Cinemaball 07: The China Syndrome (1979)

This week on Cinemaball, Ebony and Carolyn endure the nail-biting tension of the 1979 nuclear disaster thriller, The China Syndrome! We discuss the ways in which the film taps into very real concerns of the period about the safety of nuclear power, the ways in which TV news can be a tool of corporate propaganda or a force for justice (yes, it’s about ethics in journalism), and how it functions as a critique of capitalism run amok. We applaud the film’s authentic little observations about TV news production, as well as Jack Lemmon’s wonderful performance. In a new segment called Sommovier, Caro and Ebony each suggest fine films with which you could pair The China Syndrome to make for a great double feature. Finally, Carolyn excitedly reveals what we’ll be discussing on next week’s show. It’s gonna be a good one.

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