THE CHINA SYNDROME (1979)
Label: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: PG
Duration: 122 Minutes 33 Seconds
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo, 5.1 Surround with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: James Bridges
Cast: Jack Lemmon, Jane Fonda, Michael Douglas, Wilford Brimley
I remember watching The China Syndrome (1979) on TV as a kid, it was probably my first real exposure to nuclear power and the threats that could/might accompany if something went wrong at a nuclear power facility, and I found quite frightening, and re-watching it today I must say its not any less frightening of a prospect, what with the Three Mile Island nuclear accident, which happened the same year this film was released, meltdown in 1986, and the more recent Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011. In that way this film had aged frighteningly well, which is a scary thought.
I remember watching The China Syndrome (1979) on TV as a kid, it was probably my first real exposure to nuclear power and the threats that could/might accompany if something went wrong at a nuclear power facility, and I found quite frightening, and re-watching it today I must say its not any less frightening of a prospect, what with the Three Mile Island nuclear accident, which happened the same year this film was released, meltdown in 1986, and the more recent Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011. In that way this film had aged frighteningly well, which is a scary thought.
The fictional events here place in Southern California in the late-70s at the Ventana nuclear power plant just outside of Los Angeles where fluff-piece TV reporter Kimberly Wells (Jane Fonda, Barbarella) and her cameraman Richard (Michael Douglass, War of the Roses) are inside the facility taping a piece for her nightly news broadcast. They are being given a tour by the plant manager Bill Gibson (James Hampton, Teen Wolf) when a small earthquake shakes the place up. The film crew secretly records the event, capturing shift supervisor Jack Godell (Jack Lemmon, Bell, Book and Candle) and his staff, including Ted (Wilford Brimley, The Thing), addressing what appears to be a near nuclear meltdown. Realizing that they have a stunning scoop on their hands Kimberly and Richard rush back tot he TV new station and prep for the breaking story, only to have it swept under the rug by station managers (Peter Donat, Mazes and Monsters and James Karen, The Return of the Living Dead) who fear a potential lawsuit. Both Kimberly and Richard is quite upset by this, but it's Richard who and steals the footage from the TV studio film lab, and heads to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission hearings happening nearby looking to expose the near-catastrophic nuclear accident.
As you might expect the issue does not go away quietly, even Jack Godell, the plant's veteran engineer does some research and discovers faulty equipment at the plant, and realizing his life might very well be in danger after being followed by shady corporate enforcers, he takes drastic action; arming himself with a weapon he takes control of the power plant, demanding to be broadcast on live television by Kimberly and other local television stations to make sure that truth gets out to the public, before another accident with more drastic consequences occurs.
This is a top-notch thriller with a wonderful cast, Lemmon is especially terrific, and it holds up. Nuclear power is still fraught with potential catastrophic accidents, and the this film really does a bang-up job driving that multi-faceted point home in a manner that is quite gripping, with a tense final sprint to the finish line that I thought was an absolute nail-biter.
Audio/Video: The China Syndrome (1979) arrives on region-free Blu-ray from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment in 1080p HD widescreen (1.85:1). Having never owned the previous Image Entertainment Blu-ray I cannot say if this a new scan or the same, but I thought it looked solid. Not definitive by any means, but a solid and presumably older HD master that is in great shape with pleasing color reproduction and solid black levels. Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 2.0 and 5.1 Surround with optional English subtitles. This is a pretty talky thriller, don't expect a lot of bombast, but scenes at the nuclear power plant of alarms blaring and a a car chase with a crash are impactful. There were no issues with audio hiss or distortion that I picked up on.
Audio/Video: The China Syndrome (1979) arrives on region-free Blu-ray from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment in 1080p HD widescreen (1.85:1). Having never owned the previous Image Entertainment Blu-ray I cannot say if this a new scan or the same, but I thought it looked solid. Not definitive by any means, but a solid and presumably older HD master that is in great shape with pleasing color reproduction and solid black levels. Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 2.0 and 5.1 Surround with optional English subtitles. This is a pretty talky thriller, don't expect a lot of bombast, but scenes at the nuclear power plant of alarms blaring and a a car chase with a crash are impactful. There were no issues with audio hiss or distortion that I picked up on.
We do get a couple of archival extras ported over from the previous 2005 special edition DVD release, these include the 28-min The China Syndrome: A Fusion of Talent, and 30-min The China Syndrome: Creating a Controversy, these featurettes feature interviews with producer/actor Michael Douglas, and actors Jane Fonda, James Karen, Peter Donat, plus executive producer Bruce Gilbert, plus 4-min Deleted Scenes, and a 2-min Theatrical Trailer. The single-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork.
Special Features:
- The China Syndrome: A Fusion of Talent (27:39)
- The China Syndrome: Creating a Controversy (29:33)
- Deleted Scenes (3:56)
- Theatrical Trailer (2:02)
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