The China Syndrome (1979)

Director:

James Bridges

Writers:

Mike Gray (written by) &
T.S. Cook (written by) ...
(more)

Release Date:

16 March 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller | Drama

Tagline:

Today, only a handful of people know what it means... Soon you will know.

Plot:

A reporter finds what appears to be a cover-up of safety hazards at a nuclear power plant.

Plot Keywords:

Nuclear Power | Reporter | Television | Cameraman | Cover Up

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Jane Fonda	...	Kimberly Wells
Jack Lemmon	...	Jack Godell
Michael Douglas	...	Richard Adams
Scott Brady	...	Herman De Young
James Hampton	...	Bill Gibson
Peter Donat	...	Don Jacovich
Wilford Brimley	...	Ted Spindler
Richard Herd	...	Evan McCormack
Daniel Valdez	...	Hector Salas
Stan Bohrman	...	Pete Martin
James Karen	...	Mac Churchill
Michael Alaimo	...	Greg Minor
Donald Hotton	...	Dr. Lowell
Khalilah Ali	...	Marge
Paul Larson	...	D.B. Royce
Ron Lombard	...	Barney
Tom Eure	...	Tommy
Nick Pellegrino	...	Borden
Daniel Lewk	...	Donny
Allan Chinn	...	Holt
Martin Fiscoe	...	Control Guard
Alan Kaul	...	TV Director
Michael Mann	...	TV Consultant
David Eisenbise	...	Technical Director
Frank Cavestani	...	News Reporter
Reuben Collins	...	Sportscaster
E. Hampton Beagle	...	Mort
David Pfeiffer	...	David
Lewis Arquette	...	Hatcher
Dennis McMullen	...	Robertson
Rita Taggart	...	Rita Jacovich
James Hall	...	Harmon
Carol Schlanger	...	Waitress (as Carol Helvey)
Trudy Lane	...	Alma Spindler
Jack Smith Jr.	...	Tom
David Arnsen	...	KXLA Cameraman
Betty Harford	...	Woman at Demonstration
Donald Bishop	...	Hearings Chairman
Al Baietti	...	Pro-Nuclear Witness
Diandra Morrell	...	Sasha
Darrell Larson	...	Young Demonstrator
Roger Pancake	...	Gate Guard
Joe Lowry	...	Security Agent
Harry M. Williams	...	Fire Rescue
Dennis Barker	...	Jaws of Life
Joseph Garcia	...	Highway Patrolman
James Kline	...	Jim
Alan Beckwith	...	Technician
Clay Hodges	...	SWAT Squad Leader
Val Clenard	...	Val Clenard
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Robert S. Woods	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
James Bridges

Writing credits
Mike Gray		(written by) &
T.S. Cook		(written by) and
James Bridges		(written by)

Produced by
Michael Douglas	....	producer
Bruce Gilbert	....	executive producer
Penny McCarthy	....	assistant producer
James Nelson	....	associate producer
Jack Smith Jr.	....	assistant producer

Cinematography by
James Crabe		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
David Rawlins

Casting by
Sally Dennison

Production Design by
George Jenkins

Set Decoration by
Arthur Jeph Parker

Costume Design by
Donfeld

Makeup Department
Bernadine M. Anderson	....	make up: Ms. Fonda (as Bernadine Anderson)
Kaye Pownall	....	hairstylist (as Kay Pownall)
Don Schoenfeld	....	makeup artist

Production Management
James Nelson	....	unit production manager
James A. Dennett	....	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Kim Kurumada	....	first assistant director
Barrie M. Osborne	....	second assistant director (as Barrie Osborne)
Joel Chernoff	....	second unit director (uncredited)

Art Department
Rafael Caro	....	art department staff
Rick Carter	....	art department staff (as Richard Carter Jr.)
Joseph Hurley	....	art department staff (as Joe Hurley)
Terry E. Lewis	....	property master (as Terry Lewis)
William Maldonado	....	construction coordinator
Richard McKenzie	....	art department staff
Rudy Reachi	....	assistant prop man
Ray Villalobos Sr.	....	paint foreman (as Reynaldo Villalobos)
R. Chris Westlund	....	lead man (as Chris Westlund)
S. Bruce Wineinger	....	construction foreman (as Bruce Wineinger)
William Ladd Skinner	....	set designer (uncredited)

Sound Department
Fred J. Brown	....	sound effects editor (as Fred Brown)
Willie D. Burton	....	sound mixer (as Willie Burton)
Gene Corso	....	sound effects editor
Les Fresholtz	....	re-recording mixer (as Lester Fresholtz)
Marvin E. Lewis	....	boom operator (as Marvin Lewis)
Mary McGlone	....	sound effects editor
Michael Minkler	....	re-recording mixer
Lorane Mitchell	....	sound effects editor
Arthur Piantadosi	....	re-recording mixer
Samuel C. Crutcher	....	assistant sound editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Bruce Mattox	....	special effects assistant
Henry Millar Jr.	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Richard Edlund	....	miniature photography
Michael L. Fink	....	electronic consultant (as Mike Fink)
Richard E. Hollander	....	electronic consultant (as Richard Hollander)
James F. Liles	....	special photographic effects
Matthew Yuricich	....	matte paintings
Stuart Ziff	....	electronic effects

