The most underrated science fiction film production ever made. I first watched this in 1980 on PBS, and I still find myself remembering bits of music, and dialogue. True, it was almost presented as a play, but my young imagination took flight.
I worked on the crew for this film as a Production Assistant and also still photographer. Was shot mostly in Dallas/Fort Worth. I think Director and DP got a lot of "look" out of this production considering the meager budget and 16mm shooting format. Too bad it only exists on video now-film original elements apparently lost.
+Wynn Winberg among many losses to dodgy archival processes, transfers of ownership & rights & physical master destruction, acetate melting doesn't help. Was filming experience semi-guerrilla @ low budget or just restrained ? 16mm ?!? - No Freaking Way... looks very good, imho... all around: sets, wardrobe, exterior elements [rain ALWAYS trouble] and the mechanical & structural redresses especially. WAAAIT... D/FW you say - does that mean the "H" building was Haliburton ? ILLUMINATI CONFIRMED! Peaxe, Will
+Wynn Winberg Can you shed any light on Ed Emshwiller's involvement as "visual consultant" to the film? He's a fairly notable name in experimental film circles, who has employed some very beautiful and viscerally bizarre techniques over the years (e.g. in 1962's "Thanatopsis" and 1970's "Carol"). I would love to know what the nature of his contributions was.
A very under rated movie for its time. I loved this back in 1979. My wife & I enjoyed this then and now. This makes You Tube a gold find seeing this again.
I agree with the others here. Thank you for posting. I saw it when it first aired, loved it, but then never saw it again. I assumed it had been lost to time... So, again, thank you.
The algorithm's been screaming this at me for over a year, and I finally watched. Brilliant film and not what I expected at all -- especially seeing a young Bruce Davison in it. Of course you can't go wrong with Ursuala Le Guin's work.
Unless I missed it, it's never explained how his dreams change anything. 🗯️ *Just like superheroes can fly, but how does it work and why do they need stupid capes? 🤣🤣
The first time I saw this we had an earthquake in the Dayton, OH area during the final 10 minutes or so of the movie. Needless to say, the apocalyptic elements of the film plus actual ground starting shaking followed by the TV going off air combined to scare the bloody living daylights out of me.
I remember during a horror movie gathering I think we watching a movie called Bones and at the end all this supernatural stuff was happening and the lamp in the room started flickering along with the sounds in the rumbling and shaking of things in the movie. I didn't notice for awhile and someone else pointed it out and it was really freaky feeling at first but then I realized the lamp was on my Subwoofer and it had a loose bulb in it. LOL
I thought so highly of this movie that I had my company sponsor a grant to play it on our local educational channel in about 1981. in Humboldt County California I still think it is one of the best sci-fi ever written.
I just finished the book a few hours ago and I immediately looked for this. Book adaptations inevitably lose a few things here and there, but this is quite good, especially for a TV movie. Goes to show that you don't need absurd amounts of money and CGI to make good, thought-provoking entertainment.
And for anyone who thinks the government doesn't do anything right...it was PBS that financed this movie. I think we got good value for our tax dollars! :-)
I watched this late at night in 1980, was only 15 years old at the time and it's stuck with me so poignantly ever since. Just watched it again on YT, because of course no streaming service has it. Still just as captivating as it was 40 years ago!
Exactly same here, even being 15. It was the first confirmation that I felt was realistic or attempted to be about things like the look of aliens, and such a deep and poignant concept. There was a fair amount of ubiquitous fear of a Soviet attack during the Cold War, so watching this brought me back to that angst feeling.
It all comes FULL CIRCLE.. Furkle.. that's a term I seem to have come up with.. or did I go down without it.. .. ..best to just BOX OUTSIDE THE THINK..😅 -Turbofish
What a CLASSIC. Saw it when it aired on PBS in '80. Never forgot it. I'm currently re-reading the book. Thanks for posting this. Brought back a lot of good memories.
@@Mr.Howell78k In the book, Haber, being represented by the horse, is somewhat aware and confused by the change of Mt Hood picture. He suggests George dream Mt Hood back up on the wall. George dreams of the horse taking a big steaming dump. The pile of dung becomes Mt Hood, but no longer covered with snow. Now the steaming pile is a smoking, volcanic mountain . I always missed that element in the movie. There is also much more background and understanding about Heather's origins. So go grab the book, read, and enjoy !
I also saw this back then on PBS. I've never forgotten it. As a novel and miniseries. It was mind expanding to me. Still the best version of this novel.
How did I ever find this again? Last time I saw this, I was probably in a blanket in front of the TV and half asleep. I had flickering memories of the Dallas Reunion (ball) Tower and Beatles "I get by with a little help from my friends" from 34 years ago (11yr old then). I've always thought it was just a dream or something. I just did a TH-cam search, found this movie, scanned the thumbnails and there it is! Wow, as I remember it! Memory fragments + TH-cam... AMAZING STUFF!
I was 9 years old when I saw it on PBS- I never forgot it even though I had no idea until today what it was. I was just describing it to a friend two days ago!!!
I haven't seen this since it last aired - I am very happy to have found it again after many years of looking. This is one of my favorite science fiction movies.
I saw this in 1980 on PBS .It had the Beatles recording . The DVD issue has the one made by Elvis Costello .. I have a VHS copy of that original 1980 PBS broadcast .
I saw it when it first aired on PBS in 1980, definitely one of my favorite TV sci fi movies. Always gotta laugh when the pompous shrink gets his comeuppance in the end, even the actor playing him looks like he's struggling to stay in character.
I remember being in 9th grade and my English teacher assigned this movie as homework. I watched it on a teensy little black and white tv, and I didn't understand half of what the plot was. I was only about 14 at the time. But the movie always stuck with me.
Hey! I’m in 9th grade right now and had to read the book this year for summer reading. I’m taking a test on it this week. I really hope this movie sticks with me
@@audreygreen8697well did the movie have an impact on you? 🤔🤔 The book and movie certainly had strong influences on me(good and bad)… but I’m not sure about others
First time I saw this movie. It definitely looks & feels science fiction. Good acting. Feel sad at end for evil Dr in wheelchair looking defeated on his face. Thank you for excellent download!
I also watched it on PBS and thought it was wonderful. I've never forgotten it. Yes, it clearly was on a budget (I always remember the cracks in the sidwalks), but I thought it was wonderful. Still do. Diane, using Joe's tablet.
I saw this on PBS when it aired. Been looking just the name for decades. Someone posted a picture of the water park from a screenshot of Logan's run. Did an image search and found the name of the movie that way. So glad you uploaded this so i could watch this again after almost 45 years.
I think so. Of course, every book has nuances that a movie can't quite nail, but Ursula LeGuin was very pleased with it. There was a terrible remake a few years ago, but don't waste your time on it. This one is much, much superior and more true to the novel.
I saw this movie originally on KTER public broadcasting in 1980. And it’s very well done. I miss these kind of movies. All we have today is crap and unimaginative crap at that. Thanks for uploading this film you help keep this type of movie alive.
This was an amazing program I didn't even know about 24 hours ago! I think I might get on my bicycle tomorrow and go explore some of these locations, such as downtown City Hall which is about a 10 minute bike ride from me and then the reunion tower which is only about 4-5 minutes from the City Hall building). What a trip to live in Dallas Texas and know that I can visit a couple of these amazing locations!
Dallas Texas. You can Google the movie and discover that even though it was supposed to be Portland Oregon (I'm not sure if any of it was shot in Seattle or not) a lot of it was actually shot in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. You may recognize this one fountain scene as the same fountain that's shown at the end of the great movie Logan's Run.
I remember watching this on PBS when it came out. It was also one of the first DVDs I bought when I got my first DVD player back in Nov. 2000. Thanks so much for posting this!
