The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

W.D. Richter

Writer:

Earl Mac Rauch (writer)

Release Date:

15 August 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Romance | Comedy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Beings from Another Dimension have invaded your world.

Plot:

Adventurer/surgeon/rock musician Buckaroo Banzai and his band of men, the Hong Kong Cavaliers, take on evil alien invaders from the 8th dimension.

Plot Keywords:

Musician | Creature | Alien | Spacecraft Accident | Motorcycle

Awards:

5 nominations

Cast

Peter Weller	...	Buckaroo Banzai
John Lithgow	...	Lord John Whorfin / Dr. Emilio Lizardo
Ellen Barkin	...	Penny Priddy
Jeff Goldblum	...	New Jersey
Christopher Lloyd	...	John Bigboote
Lewis Smith	...	Perfect Tommy
Rosalind Cash	...	John Emdall
Robert Ito	...	Professor Hikita
Pepe Serna	...	Reno Nevada
Ronald Lacey	...	President Widmark
Matt Clark	...	Secretary of Defense
Clancy Brown	...	Rawhide
William Traylor	...	General Catburd
Carl Lumbly	...	John Parker
Vincent Schiavelli	...	John O'Connor
Dan Hedaya	...	John Gomez
Mariclare Costello	...	Senator Cunningham
Bill Henderson	...	Casper Lindley
Damon Hines	...	Scooter Lindley
Billy Vera	...	Pinky Carruthers
Laura Harrington	...	Mrs. Johnson
Michael Santoro	...	Billy Travers
Jonathan Banks	...	Lizardo Hospital Guard
Robert Gray	...	Radar Blazer
Gary Bisig	...	Radar Blazer
Kent Perkins	...	Mission Control
John Ashton	...	Highway Patrolman (as John David Ashton)
Kenneth Magee	...	Duck Hunter Burt
James Keane	...	Duck Hunter Bubba
Yakov Smirnoff	...	National Security Advisor
Leonard Gaines	...	Artie Duncan
Francine Lembi	...	TV Anchorwoman
John Walter Davis	...	Star Surgeon
Read Morgan	...	Exhibitor
James Rosin	...	John Yaya
Raye Birk	...	Reporter
Jane Marla Robbins	...	Reporter
Kevin Rodney Sullivan	...	John Gant (as Kevin Sullivan)
Jessie Lawrence Ferguson	...	Black Lectroid Commander
Radford Polinsky	...	Marine Lt.
Sam Minsky	...	Kolodny Brother
Robert Hummer	...	Kolodny Brother
Gerald Peterson	...	Rug Sucker
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jamie Lee Curtis	...	Sandra Banzai - Buckaroo's Mother (scenes deleted)
James Saito	...	Masado Banzai, Buckaroo's Father (scenes deleted)
Matthew Earnest	...	Drunk niteclub patron (uncredited)
Michele Hess	...	(uncredited)
Greg Mires	...	Young Buckaroo (uncredited)
Matthew Mires	...	Young Buckaroo (uncredited)

Directed by
W.D. Richter

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Earl Mac Rauch		writer

Produced by
Sidney Beckerman	....	executive producer
Neil Canton	....	producer
Dennis E. Jones	....	associate producer (as Dennis Jones)
W.D. Richter	....	producer

Original Music by
Michael Boddicker

Cinematography by
Fred J. Koenekamp		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
George Bowers
Richard Marks

Casting by
Terry Liebling

Production Design by
J. Michael Riva

Art Direction by
Rick Carter		(as Richard Carter)
Stephen Dane

Set Decoration by
Linda DeScenna

Costume Design by
Aggie Guerard Rodgers		(as Aggie Guerrard Rodgers)

Makeup Department
Bari Dreiband-Burman	....	makeup supervisor (as Bari Dreinband)
Stephen Robinette	....	hair stylist
Steve LaPorte	....	special makeup effects artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Dennis E. Jones	....	unit production manager (as Dennis Jones)
Michael G. Nathanson	....	executive in charge of production

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Gary Daigler	....	first assistant director
Bryan Denegal	....	dga trainee
Katterli Frauenfelder	....	second assistant director (as Katterli A. Frauenfelder)

Art Department
Tom Cranham	....	production illustrator
Sherman Labby	....	production illustrator
Erik L. Nelson	....	property master (as Erik Nelson)
David P. Newell	....	assistant property master (as David Newell)
Virginia L. Randolph	....	set designer (as Virginia Randolph)
Tom Southwell	....	production illustrator
George Stokes	....	construction coordinator
Glenn Forbes	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Scott L. London	....	set dresser (uncredited)

