Brainstorm (the movie)

Kind of the opposite of watching The Dark Knight in IMAX, where most of the show is in widescreen, then widening all the way up and down during the scene-setting location shots and some action sequences.

 

Rented it tonight based on this thread. I saw it many years ago.
Natalie Wood is quite "wooden" in her performance.
One thing interesting about the movie is that Cliff Robertson was actually the one who was doing the right thing by not allowing Christopher walken's character to see her "tape".

 

The kid was gonna need YEARS of therapy.

 

I know this has little to do with the discussion at hand, but my memories of Brainstorm consisted, in the mid-'80's, of a New York City TV station promoting the film as airing on such-and-such a day (with one of the brief clips being of Ms. Wood) - and when that day came, instead showed a 1965 movie of the same name (but completely different plot) which starred Jeffrey Hunter and Anne Francis. It was a few months before that station ran the correct Brainstorm.

 

So you saw it more or less widening on the horizontal rather than with video because of the shape of the picture.

It’s like what, David Lean said.
“Cinema is original, television isn’t.”

What was the sound like in the “Ceramic Dome” I’ve seen pictures of that cinema looks awesome.

I don’t think HD is the excuse for this its simple case will some or most people accept seeing a rather smaller image placed in the centre of the screen at the correct height then widening outwards for the POV shots.

Sure I’d buy that version if can also be made to work with a good simple video project and not be so reliant on HD technology it has to cater for all universal needs.

 

“You’re idea of playing that tape is sick, makes my skin crawl.” LOL

 

Since Natalie Wood died during the filming of Brainstorm, several remaining scenes had to be altered due to her "absence". IIRC, Trumbull tried to enhance her vocals in the looping process rather than have someone else loop her lines in post production. I think I remember her sister Lana may have looped one or two lines.

 

Interesting do you know what line it was?

 

No, this is from memory from some article I read 25 year's ago. For what it's worth, I just found this on Wikipedia (although I don't remember any body doubles, I think they just filmed the remaining scenes without her character being there).

Brainstorm was Natalie Wood's last film. Near the end of principal photography, the cast and crew broke for the Thanksgiving holiday in 1981. Wood was about to film a crucial, climactic scene for the movie when she drowned on November 29, 1981, off the coast of Santa Catalina Island, California. Production was left in limbo for almost two years. MGM considered offering the rights to Paramount Pictures so the movie could be finished but ultimately Trumbull decided to create an ending using body doubles and Natalie Wood soundalikes along with already-shot footage, completing production for a 1983 release. Stories had Natalie's sister Lana Wood doing certain scenes, but it wasn't really needed. Most of the film had been shot.

 

I hate to dance on graves, but yeah, I agree.

Her performance could have been done by anyone. It is kinda that Dee Wallace Stone generic mom-type role. Whereas Walken, Fletcher and Robertson's performances are quite good and elevate the material somewhat.

I really don't know what Wood and/or Trumbull were expecting from this movie. It is too adult to be a summer blockbuster, where you gotta get the kids, the teens and the adults into the theater's seats in order to be a massive hit. I like this film very much, but like 1984's also great "Starman" and "The Natural", it is far too adult to be a major summer popcorn hit.

I'll tell you something else. When I first saw this movie, I was about 12 or 13 and the sequence when Walken makes Wood that "tape" of himself to remind her of why they fell in love, etc., connected with me in a deep way. My parents were in the beginning stages of their divorce (for the better), and I always said to myself, "Why do you need to remind someone/yourself of why you fell in love with them?" I promised myself that if I ever got married, that I'd never let my marriage sink so far that I forgot why I fell in love with this person in the first place.

My wife and I celebrated 13 years of marriage last February and that giddiness of falling in love with her has never left me. Thanks "Brainstorm"!

 

I see I’ve read about doubles before, first I heard about lines being looped, not that I don’t understand. Just like with Dark Knight and (Heath Ledger) untimely passing and yet the crew still managed to complete it, or with (Oliver Reed) Gladiator (2000) and the (CGI) heads attached to the body, now that is weird.

 

Just streamed this in "HD" via Amazon last night. I remember seeing this when I was 11 or 12 after renting it at a video store, and it creeped me out then. I don't think it holds up very well, and I agree with the criticism of Natalie Wood, while Walken and Louise Fletcher are pretty good. I'm not sure it comes across (the switching aspect ratios) the way it is intended. The super wide 2.35:1 sections look very nice, but if the normal perspective sections are supposed to be 1.85:1, why is it such a small windowbox? It looks like its 1.85, but limited to a 4:3 frame, not taking advantage of the screen real estate well at all. Anyone know if the presentation works better on the blu-ray?

I've always associated this movie in my mind with "Altered States", and I plan to watch that one next. It's also available to stream in HD via Amazon.

 

Which DVD is "screwed up" (there are about 3 different DVD editions available), and what's wrong with it?

 

Another film that similarly, also reminds one of Brainstorm - is "Final Cut" starring Robin Williams. Its plot pertains to a 'cutter', who edits a deceased person's enbedded memory chip to make a suitable video viewing presentation at their funeral. Unfortunately for the 'cutter', he happens to see too much unpleasant material on the chips, he works on- which makes him a enemy to be hunted by some.