Threads - Blu-ray (BBC)

The reviews made by many other viewers are superb and i can't improve on their work. Just a comment that may help potential purchasers to decide if they would like to buy this Blu-Ray format of the masterwork 'Threads' (remastered).* SynopsisThe filming of 'Threads' is a masterly display of making the best of limited funds of £400k at the time. Many members of the general public in and around Sheffield freely took an active part in exploring and developing this movie. As it engages deeply with your thoughts as its very coordinated structure is revealed. There seems to have been two reasons why this movie was made in around Sheffield. The redevelopment of the housing there was ideal for a post-attack set. The council at the time was left-wing. And this was used by Conservative councillors against the left-wing council.Initial impressions on the topics.I.M.H.O the main flow of this story is parallel to a familiar city and yet a strange place. The potential world war trigger -spots is spooky the same as now Iran, as are the motives for war, and protection of Oil interests.Subjective best bits of the film.The order in the destruction caused by the explosion of nuclear weapons is stark. The bright light and heat, the damage caused by an atmospheric pressure wave going out, and returning. The fact that enormous air pressure forces applied by the bomb blast can destroy massive buildings is amazing when you think about it. Then the radioactive fallout. It was handled better in 'The War Game'. But it's still stark. The things one human being can do - using technology - to another human being are shatteringly brutal, as shown. At the time this movie was released to terrestrial TV, the knowledge of huge amounts ( + 500 Million tons ) of dust shot high into the atmosphere, and huge (+ 100 Million tons) of smoke from this nuclear air attack, causing a Nuclear Winter was only freshly discovered as possible. It was one of the first to have the attack, known as causing multiple Firestorms, with the Nuclear Winter aftermath following. The Firestorm was discovered after the bombings of Hamburg, Tokyo, Dresden, Hiroshima and other places. It may have been loosely thought of in the Great Fire of London in 1666. The large area, several square miles, of a city on fire causes the air to rise quickly, sucking more air in and increasing the burning force, hence a heat increase cycle is created. The speed of the wind of this firestorm has been estimated as well - over 100 m.p.h. In the movie, it's shown that glass bottles are melting. When, after the war, the Allies visited these sites, they found glass items melted. This means that temperatures reach at least 2552°F or 1400 °C. This temperature range also makes steel soft and melt under its own weight. The temperature has been described as a super-hot tornado of flame, and uncalculatable air temperatures could cause this to become lethal when breathing it. It's possible, though not proved, that temperatures related to proportional temperatures on the surface of our Sun could have been reached in these tornado firestorms. Such as 5,730°C (10,340°F). There are records of people trapped in these firestorms suffering 100%, third-degree burns, people on fire jumping into boiling river water to put this out, and mothers nursing incinerated infants. Unable to deal with their deaths. Nuclear Winter was an application of the extinction-level event of the dinosaurs by a celestial body hitting what would become Mexico around 65 million years ago.I.M.H.O. the initially strong characters become filters through which the failing political and military efforts of avoiding a conflict are spread to the viewer. To me, the film's truly individual strengths come from when it stretches beyond any expedient political reasoning for any nuclear conflict and develops into a display of the unending, brutally grinding consequences of nuclear war upon every individual and the breakdown of civilization. The later parts of the film become fragmentary, devoid of personalities, as the world shown is reduced to a bare statistical analysis of absolute nuclear destruction of what is precious about humanity. There is nowhere the survivors can travel to bring equipment and resources to make repairs anymore. The fact that all the peacetime resources of the N.H.S. could not cope with even a single, small, nuclear bomb. Never mind the multiple likely bombs targeting the U.K.Final Impression.Just another sobering note is the list at the end of this documentary of the high number of contributing Doctors and Professors who provided and supported the technical basis of this documentary. They built the Firestorm and the following Nuclear Winter theory. And this exploration in what a nuclear war would really lead to, and means this cannot be brushed aside lightly with political rhetoric and needs to be remembered for all our futures. It may, as in my case, be a way of re-evaluating the world and your position within it, and show perhaps what really is worth saving about humanity.* TechnicalThis edition is on two Blu-ray disks. Disk 1 is the original 4:3 format in remastered form. You can select just the original movie format in remastered form. You can also have the same 4:3 movie with commentary from either Karen Meagher (actress in the movie) or Mick Jackson (director of the movie).Disk 2 is the widescreen edition. And the backup files around the construction of the movie by former cast members. It's interesting for both anoraks and fans. Some of the files are PDF and require a Blu-ray player connected to a computer to view them.The rendering of this movie is 2k from the original 16 mm film stock. And overall the quality improvement is very good. When compared to the original 4:3 edition of Threads DVD. Its a huge improvement. The colours are more vibrant. The contrast is higher. The details in the shots are clearer, especially in the shadows. The neutral colour balance is restored from being too warm as common with older filmstock of this age. The sound is clearer too. The image quality is much better, with some occasional grainy shots. I didn't think that the 16:9 version would be much to celebrate. But it's easier to see, and much better with this restoration conversion version. The team and the software they used did a good job. Another point, there is no need to change the video format on your TV to 4:3 to see this disk. The 4:3 is embedded into the 16:9 screen ratio.* SummaryIt's worth the price to have these two Blu-Ray format disks. It's also a great update to this magnificent and landmark movie. I find it hard to understand when some people complain about the '...boring...' truths of the consequences of initiating a nuclear war, as described in this movie. See the viewers rating this movie as 1 star. When so many specialists have contributed to this seminal contemplation and warning of the consequences. It's a public information film in the truest sense.It can be seen in reference to the earlier seminal nuclear way movie also by the BBC, 'the War Game'.

