its own domestic audience ... it's not surprising they're the same ... and different ... all at the same time.

That being said both take 2nd and 3rd place to Testament when it comes to being the most depressing movie ever made. Now that's a hugely underrated movie, it focuses almost entirely on the post attack scenario ... on a small US town which survives the initial attack relatively unscathed, only to go downhill as food & water run out & the fall-out arrives ... think of Testament as "Who Will Love My Children" meets "On The Beach" ... cheery stuff.

I have seen threads, and god damn its scary as hell
I think its as close as a film could come to portraying a nuclear war

And as for the film 'having to have a story to keep intrest'
I think they are personal when it brings the normal person into frame when it shows a family having to cope with the devasation of nuclear war and what it brings

Just my 2 cents

[edit on 31-3-2008 by Disgustipated]

I haven't heard of or seen Testament. I'll check into it.

Sounds like fun with a bowl of popcorn....

Originally posted by angryamerican
Are you presently active or retired like me?

Here in finland we have such nice thing as conscription. went through 6 months military service as crewman at forward observer line. so FO radist/measurer. so never been really "active" and retired until catastrophe.

One of the last persons to use these things( they are replased with newer comgear):LV217 M. Heavy as hell and the only way to get message throught during ECM is to use SANLA, because that radio (,which is very familiar to americans) can not hop channels. Americans offered F-18 blueprints in exchange to sanla's blueprints, later sold for large pile of dollars. most advanced radio encrypter in the world. that for boasting nokias radio tech.

by hinky:
I haven't heard of or seen Testament. I'll check into it.

recommended, saddest movie ever.

I believe the day after was a tv drama too but not sure on that.

Both are TV movies. little mistake here by me, thought Day after was full feature movie. sorry, still its only the amount of special effects. they are not so important. Learned that only lately after watching Testament and Man from Earth. Brits just tend to put factual info in these catastropy dramas, so they are called docudramas. means narrator reads actual estimated casualties

Originally posted by hopea

One of the last persons to use these things( they are replased with newer comgear):LV217 M. Heavy as hell and the only way to get message throught during ECM is to use SANLA, because that radio (,which is very familiar to americans) can not hop channels.

This is off topic.

How many tones does the SANLA use and any idea what the baud rate is?

Originally posted by hinky
How many tones does the SANLA use and any idea what the baud rate is?

still off topic, 600 bit/s max. Dont know about tones, they newer told us how it exactly works. All exact details of sanlas working are finnish armys topsecrets. We never got to known anything classified info about it. Only confidential info I knew about it were encryptionkeys used in trainings. So, sorry don't know anything topsecret and even if knew would not tell.

All I can say is...... wow, we're totally screwed. Hundreds of years of advancement all turned around in a few seconds. It's scary to know that we have enough nuclear weapons in the world to do that to all major population centers..

Originally posted by hopea
I did not find this being posted here before (sorry if its allready). BBC made a docudrama in the 80's about the consequences of large scale nuking of england. By my knowledege best document about the effects of nuclear war. Worth to watch for anyone preparing for such event and shows what happens to the unprepared, as allso to those who have prepared. shows that its not about only the immidiate surviving of the attacks.

Threads (1984)

Unlike american probaganda stuff this has no happyendings. Ugly thing to watch. At my opion should be aired every new years eve around globe. would make couple less trigger happy.

[edit on 30/3/08 by hopea]

A world wide contact centre shortage cos that about the only industry left to bomb.




[edit on 4/4/2008 by drevill]

[edit on 4/4/2008 by drevill]

Threads seems to give a more realistic picture of a nuclear war. I believe it is the most realistic nuclear war movie ever made. We can still debate if they should have recovered from nuclear war faster than they did in Threads, or if they should actually have gone even further into the stone age. The Day After seems to be somewhat more Hollywood-like... Though both movies must have served the purpose of reminding the people of the nuclear danger.

On another level, it seems that most people have forgotten the nuclear stockpile still exists. And here I don't mean terrorist dirty bombs that are useful for propaganda, but ICBMs, SLBMs, the real stuff. The only groups who even think about nukes are survivalists and environmental groups?

In a sense the world is even more unstable than during the cold war. In a sense USA and Soviet Union had a nice balance with their Mutually Assured Destruction, while now a limited nuclear war in Asia or Middle East seems more likely...

Originally posted by hopea
One of the last persons to use these things( they are replased with newer comgear):LV217 M. Heavy as hell and the only way to get message throught during ECM is to use SANLA, because that radio (,which is very familiar to americans) can not hop channels. Americans offered F-18 blueprints in exchange to sanla's blueprints, later sold for large pile of dollars. most advanced radio encrypter in the world. that for boasting nokias radio tech.

Hey, that information about Venttiseiska and Sanla is classified!

reply to post by ukuli


A quick google search, and a look on wikipedia brought up much more information on both those systems than Hopea did. There's no need to get your knickers in a twist over it

Back on topic, I remember seeing Threads on BBC4 last year, and I wish I had recorded it. Its quite powerful stuff, and essential viewing. Luckily it is available on DVD at any good online retailer. I'll be ordering a copy now
Haven't seen The Day After, I'll have to look it up. Is it worth buying?

Originally posted by hopea
Hey, that information about Venttiseiska and Sanla is classified!

someone trying to start flamewar , by the way that info was from FDF official material.