Lathe of Heaven (film)
A man's dreams can reshape reality.
This 2002 television film, a science fiction adaptation of Ursula K. Le Guin’s 1971 novel, aired on A&E on September 8. Directed by Philip Haas from a script by Alan Sharp, it stars James Caan, Lukas Haas, and Lisa Bonet. The production earned a Saturn Award nomination for Best Single Program Presentation.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Science fiction
- Based on
- The Lathe of Heaven, Ursula K. Le Guin
- Writer
- Alan Sharp
- Director
- Philip Haas
- Starring
- James Caan
- Lukas Haas
- Lisa Bonet
- Music
- Angelo Badalamenti
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
Facts from the source article.
Synopsis
This adaptation cuts much of the book’s plot, several minor characters, and most of its philosophical depth, removing both an alien invasion and a storyline about racial equality. The story is set in a future where George Orr overdoses using a pharmacy card that isn’t his. He is deeply troubled by his dreams and appears suicidal, using drugs to keep from dreaming. After the overdose, his lawyer Heather Lelache punishes him by sending him to a psychologist. That psychologist, William Haber, has a machine called an augmentor that looks like a dentist’s chair and lets him probe Orr’s mind. Haber hypnotizes Orr to dream of a horse in a field; when Orr wakes, a painting of Lady Godiva on a horse has appeared on the office wall. Haber then exploits Orr’s power for his own benefit, transforming his own status from an ordinary M.D. into a famous researcher.
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