IMDb > Altered States (1980)
Altered States
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Altered States (1980) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
6.6/10   8,087 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 7% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Ken Russell
Writers:
Paddy Chayefsky (novel)
Paddy Chayefsky (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for Altered States on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
25 December 1980 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi | Fantasy more
Tagline:
When he heard his cry for help it wasn't human more
Plot:
A Harvard scientist conducts experiments on himself with a hallucinatory drug and an isolation chamber that may be causing him to regress genetically. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 4 nominations more
User Comments:
Above all, a love story more (99 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

William Hurt ... Eddie Jessup
Blair Brown ... Emily Jessup
Bob Balaban ... Arthur Rosenberg
Charles Haid ... Mason Parrish
Thaao Penghlis ... Echeverria
Miguel Godreau ... Primal Man
Dori Brenner ... Sylvia Rosenberg
Peter Brandon ... Hobart
Charles White-Eagle ... The Brujo

Drew Barrymore ... Margaret Jessup
Megan Jeffers ... Grace Jessup
Jack Murdock ... Hector Orteco

Francis X. McCarthy ... Obispo (as Frank McCarthy)
Deborah Baltzell ... Schizophrenic Patient

Evan Richards ... Young Rosenberg
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Additional Details

Runtime:
102 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English | Spanish
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby | 70 mm 6-Track (MegaSound encoding)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
In a 1981 interview with the New York Times, Blair Brown said many of the actors and crew tried out the isolation tank. William Hurt actually hallucinated, while Blair Brown found it very peaceful. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When the Brujo tells Eccheverria that he'll allow Eddie to participate in the ceremony he walks off. In only a matter of seconds he's far enough away that they have to run quite a distance to catch up to him to ask him some further questions. There's no way he could have gotten that far in the short span of time between his walking off and their pursuit of him. more
Quotes:
[First line]
Arthur Rosenberg: The tank itself was unusual in that it was vertical, and looked like an old boiler.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Lost: Further Instructions (#3.3)" (2006) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
35 out of 43 people found the following comment useful.
Above all, a love story, 18 January 2006
Author: inspectors71 from The Man-Cave

It's been a quarter century since I first experienced Altered States, Ken Russell's take on Paddy Chayevsky's novel of the search for a common bond between all of us, the ability to love. I personally don't care if Chayevsky disowned the movie or if Russell resented him for it or how many angels you can set on the head of a pin, for that matter. Altered States is a harshly beautiful and intellectual movie based on a book with the same adjectives.

I'm not going to praise the fine performances, the dazzling special effects, or the painful, emotional epiphany that the lead character, Eddie Jessup (William Hurt) experiences as he fights his way past the roadblock of pure intellect. I want to praise Altered States for its emotional and intellectual message of the power of love to embrace us all and heal our wounds.

Altered States is not for the weak of stomach or the easily offended. The imagery is disturbing and, at times, repulsive. There are scenes of blasphemy that I know have put off Christian friends of mine. But the central idea of a commonality, a kinship that humans have with one another and the danger of setting oneself apart to avoid the pain of interacting and loving is, I believe, supremely satisfying at both an intellectual and emotional level.

Altered States isn't one of the very best films I've seen, but it surely has been a source of joy for me. And if it doesn't turn your crank--or turns it the wrong way--then find your joy in another film or other media . . . and remember to love.

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Message Boards

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Am I the only one who laughed at this? B-J-C
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