This was finally re-shown here on OPB in Portland during the spring membership drive after it's first and only showing in 1980 or so (apparently it was the most requested show of all time) and it is a rather effective piece of science fiction.
George Orr, a simple man by most standards, has dreams that change the world, and after overdosing on drugs trying to quell these dreams, he is charged to the care of Dr. Haber -- a well meaning and philanthropic therapist. Dr. Haber recognizes George's ability to change the future via dreaming of alternate realities, and he adopts a plan to create a perfect world by suggesting dreams of ridding humanity of the scourges that plague it (overpopulation, racism, war, etc) to George through hypnosis.
The world created by George and Dr. Haber is alternately perfect and irrevocably flawed as it is soon revealed that the consequences fixing one problem that plagues humanity only creates another equally serious dilemma. George in his simplicity realizes that there is no "perfect world", and that the meaning of human existence is not necessarily to create a perfect world, a concept that Dr. Haber fails to grasp.
It's a movie that's very definitive of the science fiction of the time, watching it made me think of Huxley's Brave New World, and even THX 1138, although comparisons can hardly be drawn. The film itself looks pretty dated and doesn't hold up as well as THX, but it's still effective in it's own respects. I believe it was filmed right here in Portland, and if you're from here, you'll recognize several landmarks, which I'm sure is part of the reason for it's popularity here, not to mention that Ursula K. Le Guin is also a longtime Portland resident.
George Orr, a simple man by most standards, has dreams that change the world, and after overdosing on drugs trying to quell these dreams, he is charged to the care of Dr. Haber -- a well meaning and philanthropic therapist. Dr. Haber recognizes George's ability to change the future via dreaming of alternate realities, and he adopts a plan to create a perfect world by suggesting dreams of ridding humanity of the scourges that plague it (overpopulation, racism, war, etc) to George through hypnosis.
The world created by George and Dr. Haber is alternately perfect and irrevocably flawed as it is soon revealed that the consequences fixing one problem that plagues humanity only creates another equally serious dilemma. George in his simplicity realizes that there is no "perfect world", and that the meaning of human existence is not necessarily to create a perfect world, a concept that Dr. Haber fails to grasp.
It's a movie that's very definitive of the science fiction of the time, watching it made me think of Huxley's Brave New World, and even THX 1138, although comparisons can hardly be drawn. The film itself looks pretty dated and doesn't hold up as well as THX, but it's still effective in it's own respects. I believe it was filmed right here in Portland, and if you're from here, you'll recognize several landmarks, which I'm sure is part of the reason for it's popularity here, not to mention that Ursula K. Le Guin is also a longtime Portland resident.