The Lathe of Heaven (1980 TV Movie) User Reviews (66)

The Definitive Version

[flonesaw · 8/10 · 14 October 2005]

To those who came to this one expecting the A&E remake, don't worry. You've come to the right place. Although the A&E version has all the glitz and glamor, this 1980 PBS production has all the rest (which the A&E is sadly missing).

1. It is fairly loyal to the material, Ursula K. Le Guin's novel.

2. It is well acted, arguably very well acted.

3. Characterization is loyal to that in the novel.

4. It communicates the somewhat convoluted plot quite effectively.

5. It carries the message forward. (No spoilers here.)

(The A&E remake accomplishes *none* of these.)

So snag this one on DVD while it's still available. Watch it. It's a little treasure. Although the glitz and glamor of the A&E remake are missing, it has everything else.

"Antwerp"

A Science Fiction Classic reclaimed from the vaults.

[Klaatu-18 · 8/10 · 12 August 2000]

Last night I got a chance to see one of my favorite SF movies, and it only took 20 years.

Back in 1978, I was working at a mom-and-pop bookstore in Dallas called Taylors. One day one of the customers bought a book by Ursula K. LeGuin: "The Lathe of Heaven". I told her that she was one of my favorite authors, and that I loved the book. She said that she was involved in the production of a film of the book that was to be done locally.

Early in 1980 it was aired. Bruce Davison (recently the Senator in "X-men") played the protagonist, George Orr. And various Metroplex locations stood in for Portland in the near-future year of 2002. City Hall (later the OCP HQ in "Robocop"), Reunion Arena and the Water Gardens in FW (previously used in "Logan's Run").

George Orr has a problem: dreams. He doesn't want to have any. He takes drugs to try and thwart his unconscious so that he can sleep but not dream. Because if he does dream a special kind of dream, an "effective" dream, it changes reality "all the way back to the Stone Age".

Dr. William Haber is an oneirologist: a dream specialist. He doesn't believe George's story, of course. He thinks that George is sick, not cursed. He eventually comes around to the realization that George is right. A power struggle ensues to decide who will be in charge of deciding who gets to make the decisions of how to use this power.

The story touches on race relations, psychology, Taoism and more. And all on a miniscule budget of 250K.

An added bonus was the addition of interviews with Bruce Davison and Ms. LeGuin, the latter with Bill Moyers. She rarely does interviews, and it was wonderful hearing her add little behind-the-scenes details and commenting on the story and film. Since my understanding of Taoism is limited to readings of "The Tao of Pooh", I didn't realize the use of Taoism until I heard UKL mention it.

If I had had 90 bucks to blow on a KERA membership, I could have gotten the video from them. In fact, the on-air weasel said that the tape was "only available through public TV". If you check amazon.com, as I did last night, you will find that this is a bald-faced lie: TLoH will be released on VHS and DVD later this month, with the interviews and all.

The only thing that burned my butt about the film that I saw last night was the one change they made. Originally, they used Ringo Starr's version of the Beatles tune "A Little Help from My Friends". The new version has a different cover version. One of the reviews on amazon.com stated that this was because it would cost too much to get the rights from Michael Jackson, who now owns the entire Beatle catalog. This doesn't work. IMHO, MJ would get money no matter who did it.

Uncle Steve says check it out.

A must see for science fiction fans - be careful what you dream about

[Dilip · 12 March 2001]

I had public television on several days ago (March 10, 2001) and "Lathe of Heaven" was starting on their series "Movies Worth Taping". I'm glad I happened to turn the TV on, as it was a movie well worth watching! It was made in 1987 as the first made-for-public-TV film, and is based on a novel by Ursula Le Guin.

This movie explores the notion of "effective dreaming", where one's dreams actually come true. It explores the strange dreams of George Orr (Bruce Davison). When he has these dreams, he wakes to find that his dreamt-up situations are now not only reality, but other people suddenly have adapted as if this reality has been with the world for some time.

