Testament (1983 film)

Testament
Testament
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Lynne Littman
Screenplay by	John Sacret Young
Based on	"The Last Testament" by ; Carol Amen
Produced by	Jonathan Bernstein; Lynne Littman
Starring	Jane Alexander; William Devane;
Cinematography	Steven Poster
Edited by	Suzanne Pettit
Music by	James Horner
Production; companies	Entertainment Events; American Playhouse
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date	November 4, 1983;
Running time	90 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$2 million

Testament is a 1983 American post-apocalyptic drama film co-produced and directed by Lynne Littman and written by John Sacret Young, based on Carol Amen's 1981 short story "The Last Testament".^[2] The film tells the story of how a small suburban town near the San Francisco Bay Area slowly falls apart after a nuclear war destroys outside civilization. The cast includes Jane Alexander, William Devane, Leon Ames, Ross Harris, Lukas Haas, Roxana Zal and, in small roles shortly before their rise to stardom, Kevin Costner and Rebecca De Mornay. It was one of the films, along with The Day After and Threads that portrayed life after a nuclear war, mostly in response to an increase in hostility between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Originally produced for the PBS series American Playhouse, it was given a theatrical release instead by Paramount Pictures on November 4, 1983 (although PBS did subsequently air it a year later). Alexander was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance.^[3]