25th Anniversary of "Brainstorm"'s 1983 Release
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| Written and Compiled by: Mike Coate, Hollywood, USA | Date: 30.09.2008 |
 Twenty-five
years ago, “Brainstorm”, Douglas Trumbull’s “Ultimate Experience”,
was released to movie theatres. Though the film was not a box-office
success, it is remembered for its effective large-frame cinematography and
sound design, and for its interesting take on futuristic technology.CAST: Michael Brace – Christopher Walken Karen Brace – Natalie Wood Lilian Reynolds – Louise Fletcher Alex Terson – Cliff Robertson Gordy Forbes – Jordan Christopher Landon Marks – Donald Hotton Robert Jenkins – Alan Fudge Hal Abramson – Joe Dorsey James Zimbach – Bill Morey Chris Brace – Jason Lively Security Technician – Darrell Larson DIRECTOR: Douglas Trumbull SCREENPLAY: Robert Stitzel and Philip Frank Messina (Screenplay), Bruce Joel Rubin (Story) PROMOTIONAL SLOGAN: “…The Ultimate Experience” PRODUCTION COST: $18 million OPENING-WEEK BOOKINGS: 169 OPENING-WEEKEND BOXOFFICE GROSS: $1.2 million CUMULATIVE NORTH AMERICAN BOXOFFICE GROSS: $10.2 million |
More
in 70mm reading: "Brainstorm" in 65mm "..in 70mm"'s 70mm Blow up list |
Memorable Quotes |
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“You’ve blown communication, as we know it, right out of the water!” —
Cliff Robertson as Alex “This is the largest exclusive 70mm release in motion picture history, which reflects our belief that ‘Brainstorm’ is a unique motion picture experience.” — Richard B. Graff, President of Domestic Distribution, MGM/UA Entertainment Co. |
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What the Critics Said |
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 Ticket
for the Cinerama Dome“In a year replete with special effects movies, Douglas Trumbull’s ‘Brainstorm’ towers as the most wizardly of them all.” — Arthur Knight, The Hollywood Reporter “‘Brainstorm’ is a dazzling sight and sound experience!” — Leonard Maltin, Entertainment Tonight “‘Brainstorm’ is a visually captivating experience, but one that ultimately is disappointingly incomplete.” — Bob Curtwright, The Wichita Eagle-Beacon “This is a neat film, refreshingly different and remarkably intelligent. By all means, try to see this one on a large screen. It’s worth driving out of your way.” — Douglas D. Armstrong, The Milwaukee Journal “‘Brainstorm’ is a nonsensical hodgepodge which is is more irritating than entertaining.” — Don Lechman, (Santa Monica) Evening Outlook “‘Brainstorm’ may not always make a lot of sense, but it certainly looks the $18 million it ended up costing. It was photographed stunningly by Richard Yuricich.” — Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times “Fireworks explode across the screen.” — Janet Maslin, The New York Times “A landmark movie!” — Stephen Schaefer, Us Magazine “Why does the screen keep changing size? Was the movie shot with different types of film?” — Bob Lundegaard, Minneapolis Star and Tribune “‘Brainstorm’ is in 1400mm Double Dolby Super Panavision Metrocolor shot through Trumbulized Panaflex lenses in Omnivision at f/125 in North Carolina. Shooting stars and Christmas ornaments courtesy of K-Mart.” — Peter Stack, San Francisco Chronicle “Where ‘Brainstorm’ really excels is with its visual effects. It may be the best-looking picture of the year, particularly on a big screen in the 70mm format. The sound track of ‘Brainstorm’, Dolby enhanced, is particularly rich and convincing.” — Stephen Hunter, The (Baltimore) Sun “It’s a cranky, ugly movie that can’t disguise the problems that plagued it following the death of its co-star, Natalie Wood, while still in production. The movie is a double misfortune. Not only does it display Trumbull’s gifts at low ebb, it also trashes a potentially great sci-fi idea.” — Peter Rainer, (Los Angeles) Herald-Examiner |