George is traumatized by these dreams, and seeks the help of Dr. William Haber (Kevin Conway). Dr. Haber's intentions are good, to harness the power of these effective dreams to the betterment of the world, but he clearly abuses the doctor-patient relationship and hypnotizes George to have specific kinds of dreams. One motto of this film might be "be careful what you dream about"!

I found the special effects sometimes interesting, but often heavy-handed and not so smoothly executed. The setting, sometime in the near future in Portland, Oregon, was inexplicably dreary, beyond the rain that the city is well known for. The character development could have been stronger, with ancillary characters like Dr. Haber's secretary and the very few others seeming to be made out of cardboard and lacking emotion. George and Heather LeLache (Margaret Avery), however, enjoyed more solid and believable depictions.

In spite of these criticisms, the film was an exciting journey into inner space that indulges us to think about deep philosophical questions. What is reality? Are there parallel realities? What is or should be knowable about the nature of existence (to me reminiscent a bit of "2010", one of my favorite science fiction films)? What happens if we dream each other into or out of reality? "The greatest good for the greatest number" or rights of the individual? Can we design a utopia or will we be doomed to experience accidents we never considered that render such a proposed utopia much less than ideal? "The Lathe of Heaven" doesn't have the fresh and exciting visual effects of earlier science fiction films like "2001" or later ones, but is an interesting film that is a must see for science fiction fans.

One of a kind...

[poe426 · 10/10 · 4 February 2005]

I remember when this one aired on PBS and the euphoria we the faithful felt at the time. We thought that science fiction had finally really arrived. No more rip-offs of rip-offs of old movie serials: we were finally going to see "real" science fiction on television again (for the first time since the '60's); not the compromise of commercial television but the kind of SF that could only come from Public Television. And what a wonder it was. To see a book like THE LATHE OF HEAVEN, by none other than Ursula K. LeGuin, as fully realized as was humanly possible at that time... yes, it was a wonder to behold. Nor was it going to end there. We were told that wonder would follow on wonder, that an entire series of these thought-provoking programs were in the works. The road ahead looked smooth, the future bright.

Sigh. 20/20 hindsight, and all that; but it was a great idea then and it's still a great idea. If not PBS, then some other producing entity. The material is still out there(if you'll pardon the play on words), and the market is arguably stronger than ever. All the genre needs right now is somebody willing to mine all that gold.

Low-budget, but has the fascinating power of Le Guin's unique story

[gcsman · 7/10 · 13 August 2018]

The world of literature lost one of its finest writers with the death of Ursula Le Guin this year (2018) at the age of 88. She was one of my heroes. Her writing is humane, wise, and penetrating, and she followed no 'school', no ideology, no fashion. I write for a living too (though it's writing of a very different kind), and if I could write just one page, even one paragraph that would live up to her standards, I'd be proud of it the rest of my life.

Well, anyway: The Lathe of Heaven is one of her SF novels and probably my favorite among them. It's a singular vision that stands alone in her own work, and in fact I can't think of any other novel to easily compare it with by anything else in SF either. It belongs vaguely to an alternate-worlds genre, but with differences. Not all that long after it was written, this movie adaptation was done for original TV broadcast, so it has a low-budget feel to it, and the lead actors (Bruce Davison, Kevin Conway, Margaret Avery) weren't all that well known at the time. It's even in black and white format. But put all that aside: it actually stays pretty close to the Le Guin storyline, unlike the inferior 2002 adaptation that strayed off the path. It's such a great story and so easily translatable to the screen for today's SF-familiar audiences that you can easily imagine a much bigger-budget superb production being done now complete with advanced CGI that would do justice to the hero George Orr's world-changing visions.

George Orr (Davison) is a perfectly ordinary, nice, low-key guy except for one thing: when pressed into it, he has "effective dreams" that change reality and rewrite history. He doesn't want to do this, but gets taken advantage of by psychiatrist William Haber (Conway) who uses George to enable his own altruistic but power-hungry goals. George's torturous journey through one history after another and eventual resolution are the substance of the movie.

This production disappeared for a long time after its original airing, but finally now you can see it on YouTube. Well worth it.

