Missing (1982)

Director:

Costa-Gavras

Writers:

Costa-Gavras (screenplay) &
Donald Stewart (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

12 March 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

When an idealistic writer disappears during the Right Wing military coup in 1973 Chile, his wife and American businessman father try to find him.

Plot Keywords:

American | Search | Political Intrigue | Coup | Bureaucracy

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 9 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

Jack Lemmon	...	Ed Horman
Sissy Spacek	...	Beth Horman
Melanie Mayron	...	Terry Simon
John Shea	...	Charles Horman
Charles Cioffi	...	Captain Ray Tower
David Clennon	...	Consul Phil Putnam
Richard Venture	...	U.S. Ambassador
Jerry Hardin	...	Colonel Sean Patrick
Richard Bradford	...	Andrew Babcock
Joe Regalbuto	...	Frank Teruggi
Keith Szarabajka	...	David Holloway
John Doolittle	...	Dave McGeary
Janice Rule	...	Kate Newman
Ward Costello	...	Congressman
Hansford Rowe	...	Senator
Tina Romero	...	Maria
Richard Whiting	...	Statesman
Martin LaSalle	...	Paris (as Martin Lasalle)
Terence Nelson	...	Colonel Clay (as Terry Nelson)
Robert Hitt	...	Peter Chernin
Félix González	...	Rojas (as Felix Gonzalez)
M.E. Rios	...	Mrs. Duran
Jorge Russek	...	Espinoza
Edna Necoechea	...	Pia (as Edna Nochoechea)
Alan Penrith	...	Samuel Cross
Alex Camacho	...	Silvio
Manuel Avila Camacho	...	Doctor - Mental Hospital (as M. Avilla Camacho)
Kimberley Farr	...	Young Woman - Ford Foundation (as Kimberly Farr)
Elizabeth Cross	...	Ann
Piero Cross	...	Hotel Manager
Gary Richardson	...	Operator U.S. Embassy
Josefina Echánove	...	Woman Doctor - Basement Ward (as Josefina Echanove)
Robert Johnstreet	...	Rob
Linda Spheeris	...	Woman - State Department
Jorge Mancilla	...	Captain - Airport
Gerardo Vigil	...	Soldier - Laundry
Mario Valdez	...	Officer - Laundry
Jaime Garza	...	Young Man - Stadium
Joe I. Tompkins	...	Marine Officer
John Fenton	...	Carlos
Jacqueline Evans	...	Woman - Ford Foundation
Jorge Santoyo	...	Young Man - Mental Hospital
Juan Vázquez	...	Little Man - Mental Hospital (as Juan Vazquez)
Antonio Medellín	...	Rojas' Assistant
Albert Cates	...	Second Marine Officer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Miguel Cane	...	Little Boy at Beth's Class (uncredited)
Harry Kopoian	...	Director of Morgue (uncredited)

Directed by
Costa-Gavras

Writing credits
Costa-Gavras		(screenplay) &
Donald Stewart		(screenplay)
Thomas Hauser		(book "Missing")
John Nichols		uncredited

Produced by
Peter Guber	....	executive producer
Edward Lewis	....	producer
Mildred Lewis	....	producer
Terence Nelson	....	associate producer (as Terry Nelson)
Jon Peters	....	executive producer
Peter Guber	....	producer (uncredited)
Jon Peters	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Vangelis

Cinematography by
Ricardo Aronovich		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Françoise Bonnot		(film editor)

Casting by
Wallis Nicita		(as Wally Nicita)

Production Design by
Peter Jamison

Art Direction by
Lucero Isaac
Agustín Ituarte		(as Agustin Ytuarte)

Set Decoration by
Linda Spheeris

Costume Design by
Joe I. Tompkins

Makeup Department
Esperanza Gómez	....	hairdresser (as Esperanza Gomez)
Bette Iverson	....	hairdresser
Mark Reedall	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Elie Cohn	....	first assistant director
Jesús Marín	....	location assistant director (as Jesus Marin)
Anna Roth	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Benito Cano	....	propman
Antonio Mata	....	property master
Michael Milgrom	....	property master
John Alvin	....	poster artist (uncredited)

Sound Department
Françoise Bonnot	....	dubbing mixer assistant
Michèle Boëhm	....	sound effects editor (as Michele Boehm)
Daniel Brisseau	....	sound mixer
José García	....	sound mixer (as Jose García)
Jean-Pierre Lelong	....	sound effects
Jacques Lévy	....	loop dialogue editor (as Jacques Levy)
Vince Melandri	....	loop dialogue editor
Stephane Van den Bergh	....	boom operator (as Stephane Van Den Bergh)
Claude Villand	....	dubbing mixer

Special Effects by
Laurencio Cordero	....	special effects
Jesus G. Duran	....	special effects (as Jesus Duran)

Visual Effects by
Bill Taylor	....	matte photography
Albert Whitlock	....	special visual effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Philippe Brun	....	camera operator
Gabriel Castro	....	gaffer
Daniel Leterrier	....	camera assistant (as Daniel Letterier)
Graciano Perez	....	key grip
Pablo Ríos	....	camera assistant (as Pablo Rios)
Peter Sorel	....	still photographer

Casting Department
Luis Sánchez	....	extras casting (as Luis Sanchez)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Adolfo Ramírez	....	wardrobe man
Pamela Wise	....	costume supervisor (as Pam Wise)

