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Overview

User Rating:
6.8/10   1,699 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 2% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Robert Ludlum (novel)
Carol Sobieski (teleplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Bourne Identity on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
8 May 1988 (USA) more
Plot:
A man is washed ashore the beach of a small French village during a heavy storm. A retired doctor takes care of the unconscious stranger... more | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(2 articles)
User Comments:
Faithful Adaptation more (37 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Richard Chamberlain ... Jason Bourne

Jaclyn Smith ... Marie St. Jacques
Anthony Quayle ... Gen. François Villiers
Donald Moffat ... David Abbott
Yorgo Voyagis ... Carlos
Peter Vaughan ... Fritz Koenig
Denholm Elliott ... Geoffrey Washburn

Michael Habeck ... The fat man

Wolf Kahler ... Gold Glasses
Philip Madoc ... Pierre D'Armacourt
Bill Wallis ... Chernak
Franziskus Abgottspon ... Zurich cabbie #2 (as Franciscus Abgottspon)
Frederick Bartman ... Man in bank lobby
John Carlin ... Albert Stossel, asst. manager
George Lane Cooper ... Fritz Koenig's driver
more
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Additional Details

Runtime:
185 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono | Stereo (remix for video release)
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

Goofs:
Factual errors: A suppressor (silencer) is used on a revolver, but suppressors don't work on revolvers because of gas escape from around the cylinder. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in The Porne Ultimatum (2008) (V) more

FAQ

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31 out of 34 people found the following comment useful.
Faithful Adaptation, 8 October 2004
Author: Ephraim Gadsby from USA

"The Bourne Identity" (1988) is a faithful recreation of Robert Ludlum's book about an amnesiac slowly (in a very long book) discovering who he is. The supporting cast is dotted with veterans that make the movie come to life during their brief parts: Denholm Elliott, Anthony Quayle, Peter Vaughan, James Faulkner.

The stars strain to carry the movie. Jaclyn Smith is immensely watchable, though her range is limited. Richard Chamberlain is a fine actor, but, perhaps because of insufficient rehearsal time or because he was never able to find a character who didn't know who he was, he comes off with the range of Bill Bixby, though that keeps him from burying Smith. In the end, Chamberlain may be much too nice for the character, but he's a likable actor and she's a likable actress and they make a pretty pair.

Because it was originally a two-part television drama, the 1988 "Bourne" has sufficient time to let the story unfold, as well as to build the unlikely relationship between Chamberlain's character and Smith's. It also gives the supporting characters flesh out their meager parts. After a slam-bang first hour, the movie settles into a more leisurely pace (that occasionally drags), that builds again into an exciting final hour.

The possible overplotting, as well as the outright absurdities (such as the truth of Treadstone 21) are squarely to be laid at Ludlum's door. And though it's quite faithful to Ludlum, the setting of the climax makes this movie version far more poignant than Ludlum himself was capable of.

"The Bourne Identity" has the technology of '80s television, so newcomers shouldn't expect contemporary sensibilities. It may not be as exciting as the remake, but it has a solid storyline.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Bourne Identity (1988) (TV)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Why was there no Supremacy made? clark_gillies
True to the book? Gympie14
Bourne's Breakdown: Did I miss something? konover
Amnesia Bourne-Who was better? Cactusgod11
Not only bad but AWFUL holdingz1
So much better than the 'new' ones! douchd
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