Altered States (1980)

[lester1/2jr]

               


I had seen a few moments of this like 30 years ago and had forgotten about it. Then I read an interview with the director ken Russell in shock cinema and rememebered the guy in the chamber and the psychedelic sci fi weirdness. Why does this matter? It doesn't. This movie is awesome though.

William Hurt is very good as a genius scientist who is obsessed with the idea that we have all sorts of hidden human memories in our genes going back 6 million years to the dawn of man. First he just chills in this water chamber thing and hallucinates, then he goes to Mexico and uses these weird drugs. He really thinks he has tapped into this original original primitive impulse then things begin to take a dramatic and unexpected turn.

OKay so this is KIND of a B movie or at least a Midnight movie. It's not Fight Club or something where you can put it on and watch it again and again and you feel like you know the characters. It's strange and over the top but it blew me away all the same. I mention Fight Club because it has a simliar sort of theme where a guy forgets normal life because he's onto something way bigger and better and finds himself, yet is frightened by what he finds.  

The direction is quite daring in places. The female lead is very cute and not a little bit sexy. For all it's eccentricity it's a movie that is engaging both on the surface and on deeper level. Others may think it's more just weird.

5/5



edit :  I would probably agree with this guy about the dialogue in retrospect but I just figured that was how people talked in the 70's.

[Hammock Rider]

In this scene, William Hurt has just eaten some bad....nachos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40FiMy-ak0k

[The Burgomaster]

I really enjoyed this when I saw it dueing its original theatrical release.  Then I bought the DVD a few years ago and it gave me an ice cream headache.

[RCMerchant]

I also seen it when it came out in the movie house. The crucified Satan goat was wild....and I really like towards the end when  William hurt turns into a human stewed tomato. This would make a good Freak Out double bill with Russell's GOTHIC.

[Rev. Powell]

Looks Satanic, but it's actually supposed to be God/Christ.  Russel didn't make that up himself, it's a citation to Revelation: "And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth."  (5:6).  William Hurt said that he used to have religious visions as a child, and they came back under the influence of drugs.  Still pretty freaky, though.  God is not necessarily a nice guy in ALTERED STATES.

[voltron]

I liked this one, but it's been quite a few years since I've seen it, so I don't know if it holds up over time. I do like the fact that Godflesh used one of the "tripping" images for their 'Streetcleaner' album, though. 

[BoyScoutKevin]

This was the movie that--supposedly- no Hollywood director wanted to direct, because it meant working with screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky who had very specific ideas on how the film should be directed. According to Ken Russell, the was the 27th director approached to direct the film. The other 26, including Arthur Penn, turning it down. Paddy Chayefsky had his name taken off of the credits and disowned it anyway.

This would be the motion picture debut of both William Hurt and Drew Barrymore.

Despite inexperienced actors and working with Paddy Chayefsky, this does comes across as being one of Ken's better films. Especially notable (IMHO) is his use of light in the film.

[voltron]

Anybody know if Ken's movie Whore is available on dvd? I couldn't find it on ebay. 

[Rev. Powell]

Anybody know if Ken's movie Whore is available on dvd? I couldn't find it on ebay. 

Pretty sure its never been released to DVD, in Region 1, at least.  Even worse, THE DEVILS has never got a proper DVD release.