Stunts
Bob Harris	....	stunt coordinator (as Bobby Harris)
Carey Loftin	....	stunt coordinator
Hubie Kerns Jr.	....	stunt driver (uncredited)
Bryce Guy Williams	....	stunt double: Jack Lemmon (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
James O. Blair	....	gaffer (as James Blair)
Robert Duggan	....	best boy grip
Robert Isenberg	....	camera assistant
Tom Prophet Jr.	....	key grip
Daryl Smith	....	best boy electric
Peter Sorel	....	still photographer
Mike Sweeten	....	camera operator
Reynaldo Villalobos	....	second camera (as Ray Villalobos)

Casting Department
Stanzi Stokes	....	assistant casting (as Stanzi Foster)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Aggie Guerard Rodgers	....	costumer: ladies' (as Aggie Rodgers)
Eddie Marks	....	costumer: men's (as Edward Marks)

Editorial Department
Francesca Emerson	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Jim Henrikson	....	music editor
Francesca Emerson	....	assistant music editor (uncredited)
Dan Wallin	....	score mixer (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Eddie Baken	....	transportation captain
Craig Pinkard	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Marty P. Ewing	....	production assistant (as Marty Ewing)
Debbie Getlin	....	assistant: Mr. Bridges (as Deborah Getlin)
Richard Holley	....	helicopter pilot (as Rick Holley)
Alan Kaul	....	technical advisor: news
Ronnie Kramer	....	production secretary
Hal Landaker	....	video consultant
Doe Mayer	....	video sequences designer
Ramon Pahoyo	....	craft service (as Ramone Pahoyo)
Eileen Peterson	....	publicist
Ken Ryan	....	production auditor (as Kenneth Ryan)
Marshall Schlom	....	script supervisor
Gayle Simon	....	research
Teddy Stewart	....	research
Douglas E. Stoll	....	location manager (as Douglas Stall)
Richard Thomason	....	helicopter pilot

Production Companies

• IPC Films

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1979) (USA) (theatrical) (presents)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1982) (USA) (TV)
• Columbia Films (1979) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Warner-Columbia Film (1979) (France) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2003) (UK) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (1999) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (19??) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD) (special edition)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (USA) (VHS)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (USA) (laserdisc)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Video (1989) (Japan) (VHS)
• Sony Pictures Entertainment (1993) (Japan) (VHS)
• Sony Pictures Entertainment (1999) (Japan) (DVD)

Other Companies

• City of Los Angeles  the producers wish to thank: for their cooperation
• Compal Inc.  computers
• Fantasy Records  acknowledgement: "Country Girl", "Federico", "Sugar's Delight" courtesy of
• Live Wires Unlimited  singing telegrams
• Los Angeles Department of Water and Power  the producers wish to thank: for their cooperation
• MHB Technical Associates  technical advisors: nuclear
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)  titles (as MGM Title Department)

Also Known As:

Le syndrome chinois (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
A Síndrome da China (Brazil) [pt]
China Syndrome (Japan: English title) [en]
Chinski syndrom (Poland) [pl]
Dünyanin kaderi (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Das China-Syndrom (West Germany) [de]
El síndrome de China (Spain) [es]
Ha-Syndrome Ha-Sini (Israel: Hebrew title) [iw]
Kína szindróma (Hungary) [hu]
Kiina-ilmiö (Finland) [fi]
Kina-syndromet (Sweden) [sv]
Kina-syndromet (Denmark) [da]
O Síndroma da China (Portugal) [pt]
Síndrome da China (Brazil) [pt]
Sindrome cinese (Italy) [it]
To syndromo tis Kinas (Greece) [el]

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:PG | Australia:PG | Canada:PG | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | Norway:12 (original rating) | Norway:15 (re-rating) | Sweden:11 | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG | Netherlands:AL

Filming Locations:

1000 N. Crescent Drive, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

IPC Films

Trivia:

The movie was released on March 16, 1979. By a bizarre irony, the disaster at the nuclear power plant at Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island happened just 13 days later on March 28th.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When a reactor is "SCRAM"ed it does not initiate the use of massive cooling systems. The SCRAM process is the rapid (4 second or less) insertion of the control rods into the core which shuts the reactor down by absorbing the neutrons. If the control rod SCRAM fails, then the reactor can be SCRAMed by using a neutron absorbing liquid injected into the core from pressurized tanks (no pumps.) Also, in addition to the cooling pumps, there is an Emergency Core Cooling System which injects a large amount of cooling water into the core if the primary colling system fails.

Quotes:

Jack Godell: What makes you think they're looking for a scapegoat?
Ted Spindler: Tradition.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Simpsons: Marge's Son Poisoning (#17.5)" (2005)

Soundtrack:

Somewhere in Between

Crackerjack thriller!

Intelligent, nail-biting drama came out of nowhere in 1979 and soon was on the cover of every newspaper in America (when life imitated the film). A nuclear power plant employee in Southern California is threatened by superiors when he decides to go public with the real story behind an accident at the plant. Ostensibly a stuck valve problem, a TV news-crew's film shows that it was an accident verging on disastrous proportions--and worse, that safety conditions are being scrubbed to save millions of dollars, a cover-up that endangers everyone's lives. The movie occasionally gets too technical (especially in the second-half) and could use more human interplay, however the performances by Jack Lemmon, Jane Fonda (as a puff-piece news-woman in the right place at the right time), and Michael Douglas (as a freelance cameraman) are superb. The throwaway bits involving nuclear protesters is both entirely accurate and bitterly satirical, and the news-biz (with its corporate structure and vapid yes-men) is vividly captured. ***1/2 from ****