James Bridges
La Sindrome Cinese

The inspiration to revisit this film is mundane and comes from the other side of the world. What happened a couple of months ago made me want to rewatch an old movie that I had fond memories of, yet those memories were fading. I believe that “The China Syndrome” is a deliberately sparse cinematic product (very few settings, terse dialogues, minimal direction), specifically designed to keep the spotlight constantly focused on the warning it issues.

 

A television crew, while conducting a journalistic report inside a nuclear plant to explain its functioning and utility to the general public, witnesses a sudden emergency situation. The malfunction, although later downplayed by the plant officials, immediately appears to be of great magnitude, but nothing would have happened if a cameraman (Michael Douglas) hadn't secretly recorded the moments of sheer panic inside the control room.

With this explosive footage at their disposal, an unbearable sword of Damocles for the company managing the plant, a good environmental thriller begins. In its zeal to expose, (Jane Fonda a bit too in the role and with an overstatement of negative characters), it runs the risk of being perceived by the public as too biased and not realistic enough in its grim and dark forecasts. However, the tension remains high enough until the end, and the grip is ensured thanks to an excellent Lemmon even in a particularly dramatic role. It is easy to understand how his character, the technician who realizes the impending danger and desperately tries to remedy it, is intended to embody the American populace in a forthcoming future.

It is a plot that, although it may be exaggerated and accused of lacking balance, is interesting and worthy of note. It is based on the conviction that the human being is a highly egocentric animal, opportunistic, and incapable of having a long-term vision, being blinded by the constant pursuit of immediate benefits. Specifically, there is no doubt that plants, if built/controlled constantly following all the stringent safety parameters required, could be functional fortresses in providing energy. The highlighted problem is that these plants, which concentrate gigantic economic interests, must inevitably be constructed/managed/revised by humans.

It could therefore be said that “The China Syndrome” is a film centered on the rediscovery of the obvious. Perhaps it is true, but I believe that occasionally putting one's hand under the steaming flow to say, quickly retracting it, “damn it’s hot” isn’t all that bad.

The work emphasizes how a hypothetical nuclear incident (waste management is an element, alas, only slightly touched upon), unlike any other human-caused disaster, would lead to repercussions and effects that are difficult to quantify. The temporal boundaries would be uncertain and hazy, perhaps concealed or mitigated by the media. “The China Syndrome” indeed does not spare a sharp criticism also towards the mass media: an environment described as petty, macho, and cynical where information disseminated to the population is often the result of manipulation, censorship, and revision.

A good film can be defined as such if it ages well. The core of the movie, which was finished shooting in 1979 before the incidents of Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, unfortunately remains damn fresh. It would be nice to say otherwise, but it is a fact that the questions it raises remain incredibly current.

That’s enough for me to recommend watching it, certain that it could spark lively discussions dividing the audience.