Brainstorm (1983)

Director:

Douglas Trumbull

Writers:

Bruce Joel Rubin (story)
Robert Stitzel (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

30 September 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

...The Ultimate Experience

Plot:

Brilliant researchers Lillian Reynolds and Michael Brace have developed a system of recording and playing back actual experiences of people...

Plot Keywords:

Technology | Military | Memory | Chimpanzee | Peanut Butter

Awards:

2 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Christopher Walken	...	Michael Brace
Natalie Wood	...	Karen Brace
Louise Fletcher	...	Lillian Reynolds
Cliff Robertson	...	Alex Terson
Jordan Christopher	...	Gordy Forbes
Donald Hotton	...	Landan Marks
Alan Fudge	...	Robert Jenkins
Joe Dorsey	...	Hal Abramson
Bill Morey	...	James Zimbach
Jason Lively	...	Chris Brace
Darrell Larson	...	Security Technician
Lou Walker	...	Chef
Stacey Kuhne-Adams	...	Andrea
John Hugh	...	Animal Lab Technician
Ira David Wood III	...	Barry (as David Wood)

Also Known As:

The Gordon Forbes Tapes (USA) (alternative title)

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:M (original rating | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1984) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG | Singapore:PG | Canada:PG (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA

Company:

JF Productions

Trivia:

The tape used in the tape machines is a variety of decorative tape made by 3M. 3M only sold it in four-inch widths, so it had to be slit by hand to two-inch widths to fit in the tape machines. When filmed, they were astounded at how gaudy it looked, so to dampen its brightness, the prop crew wound the tape back and forth across a sander to dull its brilliance. "One of those things that actually looked a lot better on film when we finished with it," Douglas Trumbull commented.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The soldering iron that Dr. Reynolds accidentally burns her wrist on is a battery operated rechargeable model, and would not have been hot unless she had been holding it and pressing the button.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Dr. Lillian Reynolds: Can you see better if I move it a little closer?
Dr. Michael Anthony Brace: I can see something. It's parts of the grid, but it's still rotating. It's not locking up.
Hal Abramson: Maybe we all need a little break, Lillian.
Dr. Lillian Reynolds: Hal, you take a break.

Movie Connections:

Features Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)

Repairing a broken marriage

I have read comments about this film and am a little bemused as to how no one has talked about what the film is really about. Christopher Walken's character Mike is given insight (unintentionally)via the technology as to why his marriage has broken up. He pieces together memories in order to enter a new romance with his wife Karen played by Natalie Wood. The key scene is when he asks Karen to put on the headset and clear her mind and they record her thoughts for 30 seconds. Mike then puts on the headset and replays the tape. He is suddenly aware of his dismissive manner to his wife(from her POV) and then taken back to an argument years ago where he shouts at her that she 'can have the house, the car, take it all!'. When he takes off the headset he becomes angry as he is forced to cope with his new feelings and does not know how to deal with them. From that moment on he changes and becomes more aware of his wife's feelings. He also realises that he can actually record his feelings on to tape at this point and goes about recording tender memories from their past together. When he gives Karen the tape and she asks what is on it, Mike replies 'It's me'. They are drawn even closer together through the death of a colleague(Louise Fletcher)who records her death experience on tape . His wife Karen is behind him all the way and supports his decision to play the recording because she knows how much it means to her husband even though it might kill him. Through all this mayhem Mike gets to play the tape with his wife at his side.

This is the central story of what I think is a very powerful and uplifting film.