As noted in a 23 Sep 1983 HR article, director-producer Lynne Littman was inspired by Carol Amen’s short story, The Last Testament, which was first published in the Sep 1980 edition of St. Anthony's Messenger (Cincinnati, OH), and later reprinted in the Aug 1981 Ms. Magazine. At that time, Littman was best known as a television reporter and producer at KCET, a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) station in Los Angeles, CA, and as the Academy Award-winning documentarian of the short film Number Our Days (1977). With a budget of $500,000 supplied by the PBS “American Playhouse” series, Littman began the project as an hour-long television film, as stated in a 5 Dec 1983 LAHExam article. However, the final script added thirty minutes to the running time, and increased the budget to $750,000. Hoping to begin production as scheduled, Littman’s LDL Films secured a deal with the British production company, Entertainment Events Ltd. (EEL), exchanging distribution rights for $278,000 in completion funds. Although Testament was planned as an “American Playhouse” release, EEL was eager to distribute the film theatrically, and LDL agreed to postpone the PBS telecast if Entertainment Events struck a deal with a distributor.
       Principal photography took place between Jan and Jun 1983 in the Southern California town of Sierra Madre, which stood in for the fictional city of “Hamelin.”
       On 23 Sep 1983, HR announced that Paramount Pictures acquired international distribution rights after a premiere at the Telluride Film Festival. At that time, nuclear energy and warfare were popular subjects for Hollywood movies, with Orion Pictures set to open Under Fire (1983, see entry) in Oct 1983 and Twentieth Century-Fox preparing Silkwood (1984, see entry) for release. Paramount reportedly saw Testament as an opportunity to capitalize on the cultural momentum, and give the picture a greater audience.
       However, Paramount’s acquisition of Testament prompted protests from actors and other contributors, who worked for little or no compensation because they believed the film was a non-profit venture. The 5 Dec 1983 LAHExam article explained that actors agreed to work for the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) scale for a PBS series, which was lower than average television rates, because they supported the film’s call for nuclear disarmament. When the production became a commercial, theatrical release, the actors were denied the opportunity to renegotiate their contracts, and SAG defended their demand for higher pay. In addition, a 5 Dec 1983 DV column announced a $10 million lawsuit filed against Paramount, EEL, and LDL Productions by residents of Sierra Madre, including the Sierra Madre Veterans of Foreign Wars, who felt they had been deceived into volunteering their services. The plaintiffs alleged that the film was presented as an educational, non-commercial PBS project, and they were exploited by the production when Paramount took over.
       While the outcome of the Sierra Madre case remains undetermined, the actors’ contract dispute continued to gain momentum. On 15 Dec 1983, DV reported that EEL proposed a settlement in which the company would donate thirty percent of the film’s box-office gross “to a recognized antinuclear arms organization on behalf of the actors” as compensation for the lost wages. The proposal was contingent on the actors’ acceptance of a “minimum residual payments” clause in their SAG contracts, giving them a cut of the film’s earnings instead of upgrading their pay rates. By 10 Feb 1984, most of the actors had rejected the EEL settlement, according to a DV article published that day. Just over one month later, the 17 Apr 1984 DV announced that negotiations were underway, with SAG representing the actors. However, young actor Ross Harris, who performed the role of “Brad,” opted out of the group settlement to file a separate, $500,000 lawsuit.
       The film received critical acclaim, generally characterized by Sheila Benson in her 3 Nov 1983 LAT review: “It’s easy to write that this is a film that deserves the widest possible audience, and to praise a major studio for distributing it. But what words do you use to persuade an audience to share an experience this wrenching, and one that may well change its perception of the immediate world?” The Jan 1984 Box reported that despite its limited release on less than fifty screens, the film made over $691,000 during its first two weeks.
       Lukas Haas made his feature film debut in Testament.
       Testament was nominated for an Academy Award for Actress in a Leading Role (Jane Alexander).
       End credits state: “This film is dedicated to my family.” Acknowledgements include: “Special thanks to: Lindsay Law; Heather Sheets; Stuart Benjamin; Teresa Carr; Robert Goldston; the McBride School; Leslie Linder; the People of Sierra Madre; Jerry Vernig; Norman Fleishman; Truman Van Dyke; Geralyn Miller; Buzz Knudsen; Rita Riggs; Jean Hill; Timothy J. Hayes; Ron Ward; Ben Bennett,” and, “The producers wish to acknowledge the following organizations in the making of this picture: Klein Bicycles; Dan River, Inc.; Masi Bicycles; Center Theatre Group Costume Shop; Ray-O-Vac; Gary’s Men’s and Women’s Fashions, Tri-Ex Tower Corp.; Alta Marea Productions.” In addition, the following television and video sources are credited: “’Sesame Street,’ courtesy of Children’s Television Workshop; ‘Jane Fonda’s Workout,’ courtesy of The Workout, Inc.” The picture was: “Filmed entirely on location in Sierra Madre, California.”