Threads - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts

[discussimdb]

Fan of Threads or just want to share your movie knowledge? This topic is dedicated to all trivia and questions related to Threads

[wesley]

Auditions were advertised in The Sheffield Star, and took place in the ballroom of Sheffield City Hall, where 1,100 candidates turned up.

[ella]

While shooting the movie, the BBC got in trouble with local police when they detonated a large smoke bomb in order to simulate a nuclear explosion. Members of the public, who were not aware that a movie was being shot, panicked and thought that a real explosion had occurred.

[oscar]

Findings from the 1980 British Government exercise "Square Leg" were used as the basis for projecting the level of destruction and number of casualties in the movie. "Square Leg" was a government project that estimated what would happen in Britain in the event of an actual attack. It projected the mortality rate at 29 million, serious injuries at 7 million and short term survivors at 19 million.

[gerald]

Mick Jackson initially considered casting actors from Coronation Street (1960), he later decided to take a neorealist approach, and opted to cast relatively unknown actors in order to heighten the film's impact through the use of characters the audience could relate to.

[wallace]

As part of their research, Mick Jackson and Barry Hines spent a week at the Home Office training centre for 'official survivors' in Easingwold which, according to Hines, showed just 'how disorganised post-war reconstruction would be'.

[scarlett]

The voice of the President of the United States was provided by an uncredited Ed Bishop, who had starred in the Gerry Anderson series "UFO".

[javier]

US television magnate Ted Turner wanted to air this film on TBS, his cable TV network, but couldn't find a sponsor. He decided to broadcast the film out of his own pocket.

[lynn]

All extras were chosen on the basis of height and age, and were all told to look 'miserable' and to wear ragged clothes.

[veronica]

In return for allowing Mike Jackson and Barry Hines to attend a training course for reconstruction after a nuclear attack, they agreed to show the film to Home Office officials in advance of broadcast. The officials criticised the film as exaggerated and likely to cause panic. As Jackson had done extensive research before the film, he was able to defend its content.

[frances]

The film was first commissioned by the Director-General of the BBC Alasdair Milne, after he watched The War Game (1966), which had not been shown on the BBC when it was made, due to pressure from the Wilson government, although it had had a limited release in cinemas.

[kenneth]

The makeup for extras playing third degree burn victims consisted of Rice Krispies and tomato ketchup.