Death Watch (1980)
"La mort en direct" (original title)

Roddy has a camera implanted in his brain. He is then hired by a television producer to film a documentary of terminally ill Katherine, without her knowledge. His footage will then be run ... See full summary »

Director:

Bertrand Tavernier

Writers:

David Compton (novel), David Rayfiel,

Stars:

Romy Schneider, Harvey Keitel, Harry Dean Stanton

1 win & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Romy Schneider	...	Katherine Mortenhoe
Harvey Keitel	...	Roddy
Harry Dean Stanton	...	Vincent Ferriman
Thérèse Liotard	...	Tracey
Max von Sydow	...	Gerald Mortenhoe (as Max Von Sydow)
Caroline Langrishe	...	Girl in the Bar
William Russell	...	Dr.Mason (as William Russel)
Vadim Glowna	...	Harry Graves
Eva Maria Meineke	...	Dr.Klausen
Bernhard Wicki	...	Katherine's Dad (as Bernard Wicki)
Freddie Boardley	...	Technician
Robbie Coltrane	...	Limosine driver
Julian Hough	...	Young doctor
Peter Kelly	...	Technician
Boyd Nelson	...	Policeman

Storyline

Roddy has a camera implanted in his brain. He is then hired by a television producer to film a documentary of terminally ill Katherine, without her knowledge. His footage will then be run on the popular TV series, "Death Watch"...

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Plot Keywords:

television | hidden camera | fictional reality show | terminal illness | future | 

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Taglines:

She's the target of every eye...including eyes only science could create.

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Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

France West Germany

Language:

English French German

Release Date:

April 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Death Watch

Filming Locations:

Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Films A2, Gaumont International, Little Bear

Technical Specs

Runtime:

130 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is Robbie Coltrane's first motion picture.

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Quotes

Katherine Mortenhoe: Everything's of interest, but nothing matters.

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Crazy Credits

To Jacques Tourneur

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Connections

References The Masque of the Red Death (1964)

User Reviews

Driftwood.

Bertrand Tavernier's tale of a critically ill woman hounded by a television network for it's popular show 'Deathwatch' could be looked back in 1980 as almost a premonition in these times of reality TV and it's popularity in today's viewing public.

A strong cast portrays a simple if at times ponderous story dealing the acceptance of death and those out to prosper from it, with Harvey Keitel putting in a passionate driving performance as the TV company's 'virtual camera', a point in the film which adds a certain element of fantasy to the whole proceedings, along with vague decrepit industrial towns and eerie bays as the backdrop for the main characters to drift through. However despite strong performances all round, the journey the film takes never seems to reach a definitive destination rather, slows, bogs down and then finally stops, and despite keeping the viewer intrigued throughout never seems to deliver anything more than the inevitable.

There is no doubt 'Deathwatch' is an original, eerie and at times beautiful film but one that does not necessarily make sense, just like Max von Sydow's eloquent line in the film that 'Events that have no significance like the flight of a bird, do not have to mean something.'