+John Rasmussen she was involved, or at least maybe consulted, but she approved of it totally and is interviewed on the DVD by Bill Moyers. She is great on it! Edit, from wiki: "Le Guin, by her own account, was involved in the casting, script planning, re-writing, and filming of the production.[2]"
I originally had the fortune of seeing it on PBS in Chicago back in 1980. I was able to record a copy on VHS and have watched it quite a few times in forty years. It may not look like millions on the screen but story, acting and direction are excellent. The imagination of Ursula Le Guin's great book goes far beyond any explosion filled bloodbath. 5 Star *****
I saw this in the early 80's on PBS and I was blown away. I'm glad it's on YT. This movie is so good that I have to watch it about once a year or once every two years. I saw the remake but it didn't seem as good as this original.
THERE'S A REMAKE?!??..... They're almost never as good or better than the original. That's where I saw it too. On the Seattle PBS station (KCTS nine, I think).... Didn't know that THEY made it!!!!! Well, not the PBS station in Seattle. I saw it pretty close to when it was released.... Somewhere between 1979 and 1985.
@Eet_Mia boy that really was a stupid question for me to ask. Maybe I meant the author of watchmen read lathe of heaven but I doubt it. Just pure idiocy on my part. Thanks for noticing
The remake was 1995. My PBS had multiple requests for years to show this version again but said they could not legally, although I do not remember the reasons. The demand was great.
Fantastic. I remember catching this film on PBS, late at night, when I must have been about ten years old. I had to watch it with the volume very low and the brightness way down, lest my folks discover I wasn't asleep. It utterly fascinated me. It's never completely left my mind.
So close to the truth . I enjoyed this immensely, and wonder how many among us have made it through the veil of insanity to understand the potential that we all hold..
I was one of the fortunate few (many it turned out) that lucked out to see, "The Lathe Of Heaven" in its only one televised appearance in 1980. Like everyone else, we didn't understand why the movie was not shown again. It simply dropped off the radar. This was long before the Internet so no one could investigate and without social media, no one could talk about it. In the 90s a gray market VHS appeared for sale. But in the 2000s finally a fully legit manufactured DVD appeared, which I purchased. I was thrilled to watch the movie again. The Lathe Of Heaven proves that to make a good movie you don't always need expensive props and special effects. The Lathe Of Heaven was more of a made-for-television movie that succeeded. SPOILERS. Even I didn't know about this until much later on because I didn't see the movie from its very start. What I learned was that a global thermonuclear war devastated Portland, Oregon. George Orr survived the blast but was dying of radiation poisoning. In his death throes, Orr dreamed the nuclear war did not occur and everything was as it was should be.
Yes, I saw this when it first aired and thought it great. And I noticed it just disappeared. Was so happy to find it here. And it was great as I remembered.
@@nelsonx5326 That was the big mystery why "The Lathe of Heaven" disappeared for so long. Turns out it had to do with legal copyright and publishing issues, of which I do not have the full details. Many people were thrilled when bootleg VHS copies of the movie appeared around 1993-94 or so. But the golden grail was when all the legal issues had finally been worked out. Legal DVD copies began appearing and I was quick to purchase one. I still remember the night that by random chance I got to see most of the movie on television in my college friend's home over the Christmas break.
@@anthonylilly6862 How could one possibly do a "biopic" for a fictional character? ;) Perhaps you'd like to try your hand at a third adaptation of Le Guin's novel? Is that what you meant? If so, I'm all for it. There can never be too many adaptations of Le Guin's work in an attempt to do them justice, seeing as this movie was the only good one.
Back then, teachers were allowed to do a lot of creative things. These days, you can hardly show anything (book or movie) in your class that wasn't sanctioned and approved by some stodgy school-board of suits based on the recommendations of some highly paid pundits that are personal friends to those board members.
beautiful movie. I remember watching it on PBS in portland decades ago. At that time it was the original Beatles Help From My Friends, not a copy as in this version. It was the song that keeps reminding me of this movie. Thank you for posting it.
This is every bit as good as the first time I saw it - over twenty years ago. Bruce, Margaret and of course Kevin..tops. A provocative story - way before "Inception" with Leo Di Caprio. Why is the dream landscape so eternally fascinating? Hmm..UPDATE 2022: Now that Kevin Conway has left us, this is especially wonderful to be able to watch, whenever we wish.
I didnt even know this movie existed until a little over two hours ago. George Orr has,well changed me too. Brilliantly sublime storytelling. Shall I watch this so called remake now and shatter the experience I've just had?
This was a beautiful production. It really spoke to me in 1980 and I think I must have watched it a thousand times (I wore out the VHS tape). I was shocked at how ridiculous the A&E version in 2002 was compared to this more faithful version--lots of false drama in the updated version.
I still have this on Video Tape and watch it every few years. Great to see it on TH-cam! Loved this when it came out. Sad to hear that it only exists on Video Tape. Cheers for posting!
I just read a comment made by Ms. Le Guin herself about this version of her book. She was involved in all aspects of its filming, and said everyone involved did a great job. Unlike the EarthSea mini-series, which she said was basically a botch job translation of her book. Excited to watch it her. Thanks!
Also, a bit of info. Much of the exterior shots were from here in Dallas. The "Haber Institute" is the City of Dallas building; opposite the Main Library (which is the same shape building, but turned on its side). The same building was used as OCP headquarters in "Robocop" (parts of which were filmed here as well). The futuristic train-ride is the light-rail trolley that was (then) just put in use at DFW air-port. -- Share and enjoy ! --30--
Nicely done! Good film. An interesting premise: one person with the ability to affect and change reality. But perhaps none of it is real? What if we are nothing more than figures dreamt up by one such person? I feel like my life is nothing more than a nightmare at times. Thank you for posting!
If I remember correctly, at the end you realize that it might not just be the protagonist that has this ability, it might be everyone. Which if you think about it is true: all of our dreams combine to create our reality.
The Hyatt Regency, Reunion Tower, and City Hall were all opened when this was filmed in 1978. Great way to showcase the Dallas of the future. Also good to see that the Water Gardens got more sci-fi mileage besides Logan's Run. The Tandy Center Subway and the DFW Airport trains were nice touches too.
Very true. Remember many have claimed, falsely, this was the so called 'dark times' (Reagan/Thatcher). Inferring the Arts sufferned. But they couldn't have been more wrong. I find the 80s were the Golden Age of PBS programming with original productions to all the exceptional imports. There was always something great on PBS in the 80s, from productions like this, to Tinker Tailor and Smiley's People, to all the fantastic Masterpiece Theater shows and Mystery programs to Frugal Gourmet. Also, I was introduced to Doctor Who then, as well. Hitchhiker's Guide was aired and made me a lifelong Doug Adams fan. Piece of Cake, Brideshead, Private Shultz, Danger UXB, Flame Trees of Thika, Jewel in the Crown, The Citadel...the list is endless of excellent series that aired during those so-called 'dark times'. Heck, if those were 'dark times', I'll take them any day over what the dumbed down and PC stuff they air today. Today, I don't bother even turning it on except for very rare and usually local only shows on Public Television. Very sad. When they cancelled Reading Rainbow in 2006 or so, I knew they had their heads on backwards over there. And I gave up on them. No more donations, either. You can keep your tote bags, PBS. You dropped the ball, big time.
One of my favourite books - I wasn't aware any screen adaptations had been made until I saw an old interview with LeGuin where she spoke about it... thanks for posting this. It'd be nice to see the same script brought up to date & re-done with a better budget - unlike Wizard of Earthsea's screen treatments, the script for this has treated the book with the respect it deserves.
This rendition of K. LeGuin's prescient novel in 1980 marks for me (and highlights) the transition from mathematician to actor in the same year, which was tumultuous. I only mention this because at the time of viewing this I was on the brink of dumping my dream of being a scientist and activating the dream of becoming an actor. No, I'm not implying I'm any great shakes in the acting world. It's just the synchronicity within the world of Lathe and my world that was so close, so precise; it was eerie. It still gives me chills. I'm so happy to be able to view it here now. Thankyou for posting this!!! Lathe of Heaven was the penultimate viewing experience for me.
