Split Image (1982)

Director:

Ted Kotcheff

Writers:

Robert Mark Kamen (screenplay)
Robert Kaufman (screenplay)

Release Date:

3 October 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

In the name of God, they brainwashed him and stole his heart!

Plot:

Young man is sucked into an unnamed religious cult by beautiful girl and gets increasingly under the mind control of the cult leader...

Plot Keywords:

Cult | Parent | Brainwashing | Deprogramming | Sect

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Michael O'Keefe	...	Danny 'Joshua' Stetson
Karen Allen	...	Rebecca / Amy
Peter Fonda	...	Kirklander
James Woods	...	Charles Pratt
Elizabeth Ashley	...	Diana Stetson
Brian Dennehy	...	Kevin Stetson
Ronnie Scribner	...	Sean Stetson
Pamela Ludwig	...	Jane
John Dukakis	...	Aaron
Lee Montgomery	...	Walter
Michael Sacks	...	Gabriel
Deborah Rush	...	Judith
Peter Horton	...	Jacob
Ken Farmer	...	Collins
Cliff Stephens	...	Hall (as Cliff Stevens)

Also Known As:

Captured (Canada: English title)
L'envoûtement (Canada: French title)

Runtime:

Sweden:111 min | USA:110 min

Country:

Canada | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | Germany:16 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Dallas, Texas, USA

Company:

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

Trivia:

Gymnastics Teams in competition at the start of movie were Drayton University (Danny's team) and Bradford University (both fictitious). The victory chant after Danny's winning high bar routine was "Who owns this town, who owns this town, the people say we own this town, we own this town, especially today, Hooray!"

Fantastic look at religious cults

This was another overlooked gem of a movie about a college student who falls for a lady (Karen Allen), who is actually bait to recruit members for Homeland, a sort of hippie commune for teens and twentysomethings who are unsatisfied with their lives and find new meaning living in the place, led by Peter Fonda, a sort of David Koresch type. The kids spend the day building everything from scratch, such as furniture, pottery, and sleeping quarters, and are fed meals that a health food freak would not even touch, deprived of protein supposedly to supress their sexual feelings. After Michael O'Keefe's character finds new meaning in Homeland, he severs ties with his family permanently, and his parents hire a sleazy deprogramer (a way over the top performance by James Woods) to get him out of Homeland and back with them. The performances by Michael O'Keefe, Karen Allen, and Peter Fonda are rather bland and understated, but James Woods and Brian Dennehy, as O'Keefe's father give great performances. Recommend this highly, if you can find a video store with a copy.