The Lathe of Heaven

The Lathe of Heaven
by David R. Loxton, Fred Barzyk

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• For George Orr, sleep is not a respite. For Dr. William Haber, dreams are tools. For sci-fi fans, the wait is over. Praised as rare and powerful by The New York Times, Ursula K. Le Guin s THE LATHE OF HEAVEN is one of the most celebrated science fiction novels ever written. This innovative adaptation--never before released on video--brings the towering vision of Le Guin s masterpiece to life.Georg

DVD Reviews of The Lathe of Heaven

DVD Review: Blessed Return of Lathe of Heaven
Summary: 4 Stars

The movie very good, but it's poor special effects and flaws may make first-time viewers wonder what the big deal is all about. The movie is a mostly successful attempt at making a worthy film out of great novel by Ursulla K. Le Guin.

I enjoyed the film a great deal, but there is some truly horrendously written dialogue, and some very unfortunate directorial choices. The acting by Bruce Davison and Kevin Conway remains quite good. Conway goes a bit over-the top and borders on campy melodramatics a few times, but not enough to de-rail the film. Indeed the budget restraints of the film requires the type of energetic Pavlovian performance he gives. Margaret Avery however never over-comes the fact the script has given her little to do and the directors aren't sure how to best utilize her. In one scene her character is passionate but in the next she is almost apathetic. The original story and its ideas are strong enough to withstand such flaws however.

The film is Directed by Fred Barzyk and David R. Loxton and written by Roger E. Swaybill and Diane (creator of t.v.'s Murphy Brown !) English.

You can see how this film might have incluenced films like Brazil, Bladerunner and The Matrix.

The film's special effects are cheap and a few steps below the level of an old Star Trek episode. This might be distracting to viewers. The film however isn't relying on it's effect but it's ideas and I hope new viewers can get past the dated cheesiness of the effects and enjoy what the film is about.

I hope so. The film ultimately overcomes its limitations and works very well as an above average example of an intelligent science fiction film. There haven't been many of those.

The film is about a well-meaning Icarus who pushes too hard and flies too close to the sun with disastrous results.

George Orr ( portrayed by Bruce Davison, who at the time was most famous for Willard and Fortune in Men's Eyes and recently played the Senator in the X MEN film) is an everyman in a Portland, Oregon of the `near future'. The world is over-populated and on the brink of economic disaster. Weather patterns have been altered by the effects of nuclear war. George Orr believes that when he dreams, he changes reality. He tries to prevent himself from dreaming and has recently over-dosed on drugs. Under terms of his probation he must go and discuss his problems with Dr. Haber an Oneilogist (who specializes in dreams). At first, the doctor doesn't believe that George Orr can actually change reality with his dreams. Only George you see remembers how things were before he dreamed. He's lived with the guilt and horror of how his dreams change reality since he discovered his unique gift or curse when he was 17. As viewers, we quickly believe George is telling the truth. His dreams do change reality. Then Haber suggests to George that he change the weather patterns in his dream. The Doctor runs up to roof of the building while George dreams and watches with amazement as the always cloudy skies, suddenly become blue and sunny. Most of the population think it's been sunny for several years, but George and the Doctor know that it was George's dream that changed things. The doctor realizes that he can cure all of the world's problems by hypnotizing George and giving him suggestions about what he should dream.

Like in the Monkey's Paw, however, one must be careful what is asked for or disaster could result. George is well aware of the dangers of what the Doctor is doing, but the Doctor won't listen to him. Will George be cured of his `effective dreams'? Will the Doctor playing God destroy the world he is trying to save? Will ever changing reality make it impossible for George to re-connect with the woman he has fallen in love with?

While I was disappointed the film did not age as well as I had hoped, it is still a worthwhile one which deserved to be saved from obscurity. It has taken the efforts of several big name stars (Tom Hanks and Jason Alexander for example) and thousands of fans over the last several years to convince P.B.S. management to resolve the legal issues over the music right which have prevented the film from being re-broadcast. They were and the film was re-broadcast on P.B.S. in June of 2000 and recently released on video and DVD. Included on the DVD is a wonderful interview of (Portland, Oregon based) author Ursula K. Le Guinn by Bill Moyer.

While the rescue of Lathe of Heaven from obscurity is unfortunately not on the level of the restoration of a true masterpiece like Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of Arc, it is a very welcome return of a thought provoking and ambitious film that deserves to be widely seen.

" Those whom heaven helps we call the sons of heaven. They do not learn this by learning. They do not work it by working. They do not reason it by using reason. To let understanding stop at what cannot be understood is high attainment. Those who cannot do it will be destroyed on the lathe of heaven."

As an amusing aside. Ursula K. Le Guinn based the title of her novel on the above translation of an ancient Chinese quote. However, it was a bad translation because at the time it was written there were no such things as lathes. Still a great quote and a great title though.

Chris Jarmick Author of The Glass Cocoon with Serena F. Holder - A steamy cyber thriller available January 2001. Please order it today. Thank You

Description of The Lathe of Heaven

Kevin Conway costars as Dr. Haber, a dream specialist who instantly recognizes George's gift and tries to harness it to make the whole world right. But, as George notes, "Unlimited power means unlimited danger." The increasingly megalomaniacal Haber uses George to try to cure the world's ills, from overpopulation to war, resulting in, for starters, a devastating plague and even alien invasion.

Many in this production went on to projects familiar to audiences: Cowriter Diane English went on to create TV's Murphy Brown; Scott Rudin, credited with "Principle Casting," is now one of Hollywood's most formidable producers; Margaret Avery, who costars as a skeptical lawyer who comes to believe George's incredible tale, was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in The Color Purple. For those who have only been able to see this now-legendary production on poor-quality bootleg tapes, this release will be sheer heaven. The DVD contains an interview with Le Guin conducted by Bill Moyers. --Donald Liebenson