Daybreak (1993) (TV)

User Rating:

4.9/10   

Director:

Stephen Tolkin

Writers (WGA):

Alan Bowne (play)
Stephen Tolkin (teleplay)

Release Date:

8 May 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Romance | Sci-Fi

Plot:

This drama, based on Alan Bowne's play "Beirut," takes place in a decrepit New York City of the near future, controlled by a fascist government.

Plot Keywords:

New York | New York City | Plague | AIDS | World Trade Center New York

Cast

Moira Kelly	...	Blue
Cuba Gooding Jr.	...	Torch
Martha Plimpton	...	Laurie
Omar Epps	...	Hunter
Amir Williams	...	Willie
David Eigenberg	...	Bucky
Alice Drummond	...	Anna
John Cameron Mitchell	...	Lennie
Willie Garson	...	Simon
Mark Boone Junior	...	Quarantine Guard (as Mark Boone Jr.)
Deirdre O'Connell	...	Mom
Jon Seda	...	Payne
Phil Parolisi	...	Russell
Paul Butler	...	Truck Driver
Alix Koromzay	...	Woman in Quarantine
Charles Cragin	...	Man with a Cough
Novella Nelson	...	Mrs. Chaney
Charles Mattocks	...	Tommy (as Charles 'Soll Food' Mattocks)
Spike Alexander	...	Home Guardsman
Steven Rodriquez	...	Mechanic
Nick Chinlund	...	Commander
Janet Paparazzo	...	Escaping Patient
Scott Zigler	...	Paramedic
Billi Vitale	...	Sick Woman
Herminio Vallejo III	...	Junkie
Stuart Rudin	...	Wino
D. Garen Tolkin	...	Receptionist
Skipp Sudduth	...	Workfare Man
Marc B. Galishoff	...	Security Cop
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John D. Bair	...	Underground hideaway (uncredited)
Tim Guinee	...	OHH Officer (uncredited)
Phil Hartman	...	Man in Abstinence Commercial (uncredited)
John Savage	...	The President (uncredited)

Directed by
Stephen Tolkin

Writing credits (WGA)
Alan Bowne		(play "Beirut")
Stephen Tolkin		(teleplay)

Produced by
Colin Callender	....	executive producer
Kathryn F. Galan	....	executive producer (as Kathryn Galan)
John Bard Manulis	....	producer
Diana Phillips	....	line producer

Original Music by
Michel Colombier

Cinematography by
Newton Thomas Sigel		(as Tom Sigel)

Film Editing by
Lois Freeman-Fox
Brunilda Torres

Casting by
Deborah Aquila

Production Design by
Leslie A. Pope		(as Leslie Pope)

Set Decoration by
Leigh Kyle

Costume Design by
Donna Berwick

Makeup Department
Judith Goodman	....	hair stylist
Sharon Ilson	....	makeup artist
Rita Ogden	....	assistant makeup artist
Linda Kay Rendina	....	additional makeup artist

Production Management
Denis Hann	....	unit production manager
John A. O'Connor	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Mary-Jane April	....	second assistant director (as MJ April)
Jeff Balsmeyer	....	second unit director
Todd Pfeiffer	....	first assistant director
J. Miller Tobin	....	first assistant director (as Miller Tobin)

Art Department
Jeff Balsmeyer	....	storyboard artist
Shirley Belwood	....	assistant property master
Paul Dale	....	on-set scenic
Anthony Dunne	....	construction coordinator (as Tony Dunne)
Ann Edgeworth	....	on-set dresser
David Scott Gagnon	....	set dresser (as Scott Gagnon)
Darryl Ganious	....	assistant: production designer (as Darryl Lee Ganious)
Peter Gelfman	....	lead man
John Grimolizzi	....	key set builder
Barbara A. Kastner	....	property master (as Barbara Kastner)
Robin Koenig	....	set dresser
Michael Leather	....	on-set dresser
Chip Lopez	....	graphic designer
Gus Papadopoulos	....	set dresser
Patricia Walker	....	scenic charge (as Patty Walker)
Byron K. Lovelace	....	props (uncredited)
Brick Mason	....	storyboard artist (uncredited)