This is from the 2000 DVD release. The Beatles song, With a Little Help from my Friends, was done by Elvis Costello. The actual 1980 broadcast, which I have in possession, the recording was performed by the Beatles. When the DVD was being produced, WNET couldn't get the permission to reproduce this song, thus had to do a different cover artist to perform the song to keep this segment of the film intact.
Yes, correct. And believe it or not, this version is re-created from user's copies of this broadcast, not the original. Why, you ask? Because PBS destroyed the original. After the rights issue regarding the Beatles songs, misguided executives at PBS felt the production would never again be aired since it was too expensive to retain the rights to the music. So they destroyed it. When the desire to re release this was made a call for any existing copies went out and pieces were joined together to create this version. As the poster stated, a newer cover for "With a Little Help" replaced the original, not coming anywhere near the original feeling for that scene. It's a pity, because that was the one scene I always remembered and to see it altered was a huge disappointment. It was like seeing Star Wars again after many years and being shocked to see Luke not turning off the computer and not using The Force to destroy the Death Star. ;) By the way, a copy with the original Beatles song intact is out there making the rounds. You may get lucky and find it. I did. Cheers.
Robbie R. Esq. ... which my 1980 copy, being on VHS Tape, is of that original PBS broadcast that was originally recorded on an extinct format video recorder. Before the owner of that unit got rid of it, I made the VHS copy.
I first read the novel in the mid-seventies and greatly enjoyed it, though I had read several of Le Guin's novels by then. I didn't need further proof of what a good writer she was. I recently re-read it, along with 'The Left Hand of Darkenss'. She returned to the dreaming theme in a later novel, 'The Word for World is Forest'. I heard an interview with her where she said the production had only two hundred and fifty thousand dollars and three weeks to make this movie. Muchof it was shot on loc\tion in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Given all that, this is a pretty good effort despite its obscurity at times, and I enjoyed it as well. It most likely benefitted from having Le Guin as a creative consultant. The film has its faults, such as the Haber, and Lelache character especially, seem underwritten/powered. The look it creates of a futuristic Portland, grimy, dilapidated and full of high tech, forever rain soaked seems to have made an impact with other film makers as the image is endelssly repeated in many science fiction films. I would recommend the novel for its greater complexity and depth; along with Le Guin's other works.
Thanks for that. I made an audio recording of the film back in the day. It had the original. Weird without it. They must have lost the rights at some point in marketing copies.
I remember watching it when it was first came out too in 1979 or 1980. I was 9 years old. I got around to reading the book when I was 15 years old or so. PBS did re-air it as part of some anniversary celebration in 1987 or so and I taped it on VHS that time. I lent that tape to a friend, whose stepfather taped a baseball game over it and I did not see the movie again until 2000 when the copyright issues were finally resolved.
My Ghu, that's the original movie! I remembered watching it on PBS. Hell of a lot better than the 2002 adaptation. It's been bookmarked and downloaded (just in case) Great to see it again. Thank you very much.
This story is incredibly deep on many levels and a classic illustration of the Law of Unintended Consequences in action...as well as of the dangers of human arrogance. Nothing exists in isolation and acting as if it does is not only pointless but potentially dangerous because changing one piece without taking any thought for how it connects to the rest of the whole will create new problems elsewhere. Solving all humanity's problems sounds wonderful in theory but is not realistic because everyone is different and what one person experiences as good, another person regards as bad. Even if we were miraculously able to solve all of humanity's problems somehow, humanity (at least at this stage of our evolution) appears to need at least some degree of adversity or resistance in order to reach our potential -- and without problems, there is no adversity or resistance forcing us to grow.
Yes, small action can have big consequences. For myself, there have been actions that have changed the future. All of them have had a negative impact on my family, close friends, and relatives. I look back in my life, and it hits me. Holy crap look at what I have done. And it could have been avoided. Now, I do whatever actions that may help others. It is difficult, and maybe that is the price that is required. I am very sorry for what I have done and try to atone(ment) for my actions.
Hello and thank you for saying this. I too, found this film deep on a few levels and curious about it. Specifically, why couldn't Dr. Haber handle the Augmentor and why could George? I also couldn't help but see a parallel between this film and Disney's The Black Hole that was done a year earlier. Both Dr. Haber and Dr. Reinhardt have basically disconnected from society, both have a strong yearning to be recognized for their work, and both try to play God with potentially disastrous consequences. There's probably a few more parallels...these are just the ones I saw immediately.
@LaurentGoychman01 We have a literal translation of the same maxim -- "the road to Hell is paved with good intentions." It's absolutely true regardless of what language it's in. Good intentions are simply not enough because good intentions at least as often as not do not result in good outcomes thanks to the Law Of Unintended Consequences.
Thank you so much for putting this movie on here. I've been thinking about this movie since I was a kid when I first saw it. When it first or shortly after it came out on television. Kept wondering why I never saw it again. Kept trying to find it. It stayed in my mind all these years. Anyway, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You.
This was the first original movie that PBS made. They had a budget of $250K, 1/4 the weekly budget of the leading sitcom of the time. As Ms LeGuin said, there are no "bad guys" in the story, and they create disaster.
I suppose it depends on exactly how you define a "bad guy" since everyone has slightly different ideas of what "bad" means. Haber is certainly not a "bad guy" in the sense of being a deliberately cruel or evil man because his intentions are essentially good ones but this doesn't change the fact that good intentions are not enough because people inadvertently can and often do cause great harm while trying to create something beneficial. Haber is not evil but he's definitely arrogant with the result that he becomes drunk on his own power.
@@OreadNYC Lord Acton's axiom. Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Haber's main failing was pride - 'I'm so smart, I know better than some little wimp how to make the world a better place, and if he won't use his power to do it, why shouldn't I?'
The best stories do not clearly define 'good' and 'evil'......... but let the reader/viewer sort it out for themselves. Anyone can tell you what to think, the best authors challenge you to think. Read the 'Epic of Gilgamesh ' if you haven't already.
Ringo Starr's Song !! This was the First "Movie" on PBS. Before the Internet, Cell phones, and even Before "C-SPAN" was alive, there was this bit of sci-fi. I love the camera work. It was a reminder of the Hippie's posters from the 60s.
Nice to see this again! A couple of years before this was made, I had the pleasure of working as one of several dancers with Ed Emshwiller, the creator of the special effects. A very interesting person, one of the earliest experimental videographers. His career started with being an abstract expressionist action painter, and an illustrator for science fiction magazines. He was extremely popular with authors because his illustrations always matched exactly what the stories said. Then he started to do stop-motion animation of his paintings, then he started to superimpose live action on them. Then he "graduated" to doing electronic manipulation of video imagery and (I think) finally digital manipulation. I had heard of him because he was one of two artists featured in a PBS special about experimental video, and I fell in love with his work. (The other was Peter Campus, and I fell in love with his work too.) So when a choreographer I knew had a project with Emshwiller, I jumped at the chance to be in it. Unfortunately, the project was never completed. Check out Emswhiller's "Self Trio", a collaboration with the wonderful dancer Carolyn Carlson, who is an amazing improvisor -- especially in *this* film! ;^) www.numeridanse.tv/en/dance-videotheque/self-trio
"To let understanding stop at what cannot be understood... is a high attainment. Those who cannot do it, will be destroyed on The Lathe of Heaven." My favorite quote from the movie... what the alien says is true, Learn to live in the light of the mystery of being, you'll be happier that way. Mystery is an integral part of life, it's what makes existence wonderful.