Le Guin's stories haven't generally been served well on movies and TV but so much better could be done with them. The Earthsea fantasy books are on a level with Narnia and Tolkien and they would work brilliantly if well produced. The recent TV production of them turned out to be a travesty. So would others of her SF novels like City of Illusions, Planet of Exile, or The Left Hand of Darkness (well, maybe that last one would be best as an indie film.) Hollywood is missing a bet.

I'll see you in my dreams

[Owlwise · 10/10 · 28 March 2018]

This fairly low-budgeted PBS film from 1980 shows why a real story, with real ideas, runs rings around the multi-million dollar CGI-fests that overrun theaters today. A sensitive, thoughtful adaptation of the Ursula LeGuin classic about dreams, power, responsibility, Taoism, reality, unreality, and being in & at one with the world, it's blessed with three strong & subtle performances. Bruce Davison, still one of our most underrated actors, is especially fine in conveying the uncertainties & initial confusion of George Orr, as well as his basic human decency & his emerging moral strength as the world continues to shift around him.

Yes, the special effects are simple even for 1980 ... but that doesn't matter in the least. The film knows that real science-fiction isn't about special effects; it's about people & ideas. A thoroughly entertaining, gripping story, it brings those ideas to life without lecturing, but by letting the characters live them out & react as real human beings. It's a film I've watched many times over the decades since it first aired, and it remains as fresh & vivid as ever, always revealing something new. How many films can do that? This one does, effortlessly. It needs to be available on DVD again!

Good, deep sci-fi on an Ed Wood budget!

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 13 April 2007]

This film was the first film contracted by PBS and it really shows, as the movie had a minuscule budget. If you adjust for inflation, the film literally cost about as much as an Ed Wood, Jr. film to make! At times this shows, such as some liberal use of stock footage, minimalistic sets and negligible special effects---yet, oddly enough, the film is a pretty good sci-fi film. And when I say SCI-FI, I mean very deep and cerebral sci-fi. If you are looking for Darth Vader and cute little androids, this film is not for you--instead, it's set in the very near future and concerns a simple man with an incredible talent. Bruce Davison dreams and what occurs in the dreams actually become reality--as if everything we know to exist is totally dependent on his thoughts. If he dreams, for example, that you no longer exist, then you never really did! Because of his unique problem, Bruce consults with a scientist adept at working on dreams. However, each time this scientist tries to use the dreams to effect positive world change, the dream somehow backfires. A good example--when he wanted his patient to end overpopulation, a plague broke out and wiped out most of the inhabitants! Again and again, these attempts only make things worse.

The film is an interesting blend of philosophy, existentialism and sci-fi. While it won't appeal to everyone, I at least appreciated how unique it was and how those involved tried to make something different. A noble effort that sometimes succeeds and often time fails--mostly due to a low budget. I wonder what this MIGHT have been like with a bit more money to make the aliens and some of the other plot devices not to incredibly cheesy.

One of my top 20 Favorite Science Fiction Stories

[gramdal · 9/10 · 12 June 2007]

As the die-hard science fiction fans know, special effects are great, but without a great story, it won't stand the test of time.

Based on Ursula K. Leguin's book, this is (I hear) a very faithful adaptation. And easily one of the very best made for t.v. movies ever.

The effects are low budget, but that's not important, the story is amazing. Great science fiction takes us away from the familiar structure of life we understand, and stands reason and convention on it's head. It makes us see the things that are so close to us they are invisible. Great science fiction frames the familiar, in a new context and sheds truth on things we were unable to recognize in their mundane form.

This story moved me, in the way the book Stranger in a Strange Land did. Like the first time I read 2001 (The movie is meaningless without the book).

It is a story about reality, how we perceive it, how we shape it. How we are important to everyone and every thing, as our actions shape not only our own sphere of existence, but ripple outward effecting everything. This is of course told in an abstracted way, but the message is clear.

If you are looking for crazy robots and sleek starships, move on.

If you are looking for a thought provoking story, that will stick with you for days, or as I see with myself and others here, decades, then this is a cult classic that you simply can not miss.

I would have given it a 10, but the effects are low budget, though that does not make it any less amazing.

The power to change the world, in his dreams.

