Charly (1968)

An intellectually disabled man undergoes an experiment that gives him the intelligence of a genius.

Director:

Ralph Nelson

Writers:

Daniel Keyes (novel), Stirling Silliphant (screenplay)

Stars:

Cliff Robertson, Claire Bloom, Lilia Skala

Won 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Cliff Robertson	...	Charly Gordon
Claire Bloom	...	Alice Kinnian
Lilia Skala	...	Dr. Anna Strauss
Leon Janney	...	Dr. Richard Nemur
Ruth White	...	Mrs. Apple
Dick Van Patten	...	Bert (as Richard Van Patten)
Edward McNally	...	Gimpy (as Skipper McNally)
Barney Martin	...	Hank
William Dwyer	...	Joey
Dan Morgan	...	Paddy

Storyline

Charly is an adult male with a cognitive disability struggling to survive in the modern world. His frequent attempts at learning, reading, and writing prove difficult. His teacher, Miss Kinian, takes Charly to the clinic where he is observed by doctors who have Charly "race" a mouse, Algernon. Algernon is usually the winner thanks to an experiment that greatly raised his intelligence. This experiment is given to Charly, who at first does not seem affected. However, he becomes more logically advanced, eventually becoming a pure genius. Emotional and intra-personal consequences are involved when Charly learns the truth of the experiment, and struggles with whether or not the procedure was a good idea.

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Plot Keywords:

experiment | genius | intelligence | disability | mouse | 

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Taglines:

The Poignant Incredible Story of A Man Whose Two Worlds Collide!

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 September 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

Charly

Filming Locations:

Boston City Hospital - 818 Harrison Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

ABC Pictures, Robertson and Associates, Selmur Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The reason that Cliff Robertson was not at the Oscars to receive his Best Actor award was because he was in the middle of filming the movie, Too Late the Hero (1970) in the Philippines. The director Robert Aldridge would not allow him to leave due to budget restraints.

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Goofs

When Charly and the other employees leave the bakery for a beer, Ed McNally, playing Gimpy, has completely lost his limp and is walking normally.

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Quotes

Charly Gordon: What's enough love?
Alice Kinnian: Always a little more than anyone ever gets.

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Connections

Referenced in NewsRadio: Arcade (1996)

User Reviews

A beautiful film

"I want to be smarter, just so I could get a little closer, you know?" Charly Gordon

Made in the days when doctors smoked cigarettes, this is Cliff Robertson's brilliant portrayal of a man isolated from society by an IQ of 69 who through a brain operation becomes a genius.

Robertson won a well-deserved Oscar for Best Actor in 1968 for his part in this wonderful and inspiring film, and it's a great movie, albeit on a "b-movie" budget. But entwined in its message is a dark reflection on how society treats people who are mentally handicapped.

Charly is the nicest guy you would ever meet, considerate of all, kind, but simple and naïve. Everyone around him either laughs at him or is condescending toward him. No one sees him as a man, not even a human being, just whatever they label him as - "dumb-assed janitor", or just plain "moron". Then he gets his operation and becomes the smartest man on Earth, but still he is labeled, and still he is isolated.

What I got most from this film is not a clinical study of mental retardation but the way society deals with mental retardation, and in this the film soars, and it will bring a tear or two if you have even a bit of humanity. It is a wonderful film, on many levels, testing us all on how we deal with those who are so unfortunate as to be mentally handicapped.

In "Charly", society doesn't win in the end, but the movie does! 9 out of 10.