So "mystery is an integral part of life" eh? To a certain extent it is, the very fact you're alive at all is as big a mystery as you'll ever know. But too much mystery is not healthy for the human mind or body! Especially the kind of manufactured "mysteries" religion preys on.
terrypussypower Yes, but what would it feel like if we could truly experience real mysteries.?.. I'm for the mystery of direct experience, what would it feel like to be at the waterfall splashing, instantly? What would it feel like when you get high? What would it feel like, when you make love? Those are real mysteries, and life would totally suck without them!
He whose mind is thus grandly fixed emits a Heavenly light. In him who emits this heavenly light men see the (True) man. When a man has cultivated himself (up to this point), thenceforth he remains constant in himself. When he is thus constant in himself, (what is merely) the human element will leave him, but Heaven will help him. Those whom their human element has left we call the people of Heaven. Those whom Heaven helps we call the Sons of Heaven. Those who would by learning attain to this seek for what they cannot learn. Those who would by effort attain to this, attempt what effort can never effect. Those who aim by reasoning to reach it reason where reasoning has no place. To know to stop where they cannot arrive by means of knowledge is the highest attainment. Those who cannot do this will be destroyed on the lathe of Heaven. 庄子 or 莊子 Zhūangzi (c. 369 BC - c. 286 BC) en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Zhuangzi
I have not seen this movie since 1980. Mt. St. Helen's had erupted, a major tornado had destroyed large parts of Kalamazoo, Mi. It felt to me as if someone was dreaming of disasters in my world. Wow. Now, this is just an old SF movie.
"What if reality is being pulled out from under us all the time" -George Orr This provides an interesting perspective on the Mandela Effect. Hope everything Well for Mr. Orr.
Reminiscent of something the British comedic science fiction author Douglas Adams wrote in The Restaurant At The End Of The Universe: "There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable." "There is another theory which states that this has already happened." I now wonder if Adams might have been making a subtle hat tip to Ursula LeGuin when he wrote those lines.
Thanks so much for putting this up. I saw it a couple times way back when, and just recently really wanted to re-visit it. Lo and behold. It holds up pretty well too... Thanks again.
I just now noticed that in George's plague dream, Dr. Haber and Heather +both+ realize what's happening as they look around the table! One thing from the book was that after the plague dream, Heather starts to go to her old office (located in an old parking garage, so the floor was slanted!), then remembers that her office is elsewhere and wonders why she wanted to go to that other address. That's when she calls George.
Haber was the horse in the first dream, and being in the dream, he remembered the picture of snow covered Mt Hood on the wall. In the book, the 2nd dream was to replace the horse picture with Mt Hood. George dreams the horse is his stable, the horse takes a dump, the steaming pile of dump becomes Mt Hood volcanically active, no more snow. Just one element the movie glosses over. Get the book everybody ! Enjoy !
@@lisagulick4144 There are exceptions to even that rule, dear Lisa. The movie version of Carl Sagan's "Cosmos" was better than the book. And the SyFy network's miniseries based on A C Clarke's "Childhood's End " was an improvement. Both these examples differed greatly from thier books, but the did remain faithful to thier respective themes and messages. I try not to think in terms of absolutes.
@@sciencedavedunning3415 I'm just biased in favor of the printed word as opposed to the visualization. It's like translating a book into another language - sometimes you have to go for a paraphrase, rather than a literal translation, to get the author's message across. For readers of the original work, the translated version can be jarring. That said, this PBS visualization of Ursula's novel is the only one she approved of and consulted on, so that's something!
I first saw this in the late 70s when I was returned to college. It struck me in a powerfully surrealistic way! The premise that the world can be modified by dream state experiences is profound!
![The Lathe of Heaven - by Ursula K. Le Guin [Full Audiobook]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/dFT-x4vAADs/mqdefault.jpg)
I saw this when I was 12 and it was mind blowing then as it is now
The most underrated science fiction film production ever made. I first watched this in 1980 on PBS, and I still find myself remembering bits of music, and dialogue. True, it was almost presented as a play, but my young imagination took flight.
I worked on the crew for this film as a Production Assistant and also still photographer. Was shot mostly in Dallas/Fort Worth. I think Director and DP got a lot of "look" out of this production considering the meager budget and 16mm shooting format. Too bad it only exists on video now-film original elements apparently lost.
+Wynn Winberg among many losses to dodgy archival processes, transfers of ownership & rights & physical master destruction, acetate melting doesn't help.
Was filming experience semi-guerrilla @ low budget or just restrained ?
16mm ?!? - No Freaking Way... looks very good, imho...
all around: sets, wardrobe, exterior elements [rain ALWAYS trouble] and the mechanical & structural redresses especially.
WAAAIT... D/FW you say - does that mean the "H" building was Haliburton ?
ILLUMINATI CONFIRMED!
Peaxe,
Will
It was a low budget shoot, but I would not call it guerrilla, as locations were secured and things seems pretty carefully planned and executed.
+Wynn Winberg Can you shed any light on Ed Emshwiller's involvement as "visual consultant" to the film? He's a fairly notable name in experimental film circles, who has employed some very beautiful and viscerally bizarre techniques over the years (e.g. in 1962's "Thanatopsis" and 1970's "Carol"). I would love to know what the nature of his contributions was.
Not really, I'm afraid. I was pretty low on the totem pole.
+Wynn Winberg pretty amazing piece - I still find this version more satifying than the remake --
I saw this on PBS in 1980 also, at 17 years old!!! Never forgot it. So glad I found it here, thank you...
A very under rated movie for its time. I loved this back in 1979. My wife & I enjoyed this then and now.
This makes You Tube a gold find seeing this again.
I agree with the others here. Thank you for posting. I saw it when it first aired, loved it, but then never saw it again. I assumed it had been lost to time... So, again, thank you.
Saw it at 13 and it changed me forever. It really influenced and shaped me as a person.
... IT SHAPED D.J TRUMPSKI TOO... HE ENDED UP BEING SHAPED AS A SACK 'O' SH1TE.. THAT WHAT I HEAR... 🤪
That's about how old I was when I saw it and it's influence on my perception was profound. From lucid dreaming to reality manifestation.
Me too.
I dreamed you as being a crybaby.
Now look at you😆! @@TS-1267
Or so you've been thinking ever since that dream.
The algorithm's been screaming this at me for over a year, and I finally watched. Brilliant film and not what I expected at all -- especially seeing a young Bruce Davison in it. Of course you can't go wrong with Ursuala Le Guin's work.
Unless I missed it, it's never explained how his dreams change anything. 🗯️ *Just like superheroes can fly, but how does it work and why do they need stupid capes? 🤣🤣
The first time I saw this we had an earthquake in the Dayton, OH area during the final 10 minutes or so of the movie. Needless to say, the apocalyptic elements of the film plus actual ground starting shaking followed by the TV going off air combined to scare the bloody living daylights out of me.
I remember during a horror movie gathering I think we watching a movie called Bones and at the end all this supernatural stuff was happening and the lamp in the room started flickering along with the sounds in the rumbling and shaking of things in the movie. I didn't notice for awhile and someone else pointed it out and it was really freaky feeling at first but then I realized the lamp was on my Subwoofer and it had a loose bulb in it. LOL
Dayton.....seems like a scary place. You ok, out there?
THX Audio has noting on 1970’s PBS.
Lol 😁❤️
I was living in Washington Courthouse... I remember that quake. We had nothing of the sort back then...BEFORE fraking. :(
I thought so highly of this movie that I had my company sponsor a grant to play it on our local educational channel in about 1981. in Humboldt County California I still think it is one of the best sci-fi ever written.
I just finished the book a few hours ago and I immediately looked for this. Book adaptations inevitably lose a few things here and there, but this is quite good, especially for a TV movie. Goes to show that you don't need absurd amounts of money and CGI to make good, thought-provoking entertainment.
Far superior to the remake with Lucas Haas, James Caan, and Lisa Bonet.
@@billhenry7213 I agree!
Just some great actors and directors. It helped to have the author on the set.
