IMDb >
Silkwood (1983)
Watch It
Buy it at Amazon
Rent it at Blockbuster.com
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
BETA
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsSilkwood (1983) More at IMDbPro »
Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
14 December 1983 (USA)
more
Tagline:
On November 13, 1974, Karen Silkwood, an employee of a nuclear facility, left to meet with a reporter from the New York Times. She never got there.
Plot:
The story of Karen Silkwood, a metallurgy worker at a plutonium processing plant who was purposefully contaminated, psychologically tortured and possibly murdered to prevent her from exposing blatant worker safety violations at the plant. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Nominated for 5 Oscars.
Another 2 wins
&
7 nominations
more
NewsDesk:
(19 articles)
Their Best Role: Meryl Streep
(From Cinematical. 18 November 2009, 9:02 AM, PST)
Before There Were Websites... (Pt 1)
(From FilmExperience. 8 September 2009, 12:30 PM, PDT)
(From Cinematical. 18 November 2009, 9:02 AM, PST)
Before There Were Websites... (Pt 1)
(From FilmExperience. 8 September 2009, 12:30 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
America the beautiful
more (54 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Meryl Streep | ... | Karen Silkwood | |
| Kurt Russell | ... | Drew Stephens | |
| Cher | ... | Dolly Pelliker | |
| Craig T. Nelson | ... | Winston | |
| Fred Ward | ... | Morgan | |
| Diana Scarwid | ... | Angela | |
| Ron Silver | ... | Paul Stone | |
| Charles Hallahan | ... | Earl Lapin | |
| Josef Sommer | ... | Max Richter | |
| Sudie Bond | ... | Thelma Rice | |
| Henderson Forsythe | ... | Quincy Bissell | |
| E. Katherine Kerr | ... | Gilda Schultz | |
| Bruce McGill | ... | Mace Hurley | |
| David Strathairn | ... | Wesley | |
| J.C. Quinn | ... | Curtis Schultz |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
131 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Australia:M |
Iceland:16 |
Singapore:NC-16 |
Argentina:18 |
Chile:18 |
Finland:K-12 |
Sweden:11 |
UK:15 |
USA:R |
West Germany:16
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The scene where Silkwood set off the radiation alarms actually happened. Her level of contamination was forty times the safe limit.
more
Goofs:
Errors in geography: Kerr McGee's Cimmeron plant is on the east side of Hwy 74, between Crescent to the north and Oklahoma City to the south. Opening scenes show a mileage sign for Crescent, which is really the opposite direction. This also causes incorrect footage for placement and direction of travel in later scenes (ex. placement of car in accident, tow truck pulling wrecked car past Crescent Cafe, etc.)
more
Quotes:
Movie Connections:
Referenced in I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007)
more
Soundtrack:
Amazing Grace
more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (54 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Silkwood (1983) moreRecommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| The Plutonium Incident | The China Syndrome | Serpico | Syriana | Saboteur |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Biography section | IMDb USA section |
| Add this title to MyMovies |

The lives of working class Americans are shamefully under-represented by Hollywood, and when a poor person is depicted (as something other than a criminal), it's almost always with the subtext of hope and the American dream. But hope isn't what drives someone, like the real-life Karen Silkwood, to risk her life working with plutonium for the only employer in a company town. Silkwood didn't find hope, but she did get scared, and angry, and put her job (and those of her colleagues) at stake to uncover dangerous practices before dying a mysterious death. 'Silkwood' the movie doesn't give us the glib conclusions of a conspiracy thriller (it refrains from giving an opinion on her cause of death), but it does give an excellent portrait of life at the bottom, and the mounting sense of claustrophobia and paranoia that accompanied Karen's perilous voyage of discovery. Meryl Streep does an excellent job in the title role, portraying a woman gradually losing her sanity, and the whole cast is good, even Cher in an unglamorous role. In conclusion, this is a serious and important film; and a reminder for the fortunate how hard, and ugly, life can be, even in the "land of the free".