SILKWOOD
US, 1983, 130 minutes, Colour.
Meryl Streep, Kurt Russell, Cher, Craig T. Nelson, Sudie Bond, Ron Silver.
Directed by Mike Nichols.
Silkwood is a dramatising and an interpretation of events in the life and the death of Karen Silkwood, a worker in the Kerr-McGee? plant in Oklahoma, processing uranium. An ordinary young woman from Texas, she left her de facto husband and three children and moved to work in Oklahoma. Involved in union activities in the plant, she campaigned and worked for exposure of cover-ups in the processing of plutonium. As she was about to give information to a New York Times journalist, she was involved in a car accident and died. The screenplay steers
clear of stating what happened to Karen Silkwood, avoiding possible libel suits. However, the film indicates that there could be many interpretations of Karen Silkwood's death - her poor health and tension, possible sabotage.
The film was released in the atmosphere of anti-nuclear films like The Day After and Testament. Meryl Streep, after her performance in Sophie's Choice, is excellent in the role of Karen Silkwood, portraying her ordinariness as well as the qualities which led her to be involved in anti-nuclear work and for her to become something of a folk hero in the late '70s in the U.S. She is well-supported by Kurt Russell and Cher in an Oscar-nominated performance. Direction is by Mike Nicholls, prominent stage director and comic writer. His few films include Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, The Graduate, Catch 22, Carnal Knowledge. The film works very well indeed as a human drama. It is important as a dramatisation of industry, the needs for safe
guards in the processing of uranium and the repercussions of radioactivity. Scenes with Thelma (Sudie) Bond and Karen being scrubbed are most moving and frightening. The film is a timely warning as well as good drama.
1 The quality of the film? Its acclaim? Impact?
2. The work of the director and his theatre work, films? The strength of the cast? The film as a combination of cinematic skills? Sense of humanity? Message?
3. The background of Oklahoma and Texas: the countryside, the drab landscapes, the beauty, homes, the plant? The contrast with the Washington sequences? An atmosphere of authenticity? The '70s.-The pace of the film - different for the various moods and the drama? The musical score by Georges Delerue? The use of 'Amazing Grace' and the interweaving of other hymn themes?
4. The impact of Karen Silkwood in the '70s? Her work, the nuclear questions, the situation at Kerr-McGee?, her interventions, the mysteriousness of her death? Her reputation and becoming a significant American heroine? The dramatisation and interpretation of 1974? The relative importance of accuracy? The importance of the validity of the interpretation? The care of the screenplay as regards possible libel suits, action by Kerr-McGee? The-way of suggesting various hypotheses for Karen Silkwood's death?
5 The quality of the film as a dramatisation of a person, her experience, her involvement in issues?
6 Karen SiIkwood? as an ordinary person, her faults, inadequacies, strengths? Her humanity, intelligence? Hex experiencing dissatisfaction, her gradual involvement in issues, the union work, jobs for the union, investigations - and their consequences? Dangers? The significance and influence of an ordinary person becoming involved?
7. The anti-nuclear urgency of the film? The focus on uranium and plutonium treatment rather than on bomb production, the dropping of bombs? The dangers of uranium mining, the details of processing? Human error, machine error, cover-ups? The importance of production and contracts, big money? he use of time and urgency on workers? The comparisons with other issues in American industry (miners and dangers in air pollution in mines, chemical inhalation), the safeguards and action? The issues presented humanly - audiences identifying with the person and the issues - pro or con? The call to action?
8. The introduction to Kerr-McGee? plant via the three arriving, the interrelationships amongst the workers, their talk, the old man with his religion and miracles, the crude jokes and the laughter, time off, meals, the clashes? Prejudices - Thelma and black people? The group work together, the workers liking their job? The atmosphere of the plant, technology? the new recruits being shown round, Karen explaining? Carelessness in checking for radio-activity - Karen's carelessness and the others' reaction?
9. The personnel at Kerr-McGee: Hurley and his supervision, the pressure for continued work - his intrusion with Gilda's presents and birthday cake? Mistakes, Thelma and her radioactivity and the scrubbing? The workers ignorant of various details of the plant and issues? Karen and the first radioactivity, the scrubbing, the being transferred? Winston and his liking his job, his touching up the photos? Karen trying to expose this cover-up?