2. oktober 2008 Hi. I just read the new article on the "Brainstorm" anniversary and fondly remember the theatrical experience during its short run back in 1983. I was just wondering if Doug Trumbull was asked or could have been asked to write some kind of retrospective on his association with the film from the beginning to the end...maybe part of a lengthy series of articles, depending on his memories and content. If memory serves me correctly, he is a proponent of 70mm films even using 65mm film to photograph visual fx in "Close Encounters", the first "Star Trek", "Blade Runner" by his FX company. Just my 2cents. Thanks for the wonderful site. JD |
Release Dates |
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30.09.1983 Canada 30.09.1983 United States 08.12.1983 Australia 08.12.1983 Puerto Rico 15.12.1983 Argentina 22.12.1983 Brazil 23.12.1983 Mexico 23.12.1983 United Kingdom 13.01.1984 Italy 01.02.1984 Belgium 01.02.1984 France 10.02.1984 Sweden 10.02.1984 West Germany 23.02.1984 Netherlands 01.03.1984 Hong Kong 16.03.1984 Israel 13.04.1984 Norway 14.04.1984 Japan 20.04.1984 Finland 23.04.1984 Denmark, Imperial Bio, Copenhagen |
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Awards |
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The Academy of Science-Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films awarded
“Brainstorm” a Saturn for Best Actress (Louise Fletcher) and Best Music
(James Horner). “Brainstorm” also received Saturn nominations in the
categories of Best Director (Douglas Trumbull), Best Science-Fiction Film,
Best Special Effects, and Best Supporting Actress (Natalie Wood). The film
also was nominated for a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation. |
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Trivia, Tidbits & Factoids |
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 “Brainstorm”
was filmed in locations throughout North Carolina, including Chapel
Hill, Durham, Kitty Hawk, Raleigh, and Southern Pines.At the time of its 1983 release, “Brainstorm” had the largest order of 70-millimeter prints struck for a North American film release, eclipsing the record set earlier in the same year by “Return of the Jedi”. The concept of “Brainstorm” is similar to that of “Altered States” (1980). The world premiere of “Brainstorm” was held on 06 October in Raleigh at the Mission Valley Cinemas as a token of appreciation to the state of North Carolina for granting filming locations. The west coast premiere was held on 29 September in Los Angeles at the Cinerama Dome. (The reason the world premiere took place one week after the film’s release was because its distributor, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, planned to release the movie on 07 October 1983, but citing positive exhibitor response to their plans for an exclusive 70mm launch, the company in mid-September pushed up the release by one week but were unable to alter their plan on short notice for the 06 October world premiere event.) During the first few weeks of its North American release, the film was presented exclusively in 70mm (see list below) before any standard 35mm prints were put into circulation. On 29 November 1981, during a holiday break from the filming of “Brainstorm”, actress Natalie Wood drowned off the coast of Santa Catalina Island, halting production for over a year until a plan for completion could be agreed upon. “Brainstorm” is one of 18 English-language feature films produced in the large-gauge Super Panavision 70 process. |