And for anyone who thinks the government doesn't do anything right...it was PBS that financed this movie. I think we got good value for our tax dollars! :-)
That's my feeling, if you have a good story and actors you don't need those special effects, here's the proof.
I watched this late at night in 1980, was only 15 years old at the time and it's stuck with me so poignantly ever since. Just watched it again on YT, because of course no streaming service has it. Still just as captivating as it was 40 years ago!
I was the same age when I saw it and had the same impact
Exactly same here, even being 15. It was the first confirmation that I felt was realistic or attempted to be about things like the look of aliens, and such a deep and poignant concept. There was a fair amount of ubiquitous fear of a Soviet attack during the Cold War, so watching this brought me back to that angst feeling.
Oh man you should read it. I've read it three or four times over the years.
It all comes FULL CIRCLE.. Furkle.. that's a term I seem to have come up with.. or did I go down without it..
..
..best to just BOX OUTSIDE THE THINK..😅
-Turbofish
Maybe it was just a dream @@QuestionTheAnswers 2:45
What a CLASSIC.
Saw it when it aired on PBS in '80. Never forgot it. I'm currently re-reading the book.
Thanks for posting this. Brought back a lot of good memories.
Me also, I was 14. Blew me away, never forgot it.
How does the book compare to the movie 🎥? I hope you read The Wanderer by Fritz Leiber
Same here! Was blown away by how creative the story was. I'm told someone did a remake?
I'm Canadian, and I remember seeing that on WNED Buffalo in 1980.
@@Mr.Howell78k In the book, Haber, being represented by the horse, is somewhat aware and confused by the change of Mt Hood picture. He suggests George dream Mt Hood back up on the wall. George dreams of the horse taking a big steaming dump. The pile of dung becomes Mt Hood, but no longer covered with snow. Now the steaming pile is a smoking, volcanic mountain . I always missed that element in the movie. There is also much more background and understanding about Heather's origins. So go grab the book, read, and enjoy !
Although the production seems dated now, I saw this when it was originally aired on PBS and was floored by the story's concept.
Yes....it's all about the story.
I also saw this back then on PBS. I've never forgotten it.
As a novel and miniseries. It was mind expanding to me.
Still the best version of this novel.
DITTO!
Yes, even though I had read the novel before the film was broadcast in 1980, I was still floored by it (although, I was only 14-years-old).
I, too, saw this in the original and was very impressed by the production. Very ambitious for PBS at the time.
I'm so glad I dreamed up the internet and youtube and this story 2 minutes ago and woke up just before you read this comment.
I dreamed up copyright infringement and, to quote Dr. Evil, you owe me... One million dollars! LOL LOL LOL
Only watching because of your comment.
@Michael Marek I did that, too, and 15 seconds from now, none of YOU exist!
Antwerp!
@@jayns1698
Hammer.
How did I ever find this again? Last time I saw this, I was probably in a blanket in front of the TV and half asleep.
I had flickering memories of the Dallas Reunion (ball) Tower and Beatles "I get by with a little help from my friends" from 34 years ago (11yr old then).
I've always thought it was just a dream or something. I just did a TH-cam search, found this movie, scanned the thumbnails and there it is! Wow, as I remember it!
Memory fragments + TH-cam... AMAZING STUFF!
🕊
Visually fantastic and audibly superb
I've been looking for this film since 1984. I saw it in a High School class!
I watched this on PBS back in the day. PBS also used to run the Dr. Who series with Tom Baker as the doctor.
Yes and there was a lot of amazing programming then.
I was 9 years old when I saw it on PBS- I never forgot it even though I had no idea until today what it was. I was just describing it to a friend two days ago!!!
you can do it Duffy !!!
This is the kind of SF gat got me hooked some 40 years ago! Great story line and some excellent acting!
I haven't seen this since it last aired - I am very happy to have found it again after many years of looking. This is one of my favorite science fiction movies.
It is science eventuality
I last watched this on PBS in the early 80's, it's still great.
I saw this in 1980 on PBS .It had the Beatles recording . The DVD issue has the one made by Elvis Costello .. I have a VHS copy of that original 1980 PBS broadcast .
Not unironic that a movie about revision of reality is revised
I saw it when it first aired on PBS in 1980, definitely one of my favorite TV sci fi movies. Always gotta laugh when the pompous shrink gets his comeuppance in the end, even the actor playing him looks like he's struggling to stay in character.
I remember being in 9th grade and my English teacher assigned this movie as homework. I watched it on a teensy little black and white tv, and I didn't understand half of what the plot was. I was only about 14 at the time. But the movie always stuck with me.
Hey! I’m in 9th grade right now and had to read the book this year for summer reading. I’m taking a test on it this week. I really hope this movie sticks with me
@@audreygreen8697well did the movie have an impact on you? 🤔🤔 The book and movie certainly had strong influences on me(good and bad)… but I’m not sure about others
First time I saw this movie. It definitely looks & feels science fiction. Good acting. Feel sad at end for evil Dr in wheelchair looking defeated on his face. Thank you for excellent download!
RIP Ursula K Le Guin
I saw this on PBS in 1980. Thanks for posting it so that I can enjoy it again.
I also watched it on PBS and thought it was wonderful. I've never forgotten it. Yes, it clearly was on a budget (I always remember the cracks in the sidwalks), but I thought it was wonderful. Still do. Diane, using Joe's tablet.
This is such a good movie, why is it not known any better??
I saw this on PBS when it aired. Been looking just the name for decades. Someone posted a picture of the water park from a screenshot of Logan's run. Did an image search and found the name of the movie that way. So glad you uploaded this so i could watch this again after almost 45 years.
"Lathe of Heaven" has long been one of my favorite books, and this production of it was wonderfully done. I'm so happy to have found it again.
So the movie does the novel justice? I love UKLG but am not familiar at all with this novel.
I think so. Of course, every book has nuances that a movie can't quite nail, but Ursula LeGuin was very pleased with it. There was a terrible remake a few years ago, but don't waste your time on it. This one is much, much superior and more true to the novel.
Ursula K. LeGuin worked closely with the production and she was quite pleased with the outcome.
I discovered this movie when I was like 17 or series whatever it is I've been kind of obsessed with it ever since and I never knew it was a book
I actually prefer the movie to the book. It is a little less jumbled, and the actors do such a good job.
I saw this movie originally on KTER public broadcasting in 1980. And it’s very well done. I miss these kind of movies. All we have today is crap and unimaginative crap at that. Thanks for uploading this film you help keep this type of movie alive.
This was an amazing program I didn't even know about 24 hours ago!
I think I might get on my bicycle tomorrow and go explore some of these locations, such as downtown City Hall which is about a 10 minute bike ride from me and then the reunion tower which is only about 4-5 minutes from the City Hall building).
What a trip to live in Dallas Texas and know that I can visit a couple of these amazing locations!
Dallas Texas. You can Google the movie and discover that even though it was supposed to be Portland Oregon (I'm not sure if any of it was shot in Seattle or not) a lot of it was actually shot in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. You may recognize this one fountain scene as the same fountain that's shown at the end of the great movie Logan's Run.
I remember watching this on PBS when it came out. It was also one of the first DVDs I bought when I got my first DVD player back in Nov. 2000. Thanks so much for posting this!
The movie really is beautifully done. It gets the book across. Its producers must actually have listened to Ms. LeGuin.
+John Rasmussen she was involved, or at least maybe consulted, but she approved of it totally and is interviewed on the DVD by Bill Moyers. She is great on it! Edit, from wiki: "Le Guin, by her own account, was involved in the casting, script planning, re-writing, and filming of the production.[2]"
I found the paperback of this edition at a used bookstore for $11 about a year ago. I really need to dig into it soon.
