Le mystère Silkwood

As we don't really know what happened to Karen Silkwood for an exact certainty this film gives us a pretty accurate account of those last months of her life when a very ordinary and pedestrian life became a symbol of union activism and the power of plutocracy to have their way.

When Harvey Milk went out and became a gay activist he reflected that in the 40 years he'd been living on planet earth he hadn't really left much of a mark up to that time. Karen Silkwood didn't even have that much time left to her. The last couple of years of her life were devoted to union activism and it was that activism that indirectly or directly led to her death depending on your point of view.

As an a union leader she even faced the criticisms of her own rank and file for not working as they felt for more traditional issues like a pay raise, less hours etc. Her concentration was the plant safety at Kerr- McGee where she and others worked making plutonium pellets for nuclear fuel rods. As such she and her co-workers were exposed to radiation, exposed a lot more she feared than her employers let on. That's fairly well proved in the film and in life.

As to her death the speculation is that it was not just an automobile accident, but something that was arranged by Kerr-McGee as she was on her way to meet a New York Times reporter with documentation of Kerr- McGee's failings on the issue of safety. That's the part that has left her story a mystery until this day, a mystery that the film Silkwood takes no real position.

But despite that the film got five Oscar nominations for Meryl Streep one of her collection of Best Actress nominations for the title role. Mike Nichols got one for Best Director and there were nominations in the writing and editing categories.

Cher spread her thespian wings in Silkwood playing Streep's best friend and lesbian roommate and fellow worker. She got some deserved rave reviews and this led to a second career as actress. In her whole career Cher has never really mixed her singing and her acting. Thirty years ago she probably would have been Hollywood musicals of mixed quality so she's eschewed musical films. I think that's conscious decision she's made and it's worked out well for her.

Sadly being ignored by the Academy was Kurt Russell playing Streep's live in boyfriend. From child actor to Disney bubble gum star to action adventure films, Russell finally got a real acting role he could create a character with and did so. Mostly his career has been action/adventure stuff, but here and in other films like Unlawful Entry and the Mean Season he's shown some acting chops without shooting people or breaking heads.

The film Silkwood as a totality is not as good as the outstanding performances these three players give in it. But it still remains a testament to the life and example of Karen Silkwood.

What does your own hero look like ?

How do you judge people ?

When should you let go ? And when should you stick around ?

With "amazing grace", the beautiful Meryl Streep and Karen Silkwood have both tried to answer our questions. This wonderful movie wasn't about Silkwood's bravery in demanding people's absolutely basic rights only.

Most of people judge others by their own definition of "honour". You tell a friend about how this woman sleeps with everyone and the word goes on about how this promiscuous woman is a devil. This portrayal of Karen Silkwood will definitely conquer your image and your ways of judgment. As you can see her life ends, you'll know what really matters in life and what real honour looks like. You'll know that each one of us has their own demons, and some more than others, maybe for the bigger part, because they've witnessed what the rest didn't in their lives. You can never judge this woman saying she left her children when she's fighting for the framed pictures they're taking from her as they've found her house's contaminated, you can never judge her emotional and sexual behaviour when you see the look - to Drew- in her eyes before she dies and you can never judge the quality of her life given her psychological disturbance. This beautiful woman fought for what really matters in this life: end of fear .. end of blackmail for money and food. She's a hero by all means, defying all sorts of authorities with absolutely no support most of the time. You can see the struggles of being with someone who wouldn't save the world like you're trying to, but turns out to love you as you are with all your demons.

The real lesson for most people in this movie was about bravery and courage, but for me, it was mostly about acceptance, judgment and what really matters in this life.I can't thank Meryl Streep, Cher, Kurt Russel and Director Mike Nichols enough for this masterpiece, especially the ever-amazing and graceful, Mrs Streep .. You've taught me more than I've ever learnt from anybody in my own life.

This movie was only a glimpse into the future. We all, should be very thankful that Hollywood had the guts to produce a story like this. Meryl Streep did a wonderful job of portraying Karen Silkwood. This movie was only a glimpse into the future. I think this movie was a real eye opener at the time. Unfortunately, now there are enough true stories out there like this, it would keep Hollywood busy full time, if they produced them all. Meryl Streep you are my star for ever, but please mentor someone else with your talent. Our country needs it.

With CSI on TV today it would be nice to have a spin off with details of Karen's head x-rays and auto damage in order to get closer to the truth. A modern day story called 'Wounded Bear' depicts a very similar story. This story has CT's and would bring you to the truth of both stories. I have Silkwood

on tape because I feel it is an important part of history.

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".

I took the time to register with IMDB just to present a more accurate review of this movie than the person that wrote that the movie was a joke. While not one of the best movies of its type, it's still pretty well done. The story moves along well....clues are dropped throughout the movie to show the possible conspiracy at work. I would consider "The Insider" as one of the better movies of this type that was made in recent years, and even that movie shows traces of having evolved from movies like Silkwood.

I find most movies of this type that were done in the 80s as generally pretty cheesy. Silkwood does a pretty good job of "not being too cheesy". And if there is any trace of "cheesiness" (if you will), it's represented in the way that the townspeople react to Karen Silkwood. And the reactions worked for me, because when I think of how seriously people reacted to issues like nuclear or toxic contamination back in the late 70s/early 80s, there was a lot less info available. Nowadays in the "Oprah" and "11 o'clock news warnings" generation, where there's something new that we should be cautious of everyday, these types of stories are much more believable.

Meryl Streep (as expected) far outshines the rest of the cast. Kurt Russell turns out a pretty nice performance. Cher's performance was ok. I think at the time she probably received a lot more recognition for this role because it began to show her range. But she's been better in subsequent roles.

All in all, Silkwood is a movie that doesn't suprise or open the eyes of all the conspiracy- conscious people that are alive in 2003, but it does provide a touching story about a town that was dealing with the prospect of having to choose between the risk of toxic infection and their livelihood. But the real story here is about the one woman that cared enough to dig a little and ask a few questions and the danger that developed from taking a stand. 8 out of 10.