China Syndrome

UPC: 043396015999

Studio: Columbia TriStar

MPAA Rating: PG   Contains:[Suitable for Children, Adult Language, Profanity]

Summary: This gripping 1979 drama about the dangers of nuclear power carried an extra jolt when a real-life accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania occurred just weeks after the film opened. Kimberly Wells (Jane Fonda) is a TV reporter trying to advance from fluff pieces to harder news. Wells and cameraman Richard Adams (Michael Douglas, who also produced) are doing a story on energy when they happen to witness a near-meltdown at a local nuclear plant, averted only by quick-thinking engineer Jack Godell (Jack Lemmon). While Wells and Adams fruitlessly attempt to get the story on their station, Godell begins his own investigation and discovers that corporate greed and cost-trimming have led to potentially deadly faults in the plant's construction. He provides evidence of the faulty equipment, which could lead to another meltdown (the "China syndrome" of the title), to the station's soundman to deliver to Wells and Adams at a hearing on nuclear power. However, on the way to the hearing, the soundman is run off the road by evil henchmen, leading Godell to realize that his own life is threatened, possibly by his bosses at the plant. Driven to the edge of a breakdown, Godell takes over the plant's control room at gunpoint and demands to reveal his findings on TV. The plant's management, however, has other plans, and the facility itself is becoming dangerously unstable. Whether or not you agree with the film's clear anti-nuclear bias, its sobering message and riveting, realistic story and performances are still difficult to ignore. ~ Don Kaye, Rovi

Category: Thriller

Awards: Best Actor – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Actress – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Picture – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Director – Directors Guild of America Best Picture - Drama – null Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama – null Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama – null Best Director – null Best Screenplay – null Best Screenplay – null Best Screenplay – null Best Actor – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Actress – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Art Direction – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Art Direction – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Original Screenplay – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Original Screenplay – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Original Screenplay – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Actor – Cannes Film Festival Best Picture – National Board of Review Best Screenplay – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Picture - Drama – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Screenplay – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Screenplay – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Director – Hollywood Foreign Press Association

Features: Digitally remastered video and audio
Production notes
Theatrical trailer
Talent and filmographies

China Syndrome

Format: Digital Video Disc (DVD)

Release Date: 05/25/1999

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Theatre Wide-Screen

Audio: DD2 Dolby Digital Stereo

Runtime: 121 Minutes

Sides: 2

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,Spanish

Subtitles: English,Spanish,Portuguese

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1 -- Widescreen
0. Scene Selections
1. Start [6:24]
2. Ventana Power Plant [11:32]
3. Not A Drill [8:39]
4. A Felony [3:50]
5. Committee Report [2:09]
6. At The Party [8:50]
7. Preliminary Report [2:12]
8. A Drink At Harmon's [8:10]
9. The Leak [2:56]
10. The Safety Hearing [1:28]
11. Kimberly's Noon Spot [1:53]
12. Room E309 [2:23]
13. The China Syndrome [1:35]
14. A Serious Problem [3:09]
15. Getting Back On Line [2:50]
16. Mr. Royce [2:11]
17. Explaining The Problem [7:34]
18. The Hand-Off [:47]
19. The NRC Hearings [1:45]
20. Hector Is Delayed [1:27]
21. Asking Jack To Testify [2:12]
22. Eluding Security [5:37]
23. Jack Takes Control [11:33]
24. Media & Swat Arrive [5:21]
25. Special Bulletin [2:48]
26. Situation Resolved [2:26]
27. An Event [4:14]
28. Interviewing Ted [6:03]
Side #2 -- Full Screen
0. Scene Selections
1. Start [6:24]
2. Ventana Power Plant [11:32]
3. Not A Drill [8:39]
4. A Felony [3:50]
5. Committee Report [2:09]
6. At The Party [8:50]
7. Preliminary Report [2:12]
8. A Drink At Harmon's [8:10]
9. The Leak [2:56]
10. The Safety Hearing [1:28]
11. Kimberly's Noon Spot [1:53]
12. Room E309 [2:23]
13. The China Syndrome [1:35]
14. A Serious Problem [3:09]
15. Getting Back On Line [2:50]
16. Mr. Royce [2:11]
17. Explaining The Problem [7:34]
18. The Hand-Off [:47]
19. The NRC Hearings [1:45]
20. Hector Is Delayed [1:27]
21. Asking Jack To Testify [2:12]
22. Eluding Security [5:37]
23. Jack Takes Control [11:33]
24. Media & Swat Arrive [5:21]
25. Special Bulletin [2:48]
26. Situation Resolved [2:26]
27. An Event [4:14]
28. Interviewing Ted [6:03]

Matthew Doberman

Sharper and more focused than most of the catastrophe/conspiracy films to crop up in the late '70s, James Bridges' The China Syndrome benefits from strong performances from Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon, and (co-producer) Michael Douglas. The film's pronounced anti-nuclear message might have come across as preachy in the hands of a lesser director, but Bridges imbues the film with a sense of unrelenting tension and documentary-style realism. More than a mere indictment of nuclear power and its questionable safety practices, the film also presents a knowing look at hypocritical television news broadcasts and the suppression of information on all levels. In one of the more eerily unfortunate instances of cinematic timing, the Three Mile Island power plant disaster occurred only 11 days after The China Syndrome's release. ~ Matthew Doberman, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Frank Cavestani  Actor 
Michael Mann  Actor 
Lewis Arquette  Actor 
Darrell Larson  Actor 
Ron Lombard  Actor 
Alan Beckwith  Actor 
Betty Harford  Actor 
Dennis McMullen  Actor 
Paul Larson  Actor 
Clay Hodges  Actor 
Nick Pellegrino  Actor 
E. Hampton Beagle  Actor 
Joe Lowry  Actor 
Donald Bishop  Actor 
Michael Alaimo  Actor 
James Kline  Actor 
Dan Lewk  Actor 
Rita Taggart  Actor 
Roger Pancake  Actor 
Donald Hotton  Actor 
James Hall  Actor 
James Bridges  Director 
James Bridges  Screenwriter 
Michael Douglas  Producer 
Bruce Gilbert  Executive Producer 
Bruce Gilbert  Producer 
Mike Gray  Screenwriter 
T.S. Cook  Screenwriter 
Jane Fonda  Actor 
Jack Lemmon  Actor 
Michael Douglas  Actor 
Scott Brady  Actor 
James Hampton  Actor 
Peter Donat  Actor 
Wilford Brimley  Actor 
Richard Herd  Actor 
Daniel Valdez  Actor 
Stan Bohrman  Actor 
James Karen  Actor 

Country: USA