Sound Department
Michael Barosky	....	sound mixer
Barbara J. Boguski	....	adr supervisor
Liza Cornwall	....	sound assistant
Stacey A. Foiles	....	sound editor
Leigh French	....	adr looping coordinator
Robert Glass	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Bob Glass)
Wendy Hedin	....	supervising sound editor
Ellen Heuer	....	foley walker
Linda Murphy	....	boom operator
Steve Rice	....	dialogue editor (as Steve M. Rice)
Richard D. Rogers	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Richard Rogers)
Joan Rowe	....	foley walker
Jim Seltenreich	....	sound assistant
Ann L. Thornberg	....	sound assistant
David Lewis Yewdall	....	co-supervising sound editor (as David L. Yewdall)
Lisa A. Yewdall	....	post sound coordinator
Frank Fleming	....	sound recordist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Wilfred Caban	....	special effects (as Willie Caban)
Steven Kirshoff	....	special effects (as Steve Kirshoff)
Denis Zack	....	special effects

Stunts
Nancy Ellen Anzalone	....	stunt double: Moira Kelly
Nancy Ellen Anzalone	....	stunts (as Nancy Ellen)
Norman Douglass	....	stunts (as Norman Douglas)
Andy Duppin	....	stunts
Joe Fitos	....	stunts (as Joseph S. Fitos)
Jeffrey Lee Gibson	....	stunts (as Jeff Gibson)
Debbie Greg	....	stunts
Gene Harrison	....	stunts
Don Hewitt	....	stunts
David Jacox	....	stunts
Phil Neilson	....	stunt coordinator (as Phil Nielson)
Mick O'Rourke	....	stunts
Lori Petitti	....	stunts
Tierre Turner	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Niels Alpert	....	assistant camera
John Dolan	....	grip
Andrea Dorman	....	Steadicam assistant
Tom Kerwick	....	key grip
Jeremy Knaster	....	rigging gaffer
Eric Liebowitz	....	unit still photographer (as Eric Leibowitz)
Michael Marzovilla	....	generator operator
John McAleer	....	camera trainee
Jim McConkey	....	Steadicam operator
Billy Miller	....	dolly grip
Matt Miller	....	best boy grip (as Matthew Miller)
Marc Rogers	....	gaffer
Douglas W. Shannon	....	electrician
Susan Starr	....	focus puller
Derrick Tseng	....	best boy electric
Tom Zafian	....	24 frame video operator

Casting Department
Laura Gillis	....	extras casting associate
Meredith Jacobson	....	extras casting
Jane Shannon-Smith	....	casting associate (as Jane Shannon)
John D. Bair	....	casting department (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jill E. Anderson	....	wardrobe supervisor (as Jill Anderson)
Marcia Patten	....	wardrobe supervisor
Yvette Stapleton	....	assistant wardrobe designer

Editorial Department
Rory Duval	....	post-production coordinator
Ellen Evans	....	apprentice editor
Mark Goodermote	....	apprentice editor
Brian Johnson	....	assistant editor
Mark Rathaus	....	associate editor
Ahmad Shirazi	....	assistant editor
Glenn Suffern	....	negative cutter (as Glen Suffern)

Music Department
Michael Fisher	....	musician
Clark Germain	....	scoring mixer (as Clark Germaine)
Gerry Gershman	....	music supervisor
Tom Kramer	....	music editor
Lise Richardson	....	music editor (as Lisa Richardson)
Ernie Watts	....	musician

Transportation Department
David Babcock	....	driver (as Dave Babcock)
Peter Clores	....	driver
Steven R. Hammond	....	transportation captain (as Steve Hammond)
Tom Heilig	....	transportation co-captain
Joseph Paprota	....	driver (as Joe Paprota)
Dan Paustian	....	driver (as Dan Paulstian)
Doug Salomone	....	driver (as Doug Salamone)
Shannon Winters	....	driver