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 Clip
of 70mm film with pillarboxed image.Promoted as a Super Panavision 70 production, in actuality only a portion of the film was shot in large format. The objective “real world” sequences in “Brainstorm” were filmed in spherical 35mm and have a 1.66:1 aspect ratio; the subjective “brainstorm” sequences were originated in 65mm and are in 2.20:1. Presentations have varied over the years in how the aspect ratio changes have been handled. The 70mm and 35mm scope release prints have the 1.66:1 footage pillarboxed within the wide frame. The pan-and-scan video edition has a 1.33:1 ratio and reveals no ratio change between the real world and the brainstorm sequences. The first letterbox edition (the 1991 laserdisc) featured a transfer of the film that mirrored the original theatrical presentation. A remastered letterbox edition (the 1998 laserdisc and subsequent DVD releases) retains the proper aspect ratios but betrays the intended effect by letterboxing the brainstorm segments within the real world segments. “Brainstorm” has not (yet) been released on Blu-ray Disc. Some of the translated foreign-language titles included “Projecto Brainstorm” (Spanish), “Brainstorm Generazione Elettrinica” (Italian), and “Projekt Brainstorm” (German). |
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The 70mm Engagements |
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 Impressive,
almost 3D like, title card from "Brainstorm" - smilebox versionThe following is a list of the 70mm Six-Track Stereophonic Sound presentations during the film’s first-run North American release. These were the best cinemas in which to experience “Brainstorm”. All opened on 30 September 1983 except where indicated. ALBERTA Calgary – Famous Players CHINOOK Edmonton – Famous Players PARAMOUNT ARIZONA Phoenix – Plitt CINE CAPRI Tucson – TM EL CON 6 ARKANSAS Little Rock – UA HEIGHTS BRITISH COLUMBIA Vancouver – Famous Players PARK (Opened 02 Dec) Vancouver – Famous Players STANLEY CALIFORNIA Berkeley – Cinerama CALIFORNIA 3 Burlingame – Syufy HYATT Corte Madera – Marin CINEMA Fremont – Syufy CINEDOME 7 EAST Fresno – Festival Enterprises FESTIVAL CINEMAS Hayward – Festival Enterprises FESTIVAL CINEMAS Lakewood – Pacific LAKEWOOD CENTER Los Angeles (Hollywood) – Pacific CINERAMA DOME Los Angeles (Hollywood) – SRO PARAMOUNT (18 Nov) Los Angeles (North Hollywood) – UA MOVIES Los Angeles (Tarzana) – Mann VALLEY WEST (11 Nov) Los Angeles (Westwood Village) – Mann NATIONAL Los Angeles (Woodland Hills) – Pacific TOPANGA Modesto – Festival Enterprises FESTIVAL CINEMAS Montclair – UA MOVIES Newport Beach – Edwards NEWPORT Orange – Syufy CINEDOME 6 Palm Desert – Metropolitan TOWN CENTER 7 (11 Nov) Palm Springs – Metropolitan CAMELOT (11 Nov) Pasadena – UNITED ARTISTS Pleasant Hill – Syufy CENTURY 5 Riverside – UA TYLER MALL CINEMA 4 Sacramento – Syufy CENTURY 6 Sacramento – Syufy CINEDOME 5 San Diego – Pacific CINERAMA San Francisco – Blumenfeld REGENCY I San Jose – Syufy CENTURY 21 Santa Barbara – Metropolitan GRANADA Stockton – Festival Enterprises REGENCY CINEMAS Temple – Edwards TEMPLE