Silkwood (1983)
Silkwood (1983)
Plot.
Where to Watch.
This Movie Is About.
Cast & Crew.
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
Kent Broadhurst
Carl
Richard Hamilton
Georgie
Les Lannom
Jimmy
M. Emmet Walsh
Walt Yarborough
Graham Jarvis
Doctor at Union Meeting
James Rebhorn
Los Alamos Doctor
Bill Cobbs
Man in Lunchroom
Ray Baker
Pete Dawson
Will Patton
Joe
Tom Stovall
3rd Los Alamos Doctor / Associate Producer
Drew Stephens
Waiter (uncredited)
Tess Harper
Linda Dawson
Anthony Heald
2nd Doctor at Union Meeting
Gary Grubbs
Randy Fox
Georges Delerue
Original Music Composer
Mary Goldberg
Casting
Michael Hausman
Producer / First Assistant Director
Miroslav Ondříček
Director of Photography
Sam O'Steen
Editor
Nora Ephron
Screenplay
Patrizia von Brandenstein
Production Design
Mike Nichols
Director / Producer
Ann Roth
Costume Design
Buzz Hirsch
Executive Producer
Alice Arlen
Screenplay
Larry Cano
Executive Producer
Tom Fleischman
Sound Re-Recording Mixer
Joel Tuber
Associate Producer / Second Assistant Director
Herb Jellinek
Executive In Charge Of Production
Richard Brick
Production Manager
John Dapper
Assistant Art Director
Derek R. Hill
Set Decoration
Dennis W. Peeples
Set Decoration
Media.
Details.
Release DateDecember 14, 1983
StatusReleased
Running Time2h 11m
Content RatingR
Budget$10,000,000
Box Office$35,600,000
Filming LocationsNew Mexico, United States of America
Genres
Wiki.
Silkwood is a 1983 American biographical drama film directed by Mike Nichols, and starring Meryl Streep, Kurt Russell, and Cher. The screenplay by Nora Ephron and Alice Arlen was adapted from the book Who Killed Karen Silkwood? by Rolling Stone writer and activist Howard Kohn which detailed the life of Karen Silkwood, a nuclear whistle-blower and a labor union activist who investigated alleged wrongdoing at the Kerr-McGee plutonium plant where she worked. In real life, her inconclusive death in a car crash gave rise to a 1979 lawsuit, Silkwood v. Kerr-McGee, led by attorney Gerry Spence. The jury rendered its verdict of $10 million in damages to be paid to the Silkwood estate (her children), the largest amount in damages ever awarded for that kind of case at the time. The Silkwood estate eventually settled for $1.3 million.The development of Silkwood spanned nine years, with the project originating with Warner Bros., who intended to cast Jane Fonda as Silkwood. Warner Bros. ultimately abandoned the project after producer Buzz Hirsch was subpoenaed by an Oklahoma City judge to disclose all of the film's research materials, an effort that was overruled by a 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver. The project was later acquired by ABC Motion Pictures, with Nichols directing and Streep cast in the title role. Silkwood was shot largely in New Mexico and Texas on a budget of $10 million. Factual accuracy was maintained throughout the script. One scene in particular involved Silkwood activating a radiation alarm at the plant; Silkwood herself had forty times the legal limit of radioactive contamination in her system.
Streep had just finished filming Sophie's Choice (1982) when production began. The film marked a departure for some of its stars: it is noted for being one of the first "serious" works of Cher, who had been previously known mostly for her singing, and for Russell, who was at the time widely known for his work in the action genre.
The film received positive reviews and was a box office success, with particular attention focused on Nichols' direction and Streep's performance. At the 56th Academy Awards, Silkwood received five nominations in total, including Streep for Best Actress, Cher for Best Supporting Actress and Nichols for Best Director.