Brainstorm (1965)

A young scientist saves an attractive married woman from a suicide attempt, becomes romantically involved with her, plots to kill her husband, and then fakes insanity to escape the murder ... See full summary »

Director:

William Conrad

Writers:

Mann Rubin (screenplay), Lawrence B. Marcus (story)

Stars:

Jeffrey Hunter, Anne Francis, Dana Andrews

Cast

Cast overview:
Jeffrey Hunter	...	Jim Grayam (as Jeff Hunter)
Anne Francis	...	Lorrie Benson
Dana Andrews	...	Cort Benson
Viveca Lindfors	...	Dr. Elizabeth Larstadt
Stacy Harris	...	Josh Reynolds
Kathie Browne	...	Angie DeWitt (as Kathie Brown)
Phillip Pine	...	Dr. Ames
Michael Pate	...	Dr. Mills
Robert McQueeney	...	Sgt. Dawes
Strother Martin	...	Mr. Clyde
Joan Swift	...	Clara
George Pelling	...	Butler
Victoria Paige Meyerink	...	Julie Benson (as Victoria Meyerink)
Stephen Roberts	...	Judge
Pat Cardi	...	Bobby

Storyline

A young scientist saves an attractive married woman from a suicide attempt, becomes romantically involved with her, plots to kill her husband, and then fakes insanity to escape the murder charge.

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Plot Keywords:

suicide attempt | murder | scientist | insanity | detective | 

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Taglines:

May Scare You Out of Your Mind!

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Genres:

Thriller | Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 May 1965 (USA)

Also Known As:

Agyhalál

Filming Locations:

Greystone Park & Mansion - 905 Loma Vista Drive, Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

William Conrad Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

User Reviews

Good B film

By the time "Brainstorm" was made, both Jeffrey Hunter and Dana Andrews had descended into B films. "Brainstorm" was one of them, costarring '50s starlet Anne Francis. Directed by William Conrad, it's actually a good movie about an engineer who falls in love with the unhappy wife of a wealthy man (Andrews) and concocts a scheme to kill him and get away with it by faking insanity.

Hunter is very good in this dramatic role - he was a far better actor than some of his contemporaries but due to his personal demons, he never fulfilled his early promise. It's a shame because he played this kind of angry, edgy role very well, belying his staggering good looks. He gets good support from Andrews, Francis, and Viveca Lindfors, who plays a psychiatrist.

There is one scene that may be unintentionally funny - when Hunter is in the asylum, one of the inmates starts singing the beginning of a song over and over again. Hunter finally screams, "Either finish that song or SHUT UP!" Brainstorm is worth a watch, especially to see Hunter do a role deserving of his abilities, and one he no longer had an opportunity to play in A films.