Little details you might have missed…
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Threads
sammy-80 — 12 years ago(December 17, 2013 04:29 AM)
Post all little things you've noticed in the film that might have been missed by a first time viewer.
Here's my list:- The newspaper article with the Iran map shows that the Soviet Union now encompasses Afghanistan. Looks like they won that war in the Threads universe.
- The dead baby held by the traumatised woman encountered by Ruth is badly charred, yet its clothes are unburned. The woman clearly kept the dead baby and changed its clothes.
If you're trying to play hard to get, play harder! I like it rough!
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tgs333 — 12 years ago(January 02, 2014 11:03 AM)
- After Michael glues the last piece to his fighter jet plastic model, he immediately starts playing with it. Not waiting for the glue to dry.
4)In the underground city bunker it shows several people sitting at a table eating before the attack. It appears they are eating Captain Crunch cereal. - The strainer that mr. kemp uses to attempt to catch water in, is the same strainer he used before the attack to strain some green peas.
"I'm a vehemently anti-nuclear, paranoid mess, harbouring a strange obsession with radioactive sheep."
- After Michael glues the last piece to his fighter jet plastic model, he immediately starts playing with it. Not waiting for the glue to dry.
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sammy-80 — 12 years ago(January 06, 2014 08:34 AM)
- When the reduction in rations is proposed in the bunker, you can see a corpse with its head resting on a table in the distance.
- The millisecond you see of the stillborn baby shows that its face at least is not deformed.
- The fact that the newscaster announces that the Soviet foreign minister warned the US of "the dangers of a return to the reign of the Shah" shows that the US backed coup was in favour of Iranian monarchist elements, most likely the Rastakhiz party.
If you're trying to play hard to get, play harder! I like it rough!
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Azazello-3 — 12 years ago(February 08, 2014 10:03 AM)
Various attack-related stuff .
9) The initial tactical strike on the Finningley RAF base is a 150Kt groundburst according to the whiteboard in the bunker (which even gives a map grid reference right in the middle of the runway).
10) There are also references to strikes on RAF Leeming (about 60 miles to the North) and the RAF communications centre at Bawtry (close to Finningley), as well as "something on the airport", most likely Leeds-Bradford airport about 40 miles away.
11) Ground Zero for the main megaton-level bomb on Sheffield appears to be the Tinsley Viaduct just to the East, presumably to be sure of taking out the main North-South M1 road link that it carries at the same time.
12) The bomb on Crewe which produces the fallout shown would be an attack on the major railroad junction there (the most important on the West Coast mainline), which would be attacked by groundburst to crater/irradiate it and hinder repair.
13) Buxton, where Ruth is relocated to, is almost exactly halfway between Crewe and Sheffield. So it's not surprising they have plenty of empty houses by that point!
A neat directorial touch .
14) In the shot where Ruth is negotiating with the ratcatcher guy the "Gateway : Right Up Your Street" slogan on the plastic bag is cropped down to "Right Up You", just in case we had any doubt what she's trading.
And on a lighter note ..
15) Michael appears to be a fan of Sheffield Wednesday. Serves him right, then ! -
Azazello-3 — 12 years ago(February 24, 2014 02:44 PM)
- The two paintings we see being put into storage are i) a fruity, untitled 17th century Still Life by Jacob van Hulsdonck and ii) "Meeting Point" by L.S.Lowry (
exactly
the kind of painting you'd expect to find in a Sheffield art gallery).
Details :
http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/paintings/still-life-70897
and
http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/paintings/meeting-point-72343
- The two paintings we see being put into storage are i) a fruity, untitled 17th century Still Life by Jacob van Hulsdonck and ii) "Meeting Point" by L.S.Lowry (
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sammy-80 — 12 years ago(March 25, 2014 02:51 PM)
- When the police superintendant in the bunker shouts "When are you getting us out of here, that's what I'd like to know", you can see a corpse wrapped in a blanket in the background.
- In the hospital scene, the nurses are using Saxa table salt in the absence of drugs.
- The burn victim shown on the B&W photos near the end is Senji Yamaguchi, who died last year.
- The emergency team members smoke Kent cigarettes.
- When Sutton enters the bunker for the first time, you can see a poster behind him saying "Your Lifeline Their Hobby". WTF is it?
- The newspaper containing the Iran map also includes an article on French police actions against ETA terrorists.
If you're trying to play hard to get, play harder! I like it rough!