I originally had the fortune of seeing it on PBS in Chicago back in 1980. I was able to record a copy on VHS and have watched it quite a few times in forty years. It may not look like millions on the screen but story, acting and direction are excellent. The imagination of Ursula Le Guin's great book goes far beyond any explosion filled bloodbath. 5 Star *****
Back when intelligent TV could actually sometimes get made and be aired. These days even PBS ain't what it used to be.
I saw this in the early 80's on PBS and I was blown away. I'm glad it's on YT. This movie is so good that I have to watch it about once a year or once every two years. I saw the remake but it didn't seem as good as this original.
THERE'S A REMAKE?!??..... They're almost never as good or better than the original.
That's where I saw it too. On the Seattle PBS station (KCTS nine, I think)....
Didn't know that THEY made it!!!!!
Well, not the PBS station in Seattle.
I saw it pretty close to when it was released.... Somewhere between 1979 and 1985.
Do you think the author read watchmen? With the humanity uniting to fight an alien force?
@Eet_Mia boy that really was a stupid question for me to ask. Maybe I meant the author of watchmen read lathe of heaven but I doubt it. Just pure idiocy on my part. Thanks for noticing
The remake was 1995.
My PBS had multiple requests for years to show this version again but said they could not legally, although I do not remember the reasons. The demand was great.
Fantastic. I remember catching this film on PBS, late at night, when I must have been about ten years old. I had to watch it with the volume very low and the brightness way down, lest my folks discover I wasn't asleep.
It utterly fascinated me. It's never completely left my mind.
PBS is where I first saw this movie. I particularly like idea of altering future through one's dreams
PBS is also where I saw the classic sci fi animated movie Fantastic Planet as well.
So close to the truth .
I enjoyed this immensely, and wonder how many among us have made it through the veil of insanity to understand the potential that we all hold..
I was one of the fortunate few (many it turned out) that lucked out to see, "The Lathe Of Heaven" in its only one televised appearance in 1980. Like everyone else, we didn't understand why the movie was not shown again. It simply dropped off the radar. This was long before the Internet so no one could investigate and without social media, no one could talk about it. In the 90s a gray market VHS appeared for sale. But in the 2000s finally a fully legit manufactured DVD appeared, which I purchased. I was thrilled to watch the movie again. The Lathe Of Heaven proves that to make a good movie you don't always need expensive props and special effects. The Lathe Of Heaven was more of a made-for-television movie that succeeded.
SPOILERS. Even I didn't know about this until much later on because I didn't see the movie from its very start. What I learned was that a global thermonuclear war devastated Portland, Oregon. George Orr survived the blast but was dying of radiation poisoning. In his death throes, Orr dreamed the nuclear war did not occur and everything was as it was should be.
I'm thinking about writing the script for a biopic about George Ohr. What are your thoughts
@@anthonylilly6862 George Orr. It's not up to me. I don't know what your plans are.
Yes, I saw this when it first aired and thought it great. And I noticed it just disappeared. Was so happy to find it here. And it was great as I remembered.
@@nelsonx5326 That was the big mystery why "The Lathe of Heaven" disappeared for so long. Turns out it had to do with legal copyright and publishing issues, of which I do not have the full details.
Many people were thrilled when bootleg VHS copies of the movie appeared around 1993-94 or so.
But the golden grail was when all the legal issues had finally been worked out. Legal DVD copies began appearing and I was quick to purchase one.
I still remember the night that by random chance I got to see most of the movie on television in my college friend's home over the Christmas break.
@@anthonylilly6862 How could one possibly do a "biopic" for a fictional character? ;) Perhaps you'd like to try your hand at a third adaptation of Le Guin's novel? Is that what you meant? If so, I'm all for it. There can never be too many adaptations of Le Guin's work in an attempt to do them justice, seeing as this movie was the only good one.
Since I first saw this on PBS in the 80’s, I have had nothing but ‘effective dreams’ since!
So you're the one that keeps changing everything. Dream something else. kidding.
Saw this when I was a kid. Took YEARS for me to finally figure out what it was. Wow.
The teacher showed us this in class in 1980. Ten year olds we were, and it was incomprehensible.
that's because your a moron ! you poor simpleton
So....what about now? Any more comprehensible?
Back then, teachers were allowed to do a lot of creative things. These days, you can hardly show anything (book or movie) in your class that wasn't sanctioned and approved by some stodgy school-board of suits based on the recommendations of some highly paid pundits that are personal friends to those board members.
Good point
beautiful movie. I remember watching it on PBS in portland decades ago. At that time it was the original Beatles Help From My Friends, not a copy as in this version. It was the song that keeps reminding me of this movie. Thank you for posting it.
This is every bit as good as the first time I saw it - over twenty years ago. Bruce, Margaret and of course Kevin..tops. A provocative story - way before "Inception" with Leo Di Caprio. Why is the dream landscape so eternally fascinating? Hmm..UPDATE 2022: Now that Kevin Conway has left us, this is especially wonderful to be able to watch, whenever we wish.
I didnt even know this movie existed until a little over two hours ago. George Orr has,well changed me too. Brilliantly sublime storytelling. Shall I watch this so called remake now and shatter the experience I've just had?
This was a beautiful production. It really spoke to me in 1980 and I think I must have watched it a thousand times (I wore out the VHS tape).
I was shocked at how ridiculous the A&E version in 2002 was compared to this more faithful version--lots of false drama in the updated version.
This movie is amazing. Very deep. The special effects were great, no CGI.
I still have this on Video Tape and watch it every few years. Great to see it on TH-cam! Loved this when it came out. Sad to hear that it only exists on Video Tape. Cheers for posting!
Always loved the great old movie!! Thanks so so much for posting !!
I just read a comment made by Ms. Le Guin herself about this version of her book. She was involved in all aspects of its filming, and said everyone involved did a great job. Unlike the EarthSea mini-series, which she said was basically a botch job translation of her book. Excited to watch it her. Thanks!
Also, a bit of info. Much of the exterior shots were from here in Dallas. The "Haber Institute" is the City of Dallas building; opposite the Main Library (which is the same shape building, but turned on its side). The same building was used as OCP headquarters in "Robocop" (parts of which were filmed here as well). The futuristic train-ride is the light-rail trolley that was (then) just put in use at DFW air-port. -- Share and enjoy ! --30--
The trolley was from Tandy Center in Fort Worth
Rest In Peace, Ursula K. Le Guin ... October 21, 1929 - January 22, 2018
This movie is 45 years old and I'm Just now seeing it? Very cool plot. Wish i had seen this when I was 17 back in 1980
I think the end water feature shot was taken at Dallas council building and was also used in the film Logans run as well.
I too, watched this in 1980 on PBS. This was the only production of one of her novels that Ursula K. Le Guin endorsed/approved of...
Thanks for posting! Saw this on PBS when it came out, back in the day when PBS showed some really cool stuff.
Nicely done! Good film. An interesting premise: one person with the ability to affect and change reality. But perhaps none of it is real? What if we are nothing more than figures dreamt up by one such person? I feel like my life is nothing more than a nightmare at times. Thank you for posting!
A mandarin sleeping under a tree dreams he is a butterfly, dreaming he is a mandarin. Hmmm...
I always wonder what's happening with the rest of the universe.
If I remember correctly, at the end you realize that it might not just be the protagonist that has this ability, it might be everyone.
Which if you think about it is true: all of our dreams combine to create our reality.
WOW! What a great piece of work. Thanks for all involved with this story.
The Hyatt Regency, Reunion Tower, and City Hall were all opened when this was filmed in 1978. Great way to showcase the Dallas of the future. Also good to see that the Water Gardens got more sci-fi mileage besides Logan's Run.
The Tandy Center Subway and the DFW Airport trains were nice touches too.
I thought that the subway looked familiar!
Thank you for uploading this movie.
This is a very interesting movie that has a certain aura, a mood of its own.
Wow. I remember seeing this on TV back in the 80's. Good stuff.