Torrance – UA DEL AMO Westminster – UA TWIN (11 Nov) COLORADO Colorado Springs – Commonwealth COOPER (07 Oct) Denver – Commonwealth CONTINENTAL (07 Oct) CONNECTICUT East Hartford – Redstone SHOWCASE CINEMAS Orange – Redstone SHOWCASE CINEMAS Stamford – Trans-Lux RIDGEWAY DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washington – Circle MacARTHUR FLORIDA Fort Lauderdale – GCC GALLERIA Miami Beach – Loews BAY HARBOR North Miami Beach – Wometco 163RD STREET TRIPLE St. Petersburg – Plitt PLAZA TWIN South Miami – Wometco DADELAND TRIPLE Winter Park – Wometco WINTER PARK TRIPLE GEORGIA Atlanta – Lefont TARA HAWAII Honolulu – Consolidated WAIKIKI 3 IDAHO Boise – Plitt 8TH STREET MARKETPLACE CINEMAS ILLINOIS Calumet City – Plitt RIVER OAKS Champaign – Kerasotes VIRGINIA Chicago – Essaness LINCOLN VILLAGE Chicago – Plitt CARNEGIE (21 Oct) Chicago – Plitt ESQUIRE Evergreen Park – M&R EVERGREEN Hillside – M&R HILLSIDE SQUARE Lombard – GCC YORKTOWN Milan – Redstone SHOWCASE CINEMAS Niles – Essaness GOLF MILL Norridge – M&R NORRIDGE Schaumburg – Plitt WOODFIELD INDIANA Evansville – Redstone NORTH PARK CINEMAS 7 Indianapolis – Y&W EASTWOOD IOWA Des Moines – Dubinsky PLAZA Dubuque – Douglas CINEMA CENTER (28 Oct) KANSAS Overland Park – Dickinson GLENWOOD Wichita – Dickinson MALL KENTUCKY Erlanger – Redstone SHOWCASE CINEMAS Lexington – Mid States SOUTHPARK 6 Louisville – Redstone SHOWCASE CINEMAS LOUISIANA Metarie – GCC LAKESIDE MANITOBA Winnipeg – Famous Players NORTHSTAR MARYLAND Baltimore – Durkee SENATOR Catonsville – Einbinder & Brehm WESTVIEW MASSACHUSETTS Boston – Sack CINEMA 57 Brookline – Redstone SHOWCASE CINEMAS CIRCLE Danvers – Redstone SHOWCASE CINEMAS Dedham – Redstone SHOWCASE CINEMAS (14 Oct) Lawrence – Redstone SHOWCASE CINEMAS Revere – Redstone SHOWCASE CINEMAS Seekonk – Redstone SHOWCASE CINEMAS West Springfield – Redstone SHOWCASE CINEMAS Woburn – Redstone SHOWCASE CINEMAS (14 Oct) Worcester – Redstone SHOWCASE CINEMAS MICHIGAN Ann Arbor – UA FOX VILLAGE Bloomfield Hills – Redstone SHOWCASE CINEMAS Burton – Redstone SHOWCASE CINEMAS Dearborn – UA THE MOVIES AT FAIRLANE Grosse Pointe Woods – Nicholas George WOODS Lansing – UA SPARTAN TRIPLEX Livonia – Nicholas George MAI KAI Southfield – Nicholas George AMERICANA COMPLEX Southgate – Nicholas George SOUTHGATE Sterling Heights – Redstone SHOWCASE CINEMAS Troy – UA THE MOVIES AT OAKLAND MINNESOTA Minneapolis – Plitt SKYWAY West St. Paul – Engler SIGNAL HILLS 4 MISSOURI Creve Coeur – Wehrenberg CREVE COEUR Kansas City – Commonwealth BANNISTER MALL Kansas City – Mid-America BLUE RIDGE EAST Sappington – Wehrenberg MARK TWAIN NEBRASKA Lincoln – Commonwealth COOPER Omaha – Douglas CINEMA CENTER NEVADA Las Vegas – Syufy CINEDOME 6 Reno – Syufy CENTURY 6 NEW JERSEY Cedar Grove – CINEMA 23 (21 Oct) Edison – GCC MENLO PARK TWIN Lawrenceville – SamEric TWIN LAWRENCEVILLE Paramus – RKO Century ROUTE 4 SEVENPLEX Pennsauken – SamEric 5 PENNSAUKEN Secaucus – Loews MEADOW 6 Totowa – UA CINEMA 46 NEW MEXICO Albuquerque – GCC LOUISIANA BLVD. NEW YORK Albany – UA HELLMAN 1 & 2 Bay Shore – UA CINEMA Cheektowaga – AMC HOLIDAY 6 DeWitt – Carrols SHOPPINGTOWN 1 & 2 East Meadow – UA MEADOWBROOK QUAD (21 Oct) New York – Walter Reade ZIEGFELD Rochester – AMC STONERIDGE PLAZA Valley Stream – Redstone SUNRISE MULTIPLEX CINEMAS Woodbury – UA CINEMA 150 Yonkers – GCC CENTRAL PLAZA TWIN NORTH CAROLINA Charlotte – Plitt PARK TERRACE (07 Oct) Raleigh – Litchfield MISSION VALLEY (07 Oct) NOVA SCOTIA Halifax – Famous Players SCOTIA SQUARE