Threshold (1981)

The celebrated heart surgeon Dr. Vrain supports the research of the offbeat scientist Aldo Gehring, who is inventing an artificial heart. Dr. Vrain performs the first artificial human heart... See full summary »

Director:

Richard Pearce

Writer:

James Salter

Stars:

Donald Sutherland, John Marley, Sharon Acker

3 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Donald Sutherland	...	Dr. Thomas Vrain
John Marley	...	Edgar Fine
Sharon Acker	...	Tilla Vrain
Mare Winningham	...	Carol Severance
Jeff Goldblum	...	Dr. Aldo Gehring
Michael Lerner	...	Henry De Vici
Julie Armstrong	...	Donna Clure
Jun Asahina	...	Japanese Technician
Steve Ballantine	...	Injured Motorcyclist
Ralph Benmergui	...	Mr. Orantes' Interpreter (as Ralph Benmurgui)
Richard Blackburn	...	Dr. Cutter
Lally Cadeau	...	Anita, Vrain's Secretary
Eric Clavering	...	Old Man in Recovery
James Douglas	...	Older Doctor in X-Ray Room (as James B. Douglas)
Nancy Downey	...	Judy

Storyline

The celebrated heart surgeon Dr. Vrain supports the research of the offbeat scientist Aldo Gehring, who is inventing an artificial heart. Dr. Vrain performs the first artificial human heart transplant against the advice of the Ethics Committee.

---

Plot Keywords:

heart | artificial heart | scientist | surgeon | heart transplant | 

---

Taglines:

In this surgeons hands, life has a new meaning.

---

Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi

---

Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 January 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

A cuore aperto

Box Office

Budget:

CAD 5,700,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canada Permanent Trust Company, Paragon Motion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Sci-fi in 1981, almost true to life in 1998

This movie is well-worth watching and I highly recommend it for many of the reasons from others listed here. As another reviewer "tdilts9219" noted, it appears based on the famous Texas heart center in real life. Surprisingly in 1998, the fictional 1981 plot came even closer to a real life situation. In Oxford England, Aug 1998, a renowned heart surgeon Stephen Westaby placed heart replacement pump AB-180 into a young woman Julie Mills to save her life. The AB-180 was invented by George Magovern, a US inventor and has the same key property as the heart replacement in the movie. Add a few of innovations from Jeff Goldblum's fictional inventor, and AB-180 would be a match for the movie. Wait another decade, and it might be another case of sci-fi preceding reality. (source Reader's Digest, April 2000)