Sound Department
David E. Campbell	....	sound re-recording mixer
Doreen A. Dixon	....	adr editor
Gordon Ecker	....	supervising sound editor (as Gordon Ecker Jr.)
Michael Evje	....	production sound mixer
Alan Howarth	....	special synthesized sound effects
Bones Howe	....	sound designer
James M. McCann	....	boom operator (as Jim McCann)
Anthony Milch	....	supervising sound editor
John T. Reitz	....	sound re-recording mixer
John Roesch	....	foley artist
Joan Rowe	....	foley artist
Gregg Rudloff	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Gregg C. Rudloff)
Arne Schulze	....	special synthesized sound effects
Marvin Walowitz	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Richard E. Yawn	....	sound effects recordist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
David Blitstein	....	special effects
Henry Millar	....	special effects
Doug Hubbard	....	special effects (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Michael Beard	....	SEM photography (as Mike Beard)
Scott Beattie	....	motion control assistant: DQI
James Belohovek	....	effects animator: VCE
Beverly Bernacki	....	optical effects: VCE
Michael Bigelow	....	motion control animator: DQI
Layne Bourgoyne	....	effects animator: VCE
Steve Burg	....	effects animator: VCE (as Stephen Burg)
Glenn Campbell	....	matte cameraman: DQI
Chris Casady	....	additional effects animator
Colette Emanuel	....	optical effects: VCE
Michael L. Fink	....	special visual effects supervisor (as Michael Fink)
Linda Fleisher	....	visual effects coordinator (as Linda Fleischer)
Mark Freund	....	optical cameraman: DQI
Rocco Gioffre	....	matte artist: DQI
Ron Gress	....	modelmaker: Greenlite
Steve Grumette	....	computer video consultant (as Stephen Grummette)
Eric Guaglione	....	motion control assistant: DQI
James Hagedorn	....	optical effects: VCE
David R. Hardberger	....	motion control technician: DQI (as David Hardberger)
William L. Hayward	....	visual effects photography: Greenlite
Rick Heinrichs	....	stop motion animator: Greenlite
Judith Herman	....	computer graphics consultant
Thomas Hollister	....	motion control technician: DQI
Michael Hosch	....	modelmaker: Greenlite (as Mike Hosch)
Fred Iguchi	....	motion control technician: DQI
Gregory Jein	....	miniatures construction: Greenlite
Christopher Keith	....	composite photography: Greenlite (as Christopher L. Keith)
Peter Kuran	....	visual effects supervisor: VCE
Robin Dean Leyden	....	visual effects electronic designer
Thomas R. Polizzi	....	visual effects manager: Greenlite
William Reilly	....	motion control technician: DQI
R.J. Robertson	....	effects animator: VCE
John Scheele	....	visual effects supervisor: Greenlite
Dennis Schultz	....	modelmaker: Greenlite (as Dennis M. Schultz)
David Schwartz	....	modelmaker: Greenlite
Keith Shartle	....	production coordinator: DQI
Scott Squires	....	motion control supervisor: DQI
Mark Stetson	....	miniatures supervisor: Greenlite
Rick Taylor	....	effects animator: VCE
Rick Thompson	....	electronic effects and props (as Richard L. Thompson)
John T. Van Vliet	....	animation and design: Greenlite (as John Van Vliet)
Hoyt Yeatman	....	motion control supervisor: DQI
Jacqueline Zietlow	....	administrator: VCE
Dennis Dorney	....	optical effects (uncredited)
Leslie Ekker	....	model maker (uncredited)

Stunts
M. James Arnett	....	stunt coordinator
Chuck Cooper	....	stunts
Mike De Luna	....	stunts (as Mike Deluna)
Justin De Rosa	....	stunts (as Justin Derosa)
Tommy J. Huff	....	stunts (as Tom Huff)
Gary Hymes	....	stunts
Alan Oliney	....	stunts (as Alan Olney)
Mic Rodgers	....	stunts (as Mic Rogers)
Michael Runyard	....	stunts
Jerry Segal	....	stunts
Frank James Sparks	....	stunts (as Frank Sparks)
Rick Avery	....	stunt pilot (uncredited)
Richard Epper	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Billy Clevenger	....	second assistant camera (as William G. Clevenger)
Bruce McBroom	....	still photographer
Edward Morey III	....	camera operator
John Murray	....	key grip (as John J. Murray)
Sal Orefice	....	gaffer (as Salvatore Orefice)
Tony Rivetti	....	first assistant camera
Robert Wilcox	....	video engineering consultant
Wayne Baker	....	aerial assistant camera (uncredited)
Dave Friedman	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Ron Veto	....	grip: second unit (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Linda Henrikson	....	costumer
Eddie Marks	....	costume supervisor
Radford Polinsky	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Cheryl Bloch	....	assistant editor
John Bracken	....	assistant editor
Larry Fallick	....	apprentice editor
Jane Schwartz Jaffe	....	first assistant editor
Brian Ralph	....	negative cutter

