Silkwood (1983)

Director:

Mike Nichols

Writers:

Nora Ephron (written by) &
Alice Arlen (written by)

Release Date:

14 December 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

On November 13, 1974, Karen Silkwood, an employee of a nuclear facility, left to meet with a reporter from the New York Times. She never got there.

Plot:

The story of Karen Silkwood, a metallurgy worker at a plutonium processing plant who was purposefully contaminated, psychologically tortured and possibly murdered to prevent her from exposing blatant worker safety violations at the plant.

Plot Keywords:

Exposed Breast | Nuclear Reactor | Indian Joke | History | Oklahoma

Awards:

Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Meryl Streep	...	Karen Silkwood
Kurt Russell	...	Drew Stephens
Cher	...	Dolly Pelliker
Craig T. Nelson	...	Winston
Fred Ward	...	Morgan
Diana Scarwid	...	Angela
Ron Silver	...	Paul Stone
Charles Hallahan	...	Earl Lapin
Josef Sommer	...	Max Richter
Sudie Bond	...	Thelma Rice
Henderson Forsythe	...	Quincy Bissell
E. Katherine Kerr	...	Gilda Schultz
Bruce McGill	...	Mace Hurley
David Strathairn	...	Wesley
J.C. Quinn	...	Curtis Schultz

Runtime:

131 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:M | Singapore:NC-16 | Argentina:18 | Chile:18 | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Company:

ABC Motion Pictures

Trivia:

The scene where Silkwood set off the radiation alarms actually happened. Her level of contamination was forty times the safe limit.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the house is plundered by men looking for radiation, Karen and Dolly are questioned and then Dolly is taken away. But not long afterward, in a close shot of Karen, you can see Dolly in the background.

Quotes:

[on the deceased former workers of a nuclear plant]
Angela: They all look as though they died before they were dead.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Operation Double 007 (#6.8)" (1993)

Soundtrack:

Amazing Grace

Meryl Streep at her best

Even though you already now how the movie ends just by reading the taglines, there is still a strong element of suspense in this film, about Karen Silkwood who suspects that the lives of hereself and her co-workers are in danger. It is a well written film, and masterfully acted by Streep and her castmates. This one makes Julia Roberts in Erin Brochievich look really bad.