Recall is the pauper of rememberence
I have never forgotten this brilliant film based upon the equally brilliant novel! I saw it at as SF convention here in Australia.
It's been decades since PBS ran anything this good.
Very true. Remember many have claimed, falsely, this was the so called 'dark times' (Reagan/Thatcher). Inferring the Arts sufferned. But they couldn't have been more wrong. I find the 80s were the Golden Age of PBS programming with original productions to all the exceptional imports. There was always something great on PBS in the 80s, from productions like this, to Tinker Tailor and Smiley's People, to all the fantastic Masterpiece Theater shows and Mystery programs to Frugal Gourmet. Also, I was introduced to Doctor Who then, as well. Hitchhiker's Guide was aired and made me a lifelong Doug Adams fan. Piece of Cake, Brideshead, Private Shultz, Danger UXB, Flame Trees of Thika, Jewel in the Crown, The Citadel...the list is endless of excellent series that aired during those so-called 'dark times'. Heck, if those were 'dark times', I'll take them any day over what the dumbed down and PC stuff they air today.
Today, I don't bother even turning it on except for very rare and usually local only shows on Public Television. Very sad. When they cancelled Reading Rainbow in 2006 or so, I knew they had their heads on backwards over there. And I gave up on them. No more donations, either. You can keep your tote bags, PBS. You dropped the ball, big time.
ensitu no; Im stating what a piece of human waste material ronnie ray gun was and will always be.
ensitu ayn rand slowly roasts in hell for eternity for her crimes against humanity
Rann Rudisill This was PBS' most highly rated show, ever
I remember Tom Baker Dr Who about this time on PBS. Good Stuff.
What an amazing concept for a film. I remember this movie years after watching.
It was Ursula's storytelling that made it great. Very thought provoking....
One of my favourite books - I wasn't aware any screen adaptations had been made until I saw an old interview with LeGuin where she spoke about it... thanks for posting this.
It'd be nice to see the same script brought up to date & re-done with a better budget - unlike Wizard of Earthsea's screen treatments, the script for this has treated the book with the respect it deserves.
This rendition of K. LeGuin's prescient novel in 1980 marks for me (and highlights) the transition from mathematician to actor in the same year, which was tumultuous. I only mention this because at the time of viewing this I was on the brink of dumping my dream of being a scientist and activating the dream of becoming an actor. No, I'm not implying I'm any great shakes in the acting world. It's just the synchronicity within the world of Lathe and my world that was so close, so precise; it was eerie. It still gives me chills. I'm so happy to be able to view it here now. Thankyou for posting this!!! Lathe of Heaven was the penultimate viewing experience for me.
The best Sci Fi ever, I don't care what anybody else says it is the best. It has everything you could dream of.
Haven't seen or read in years !! I love it !! Up there with the best of the best sci fi flicks !!!!
This is from the 2000 DVD release. The Beatles song, With a Little Help from my Friends, was done by Elvis Costello. The actual 1980 broadcast, which I have in possession, the recording was performed by the Beatles. When the DVD was being produced, WNET couldn't get the permission to reproduce this song, thus had to do a different cover artist to perform the song to keep this segment of the film intact.
good to know - not that I have aught against Costello.
I thought I recognised the voice.
I'd be interested in the original broadcast copy.
Yes, correct. And believe it or not, this version is re-created from user's copies of this broadcast, not the original. Why, you ask? Because PBS destroyed the original. After the rights issue regarding the Beatles songs, misguided executives at PBS felt the production would never again be aired since it was too expensive to retain the rights to the music. So they destroyed it. When the desire to re release this was made a call for any existing copies went out and pieces were joined together to create this version. As the poster stated, a newer cover for "With a Little Help" replaced the original, not coming anywhere near the original feeling for that scene.
It's a pity, because that was the one scene I always remembered and to see it altered was a huge disappointment. It was like seeing Star Wars again after many years and being shocked to see Luke not turning off the computer and not using The Force to destroy the Death Star. ;) By the way, a copy with the original Beatles song intact is out there making the rounds. You may get lucky and find it. I did. Cheers.
Robbie R. Esq. ... which my 1980 copy, being on VHS Tape, is of that original PBS broadcast that was originally recorded on an extinct format video recorder. Before the owner of that unit got rid of it, I made the VHS copy.
thank you so much for putting this on!
Arguably one of the greatest sci-fi films ever.
Certainly for a thought-provoking story.
I saw this when it aired on PBS. Loved it enough to go out and buy the book. Loved it, too.
I first read the novel in the mid-seventies and greatly enjoyed it, though I had read several of Le Guin's novels by then. I didn't need further proof of what a good writer she was. I recently re-read it, along with 'The Left Hand of Darkenss'.
She returned to the dreaming theme in a later novel, 'The Word for World is Forest'.
I heard an interview with her where she said the production had only two hundred and fifty thousand dollars and three weeks to make this movie. Muchof it was shot on loc\tion in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Given all that, this is a pretty good effort despite its obscurity at times, and I enjoyed it as well. It most likely benefitted from having Le Guin as a creative consultant.
The film has its faults, such as the Haber, and Lelache character especially, seem underwritten/powered.
The look it creates of a futuristic Portland, grimy, dilapidated and full of high tech, forever rain soaked seems to have made an impact with other film makers as the image is endelssly repeated in many science fiction films.
I would recommend the novel for its greater complexity and depth; along with Le Guin's other works.
'Ive been looking for this film for years. I saw it in a High School class!I
The real original aired version had the Beatles version of "With A Little Help From My Friends."
Thanks for that. I made an audio recording of the film back in the day. It had the original. Weird without it. They must have lost the rights at some point in marketing copies.
Most excellent. Video starts off fuzzy, but gets better. The story is a mind-blower. Poor Hero!
I remember watching it when it was first came out too in 1979 or 1980. I was 9 years old. I got around to reading the book when I was 15 years old or so. PBS did re-air it as part of some anniversary celebration in 1987 or so and I taped it on VHS that time. I lent that tape to a friend, whose stepfather taped a baseball game over it and I did not see the movie again until 2000 when the copyright issues were finally resolved.
My Ghu, that's the original movie! I remembered watching it on PBS. Hell of a lot better than the 2002 adaptation.
It's been bookmarked and downloaded (just in case) Great to see it again. Thank you very much.
This story is incredibly deep on many levels and a classic illustration of the Law of Unintended Consequences in action...as well as of the dangers of human arrogance. Nothing exists in isolation and acting as if it does is not only pointless but potentially dangerous because changing one piece without taking any thought for how it connects to the rest of the whole will create new problems elsewhere. Solving all humanity's problems sounds wonderful in theory but is not realistic because everyone is different and what one person experiences as good, another person regards as bad. Even if we were miraculously able to solve all of humanity's problems somehow, humanity (at least at this stage of our evolution) appears to need at least some degree of adversity or resistance in order to reach our potential -- and without problems, there is no adversity or resistance forcing us to grow.
Deep thougt, @OreadNYC ! In French, we say : l'enfer est pavé de bonnes intentions ;-) "The greatest good, for the greatest number."
Well said!
Yes, small action can have big consequences. For myself, there have been actions that have changed the future. All of them have had a negative impact on my family, close friends, and relatives. I look back in my life, and it hits me. Holy crap look at what I have done. And it could have been avoided.
Now, I do whatever actions that may help others. It is difficult, and maybe that is the price that is required. I am very sorry for what I have done and try to atone(ment) for my actions.
Hello and thank you for saying this. I too, found this film deep on a few levels and curious about it. Specifically, why couldn't Dr. Haber handle the Augmentor and why could George?
I also couldn't help but see a parallel between this film and Disney's The Black Hole that was done a year earlier. Both Dr. Haber and Dr. Reinhardt have basically disconnected from society, both have a strong yearning to be recognized for their work, and both try to play God with potentially disastrous consequences. There's probably a few more parallels...these are just the ones I saw immediately.
