The China Syndrome
The threat comes from within... Modern technology has provided man with an appreciable level of comfort; elevators, cars, vending machines and electrical appliances of all kinds.
But what happens if our precious objects rebel against us? This is what this cycle explores through 7 films that put objects or machines at the center of the plot by becoming the main protagonists of the story. These frightening machines can be found in evil elevators (De Lift and Down by the famous Dick Maas), in bloodthirsty cars (Christine by John Carpenter and Maximum Overdrive by Stephen King), in banal everyday objects (The Demon on the Island by Francis Leroi), in a disturbing industrial press (The Mangler by Tobe Hooper) and even in an old nuclear power plant (The China Syndrome by James Bridges)!
Beware, they are among us...
Kimberley, a television reporter and her crew are filming a documentary at the Los Angeles nuclear power plant. During the visit, they witness a potential nuclear incident. Seeing how the plant's employees are working to deal with it, Richard, the cameraman, films the incident on the sly. While minimizing the reality, the television station refuses to broadcast the report in order to protect the plant's executives. Kimberley and Richard try to contact Jack Godell, the person in charge of the power station during the incident in order to get more information from him. Kimberley will discover through him that the real danger is elsewhere, and much worse...
James Bridges
James Bridges was an American screenwriter, film director, producer, and actor. He is a two-time Academy Award nominee: once for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Paper Chase (1973) and once for Best Original Screenplay for The China Syndrome (1979). He got his start as a writer for Alfred Hitchcock Presents after catching the attention of Norman Lloyd, a producer for the series. Bridges went on to write and direct a number of notable films, including Urban Cowboy (1980), Perfect (1985) and Bright Lights, Big City (1988). He also wrote the screenplay of Joseph Sargent's Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970) and co-wrote the screenplay of Clint Eastwood's White Hunter, Black Heart (1990).