OHIO Beavercreek – Mid States BEAVER VALLEY Columbus – GCC EASTLAND MALL Columbus – Mid States CONTINENT 7 Dayton – Chakeres DAYTON MALL CINEMAS Springdale – Redstone SHOWCASE CINEMAS Toledo – Redstone SHOWCASE CINEMAS Woodmere – Loews VILLAGE OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City – Commonwealth QUAIL TWIN ONTARIO Hamilton – Famous Players TIVOLI London – Famous Players PARK Ottawa – Famous Players RIDEAU CENTRE Richmond Hill – Famous Players TOWN & COUNTRYE (21 Oct) Toronto – Famous Players CUMBERLAND FOUR (21 Oct) Toronto – Famous Players EGLINTON Toronto – Famous Players MARKET SQUARE (09 Dec) Toronto – Famous Players PALACE (11 Nov) Toronto – Famous Players UPTOWN OREGON Beaverton – Luxury WESTGATE Portland – Luxury EASTGATE PENNSYLVANIA Allentown – SamEric ALLENTOWN 5 Concordville – SamEric 4 CONCORDVILLE Feasterville – SamEric 4 FEASTERVILLE Harrisburg – SamEric TWIN EAST PARK CENTER King of Prussia – SamEric TWIN PLAZA McCandless – Redstone SHOWCASE CINEMAS NORTH Monroeville – Redstone SHOWCASE CINEMAS EAST Montgomeryville – SamEric 3 MONTGOMERYVILLE Philadelphia – SamEric SAM’S PLACE I & II Pittsburgh – Cinemette FULTON Upper Darby – SamEric PILGRIM GARDENS QUEBEC Montreal – United IMPERIAL Montreal – United YORK (28 Oct) RHODE ISLAND Warwick – Redstone SHOWCASE CINEMAS SOUTH CAROLINA Charleston – Plitt ULTRAVISION (07 Oct) TENNESSEE Knoxville – Simpson CAPRI Memphis – Rand PARK Nashville – Martin BELLE MEADE TEXAS Arlington – Loews LINCOLN SQUARE Austin – Mann FOX TRIPLEX Dallas – GCC NORTHPARK CINEMA I & II Fort Worth – UA HULEN 6 Houston – GCC GALLERIA CINEMA I & II Houston – GCC MEYERLAND PLAZA Houston – Loews SOUTHPOINT 5 San Antonio – Santikos NORTHWEST UTAH Ogden – NEWGATE STARSHIPS Salt Lake City – Mann COTTONWOOD MALL 4 Salt Lake City – Syufy CENTURY 5 Salt Lake City – TROLLEY CORNERS VIRGINIA McLean – Roth TYSONS CORNER (28 Oct) Springfield – GCC SPRINGFIELD MALL WASHINGTON Alderwood – SRO GRAND CINEMAS Bellevue – SRO JOHN DANZ Riverton Heights – SRO LEWIS & CLARK Seattle – Luxury COLISUEM Spokane – Luxury FOX TRI-CINEMA Tacoma – SRO TACOMA MALL TWIN WISCONSIN Milwaukee – Marcus NORTHTOWN West Allis – Marcus SOUTHTOWN Sources/References: Numerous newspaper articles, reviews and advertisements; and Boxofficemojo; Cinerama and Large-Frame Exhibition in Canada, The Hollywood Reporter, “Brainstorm” (1983, MGM/UA); Internet Movie Database; Variety. Special thanks to Jonathan Crist, Thomas Hauerslev, Jim Perry, John Sittig, Vince Young, and the many librarians who contributed to this project. Copyright 2008 Michael Coate |
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Mike Coate |
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by Richard GreenhalghMichael Coate is a journalist and film historian. He has contributed to American Cinematographer, Boxoffice, Replication News, Sight & Sound, Widescreen Review, and the websites CinemaTreasures.org, FromScriptToDVD.com, and In70mm.com. He was Widescreen Review magazine's Research Editor from 1997 to 2004. In 2004, he co-founded FromScriptToDVD.com, and in 2008 created Fans of Showmanship, a Yahoo! group focusing on the discussion of film history. Attending baseball games across the USA is Mike's hobby when he's not haunting libraries around the globe looking to unearth useful facts about film history. He is a graduate of the Radio-Television-Film program at California State University Long Beach and lives in Los Angeles. |
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