[McQualude · 6/10 · 23 December 2007]

Would you want your dreams to come true, even your nightmares? Based on Leguin's novel of the same name. George Orr discovers that his dreams come true except George isn't dreaming the future, his dreams are changing the past to create the future he dreams. Once George wakens, he is the only person to remember the alternative past, that is until he visits a psychiatrist who realizes the potential of George's dreams and sets out to 'right' the world with fantastic consequences.

This film is full of ambiguous metaphor and allegory so that everyone seems to see something a little different. I found the movie a bit overlong but then I can't imagine it being a minute shorter. Because the original print was lost the movie looks pretty crappy with ghosting and graininess, but powerful themes don't need pretty pictures and Lathe of Heaven above all else is cautionary about being unsatisfied and forcing drastic change on the others. Ultimately we learn that despite how bad things are, they could be worse, much worse.

The film takes some pretty bizarre twists with aliens that just come out of nowhere, well they come from George's subconscious. Pondering this I am reminded how powerful science fiction really was to the 70's and while most people only remember it for Star Wars and assume that everything else was trying to cash in, the 70's were really a treasure trove of interesting sci-fi and when the UFO subculture really reached it's height. Project Blue Book was published in 1976, Brad Steiger, Stan Friedman and others ignited the public's imagination. Close Encounters and Alien preyed on our hopes and fears respectively; and Star Trek was resurrected from the dead. So all in all it really wasn't that bizarre for George to be thinking about aliens because even though the film is set in 1998, it's very much a product of the 70's.

The copy I watched had an interview with the author, Leguin, who declined to interpret the book/movie as she wasn't entirely sure of all the meanings both might hold. What was most interesting was her conclusions about George and Dr. Huber, particularly George whom she sees as a strong man but many others see as something of a weakling.

Interesting concept but ...

[imdb-19548 · 3/10 · 25 June 2011]

The idea is interesting, a man can change reality with his dreams but these changes are at the mercy of his subconscious so we get an easy excuse for disasters and surprises.

The special effects are awful, really cheap and comical at time.

The acting is good, only a small cast who are fairly convincing in their roles.

The plot is also good, the characters are believable in their reactions, some trying to control things others to escape.

The film is let down by a poor ending, it is weak and silly and makes the film pointless.

Its what Science Fiction is all about

[doctorforce · 10/10 · 15 August 2006]

I seen this movie when it first came out and couldn't remember the title for over 20 years yet its content and story stuck with me all these years. I was given the name of if it when I described the story premise on Sci-fi Channels Bboard web page and a member wrote back what it was. I was quite please since now I know what to look for.

This movie is true classic Science Fiction right up there with Forbidden Planet and many others and has had a profound effect on my concepts and perception of reality and recommend it not only to sci-fi enthusiasts but people who are into psychology studies too. Movies like The Lathe of Heaven, Brazil, and other such psycho-dramas can help us to understand ourselves in very unconventional ways.

Dreams can come true! A must see for die hard sci-fi fans ...

[lee-brownhill · 7/10 · 3 January 2005]

OK, so not a perfect movie. A little cloudy in parts but the plot almost dictates that this will be the case - the observer has to keep up with current events as they change each time George dreams a new reality.

For a die hard sci-fi fan such as myself, this vision has a good dark-future feeling to it much in the equilibrium style with many elements of the "butterfly effect" plot evident.

A fairly slow moving pace, good acting all round and of course the beautiful Margaret Avery as the lead female.

If you're a sci-fier and enjoyed the butterfly effect then give this movie a watch - I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Plodding, Scattered, with Poor Production Values

[tabuno · 4/10 · 19 April 2019]

Unfortunately, even with the novelist's help, Ursula K. Le Guin was unable to transfer her Nebula winning novel into a spectacular movie. Instead the film became a poor imitation with poor technical production with poor pacing and visually limited movie. Even compared to The Butterfly Effect (2004), this version of Lathe of Heaven just seems overly scattered and cheaply made.

Somebody's got it.