10. Meryl Streep's qualities of acting as Karen? Karen as a person who liked people, liked being in their company? With Drew, her love for him, ease at home? Intimacy? The strong friendship with Dolly? Her ringing her mother, her greetings to her father? Relying on her mother - for hair conditioner etc.? Her concern for her children: the drive, the visit, Peter's hesitance, Linda waiting with Karen, Drew and Dolly? Her relationship with her kids, not wanting to swear, the take-away eats, her not being able to see them for the weekend? Her adequacies and inadequacies as a mother? The story of her going off with Peter, too young to marry, de facto relationship, divorce - and the law applying to de facto relationships, common law? Her inability to look after her children yet her tenderness? Dolly's comment on the similarity of her treatment of Drew?
11. Kurt Russell's presence as Drew? His skills at work, love for Karen, their friendship and love, the intimacy of their scenes together - ease, taking one another for granted, love? His work on cars? His reaction to Angela with Karen? His reaction to Karen's involvement in union work, always being on the phone? His seeing the slides and her being with Paul in the photos? His decision to go - seeing Karen as two people, loving one and not being able to deal with the other? His own self-assertion and success? His coming to help Karen after the accident? Moving in - and the possibility of a future? His reaction to the radio-activity of the house? The encounter with Winston and punching him? The tenderness of the final farewell to Karen?
12. The sketch of Dolly and Cher's presence? Being part of the group, seeing her at work, in the home, the drive to Texas, her loneliness, crankiness - and Karen's reaction to sandwiches in the fridge? Being part of the house? The presence of Angela - the relationship, the sequence of the make-up, their friendship, the bonds? Her anger with Karen after Angela left? Her declaration of love for Karen? The portrait of a woman, the empathy for the lesbian?
13. Angela - her arrival, appearance, the background of her work, style, make-up, the corpses, her advice, her reaction to Drew's jokes, her going? A sign of contradiction in the house? Her remarks about the Kerr-McGee? dead - as dead before they were dead?
14. The background of the union, the meetings, the need for votes? Karen at the meetings, volunteering? Her reading the literature? Her work as a representative - Hurley and inviting the blood donor van? Working with ffinston? Her going to Washington, the problem with the dress, enjoying the plane ride, the photos, the interviews, her information about the cover-up of the negatives? The response of the authorities? The friendship with Paul - and the relationship? The slides afterwards and Drew's reaction? The plans, the phone calls to Paul, his not answering and her exasperation, loneliness? Paul's visit and the talks, the night together? The success of the vote? Karen involved, taking notes, the hostile reaction of the co-workers, Gilda and her suspicions and reaction, her looking at the photos, Winston catching her and the story of the pills. Morgan and his warning? Thelma and her help?
15. Karen's enjoyment of her involvement - the impact of Washington, the notebook? Yet the response to the radio-activity - the scrubbing, the urine sample, her being caught twice, the crash and its effect on her? Her illness, pills? Drew and Dolly and their reaction after the accident? Her being almost caught with her investigations, the final scrubbing, the demolishing of the house? This as a turning point? Hurley and his wanting her to sign? Her decision about the interview - her farewell?
16. The radiation themes: the burning, Thelma and the scrubbing, the nasal smear, Karen and the experience, the poison and cancer? The speedy destruction of everything in the house? The three going to Los Alamos and the tests, the information? The speech by the doctor about the proportion of plutonium radiation?
17. The supporting cast: Thelma, her wig, scrubbing, her reaction to the black person next to her dying daughter, her questions at the meeting, her supplying Karen with documentation, her grief after the accident? Gilda and her friendship, the gift, suspicions, liking her job? Morgan and the jokes - and his going to Washington? The old man and his religion? The range of workers? Their presence at the meetings, the questions about radiation?
18. Washington, the celebrations, the union official, the interviews? Paul and his following up the case? Documentation and newspaper exposes?
19. Winston and his work, cover-up, his comments about the risks, his comments about losing jobs (and the irony of the closure of the plant soon after)? Drew's punching him?
20. Karen and the singing of 'Amazing Grace' - after her visit to her children, at the end? The repetition of her farewell and the crash? The pathos of the crash? Thelma's shock? The final information about Karen Silkwood, her death, the closure of the plant?
21. A satisfying human drama, message film?
