Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsABFFPride MonthOutfest OutfrontsSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Charly

  • 1968
  • M
  • 1h 43m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
7K
YOUR RATING
Claire Bloom and Cliff Robertson in Charly (1968)
DramaRomanceSci-Fi

An intellectually disabled man undergoes an experiment that gives him the intelligence of a genius.An intellectually disabled man undergoes an experiment that gives him the intelligence of a genius.An intellectually disabled man undergoes an experiment that gives him the intelligence of a genius.

  • Director
    • Ralph Nelson
  • Writers
    • Daniel Keyes
    • Stirling Silliphant
  • Stars
    • Cliff Robertson
    • Claire Bloom
    • Lilia Skala
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.9/10
    7K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Ralph Nelson
    • Writers
      • Daniel Keyes
      • Stirling Silliphant
    • Stars
      • Cliff Robertson
      • Claire Bloom
      • Lilia Skala
    • 72User reviews
    • 40Critic reviews
    • 50Metascore
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 4 wins & 6 nominations total

    Photos66

    Cliff Robertson in Charly (1968)
    Claire Bloom and Cliff Robertson in Charly (1968)
    Cliff Robertson in Charly (1968)
    Cliff Robertson in Charly (1968)
    Cliff Robertson and Lilia Skala in Charly (1968)
    Claire Bloom and Cliff Robertson in Charly (1968)
    Charly (1968)
    Claire Bloom and Cliff Robertson in Charly (1968)
    Claire Bloom and Cliff Robertson in Charly (1968)
    Claire Bloom and Cliff Robertson in Charly (1968)
    Claire Bloom and Cliff Robertson in Charly (1968)
    Cliff Robertson in Charly (1968)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Cliff Robertson
    Cliff Robertson
    • Charly Gordon
    Claire Bloom
    Claire Bloom
    • Alice Kinian
    Lilia Skala
    Lilia Skala
    • Dr. Anna Straus
    Leon Janney
    Leon Janney
    • Dr. Richard Nemur
    Ruth White
    Ruth White
    • Mrs. Apple
    Dick Van Patten
    Dick Van Patten
    • Bert
    • (as Richard Van Patten)
    Edward McNally
    • Gimpy
    • (as Skipper McNally)
    Barney Martin
    Barney Martin
    • Hank
    William Dwyer
    • Joey
    Dan Morgan
    • Paddy
    Marianna Case
    • Young Woman
    • (uncredited)
    Leon Collins
    • Tap Dancer
    • (uncredited)
    Harry Cooper
    • Conference Attendee
    • (uncredited)
    Frank Dolan
    • Eddie
    • (uncredited)
    Randee Lynne Jensen
    Randee Lynne Jensen
    • Extra
    • (uncredited)
    Ralph Nelson
    Ralph Nelson
    • Convention Speaker
    • (uncredited)
    Donald Warnock
    • Conference Attendee
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Ralph Nelson
    • Writers
      • Daniel Keyes
      • Stirling Silliphant
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Flowers for Algernon
    6.6
    Flowers for Algernon
    The Guest
    7.1
    The Guest
    Bonnie's Kids
    6.2
    Bonnie's Kids
    John and Mary
    6.6
    John and Mary
    The Jolson Story
    7.2
    The Jolson Story
    Harry and Tonto
    7.4
    Harry and Tonto
    Flowers for Algernon
    Flowers for Algernon
    The Farmer's Daughter
    7.2
    The Farmer's Daughter
    The Killing of Sister George
    7.0
    The Killing of Sister George
    Flowers for Algernon
    6.7
    Flowers for Algernon
    Charly
    6.4
    Charly
    Kotch
    6.6
    Kotch

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      After the operation, when Charly loses his temper over being beaten once again by the mouse, no one seems to notice that he is now pronouncing Algernon's name with the middle "n" included, instead of his previous "Algeron" with the "n" missing.
    • Goofs
      When Charly comes back to his room, disgusted that he had been beaten by a mouse one too many times, he throws his hat onto the dresser, and it falls to the floor. Moments later he leaves, and the hat is back on top of the dresser.
    • Quotes

      Charly Gordon: I was wondering why the people who would never dream of laughing at a blind or a crippled man would laugh at a moron?

    • Crazy credits
      The title appears onscreen as if scrawled by a child, with the "R" backwards.
    • Connections
      Featured in The 70th Annual Academy Awards (1998)

    User reviews72

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    Think about this from a 1968 perspective
    I saw this movie at the drive-in when I was 12. I recall finding it to be a touching tragedy. I used to volunteer with "the special ed class", and found the students there to be gentle and grateful and affectionate, and could never understand how the other kids could make fun of them the way they did. But that only explains how and why this touched me personally, even at the age of 12.

    Reviews some 30 years after this film was made are very critical, calling it 'schlock', and criticizing the simplification of a complex issue. However, over the last 30-40 years, society has become more enlightened about both mental retardation, but also about what science can and cannot do. It was easier to suspend belief and go with the concept.

    At the time, this movie conveyed something new about how a mentally retarded person might view their situation....that alone made this film unique; lots of people never even considered the feelings of the mentally retarded, so this film surely opened some eyes.

    And way ahead of it's time (I'm sure this was never considered in making the film), because it conveys the feelings and reactions of someone who is losing their intellectual capacity....such as those suffering from dementia or Alzheimer's. At that time, little thought was given by the average person about the feelings of either the mentally retarded, or people with Alzheimer's or dementia.

    I'm sure the book was better than the movie; that almost always goes without saying. However, movies reach audiences that books sometimes don't, and this movie reached a new audience.

    I'm afraid too many reviewers are unable to see an older movie and not hold it to the same standards, socially, scientifically and a cinematography standpoint. Cinema has evolved, as has society and science, and it's quite interesting to watch "Charly" with that in mind.
    helpful•20
    3
    • JDFeltz
    • Mar 4, 2012

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ1

    • Isn't the movie 'Charly' actually based on 'Flowers for Algernon' by Daniel Keyes?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 23, 1968 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • The Two Worlds of Charly Gordon
    • Filming locations
      • Kasanoff's Bakery, Roxbury, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
    • Production companies
      • Selmur Productions
      • Robertson and Associates
      • ABC Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $15,826,800
    • Gross worldwide
      • $18,530,000
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 43 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2:39 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Claire Bloom and Cliff Robertson in Charly (1968)
    Top Gap
    What is the Spanish language plot outline for Charly (1968)?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.