Shadey (1985)

A young man discovers that not only does he have the ability to read minds, but that if he holds a camera next to his head he can transmit the thoughts he sees onto film. He strikes a deal ... See full summary »

Director:

Philip Saville

Writer:

Snoo Wilson

Stars:

Antony Sher, Billie Whitelaw, Patrick Macnee

Cast

Credited cast:
Antony Sher	...	Oliver Shadey
Billie Whitelaw	...	Doctor Cloud
Patrick Macnee	...	Sir Cyril Landau
Katherine Helmond	...	Lady Constance Landau
Leslie Ash	...	Carol Landau
Larry Lamb	...	Dick Darnley
Bernard Hepton	...	Captain Amies
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jesse Birdsall	...	Carl
Jon Cartwright	...	Shulman
Stephen Persaud	...	Winston
Olivier Pierre	...	Manson
Jenny Runacre	...	Shop assistant
Jonathan Scott-Taylor	...	Arthur

Storyline

A young man discovers that not only does he have the ability to read minds, but that if he holds a camera next to his head he can transmit the thoughts he sees onto film. He strikes a deal with a wealthy businessman to use his powers but with two conditions: one is that he'll make enough money for a sex-change operation, and the other is that under no circumstances are his powers to be used for military purposes. Things don't work out quite the way he planned.

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Plot Keywords:

money | sex change | castration | gay interest | mechanic | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

May 1986 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Channel Four Films, Larkspur Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

User Reviews

Most peculiar - you might just enjoy it but you won't know why.

This is a bizarre little English film centering around the exploits of a bizarre little man who has the ability to transmit telepathic film images from his mind. A number of dodgy looking characters wish to exploit this ability and it's not exactly for the common good. The eponymous Shadey is reluctant to help but is coerced through the obvious ploys of force and bribery. The baddies (or are they goodies, it's difficult to tell) finally get their way after agreeing to pay for Shadey's longed for sex change operation.

There are some genuinely funny moments in this film as well as a couple of quite shocking ones. Antony Sher, Katherine Helmond and Billie Whitelaw are all as excellent as would be expected and the support cast endeavour to be either solid and likeable (or not, depending on their status as goody or baddy) or instantly forgettable. The plot twists are quite clever and the script rather charming but I get the feeling that it all could have amounted to so much more.

If you come across this film in whatever television guide you read you might like to give it a chance - even if just for curiosity's sake. Also to see how delightfully ladylike Antony Sher looks in the closing scene.