Other crew
Paris Barclay	....	video producer
Richie Bettors	....	video producer
Mary Brooks	....	intern
Daniel Carlton	....	intern
Beth Collins	....	intern
Garth Craven	....	visual consultant
John Daschbach	....	production secretary
Stephen Gevedon	....	production assistant (as Steve Gevedon)
Jude Gorjanc	....	co-key set production assistant
Alan Grabelsky	....	production executive
Matthew Huffman	....	craft service
Andrea Isaacs	....	accounting assistant
Prince Jackson	....	parking coordinator (as Prince M. Jackson)
Lorelei Jeffers	....	intern
Karen Kelsall	....	script supervisor
Brian Lotterman	....	intern
Margot Lulick	....	location manager
Mary Beth Mann	....	intern
David Martin	....	production assistant
Rob Mauro	....	intern
Daniel Myers	....	intern
Cynthia Neipris	....	assistant: Mr. Tolkin and Mr. Manulis
George Nooney	....	intern
Rafael Osorio	....	intern (as Ralph Osorio)
Ezra Pendleton	....	intern
Cherie Rodgers	....	legal services
Tom Ross	....	production secretary (as Thomas Ross)
Jennifer Roth	....	production coordinator
Chesley Seals	....	intern
Brian Siberell	....	program executive: HBO Showcase
Susan Sloane	....	set nurse
Jill Strauss	....	assistant coordinator
Chara Vainur	....	intern
Lynda Van Damm	....	production accountant (as Lynda 'V' Van Damm)
Tony Vitale	....	assistant location manager
David 'Wex' Wechsler	....	intern
Melissa Weisenberg	....	intern
Benjamin Whitehouse	....	assistant accountant (as Benj Whitehouse)
Shelby Zacharia	....	set tutor (as Shelley Zacharia)

Production Companies

• Home Box Office (HBO)

Distributors

• Abril Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Home Box Office (HBO) (and video)
• mediacs AG (Germany) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Howard A. Anderson Company  opticals
• Howard A. Anderson Company  title design
• Ryder Sound Services  sound

Also Known As:

Bloodstream (UK) (theatrical title)

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Singapore:M18 | Australia:M | Netherlands:12 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Home Box Office (HBO)

Awful script ruins interesting idea

I recorded this because the Tivo program guide description described the movie as a "two rebels fighting a fascist government in the near future." The movie starts promisingly with a failed escape from a medical institution that leads to an execution and an eerily prescient city street scene borrowed (or stolen) from Soylent Green -- a group of people standing around watching a TV behind a barred storefront window, a menacing group of paramilitary thugs intimidating a homeless person, and a couple of girls in uniforms with the label "WorkFare" getting off work.

This should have helped establish a backstory of a bleak near future of economic collapse, government propaganda and tyrany, and, as we're told later on, rampant disease and forced quarantine.

Instead of building on all these ideas to tell what could have been at least as good as "Handmaid's Tale", the script gets lost in a ridiculous love story between Cuba Gooding Jr. and Moira Kelly which is not redeemed even by two sex scenes featuring extensive topless footage of Moira.

The love story detracts from the all-too-plausible social premise of the movie that seems quite believable now: the government is using propaganda, a paramilitary "Home Guard" of thugs and forced internment of people infected with a disease in quarantine centers that are portrayed as country club resorts, but instead are more like Soviet-era prison hospitals where the patients are sent to die.

The budget must not have allowed for much location shooting or set dressing, as the premise of an America in deep decline is offset by Kelly and Martha Plimpton getting on a bus and a number of other scenes shot in high-rise Manhattan that would make it appear that life was functioning normally, in direct conflict to the other, Soylent Green like street scenes and overcrowded apartments.

The AIDS-like disease is also treated in a conflicting manner -- it apparently was a real disease, as Cuba Gooding's band of rebels was actually trying to aide those sick with it, and Gooding made a deliberate attempt to wear a condom before having sex with Kelly -- but we're also led to believe that the sypmtpoms, communicability and perhaps even treatability of the disease wasn't what the government said it was. It would have been more effective (and productive for the storyline) if the disease had been instead a creation of the government as an excuse to put people in a prison-like quarantine where they would die by other means.

Overall, a "near-future" concept which is actually chillingly plausable in our modern times (substitute genetically engineered smallpox for the disease and terrorism detention for the quarantine...) is ruined by a bad love story and a low-budget production.

If you do suffer through this movie, don't miss future Sex and the City characters David Eigenberg ("Steve") as Kelly's brother, and Willie Garson ("Stanford Blatch") as a member of Gooding's rebel gang.