Music Department
Bones Howe	....	music supervisor
Kenneth Karman	....	music editor
Alexandra Leviloff	....	assistant music editor
John Vigran	....	electronic music recording supervisor

Transportation Department
Gary Hellerstein	....	transportation coordinator (as Gary M. Hellerstein)
Steve Hellerstein	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Selma Brown	....	production accountant
Chris Collins	....	physical consultant: Mr. Weller
Dena Fischer	....	production assistant
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer
David Gross	....	production intern
Mark Homer	....	production intern
Dan Lupovitz	....	assistant: Mr. Canton and Mr. Richter
Michael Neale	....	location manager
H. Bud Otto	....	script supervisor
Judi Rosner	....	production coordinator
Kathryn Newbrough Sommer	....	assistant: Mr. Beckerman
Robert Michael Steloff	....	production assistant (as Robert Steloff)
Roberto Terminelli	....	dialect coach: John Lithgow
Anne Thompson	....	unit publicist
Dan Roth	....	adr voice (uncredited)
Charles A. Tamburro	....	aerial coordinator/pilot (uncredited)
Dennis Tracy	....	stand-in: Clancy Brown (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Sherwood
• Sherwood Productions

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1984) (USA) (theatrical)
• Image Entertainment (1985) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Vestron Video (1985) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Cannon Screen Entertainment (1987) (UK) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Burman Studio, The (special make-up design)
• Dream Quest Images (motion control photography and matte paintings)
• Visual Concept Engineering (VCE) (animated visual effects)
• Greenlite Inc. (8th dimension sequence)
• Available Light Productions
• Dreamstate Effects

Other Companies

• Bodifications Inc.  special synthesized sound effects
• Compact Sound Services  re-recording services
• Modern Film Effects  opticals
• Thrust Racing  jet car manufacturer
• Zeiderman, Oberman & Associates Inc.  production accounting

Also Known As:

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai (USA) (short title)

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

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

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Portugal:M/12 | UK:12 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | Norway:15 | USA:PG | Singapore:PG | Germany:16

Filming Locations:

609 E. Channel Rd., Rustic Canyon, Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Sherwood

Trivia:

Lord John Whorfin's line, "Character is what you are in the dark," is a quote from the 19th Century evangelist Dwight L. Moody.

Goofs:

Factual errors: On one of the hunters finding an issue of the Buckaroo Banzai comic book, he notes that "it's the latest issue." However, the comic is clearly marked with the issue number - 1. The first issue of a series cannot logically be the latest issue.

Quotes:

President Widmark: Buckaroo, I don't know what to say. Lectroids? Planet 10? Nuclear extortion? A girl named "John"?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee (1997) (VG)

I had forgotten how good this was!

What a great way to start the New Year! I just watched this flick for the first time in ages and remember now why I agree that it is a "cult classic"!

Made in 1984 way before most of the actors achieved real star status, this movie has so many "inside" references and jokes, it's a wonder that more isn't made of it! And if you are a real Star Trek fan, you will know that Yoyodyne Propulsion is on the commissioning plaque for the Enterprise as well as other Star Fleet vessels. The references to Grover's Mill and Orson Wells along with the whole deadpan tone of the film makes this an unbelievably funny experience. I only wish that "Buckaroo Banzai versus The World Crime League" had been produced.

Peter Weller, Jeff Goldblum, John Lithgow, Ellen Barkin, Dan Hedaya, the entire cast must have had a great time making this movie. It is full of technojargon, double speak and just plain funny stuff that pokes fun at every bad B-movie scifi thriller/comic book/Saturday serial ever made. There is no bad language and no skin and lots to hear and see in this great movie!

It has one redeeming quality above all else for me... it makes the effects on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and all of those other poor excuses for Saturday kid's entertainment look ridiculous. If the producers of this crap on TV that passes for action need some pointers on how to take useless stuff and make a cool, funny scifi flick, they need look no further that "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eight Dimension"!