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La grande menace

Original title: The Medusa Touch
  • 1978
  • Tous publics
  • 1h 49m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
7.3K
YOUR RATING
Richard Burton in La grande menace (1978)
A telekinetic novelist causes disasters simply by thinking about them.
Play trailer2:45
1 Video
75 Photos
DramaMystery

A telekinetic novelist causes disasters simply by thinking about them.A telekinetic novelist causes disasters simply by thinking about them.A telekinetic novelist causes disasters simply by thinking about them.

  • Director
    • Jack Gold
  • Writers
    • John Briley
    • Peter Van Greenaway
  • Stars
    • Richard Burton
    • Lee Remick
    • Lino Ventura
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.9/10
    7.3K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Jack Gold
    • Writers
      • John Briley
      • Peter Van Greenaway
    • Stars
      • Richard Burton
      • Lee Remick
      • Lino Ventura
    • 90User reviews
    • 58Critic reviews
    • 49Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:45
    Watch Trailer

    Photos75

    Richard Burton in La grande menace (1978)
    Richard Burton in La grande menace (1978)
    Lee Remick in La grande menace (1978)
    Lee Remick in La grande menace (1978)
    Lee Remick in La grande menace (1978)
    Christopher Burgess, Matthew Long, and Colin Rix in La grande menace (1978)
    Lee Remick in La grande menace (1978)
    Lee Remick in La grande menace (1978)
    Marie-Christine Barrault in La grande menace (1978)
    Marie-Christine Barrault and Jeremy Brett in La grande menace (1978)
    Jeremy Brett in La grande menace (1978)
    Marie-Christine Barrault in La grande menace (1978)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Richard Burton
    Richard Burton
    • John Morlar
    Lee Remick
    Lee Remick
    • Dr. Zonfeld
    Lino Ventura
    Lino Ventura
    • Detective-inspector Brunel
    Harry Andrews
    Harry Andrews
    • Assistant Commissioner
    Alan Badel
    Alan Badel
    • Quinton - Barrister
    Marie-Christine Barrault
    Marie-Christine Barrault
    • Patricia Morlar
    Jeremy Brett
    Jeremy Brett
    • Edward Parrish
    Michael Hordern
    Michael Hordern
    • Altropos - Fortune Teller
    Gordon Jackson
    Gordon Jackson
    • Dr. Johnson
    Michael Byrne
    Michael Byrne
    • Sgt. Duff
    Derek Jacobi
    Derek Jacobi
    • Moulton - John's Publisher
    Robert Lang
    Robert Lang
    • Pennington
    Avril Elgar
    • Mrs. Pennington
    John Normington
    John Normington
    • Mr. Copley - John's Schoolmaster
    Robert Flemyng
    Robert Flemyng
    • Judge McKinley
    Philip Stone
    Philip Stone
    • Dean
    Malcolm Tierney
    Malcolm Tierney
    • Deacon
    Norman Bird
    Norman Bird
    • Maj. Henry Morlar - John's Father
    • Director
      • Jack Gold
    • Writers
      • John Briley
      • Peter Van Greenaway
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Jack Gold did not want Richard Burton and instead suggested Nicol Williamson for the lead role. The producers told him it would be easier to get funding with Burton, who had just made his "comeback" movie Equus (1977).
    • Goofs
      As Inspector Brunel watches the TV news a close-up of the screen reveals that the caption saying "Minster Cathedral" is actually stuck on to the TV screen rather than forming part of the TV picture. The letters cast shadows on to the glass.
    • Quotes

      [last lines]

      John Morlar: [voiceover] I am the man with the power to create catastrophe.

    • Connections
      Featured in Sneak Previews: Special Edition: Grease, Jaws 2, Animal House, Heaven Can Wait & The Best and Worst of 1978 (1979)

    User reviews90

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    "I'm the man with the power to create catastrophe".
    And he isn't kidding! An unusually rigid, dark and hazy telekinetic crossed disaster driven supernatural-thriller, predictably told and methodically directed, but the spectacle starts out like a cerebral murder-mystery before the bleak, schlocky mayhem bursts from the seams. Once a weary-eyed Richard Burton starts staring into your soul... only means upcoming doom is near. About an hour away... give or take.

    The story follows a French detective Brunel (Lino Ventura who's great here) on temporary assignment for Scotland yard, as he investigates the attempted murder of a writer, John Morlar, who now lays comatose in a hospital bed. However there's something strange about this case, and this man. He learns from Morlar's psychiatrist Dr Zonfeld (a really cold Lee Remick), and Morlar's journals, he believed he could predict the future, and eventually cause disasters, or even death.

    This leads to a lot of red herrings, where motivations are unravelled through Brunel's consistent digging of the facts, although it's not hard to figure who was the attempted murderer. So when that's finally revealed, everything suddenly changes and the story comes into its own feeling like there's a lot more at stake. The script through flashbacks, interestingly gives an insight into Morlar's decaying mindset, as his psychic ability grows and bitter distain for life (especially for the establishment) festers. Therefore the morbid nature of its bubbling intentions builds and shocks begin to multiply, which always seem to end in tragedy, and once its starts... there's no going back. It's going to end, like it began... Morlar will see to that with an excellent, fitting ending.
    helpful•10
    3
    • lost-in-limbo
    • Dec 29, 2018

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    FAQ16

    • How long is The Medusa Touch?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 22, 1978 (France)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • France
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • The Medusa Touch
    • Filming locations
      • Bristol Cathedral, College Green, Bristol, England, UK(Minster Cathedral, London)
    • Production companies
      • Coatesgold
      • ITC Entertainment
      • Bulldog
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 49 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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