[spoon-18 · 16 October 1999]

I find it hard to believe that a film this popular is out of reach. This was one of the few films that leaves the viewer rethinking one's philosophy about the future, the past, the present, and human kind!! Did I dream it? Is there some strange power that prevents us from sharing it with others? Was it meant to be seen by a few chosen people who let it into their collective souls and minds? I'm not crazy! What if the Augmenter is at work here? Dream well tonight..under the other moons light..remember the lessons..reserved for our sight..it may be forever..or later tonight..that this films message..finally takes flight. Everyone who mentions this film feels changed at least a little by it. Lets find out if its meant to be seen again. We must stop the Augmenter and change the future. Lets see it again!! Ha! Dream on!!

Very good, but not for everyone.

[xezlec · 8/10 · 17 May 2002]

I found this during late-night channel surfing. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The effects were sometimes cheesy but often cool. The direction was creative and quite effective in bringing Ursula K. LeGuin's classic story to life. But BE WARNED: this is a WEIRD MOVIE. You have to be wanting a weird movie in order to really enjoy it. It takes quite a bit of thought to really follow the plot if you haven't read the book, but it's worth watching several times. It is not an action flick (there is very little action, and some people find it boring, possibly with good reason) but it brings up all kinds of interesting ideas and possibilities that sent my mind racing. Every situation is presented in a way that makes you really look at it and ponder it. And the emotional aspect is powerful at times and made me smile more than once. The camerawork, acting, and electronic background music are artistic and place the viewer in another world, one which I personally found beautiful, exciting, and awe-inspiring. If you like artsy, strange, contemplative film, you might want to check this out.

Engaging low-budget version of the classic novel

[cherold · 7/10 · 7 May 2018]

This adaptation of Le Guin's best book tells the intriguing story of a man whos dreams change reality and a psychiatrist who uses that gift/curse for his own ends.

It's not a slick production, being mainly 2 or 3 people having conversations and some dream sequences that attempt to tell large stories with small special effects, but it's still very effective. The cast is solid, with the dreamer harried and the shrink increasingly monstrous as a man whose belief in his greatness is constantly belied by his actions and statements.

I really like the overarching and philosophical take on grand solutions as well as small things like the way the future contains a benevolent-yet-uncaring bureaucracy.

The biggest issue with the movie is the big end scene. It's not in any way clear what's going on. I first watched this movie with my dad on its original broadcast, and the only reason I understand the scene is because he, having read the book several times (he taught a class in sci-fi literature), knew exactly what was going on. I just watched the movie with my girlfriend, and even though she'd read the book a few months ago she found the scene as perplexing as I had.

It's an unfortunate flaw in what is otherwise a very solid and thoughtful sci-fi flick. Still worth watching.

A Phenomenal Story for Everyone

[Billy_Crash · 10/10 · 12 January 2009]

When I first saw "The Lathe of Heaven" back in the 80s on PBS while in high school, I was completely mesmerized and blown away. This wasn't because of special effects, lasers or destructive monsters, but because of the psychological element of control and power that plagues the mind.

Based on the phenomenal book by Ursula Le Guin, the film does the book justice. Though, in the end, a book is a book and a movie is a movie, lovers of the novel will not be disappointed.

If you love a great story, full of conflict, tension and surprises, you will enjoy this romp through the mind of George Orr and his inherent angst and strife. For me, this is one of the most potent science fiction tales of all time, if not one of the most thought-provoking stories ever told. Regardless, don't miss out on the amazing book and Le Guin's remarkable imagination.

Could be the best Sci-Fi book ever written, but...

[Tavison · 7/10 · 11 June 2000]

I often hear, or read, reviews that say something to the effect, "It was nothing like the book," or "They followed the book exactly." To those reviews I say "Who cares?" The Lathe of Heaven is an excelent example of how following the book exactly does not mean that the movie is excellent. I think the novel is one of the best Sci-Fi books ever written. I like it far better than "Snowcrash," or "Neuromancer." This movie is poorly acted, has special effects that are laughable, was edited by a heavy handed oaf without an artistic bone in his body, and has a soundtrack so bad that the "Flash Gordon" sound track looks good in comparison. On the other hand, the script was an excelent and faithful adaptation of the novel, and when it comes out on DVD I will buy it.

