Harrison Bergeron (TV 1995)

"All men are not created equal. It is the purpose of the Government to make them so." This is the premise of the Showtime film adaption of Kurt Vonnegut's futuristic short story Harrison ... See full summary »

Director:

Bruce Pittman

Writers:

Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (story), Arthur Crimm,

Stars:

Sean Astin, Miranda de Pencier, Eugene Levy

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sean Astin	...	Harrison Bergeron
Miranda de Pencier	...	Phillipa
Eugene Levy	...	President McCloskey
Howie Mandel	...	Charlie (of 'Chat with Charlie')
Andrea Martin	...	Diana Moon Glampers
Christopher Plummer	...	John Klaxon
Nigel Bennett	...	Dr. Eisenstock
Peter Boretski	...	Newman
David Calderisi	...	Commissioner Benson
Emmanuelle Chriqui	...	Jeannie
Hayden Christensen	...	Eric
Cindy Cook	...	Weatherperson
Roger Dunn	...	George Bergeron
Jayne Eastwood	...	Ms. Newbound
Hal Eisen	...	TV Announcer - San Quentin

Storyline

"All men are not created equal. It is the purpose of the Government to make them so." This is the premise of the Showtime film adaption of Kurt Vonnegut's futuristic short story Harrison Bergeron. The film centers around a young man (Harrison) who is smarter than his peers, and is not affected by the usual "Handicapping" which is used to train all Americans so everyone is of equal intelligence.

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Plot Keywords:

television | retro future | black comedy | under achiever | dystopia | 

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Taglines:

Welcome to the future. It's a no-brainer.

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Genres:

Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, and for some sexuality and violence

Details

Official Sites:

Cypress Films home page

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 August 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron

Filming Locations:

Ontario, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Atlantis Films, Cypress Films (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

John Klaxon: Can you imagine how I must feel, knowing that I'm striving to create a world in which no Beethoven will ever be born? But it has to be, not just because of some words in a constitution. It has to be.

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Connections

References Citizen Kane (1941)

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Soundtracks

"Tennessee Waltz"
Music and Lyrics by Redd Stewart and Pee Wee King
Used by permission of Acuff-Rose Music Inc.

User Reviews

A vision of the future

Kurt Vonnegut's story turned into an intriguing movie. Not a sci-fi classic but worthy of particular praise for its grim vision of the future. Not a future dominated by machines because man has taught them to evolve (Terminator), nor a future inhabited by docile, lazy epicures who have even lost the ability to read (The Time Machine). This is somewhere in between, a future where the average prevails and where excellence is looked upon with scorn.

After a second civil war, America's leaders have realised that war is idealistic, so they look to an age where ideology was at its lowest point. The golden age of mass consumerism - the 1950s. Children are taught at school to achieve mediocrity, grade C is best, grade A is very bad. Adults are force fed tv with no stimulating content, and strive to buy the newest durable product they see advertised. All brain patterns are controlled by thought suppressing headbands.

The premise is marvellous and keeps the viewer hooked. It is darkly comic, but seriously thought provoking. Not brilliantly acted but certainly worth a look.