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Altered States (1980)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
25 December 1980 (USA)
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Tagline:
When he heard his cry for help it wasn't human more
Plot:
A Harvard scientist conducts experiments on himself with a hallucinatory drug and an isolation chamber that may be causing him to regress genetically. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars.
Another 1 win
&
4 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(12 articles)
Former MGM Chief Daniel Melnick Dead At 77; Many Classic Films To His Credit
(From CinemaRetro. 16 October 2009, 9:58 AM, PDT)
The Planting of Dan Melnick and the Death of Hollywood Cool
(From Huffington Post. 15 October 2009, 3:36 PM, PDT)
(From CinemaRetro. 16 October 2009, 9:58 AM, PDT)
The Planting of Dan Melnick and the Death of Hollywood Cool
(From Huffington Post. 15 October 2009, 3:36 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
Bizarre and eerie
more (99 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | William Hurt | ... | Eddie Jessup |
 | Blair Brown | ... | Emily Jessup |
| Bob Balaban | ... | Arthur Rosenberg |
| Charles Haid | ... | Mason Parrish |
| Thaao Penghlis | ... | Echeverria |
| Miguel Godreau | ... | Primal Man |
| Dori Brenner | ... | Sylvia Rosenberg |
| Peter Brandon | ... | Hobart |
| Charles White-Eagle | ... | The Brujo |
 | Drew Barrymore | ... | Margaret Jessup |
| Megan Jeffers | ... | Grace Jessup |
| Jack Murdock | ... | Hector Orteco |
 | Francis X. McCarthy | ... | Obispo (as Frank McCarthy) |
| Deborah Baltzell | ... | Schizophrenic Patient |
 | Evan Richards | ... | Young Rosenberg |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
102 min
Country:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby |
70 mm 6-Track (MegaSound encoding)
Certification:
Singapore:M18 |
Italy:VM14 |
Australia:M |
Finland:K-16 |
France:-12 |
Norway:18 (1982) |
Sweden:15 |
UK:18 |
USA:R |
West Germany:16 |
Iceland:16
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Some footage of "hell" in the hallucinations are from the movie Dante's Inferno (1935) taken from a dream sequence.
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Goofs:
Continuity: When the Brujo tells Eccheverria that he'll allow Eddie to participate in the ceremony he walks off. In only a matter of seconds he's far enough away that they have to run quite a distance to catch up to him to ask him some further questions. There's no way he could have gotten that far in the short span of time between his walking off and their pursuit of him.
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Quotes:
[First line]
Arthur Rosenberg: The tank itself was unusual in that it was vertical, and looked like an old boiler.
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Arthur Rosenberg: The tank itself was unusual in that it was vertical, and looked like an old boiler.
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Movie Connections:
Spoofed in "South Park: Tsst (#10.7)" (2006)
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Soundtrack:
Light My Fire
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FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (99 total)
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Bizarre cinematic head-trip that is far better and more entertaining than anyone could guess from a description. I put it on my Netflix queue without realizing it was directed by Ken Russell. If I had seen that earlier, I would have avoided it. Thankfully I didn't. It contains everything that is good about Russell, that is, his crazy imagery, and none of the bad stuff. That is, it's not an enormous bore. The script was written by Paddy Chayefsky, based on his own novel. Not the writer you would associate with horror or sci-fi, which is the proper genres to which Altered States belongs. He disowned the film before he even saw a cut of it, despite the fact that Russell was contractually obligated not to change a word of the script. The greatest asset of the film is the fantastic acting. William Hurt makes his screen debut as a mad scientist, a Harvard professor, actually, who is experimenting with sensory deprivation, mixed with some choice hallucinogens. He hopes to lose his modern mind in the sensory deprivation tank and regress to a primitive state. Unfortunately, some mushrooms that he finds in Mexico help him regress not only mentally, but physiologically. Blair Brown plays his estranged and worried wife, and Charles Haid and Bob Balaban (love the Balaban!) play colleagues who help Hurt do his experiments. The plot is silly, but it's legitimately eerie and frightening, thanks to Russell's surprisingly excellent direction. The film ends up in territory very reminiscent of 2001: A Space Odyssey, but I thought it all worked pretty well. Drew Barrymore makes her film debut at age 5, and also keep an eye out for John Larroquette.