Editorial Department
Michèle Amsellem	....	assistant film editor (as Michele Amsellem)
Marie Castro-Vasquez	....	assistant film editor
Suzanne Koch	....	assistant film editor
Sergio Ortega	....	assistant film editor

Music Department
Vangelis	....	music arranger

Transportation Department
Charles Enzen	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Sylvette Baudrot	....	script supervisor
Ricardo Frera	....	location auditor
Emily Gamboa	....	production secretary
Carlos García F.	....	location unit manager
Hank Guzman	....	location auditor
Vic Heutschy	....	publicist
Keefe Millard	....	assistant: Costa-Gavras
Aurelio Ortiz	....	location production assistant

Production Companies

• PolyGram Filmed Entertainment (A Costa-Gavras Film) (An Edward Lewis Production)
• Universal Pictures

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1982) (USA) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (1982) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1985) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Universal Studios Home Video (2004) (USA) (theatrical)
• Criterion Collection, The (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (1982) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (198?) (Argentina) (VHS)
• CIC Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Consorcio Ibérico Cinematográfico (CIC) (Spain)
• Home Video Hellas (HVH) (1986) (Greece) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Euro-Titres  titles and optical effects

Also Known As:

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Singapore:PG | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | USA:PG | West Germany:12 (re-rating) | UK:15 (re-rating) (1987) | UK:AA (original rating) | Iceland:12 | Peru:14 | Argentina:18 (original rating) | Argentina:Atp (re-rating) | Canada:14+ | USA:TV-MA (TV rating) | USA:R (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico

Company:

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

Trivia:

This film was denounced by Alexander Haig". Haig was a former United States Army General, United States Secretary of State, White House Chief of Staff Ford, Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, and Supreme Allied Commander Europe who commanded all US and NATO forces in Europe.

Goofs:

Continuity: The opening credits roll on a shot of Charlie looking out on the street from the back seat of Capt. Tower's car. The window covers about half of his face, so it's a little more than halfway down. In the next shot showing the car, Charlie is still staring out the window (hasn't moved), but the window is most of the way down.

Quotes:

Capt. Ray Tower, USN:I don't know what happened to your kid, Ed. But I understand he was a bit of a snoop. Poked his nose around in a lot of dangerous places where he didn't really belong. Now, suppose I went up to your town, New York, and I started messing around with the Mafia. I wind up dead in the East River. And my wife or my father complains to the police because they didn't protect me. They really wouldn't have much of a case, would they? You play with fire, you get burned.

Movie Connections:

Featured in AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Jack Lemmon (1988) (TV)

Soundtrack:

MY DING A LING

Shooting people is wrong - even for governments

During the Cold War (1945-1990) it was the policy of successive US governments to maintain authoritarian right –wing governments in power all around the world if there was a possibility that they might be replaced by one from the left, democratic or otherwise. As the US ambassador in this film reminds us `we act in the interests of the United States', not in the interests of the country which happens to be suffering under a fascist dictatorship. We can accept this on an intellectual level – how else can the US government establishment act - but in this movie Costa-Gavras uses his very considerable skills as a film-maker to rouse even diehard conservatives to anger over the methods used to ensure Pax Americana.

He does this by dramatising the real-life story of one of their number, Ed Holman (Jack Lemmon), a businessman from New York and a crusty Christian Scientist with faith in Truth, into the aftermath of a military coup in an un-named South American country the capital of which is called Santiago. (I think we can safely assume the country is Chile, though the locations appear to be Mexican.) His son Charles (John Shea), a vaguely left-wing journalist and writer, living in the city with his wife Beth (Sissy Spacek), has disappeared after being arrested a few days after the coup and carted off to a makeshift concentration camp in the National Stadium. Initially, Ed believes the people at the American consulate and embassy really are there to help him, but it soon turns out they have an agenda of their own. Ed and his son's wife start out on bad terms but Ed comes to appreciate her bravery in the face of a very unstable situation. He also comes to realise the moral worth of his son, who he had previously regarded as a bit of a playboy, much as he had loved him,.

An almost surreal feature of the movie is that people behave almost normally despite the obvious signs of murder and mayhem going on in the background. In fact the only time the `comfortable classes' are disturbed is when there is an earthquake affecting Ed's Santiago hotel. Otherwise, the guests are happy to watch from the upstairs terrace the military killing people in the streets. Of course General Pinochet still has considerable support in Chile, and in August 2000 your reviewer witnessed a large demonstration outside the Supreme Court in Santiago against a decision lifting the Life Senator's immunity from prosecution. It was a very well-dressed crowd.

Ed's odyssey through hospitals, morgues, police stations and the National Stadium is intercut with flashbacks which make it plain enough what has happened. Yet in classic thriller fashion we are kept on the edge of our seats with what will happen next. Politics aside, this film succeeds as a thriller involving believable people rather than stereotypes. Jack Lemmon gives the dramatic performance of a lifetime as Ed, the fuddy-duddy who really does care and leaves no stone unturned to find the truth.

Nearly 30 years later, Chile has a democratic government, Pinochet is too infirm to stand trial, Nixon is dead and his Secretary of State Henry Kissinger is an elder statesman on the celebrity circuit. The only communist regime in Latin America, Castro's Cuba, is still there. This film reminds us that immoral policy, whether or not it achieves its objectives, remains immoral. The fact that US foreign policy is regarded as being in the interests of the United States does not make it more moral, even if you happen to be a citizen of that country, where as Ed reminds us at the end, remains one in which you can at least sue for justice. Sadly, Ed did not succeed.