Afterburn (film)
| Afterburn | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Genre | Drama |
| Written by | Elizabeth Chandler |
| Directed by | Robert Markowitz |
| Starring |
Laura Dern Robert Loggia Vincent Spano |
| Music by | Stewart Copeland |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Steve Tisch |
| Producer(s) |
Paul Kurta Elizabeth Chandler (co-producer) |
| Cinematography | Isidore Mankofsky |
| Editor(s) | Jerrold L. Ludwig |
| Running time | 103 min. |
| Production company(s) | HBO |
| Distributor | HBO |
| Release | |
| Original network | HBO |
| Original release | May 30, 1992 |
Afterburn is a 1992 dramatic film written and produced for television, based on a true story where one woman takes on the United States military and General Dynamics, manufacturer of the F-16 jet fighter aircraft that took her husband's life. The docudrama starred Laura Dern, Robert Loggia, and Vincent Spano. The film's name is derived from the "Afterburner" bar where the central character (Janet Harduvel), who works as a waitress, met her future husband, a setting that forms the focus of the first part of the film.
On November 15, 1982, Janet Harduvel (Laura Dern) is devastated by the news of the death of her husband Ted (Vincent Spano) who flew as a United States Air Force pilot in one of the world's most sophisticated fighter aircraft, the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon. She is stymied in finding out the truth behind his crash in Korea and takes on the US military and General Dynamics, maker of the F-16. With the help of her lawyer, Leo Morrone (Robert Loggia), and her sister Mary (Welker White), Harduvel begins the long process of unraveling the lies and deception that are behind a joint military and General Dynamics cover-up that blames the accident on pilot error. Despite setbacks, she proves to be unwavering in her search for the truth to clear his name and uncover the deadly secret buried in the F-16.
As appearing in screen credits (main roles identified):
Captain Theodore T. Harduvel's widow, Janet, was the focus of the production and her assistance was paramount in presenting an accurate portrait of the struggle to clear her husband's memory and legacy. In 1987, Janet Harduvel won a $3.1 million jury award against General Dynamics Corporation, alleging a flight instrumentation malfunction due to a short circuit caused by frayed ("chafed") wiring, led to his crash. The verdict would "ultimately be overturned, not on its merits, but on the basis that federal defense contractors enjoy blanket immunity from such lawsuits." A subsequent defeat on appeal followed.
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