Overdrawn at the Memory Bank
A programmer trapped in a computer battles a dystopian conglomerate.
Overdrawn at the Memory Bank is a 1984 science fiction television film starring Raul Julia and Linda Griffiths. Based on a 1976 John Varley short story from the Eight Worlds series, it was co-produced by Canada's RSL Films, Ltd and New York's WNET. The film was shot on videotape due to its limited budget and later featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Science fiction
- Based on
- "Overdrawn at the Memory Bank", John Varley
- Teleplay
- Corinne Jacker
- Director
- Douglas Williams
- Starring
- Raul Julia
- Linda Griffiths
- Wanda Cannon
- Donald C. Moore
- Louis Negin
- Chapelle Jaffe
- Jackie Burroughs
- Maury Chaykin
- Music
- John Tucker
- Country
- Canada; United States
- Language
- English
Facts from the source article.
Plot
In a dystopian future, programmer Aram Fingal works for the conglomerate Novicorp. After being caught watching Casablanca at his workstation, he is assigned mandatory prophylactic rehabilitation, in which subjects are "doppeled" into wild animals. Aram is sent into a baboon, monitored by controller Apollonia James. He enjoys the experience until an elephant threatens him, and he activates an escape clause meant to return his mind to his body. However, the routing tag on his body was misplaced, and when no one can locate it, his mind is stored in Novicorp's central computer, the HX368, which controls finances and weather. His mind can only be maintained there for a limited time. Aram's disappearance is reported to a rival corporation, and the news crashes Novicorp's share price. Majority shareholders force the chairman to divert resources to keep Aram alive and find his body. Apollonia is assigned to locate his mind and prevent him from hacking the mainframe. With her help, Aram creates a virtual world featuring characters from Casablanca, including a version of Rick played by Julia. Bored, he plots to bring down Novicorp's finances. Apollonia falls in love with him despite the conflict of interest. With her help, Aram interfaces with the mainframe, defeats his antagonists, and returns to his body just before it undergoes a sex change operation. Now in control of the HX368, he orders bonuses and stocks for employees, commits the chairman to compulsory rehab via doppeling, and changes his and Apollonia's identities to Rick and Ilsa. The film ends with the couple walking out to open a club called Rick's Place.
Production and release
Overdrawn at the Memory Bank was a joint production between New York's WNET and Toronto's RSL Films, Ltd. Filming took place at Magder Studios and on Toronto streets from August 20 to September 12, 1983. Co-producer Robert Lantos described the budget as well into seven figures, with costs offset by pre-selling the project to small American cable companies. The movie was made on videotape; Lantos argued that using film would have matched the expense of Blade Runner. Douglas Williams handled directing duties, while Corinne Jacker penned the treatment. The film first aired on CBC Television on September 22, 1984, later appearing on PBS's American Playhouse on February 4, 1985. It reached UK audiences via Channel 4 in June 1990. Home video releases included a VHS from New World Video and a LaserDisc from Image Entertainment.
Reception and legacy
Tom Brinkmoeller of The Cincinnati Enquirer called the film a "tongue-in-cheek and imaginative 90-minute delight." LA Weekly acknowledged low production values but praised its ideas and the romantic relationship between Julia's and Griffiths' characters. Sandy Rovner of The Washington Post described it as "certainly inoffensive, occasionally funny and altogether watchable." Jim Murphy of The Age found the plot "quite tortuous" but imaginative enough to sustain interest. In The Sci-Fi Movie Guide, Chris Barsanti considered it one of the better film translations of cyberpunk despite being little known, calling it a "fun lark" despite a confusing ending. Bruce Malloch, writing for Cinema Canada, gave a negative review, saying that as a feature film it would have failed, and criticized its plot, special effects, and balance of drama and comedy. The film was featured in the eighth-season finale of Mystery Science Theater 3000, broadcast on the Sci-Fi Channel on December 6, 1997. MST3K cast member Bill Corbett disliked the film, calling it an "extraordinarily dumb movie" whose techno-futuro-jargon was "the screenwriting equivalent of water torture." Fellow cast member Paul Chaplin voiced hatred for the film, equating his disdain with that for Hobgoblins. The episode was considered one of the best in the series by critics and fans. Jim Vorel of Paste ranked it 40th best, praising the acting and calling the film ahead of its time, though irritated by its soft focus. In a fan poll for the top 100 episodes, it ranked eleventh. Elliott Kalan, head writer for the Netflix era, considered it one of his favorite episodes. Courtney Enlow of Vulture listed it among the series' 25 essential episodes.
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