Awakenings
by Penny Marshall
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: John Heard, Julie Kavner, Robert De Niro, Robin Williams, Ruth NelsonDirector: Penny Marshall
Brand: Sony
Producer: Penny Marshall
Producer: Amy Lemisch
Producer: Arne Schmidt
Producer: Lawrence Lasker
Producer: Walter F. Parkes
Writer: Oliver Sacks
Writer: Steven Zaillian
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; Spanish (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; Spanish (Subtitled); French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.85:1
Running Time: 121 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1997-09-10
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Sony Pictures
Movie Reviews of Awakenings
Movie Review: "for him, it's as if there were thousands of bars and behind the thousands of bars no world..."
Summary: 5 Stars
Awakenings grabs your attention from the very beginning and it never lets go. The plot moves along at a good pace and the acting is superb. Moreover, this film is somewhat based on the real life experiences of Dr. Oliver Sacks, a prominent psychiatrist. The cinematography is excellent and the choreography also shines; this is not a film you'll forget anytime soon.
When the action starts we meet a healthy young boy named Leonard Lowe (Anthony J. Nici) and two of his friends playing and going to school in the 1930s. Unfortunately, Leonard develops an illness so disabling he cannot write his exams in school. Leonard must stay home every day and he becomes more and more ill over time. We then flash forward to the summer of 1969 to meet Dr. Malcolm Sayer (Robin Williams) who, despite his relative lack of clinical experience, gets hired to practice psychiatry at a hospital in The Bronx area of New York City. Dr. Sayer's coworkers, including the doctors, think very little of him; and Sayer's only friend is one of the nurses named Eleanor Costello (Julie Kavner). Many of the patients in the chronic care hospital have been either comatose or unresponsive for decades; and clearly the staff has given up on them. Nevertheless, Sayer and Nurse Costello do extensive chart research and they find that many if not all of the patients had encephalitis when they were younger--could this be a clue as to how to treat them?
Sayer thinks he has an answer that can help the patients; but his boss and colleagues bristle when he suggests using a drug called L-Dopa. Sayer thinks that this drug could help the patients at the hospital although it was designed to treat entirely different disorders. Dr. Sayer bravely insists that at least one patient should be allowed to try the drug on an experimental basis; and thus the now grown up Leonard Lowe (Robert DeNiro) is given the drug.
Much to the delight of Sayer, Leonard "awakens" from his relatively catatonic state and experiences the change in the world that has come about during his nearly thirty years of being "away." Leonard is shocked that he is now a man; and his mother Mrs. Lowe (Ruth Nelson) is sometimes hurt when Leonard wants to spend time with a woman instead of her! Leonard also wants to go for a walk alone outside the hospital; but even Dr. Sayer is worried that he could be taken advantage of all alone in the real world without some supervision.
Yes, even more patients get better with the proper dosages of the drug L-Dopa. But will things stay that way? Watch the movie and find out!
In particular, the performances in this film are unforgettable. Robert DeNiro is stellar as the grown up Leonard Lowe; and Robin Williams surely does a huge stretch from being the funny, wacky comedian to playing the role of a somewhat nerdy doctor in this movie. Julie Kavner also turns in a convincing performance as the one staff member who truly believes in Dr. Sayer.
Awakenings deserves to be in your DVD collection. This film will appeal especially to people like me who have worked with troubled or sick individuals in hospitals or clinics; and people who enjoy human interest stories will appreciate this motion picture as well.
Summary of Awakenings
Based on the true story of a shy research physician who uses an experimental drug to awaken catatonic victims of a rare sleeping sickness. Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 12/21/2004 Starring: Robert Deniro Robin Williams Run time: 120 minutes Rating: Pg13 Director: Penny MarshallBased on the acclaimed book by neurologist Oliver Sacks, director Penny Marshall's hit 1990 drama stars Robin Williams as Dr. Malcolm Sayer. Sayer is a neurologist who discovers that the drug L-Dopa can be used to "unlock" patients in a mental hospital from the mysterious sleeping sickness that has left them utterly immobilized. Leonard (Robert De Niro) is one such patient who awakens after being in a comatose state for 30 years, leaving Sayer to guide Leonard in adjusting to the world around him. Penelope Ann Miller costars as the daughter of another patient, with whom Leonard falls tenuously in love. Earning Oscar nominations for best picture, actor, and screenplay, this moving fact-based drama was a hit with critics and audiences alike. --Jeff Shannon
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