| The China Syndrome | | Cast : | Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon, Michael Douglas | | Director : | James Bridges | | Studio : | Columbia Tristar Hom | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen | | Released Date : | March 16, 1979 | | DVD Released Date : | October 26, 2004 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed), French (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | April 21, 2005 | | Summary | Dated, but the fear remains. | Content
 | The idea of a potential nuclear meltdown is and always will be absolutely terrifying. That is the main reason this film has lost little of its impact. I first saw this film when I was a young teenager, and back then I took no notice of the depth of the acting or the political nuances strewn throughout the film. The acting is excellent all around, but the best performance comes once again from Jack Lemmon. It is truly mesmerizing to see him at the beginning of the film as a steadfast employee making excuses for the 'accident' that even he pretends to believe; and then his gradual decline through doubt, suspicion, fearful revelation, and absolute panic. His performance here is one of the best of the 1970s. However, the story and direction take on a "Liberal Hippies against The Man" feel frequently, the bad guys being heartless bureaucrats without families or moral character. In this story they are painted as scoundrels who care about nothing else other than the proverbial 'bottom line.' I certainly hope those in charge of nuclear facilities are never this careless, especially to the point of attempted murder for monetary gain. Even though the ideas within this film lean heavily to the left, there is no denying that it is a well-made, well-acted film. In fact, alongside "Jaws" I consider "The China Syndrome" to be one of the few truly scary films to come out of the 1970s. The look and feel of this film is sometimes dated, but the threat of a nuclear meltdown remains a fearful reality. Recommended. |
| Rating | | | Date | April 13, 2005 | | Summary | A graet all star cast extraviganza! | Content
| This is one of my all time favorite movies! I liked everything about it. The acting carries this well crafted motion picture to a first rate climax. Don't miss it! |
| Rating | | | Date | March 31, 2005 | | Summary | The China Syndrome | Content
| About a near disastrous accident at a nuclear power plant and the attempted cover-up that follows. But Jack Lemmon, who is a technician who witnessed the accident and knows something is wrong, and Jane Fonda, a TV reporter, spearhead an attempt to get the truth out. The suspense builds as Lemmon and Fonda find more evidence of a cover-up and the plant management tries to stop them (licensing for the plant is at risk). All of it climaxes with Lemmon barricading himself in the control room of the plant and being interviewed by Fonda on TV. A real credit to the movie is that Lemmon is not portrayed as a knight in shining armor, saving the day, but a half-crazed man: during the planned TV stint with Fonda he isn't able to articulate the problem at the plant and does sound like he might be just whacko. The suspense is so great that many people don't realize there's no soundtrack at all in the whole movie. Definitely worth a watch. |
| Rating | | | Date | February 24, 2005 | | Summary | A terrible warning! | Content
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The possible consequences and risk involved when the Pandora box is open. An anticipatory film just before Long Island and Chernobyl explores a probability that eventually can become in a reality.
Memorable performances of all the cast Fonda and Lemmon are outstanding. Very credible script with high caliber tension.
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| Rating | | | Date | February 13, 2005 | | Summary | Some associated issues... | Content
| The China Syndrome, produced by Michael Douglas when he took a moment to put down his joint, is a decent enough picture, as suspense/cover-up pictures from the 70's go. But it is more than that. It has true historical significance, as it constitutes the entirety of what most people know about nuclear power. The considerable ignorance the film has thus engendered would ordinarily be of some concern.
However, said ignorance is of no import. True, the environmentalist anti-nuke crowd has effectively shut down nuclear development in the United States for the last several decades, while France, Lithuania, and other countries have demonstrated the ability to provide the vast majority of their energy needs safely, cleanly, incredibly efficiently, and as importantly, domestically - all with nuclear power. Further, China has emerged at the vanguard of nuclear power, deploying new "walk-away safe" plants that depend on neither engineering nor human beings for their safety, but on the very laws of physics - by design, they simply cannot melt down, and they have no byproducts that cannot be disposed of safely.
Yes, it's true, the aforementioned anti-nuke crowd has prevented any of these technologies from being implemented in the United States, but again, it's important to realize that they've caused no real harm. As we've got plenty of readily available oil, coal, etc., it doesn't actually matter if we avoid making use of the best, most efficient energy sources. As we know, the third world presents no difficulties whatsoever, so we are in the enviable position of not having to worry about progress, or science, or any of that stuff that the less fortunate have to turn to in order to better their lives.
We are in fact in the catbird seat, as it were. My advice: watch this film, develop your anti-science position, vote Nader (or Kerry if you're a realist), fight nukes, and try mightily to keep people from buying SUVs. Anything else would require effort - reading books, questioning assumptions, and so on. Such effort would fly directly in the face of your coddled status as ignorant citizen. You have a right to be intellectually lazy - exercise it! |
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