@LaurentGoychman01 We have a literal translation of the same maxim -- "the road to Hell is paved with good intentions." It's absolutely true regardless of what language it's in. Good intentions are simply not enough because good intentions at least as often as not do not result in good outcomes thanks to the Law Of Unintended Consequences.
Thank you so much for putting this movie on here. I've been thinking about this movie since I was a kid when I first saw it. When it first or shortly after it came out on television. Kept wondering why I never saw it again. Kept trying to find it. It stayed in my mind all these years.
Anyway, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You.
This was the first original movie that PBS made. They had a budget of $250K, 1/4 the weekly budget of the leading sitcom of the time. As Ms LeGuin said, there are no "bad guys" in the story, and they create disaster.
I suppose it depends on exactly how you define a "bad guy" since everyone has slightly different ideas of what "bad" means. Haber is certainly not a "bad guy" in the sense of being a deliberately cruel or evil man because his intentions are essentially good ones but this doesn't change the fact that good intentions are not enough because people inadvertently can and often do cause great harm while trying to create something beneficial. Haber is not evil but he's definitely arrogant with the result that he becomes drunk on his own power.
@@OreadNYC Lord Acton's axiom. Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Haber's main failing was pride - 'I'm so smart, I know better than some little wimp how to make the world a better place, and if he won't use his power to do it, why shouldn't I?'
The best stories do not clearly define 'good' and 'evil'......... but let the reader/viewer sort it out for themselves. Anyone can tell you what to think, the best authors challenge you to think. Read the 'Epic of Gilgamesh ' if you haven't already.
Wow! I love this movie no matter how many times I see it.
Great Story. Better than all the remakes.
Ringo Starr's Song !! This was the First "Movie" on PBS. Before the Internet, Cell phones, and even Before "C-SPAN" was alive, there was this bit of sci-fi. I love the camera work. It was a reminder of the Hippie's posters from the 60s.
Nice to see this again! A couple of years before this was made, I had the pleasure of working as one of several dancers with Ed Emshwiller, the creator of the special effects. A very interesting person, one of the earliest experimental videographers. His career started with being an abstract expressionist action painter, and an illustrator for science fiction magazines. He was extremely popular with authors because his illustrations always matched exactly what the stories said. Then he started to do stop-motion animation of his paintings, then he started to superimpose live action on them. Then he "graduated" to doing electronic manipulation of video imagery and (I think) finally digital manipulation.
I had heard of him because he was one of two artists featured in a PBS special about experimental video, and I fell in love with his work. (The other was Peter Campus, and I fell in love with his work too.) So when a choreographer I knew had a project with Emshwiller, I jumped at the chance to be in it. Unfortunately, the project was never completed.
Check out Emswhiller's "Self Trio", a collaboration with the wonderful dancer Carolyn Carlson, who is an amazing improvisor -- especially in *this* film! ;^)
www.numeridanse.tv/en/dance-videotheque/self-trio
"To let understanding stop at what cannot be understood... is a high attainment. Those who cannot do it, will be destroyed on The Lathe of Heaven." My favorite quote from the movie... what the alien says is true, Learn to live in the light of the mystery of being, you'll be happier that way. Mystery is an integral part of life, it's what makes existence wonderful.
So "mystery is an integral part of life" eh? To a certain extent it is, the very fact you're alive at all is as big a mystery as you'll ever know. But too much mystery is not healthy for the human mind or body! Especially the kind of manufactured "mysteries" religion preys on.
terrypussypower
Yes, but what would it feel like if we could truly experience real mysteries.?.. I'm for the mystery of direct experience, what would it feel like to be at the waterfall splashing, instantly? What would it feel like when you get high? What would it feel like, when you make love? Those are real mysteries, and life would totally suck without them!
CosmicFork You want a real mystery? Try smoking 30 mgs of DMT! Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, gets more mysterious than that!
not so mysterious
He whose mind is thus grandly fixed emits a Heavenly light. In him who emits this heavenly light men see the (True) man. When a man has cultivated himself (up to this point), thenceforth he remains constant in himself. When he is thus constant in himself, (what is merely) the human element will leave him, but Heaven will help him. Those whom their human element has left we call the people of Heaven. Those whom Heaven helps we call the Sons of Heaven. Those who would by learning attain to this seek for what they cannot learn. Those who would by effort attain to this, attempt what effort can never effect. Those who aim by reasoning to reach it reason where reasoning has no place. To know to stop where they cannot arrive by means of knowledge is the highest attainment. Those who cannot do this will be destroyed on the lathe of Heaven.
庄子 or 莊子 Zhūangzi (c. 369 BC - c. 286 BC)
en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Zhuangzi
I remember this on PBS while living in Fort Worth.
I have not seen this movie since 1980. Mt. St. Helen's had erupted, a major tornado had destroyed large parts of Kalamazoo, Mi. It felt to me as if someone was dreaming of disasters in my world. Wow. Now, this is just an old SF movie.
"What if reality is being pulled out from under us all the time" -George Orr
This provides an interesting perspective on the Mandela Effect. Hope everything Well for Mr. Orr.
Reminiscent of something the British comedic science fiction author Douglas Adams wrote in The Restaurant At The End Of The Universe:
"There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable."
"There is another theory which states that this has already happened."
I now wonder if Adams might have been making a subtle hat tip to Ursula LeGuin when he wrote those lines.
If you liked this checkout the Mandela Effect 2019, not great but worth a watch
❤ Thanks for posting...saw it when it first aired PBS in Dallas... great acting.
Thank you so much! I have been trying to get this for years..Namaste
Thanks so much for putting this up. I saw it a couple times way back when, and just recently really wanted to re-visit it. Lo and behold. It holds up pretty well too...
Thanks again.
Still awesome all these years later.
There is much that this proclivity pertained to thus saith the Lord
@@glensmillie5101 A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool's back.
This was filmed on location in Dallas, TX. You can see City Hall and Reunion Tower.
RIP Ursula K. LeGuin. Her vision inspired this.
Born on a Monday and died on a Monday. I wonder if she knew that.
I saw the movie and was living in Dallas when the movie was made. The movie is a one of a kind that was a one time wonder.
I just now noticed that in George's plague dream, Dr. Haber and Heather +both+ realize what's happening as they look around the table!
One thing from the book was that after the plague dream, Heather starts to go to her old office (located in an old parking garage, so the floor was slanted!), then remembers that her office is elsewhere and wonders why she wanted to go to that other address. That's when she calls George.
The Mandela Effect! Lol.
Haber was the horse in the first dream, and being in the dream, he remembered the picture of snow covered Mt Hood on the wall. In the book, the 2nd dream was to replace the horse picture with Mt Hood. George dreams the horse is his stable, the horse takes a dump, the steaming pile of dump becomes Mt Hood volcanically active, no more snow. Just one element the movie glosses over. Get the book everybody ! Enjoy !
@@sciencedavedunning3415 The book is always better!
@@lisagulick4144 There are exceptions to even that rule, dear Lisa. The movie version of Carl Sagan's "Cosmos" was better than the book. And the SyFy network's miniseries based on A C Clarke's "Childhood's End " was an improvement. Both these examples differed greatly from thier books, but the did remain faithful to thier respective themes and messages. I try not to think in terms of absolutes.
@@sciencedavedunning3415 I'm just biased in favor of the printed word as opposed to the visualization. It's like translating a book into another language - sometimes you have to go for a paraphrase, rather than a literal translation, to get the author's message across. For readers of the original work, the translated version can be jarring.
That said, this PBS visualization of Ursula's novel is the only one she approved of and consulted on, so that's something!
I first saw this in the late 70s when I was returned to college. It struck me in a powerfully surrealistic way! The premise that the world can be modified by dream state experiences is profound!
Thanks for uploading this! I enjoyed watching it.