Brainstorm is a 1983 MGM horror/thriller/science fiction film directed by Douglas Trumbull and starring Christopher Walken and Natalie Wood (in her last film appearance). See also: 1982 in film 1983 1984 in film 1980s in film years in film film // Events February 11 - The Rolling Stones concert film Lets Spend the Night Together opens in New York Top grossing films North America Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi Tootsie Trading Places... MGM logo Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer or MGM, is a large media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of cinema and television programs. ... DVD cover showing horror characters as depicted by Universal Studios. ... Thriller films are movies that primarily use action and suspense to engage the audience. ... Poster for The Day the Earth Stood Still, an archetypal science fiction film Science fiction as a genre of film making has been an element of the cinema experience since the earliest days of the motion picture industry. ... Douglas Trumbull (born 1942) is a film director and special effects supervisor. ... Christopher Walken Ronald Walken (born March 31, 1943), known professionally as Christopher Walken, is an American film, television, and theatre actor best known for playing menacing or psychologically damaged characters. ... Natalie Wood Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko (July 20, 1938 – November 29, 1981), better known as Natalie Wood, was an American film actress. ...

Synopsis

The picture (filmed mostly in Super Panavision 70MM) centers around an estranged husband-and-wife team of scientists, Michael and Karen Brace (played by Walken and Wood) who co-invent a device which, when worn over the head, can make a person actually see, feel, and believe to be in any situation, in any place, and at any time, using a special gold-plated-tape machine hooked onto the device.

But when one of the scientist/inventors (played by Louise Fletcher) suffers a fatal heart attack, she is determined to record her own death experience before her passing so that others can solve the mystery of the "great beyond". Louise Fletcher (born July 22, 1934) is an American actress. ...

An evil conglomorate, Alex Terson (Cliff Robertson), decides to sell the device both for military purposes and to brainwash people, and orders the 'death tape' locked up so it cannot be accessed. When Michael attempts to access the tape, Terson murders one of the company employees. Michael then plays back an "extreme tape" created by Terson and discovers the real plan behind what is now called "Project Brainstorm". Clifford Parker Robertson III (born September 9, 1925) is an American actor notable for his performances in PT 109 (as the young John F. Kennedy), The Best Man, Charly (for which he won the 1968 Academy Award for Best Actor), Picnic and Star 80. ...

While Michael tells his wife the truth, their son Chris puts on the head device and plays back the "extreme tape", causing severe mental trauma. But Michael is determined to play back the 'death tape' at any cost...even if it costs him his marriage.

The making of the film

Brainstorm was Trumbull's second film he directed after his 1971 film Silent Running. It was actually filmed in two processes, flat 1.85:1 35mm (for the "real world" sequences) and 2.2:1 70mm Super Panavision (for the "Brainstorm" device scenes). Because two different (and incompatible) film processes were used, the 35mm footage had to be blown up to the 65mm/70mm negative in order to be visually consistent. As a result, the 35mm sequences (in its original theatrical release) were "pillarboxed", while the 70mm scenes were presented in full 'scope screen format (the video and DVD versions have the 35mm and 70mm sequences letterboxed in their respective aspect ratios). 1971 is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). ... Silent Running DVD Silent Running is a science fiction movie made in 1972, directed by Douglas Trumbull and starring Bruce Dern as the protagonist Freeman Lowell. ...

James Horner composed and recorded the haunting musical score in Hollywood using a studio orchestra. The Varese Sarabande album/CD release is a re-recording with the London Symphony Orchestra, produced shortly before the original theatrical release. James Horner (born 14 August 1953 in Los Angeles, California) is an American composer of film scores. ... The London Symphony Orchestra (frequently abbreviated to LSO) is a full time orchestra based in London. ...

Tragic circumstances

Brainstorm was Natalie Wood's last film. Near the end of principal photography Wood was about to film a crucial, climactic scene for the movie when she tragically drowned on November 29, 1981, leaving production in limbo for almost two years. MGM considered offering the rights to Paramount Pictures so the movie could be finished but ultimately the studio decided to create an ending using body doubles and Natalie Wood soundalikes along with already-shot footage, completing production for a fall 1983 release. November 29 is the 333rd (in leap years the 334th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1981 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Paramount Pictures logo used from 1987 to 1995. ... 1983 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The film was a box-office disaster.

Brainstorm carries the dedication credit For Natalie (in honor of Wood's memory).

See also

Brainstorm is also the title of a 1965 motion picture by William Conrad with Dana Andrews; see [1]. 1965 was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... Conrad in Cannon William Conrad (September 27, 1920 – February 11, 1994), born William Cann, was an American actor and narrator in radio, film and television noted for his gifted use of a marvelous baritone voice, as well as for his sizable girth. ... Dana Andrews Dana Andrews (January 1, 1909 - December 17, 1992) was an American actor. ...