Death Dreams (1991) (TV)

Director:

Martin Donovan

Writers (WGA):

William Katz (novel)
Robert Glass (teleplay)

Release Date:

25 June 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller

Plot:

Despite her husband's doubts, a woman reaches out to her dead daughter with a psychiatrist's help.

Plot Keywords:

Smoking | Pond | Necklace | Rubber Boat | Doctor

Cast

Christopher Reeve	...	George Westfield
Marg Helgenberger	...	Crista Westfield
Fionnula Flanagan	...	Psychic Physician
George Dickerson	...	Dr. Martin Drake
Conor O'Farrell	...	Bennett Massell
Cec Verrell	...	Denise Massell
Jim Jarrett	...	Fromme
Jan Devereaux	...	Mimi
Pat Atkins	...	Mrs. Parker
Kevin Page	...	Dr. Holvag
Robert Ward	...	Dr. Green
Harry Johnson	...	Judge Wiley
Richard Morrison	...	Jury Foreman
Wendell J. Grayson	...	The Bailiff
Jack Angeles	...	The Priest
John Rubinow	...	Ambulance Assistant
Tom Mustin	...	The Guard
Taylor Fry	...	Jennie
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
David Feigenbaum	...	Peter (uncredited)
Ken Gehrig	...	Photographer (uncredited)
CC Gibson	...	Lady in Courtroom (uncredited)
Kevin McCorkle	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Martin Donovan

Writing credits (WGA)
William Katz		(novel)
Robert Glass		(teleplay)

Produced by
Dick Clark	....	executive producer
Bob Rubin	....	executive producer
Bill Siegler	....	executive producer
Jeanne Van Cott	....	associate producer (as Jeanne M. Van Cott)
Roni Weisberg	....	producer

Original Music by
Gerald Gouriet

Cinematography by
James Chressanthis

Film Editing by
John A. Martinelli

Casting by
Eddie Foy III

Production Design by
Stephen Greenberg

Set Decoration by
Maggie Martin

Costume Design by
Leonard Pollack

Makeup Department
Julie Hewett	....	head makeup artist
Scott Williams	....	key hair stylist

Production Management
Fran La Manna	....	executive in charge of production
Jeanne Van Cott	....	production manager (as Jeanne M. Van Cott)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Aaron Barsky	....	first assistant director
Cary Gordon	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Nanci Roberts	....	lead man
William Shaw	....	property master

Sound Department
Walt Martin	....	sound mixer
David P. Hart	....	sound editor (uncredited)
John Hays	....	boom operator (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Michael Bratkowski	....	first assistant camera (uncredited)
J. Wesley Tillman	....	set best boy electric (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Julia Schklair	....	set costumer (uncredited)

Other crew
Rachel Atkinson	....	script supervisor
M. Phil Senini	....	production associate
John Siedenburg	....	chef
June Jordan	....	stand-in (uncredited)

Production Companies

• ABC Video Enterprises
• Capital Cities Television Productions
• Dick Clark Film Group
• Roni Weisberg Productions
• Ultra Entertainment

Distributors

• Lifetime Television (1991) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Image Entertainment (laserdisc)
• New Line Home Video (1995) (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Hollywood Rental Company  grip and lighting equipment
• Pacific Sound Services  sound editing and re-recording
• Star Casting Service  extras casting

Also Known As:

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (PFL)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Not Rated | Iceland:L

Company:

ABC Video Enterprises

I'm still here

Crista Westfield (Marg Helgenberger) is the wife of Wall Street investment broker George (Christopher Reeve) living in Connecticutt with Jennii (Taylor Fry), the 7 year old daughter from Crista's first marriage. When Jennii is found drowned in their home pond, everyone assumes that it is an accident but after Crista has a car crash, where she is clinically dead for 6 minutes, she begins to have visions of Jennii. Dissatisfied with the doctors George takes her to, Crista seeks out Dr Margaret Neuberger (Fionnula Flanagan) in New York, who helps her discover what really happened.

Helgenberger is dressed in expensive clothes as a wealthy wife, in particular a purple velvet evening dress for her 1 year anniversary party, and at times she looks very beautiful, but at other times she is ravaged by director Martin Donovan's close-ups and unflattering lighting. She has a sex scene with George where the most attention is paid to her back, and she uses the remnants of a mid-western accent. When George finds Crista with Dr Neuberger and raves angrily, Helgenberger stands in a corner listening to him and breathing, and her reaction to a hostile defence attorney is to not give any eye contact and squirm in embarrassment. Although there are times when Crista is in psychological pain, Helgenberger never makes us feel that Crista is `mad' - we believe her belief.

The teleplay by Robert Glass, based on the novel by William Katz, has Dr Neuberger tell Crista that her soul has stayed with Jennii when Crista was clinically dead, which explains the connection, and Donovan's representation of Jennii with golden light, her distorted voice and the sound of wings is more tolerable than his grab bag of other tricks. We never do find out why Jennii is killed, apart from a vague reference to `spin control', and George being described as having a `pathological need to dominate'. Reeves' anger somewhat telegraphs the case to be made against George, but a response to Crista's `My husband has no reason to kill me' is Dr Neuberger's funny `Then he's a very unusual husband'.

Subjective camera, slow motion, tilted camera, quick pans, split screen, heartbeats on the soundtrack, and dissolves all draw attention to style and not the content. Flanagan's attempt to make Neuberger charmingly eccentric doesn't quite work, and the conclusion has a rather unsatisfying ambiguity.