As long as we are all dreaming effectively, can we dream that someone will take that excellent script and give it to some real actors and movie makers. I don't need, or even want, a heavy handed Hollywood Sci-Fi adaptation of it. I would like it to be made with the production quality that this incredible novel deserves. Is Alex Proyas available?

The movie needs to be aired again!! It's been too long!!

[Bob-591 · 10/10 · 7 September 1999]

This movie is a piece of sci-fi "heaven." The plot, special effects, and overall feel to the movie leaves the viewer in a state of complete contemplation of what could be if our thoughts could become reality through our dreams. Although my recollection of the movie is somewhat hazy, having seen it last in 1984 when I lived back East(on PBS), I would put this movie on a top 5 list of my all-time favorites. It needs to be shown again on TV or, well, if we could only "dream effectively", perhaps someone would have the vision to release it on home video. There is a vast audience that would definitely enjoy it!

Quirky film that feels like it was made in the 60s

[siderite · 7/10 · 20 April 2016]

The story, LeGuin's story, was good. The idea is that a guy, George Orr, can just make things happen if he dreams them. A psychologist attempts to take control of this ability, resulting in multiple adjustments of reality which are randomly good and bad. Stuff like eliminating racism makes all people gray, for example. One can go a little bit more metaphysical and consider that the psychologist is actually a person in a reality dreamed of by George, so its all, in a sense about him, not about the world.

The film, however, would have felt dated even in 1980, I think. The plot follows the story faithfully - after all Ursula LeGuin consulted on the movie - but doesn't bring anything new.

Bottom line: a very intriguing and thought provoking idea, but a less stellar adaptation.

Engrossing. . .

[Goomba01 · 9/10 · 26 April 2009]

I first saw this film on PBS when I was 15 and was totally engrossed as it was one of the most unique and compelling movies I'd ever seen. I recently found it at my library and checked it out mostly for nostalgia. I was surprised to find that it was still as absorbing as it was in 1980.

The story revolves around George Orr (played very well by Bruce Davison of X-Men) , a simple, ordinary and good-hearted guy who feels cursed with the ability to dream "effective dreams" or dreams that change the face of reality. He starts to see an Oneirologist, (a therapist who studies dreams) in the hopes of making it stop. Unfortunately, the doctor upon becoming aware that George's story is true starts to use George and manipulate him into using his dream-state to create a world the doctor envisions. Of course, chaos ensues as it's not possible to control the construct of dreams. Dr. Haber doesn't ever seem to get that and isn't able to take responsibility for the destruction that he helps cause.

The movie is almost 30 years old. It was a low-budget flick even by today's standards, the visual quality is sort of grainy but I liked that. It seemed to add to the character of the piece. The special effects were very simple but effective enough. The aliens were unique in design and while I expected them to be kind of corny, they weren't. The style in which it is filmed runs along the lines of "simple is best" and it is. Don't miss this one.

Disappointingly dragging

[wizodd · 6/10 · 25 January 2002]

Builds slowly, nicely done, but could have been much more tightly edited, hopefully the new version will be an improvement.

The story, which deals with the nature of reality, is excellent, and I recommend the book, but the execution of this made for TV movie is below average, and tends to put me to sleep.

One of the Best films of the '80s

[ZazuPitts · 9/10 · 13 September 2000]

When I saw this film I was very impressed by Bruce Davidson. He brought a purity to the role. Being a member of the sci-fi community I have often asked people about this film and I am surprised by how many of them have never seen it. I think it was a wonderful interpretation of the book.

Finally re-released!

[BonzoDog · 4 August 2000]

The Lathe of Heaven has just been re-released. It's being shown on many PBS stations, and is also now on video. This was all due to high fan demand.

This is a dreamy, scary sci-fi flick with strong moral lessons. It's almost like a play: set mostly in one place, with only three characters involved. The special effects aren't stunning, but they're perfectly effective. The story is wildly original: what would the world be like if your dreams all came true- not your daydreams, but the uncontrollable ones at night?