As a child in the 1980s, I was subjected to Threads as part of our lessons on nuclear war, and with it being set in my hometown of Sheffield, it hit especially hard. Even decades later, certain scenes were burned into my memory—the image of a mushroom cloud rising over The Moor, or the destruction of the 'egg box' Town Hall extension. I couldn’t bring myself to rewatch it for years due to how deeply unsettling and realistic it felt.Now, experiencing it again on this incredible Blu-ray restoration, I’m reminded why it terrified me so much. The build-up is tense, the attack itself is horrifying, and the aftermath is bleak, brutal, and unforgettable. The use of realistic Sheffield accents adds to the authenticity, and even nearly 40 years later, it remains one of the most powerful British TV dramas ever made.Pros:✅ Incredibly well-made & harrowing – Feels disturbingly real, even today.✅ Brilliant HD restoration – The 2K remaster makes it more immersive than ever.✅ Director-approved widescreen edition – A new way to experience it.✅ Fantastic special features – Includes interviews, documentaries, and commentaries.✅ A true British classic – Should be recognised far more for its impact.Cons:❌ Not an easy watch – This is deeply unsettling, but that’s the point.Final Thoughts:Threads is as haunting today as it was in 1984. If you’ve never seen it, it’s a must-watch. If you have, this Blu-ray edition is the definitive way to revisit it, with stunning restoration and insightful extras. A powerful and essential piece of British television history.Would I recommend it? Absolutely—but prepare to be shaken.

I was not born when this was on TV but my dad remembers watching it. It gives you chills just by watching it in a era where nukes are still around

Very good very happy

For the time Threads was an excellent drama documentary & better than the American version called 'The day After' released in about 1983. The film is exclusively set around Sheffield & never shows any Government or Nato meetings prior to War which is a great shame. Sheffield also appears on film as a fairly grim place, which I'm sure is only one side of the city. The 2 young people (main characters) are from a working & lower middle class back grounds, who just want to get on in life & are far removed from international politics.Britain's civic war plans are virtually useless in a 300 mega ton catastrophe & nothing can prevent society regressing back to a medieval existence within a decade. Britain's population would likely plummet from about 57 million to between 4 -11 million people as the population suffers from lack of food due to temperatures drastically falling in the 1st year after war, resulting in a grain harvest collapse. As fuel ends, so those survivors abandon all cars, tractors & trucks etc. High UV radiation causes skin cancers & cataracts, with no NHS left to treat people. All in all a very bleak film & one that I doubt I will ever watch again, although perhaps copies should be sent to the leaders of nations that have nuclear weapons.Finally the film is beginning to show its age as you see electric milk floats & old fashioned cars driving around. People are still watching the news on 22" cathode ray tube televisions that would today belong to a museum! The mobile phone has yet to appear, what joy! Guess I'm showing my age here.