This review was written for the cablecast of "The Lathe of Heaven".
Just because a telefilm is about a particular topic, it doesn't follow that the production has to fall entirely into the style and pacing of that idea.
A&E's "The Lathe of Heaven" is a low-key, far too languid science fiction thriller starring James Caan, Lukas Haas and Lisa Bonet. The telefilm concerns a man (Haas) whose dreams can literally change reality.
Viewers may find themselves frustrated because the melancholy, fear and apocalyptic danger that could have saturated the telefilm are instead kept at arm's length. The notions of destiny, enduring love and ambition remain but in a watered-down sort of way.
In the story, Seattle resident George Orr (Haas) is caught using prescription drugs not approved for him and is ordered into therapy. His attorney, Heather LeLache (Bonet), can't do much to help him, so George finds himself in the office of Dr. William Haber (Caan), a therapist and dream specialist.
George confesses that he was taking the drugs to try to stop dreaming. He's afraid of his own dreams, which, he says sometimes come true.
Soon, Dr. Haber is controlling George's dreams via hypnosis and a special brain-wave machine. And these dreams change the world, but they bring some terrible side effects.
Despite the lack of emotional peaks found in the novel, "Lathe" is a smart, sleek, well-played drama with a great look and costumes that cleverly reflect the changing reality.
Caan, restrained and wonderfully effective as Haber, offers us tight, enigmatic glimpses of the interior life of a very ambitious scientist.
Lukas Haas as George, the dreamer, is directed too passively. Director Philip Haas and writer Alan Sharp have taken to heart the character as conveyed in the source novel, a blank slate who fears his own "special" dreams. But the character's arc into a man of action, as written in the classic novel by science fiction writer Ursula K. LeGuin, is not satisfying. George's passion and courage could be more pronounced at the end -- and less tentative.
Bonet as the lawyer also is cast into a dreamlike, ambling mode, even as we want her to play it more dynamically and forcefully. She is, however, vivid and engaging.
Of note are the wonderful costumes by Liz Vandal, which appropriately reflect the changing mood of the people as the world changes drastically. Music by the talented Angelo Badalamenti catapults us into the strange, new settings.
Ultimately, there are some nice, gentle surprises that should please fans of the romance genre.
THE LATHE OF HEAVEN
A&E
An A&E Network and Alliance Atlantas presentation in association with Baumgarten Merims Prods.
Credits:
Director: Philip Haas
Teleplay: Alan Sharp
Executive producers: Craig Baumgarten, Allen Sabinson
Producer: Mark Winemaker
Co-producer: Bruce Davison
Casting: Avy Kaufman
Music: Angelo Badalamenti
Costume designer: Liz Vandal
Production designer: Sylvain Gingras
Editor: Jean-Francois Bergeron
Director of photography: Pierre Mignot
Executive producer for A&E: Michael Weisbarth
Based on the novel by: Ursula K LeGuin
Cast:
Dr. William Haber: James Caan
George Orr: Lukas Haas
Heather LeLache: Lisa Bonet
Mannie: David Strathairn
Penny: Sheila McCarthy...
Just because a telefilm is about a particular topic, it doesn't follow that the production has to fall entirely into the style and pacing of that idea.
A&E's "The Lathe of Heaven" is a low-key, far too languid science fiction thriller starring James Caan, Lukas Haas and Lisa Bonet. The telefilm concerns a man (Haas) whose dreams can literally change reality.
Viewers may find themselves frustrated because the melancholy, fear and apocalyptic danger that could have saturated the telefilm are instead kept at arm's length. The notions of destiny, enduring love and ambition remain but in a watered-down sort of way.
In the story, Seattle resident George Orr (Haas) is caught using prescription drugs not approved for him and is ordered into therapy. His attorney, Heather LeLache (Bonet), can't do much to help him, so George finds himself in the office of Dr. William Haber (Caan), a therapist and dream specialist.
George confesses that he was taking the drugs to try to stop dreaming. He's afraid of his own dreams, which, he says sometimes come true.
Soon, Dr. Haber is controlling George's dreams via hypnosis and a special brain-wave machine. And these dreams change the world, but they bring some terrible side effects.
Despite the lack of emotional peaks found in the novel, "Lathe" is a smart, sleek, well-played drama with a great look and costumes that cleverly reflect the changing reality.
Caan, restrained and wonderfully effective as Haber, offers us tight, enigmatic glimpses of the interior life of a very ambitious scientist.
Lukas Haas as George, the dreamer, is directed too passively. Director Philip Haas and writer Alan Sharp have taken to heart the character as conveyed in the source novel, a blank slate who fears his own "special" dreams. But the character's arc into a man of action, as written in the classic novel by science fiction writer Ursula K. LeGuin, is not satisfying. George's passion and courage could be more pronounced at the end -- and less tentative.
Bonet as the lawyer also is cast into a dreamlike, ambling mode, even as we want her to play it more dynamically and forcefully. She is, however, vivid and engaging.
Of note are the wonderful costumes by Liz Vandal, which appropriately reflect the changing mood of the people as the world changes drastically. Music by the talented Angelo Badalamenti catapults us into the strange, new settings.
Ultimately, there are some nice, gentle surprises that should please fans of the romance genre.
THE LATHE OF HEAVEN
A&E
An A&E Network and Alliance Atlantas presentation in association with Baumgarten Merims Prods.
Credits:
Director: Philip Haas
Teleplay: Alan Sharp
Executive producers: Craig Baumgarten, Allen Sabinson
Producer: Mark Winemaker
Co-producer: Bruce Davison
Casting: Avy Kaufman
Music: Angelo Badalamenti
Costume designer: Liz Vandal
Production designer: Sylvain Gingras
Editor: Jean-Francois Bergeron
Director of photography: Pierre Mignot
Executive producer for A&E: Michael Weisbarth
Based on the novel by: Ursula K LeGuin
Cast:
Dr. William Haber: James Caan
George Orr: Lukas Haas
Heather LeLache: Lisa Bonet
Mannie: David Strathairn
Penny: Sheila McCarthy...
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