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Azazello-3 — 12 years ago(March 25, 2014 04:42 PM)
RE: 22) It's a poster for RAYNET, a voluntary emergency services organisation for amateur radio enthusiasts. They used to be a common sight at outdoor events in the pre-cellphone era and they're still around now (
http://www.raynet-uk.net/
), though the only time I've personally come across them is on mountain marathons and a few other events in remote regions with poor cell coverage. -
sammy-80 — 12 years ago(March 31, 2014 09:50 AM)
- When pregnant Jane is trudging through the ruins with her Sainsbury's carrier bag, you can see the body of a naked child behind some rubble.
- The radio broadcast Jimmy turns over to listen to the football results indicates that the coup in Iran was preceded by a civil war, which must have lasted at least two months considering the opening scene takes place in March.
If you're trying to play hard to get, play harder! I like it rough!
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Azazello-3 — 10 years ago(August 04, 2015 02:38 PM)
- The Kemps appear to live at 19 Hawksley Road, Hillsborough.
https://goo.gl/maps/pqfRm
Alas, it seems to have been tastelessly refaced with some horrible grey stucco at some point in the last 30 years. I hope the BBC didn't end up paying for it!
(Ron, Carol and Spot's house next door still looks reasonably nice)
This is just within the 5psi overpressure range for the 1Mt bomb, inside which you would indeed expect residential houses to be mostly destroyed - see
http://goo.gl/doWg3Y
. - The Becketts are harder to trace, as we only see the house (a common design in the Sheffield suburbs) and not much of the street. The church they head for once the nukes start flying in Iran, however, is clearly played by Hillsborough Trinity Methodist Church -
https://goo.gl/maps/WYdqN
This is probably artistic license, as in real life it's just across the park from the Kemps' house - presumably the Becketts are meant to live somewhere further out given that their house survives intact.
- The Kemps appear to live at 19 Hawksley Road, Hillsborough.
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mitskayaba — 9 years ago(November 08, 2016 12:45 PM)
- In the scene where Jimmy and Ruth are stripping the wallpaper from their new flat; when Ruth starts crying and Jimmy looks over at her, the remaining wallpaper above her head is in the shape of a mushroom cloud
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nick-cooper-1 — 10 years ago(November 03, 2015 09:24 AM)
4)In the underground city bunker it shows several people sitting at a table eating before the attack. It appears they are eating Captain Crunch cereal.
Unlikely given that the cereal was never available in the UK. -
gallifreyprime — 10 years ago(June 24, 2015 05:27 AM)
What an awesome thread on Threads!
Great to see such positive and informative input on IMDb, not just the usual venting and slagging off.
So. Thank you all!
(ps. the only thing that jumps to my mind is not in the film, but that amazing fact that a Commercial TV station (Nine) showed Threads without any breaks not even Princess Di's funeral got that!) -
highpriestess32 — 10 years ago(June 24, 2015 06:44 AM)
Bravo! I love it when folks can get along politely on here even if they disagree on something. It's great finding friendly boards. I like the Jaws board for that reason - most posters are very respectful and always remember to greet a nice contributor
"These days you have to boil someone before you can sleep with them" -
Azazello-3 — 10 years ago(August 12, 2015 04:11 AM)
It's a 1980 Morris Ital, the very model recently voted the second worst car ever built in Britain (just behind the Austin Allegro with its square steering wheel).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morris_Ital
He's probably lucky that it even started in the cold weather (70s/80s cars often didn't), and that the window winder handle didn't come off in his hand - as actually used to happen with the
gear shifts
(!!) on some Chrysler cars of the period (Alpines and Horizons being the worst offenders).
Being frazzled by the EMP effects would have been a blessing, TBH . -
ewaf58 — 10 years ago(August 12, 2015 04:22 AM)
Good spot - actually a guy from my rugby club used to have a Marina back in the 1970's. He used to drive it with gusto and terrify me around corners on the way to away matches.
Even the combined weight of our kit couldn't keep the leaf spring suspended rear in check.
I'd love to drive one now and compare it to my MK7 Golf. -
ughmoretodealwith — 10 years ago(October 21, 2015 10:20 PM)
"17) When the police superintendant in the bunker shouts "When are you getting us out of here, that's what I'd like to know", you can see a corpse wrapped in a blanket in the background. "
Well they couldn't get rid of the guy who had died during the bombs going off (debris fell on his head and killed him) since they were trapped in the shelter. They discussed and put on a blanket on him to cover up his body. Out of sight out of mind as they say.