Reborn (1981)

A man discovers that his girlfriend is a "stigmata" (someone whose hands and feet mysteriously bleed in the same places where Jesus Christ was crucified) and tries to keep her out of the ... See full summary »

Director:

Bigas Luna

Writers:

Robert Dunn (as R. Dunn), Àngel Jové (story)

Stars:

Dennis Hopper, Michael Moriarty, Antonella Murgia

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dennis Hopper	...	Rev. Tom Hartley
Michael Moriarty	...	Mark
Antonella Murgia	...	Maria
Francisco Rabal	...	Giacomo
Kit Massengill	...	Reed
Jo Perkins	...	Make-Up Woman
Charles Bacarisse	...	Charles
Xabier Elorriaga	...	Announcer (as Javier Elorriaga)
Leslie Cox	...	Secretary
Consol Tura	...	Lucille
James Carrington	...	Lemare
Robert Dunn	...	Shilo
Lola Forcada	...	Lola
Àngel Jové	...	Priest (as Angel Jove)
Gil Rodriguez Jr.	...	Skin Head

Storyline

A man discovers that his girlfriend is a "stigmata" (someone whose hands and feet mysteriously bleed in the same places where Jesus Christ was crucified) and tries to keep her out of the hands of a greedy TV preacher who plans to exploit her to make money for himself.

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Plot Keywords:

preacher | stigmata | tv announcer | miracle | paranormal phenomena | 

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

Messiah
By George Frideric Handel (uncredited)
Arranged by Scott Elder Harper

User Reviews

REBORN (Bigas Luna, 1981) **1/2

This was a complete obscurity for me when I chanced upon it on the weekly TV guide but, with that cast (Dennis Hopper, Michael Moriarty, Francisco Rabal) and director (Bigas Luna), I decided to check it out. As it turned out, it's a bizarre and wildly uneven religious satire (with some mild horror/thriller elements added towards the end) but a handful of powerful moments make it worth watching nevertheless. In short, it deals with an introverted Italian woman who suffers from stigmata attacks and is invited by a flamboyant American televangelist (Hopper) to appear on his show; the ensuing repercussions include an unheralded miracle cure during a mass rally and her falling in love with her "captor" (Moriarty, giving his typically offbeat characterization) after a traumatic first sexual encounter in a hotel room - in itself, a very disturbing and blackly comic sequence. The rushed ending, featuring sympathetic aide-turned-villain Rabal chasing Moriarty and the woman as Hopper flips out at his headquarters is clumsy and incoherent but the disjointed whole is held together somewhat by the constant and effectively unnerving (this being the 1980s, would it be otherwise?) synthesizer-based music score.

Details

Country:

Spain

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 September 1981 (Spain)

Also Known As:

Born Again

Filming Locations:

Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Company Credits

Production Co:

Clear Concept Productions, Diseno y Produccion De Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1