Brainstorm

Director: William Conrad William Conrad

Overview

Brainstorm is a somewhat contrived but still well done and frightening thriller written and well-directed by actor William Conrad. Jim Grayam (Jeffrey Hunter) is a young scientist who saves Lorrie Benson (Anne Francis) from committing suicide. They fall in love, but Lorrie's husband Cort Benson (Dana Andrews), who had driven her to the brink of suicide before, discovers that Jim has had a history of mental instability and fabricates obscene phone calls and other actions to create the impression that Jim is unstable. The pair decide to murder Cort, using insanity as a defense. The film has a series of interesting plot twists and a plausible ending, and the performances are generally excellent with Conrad's direction maintaining a good pace and an excellent visual style aided by a good, simple musical score by George Duning.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/23/2009
UPC:	0883316126073
Original Release:	1965
Rating:	PG
Source:	Warner Archives
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	1:45:00
Sales rank:	45,186

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Jeffrey Hunter	Jim Grayam
Anne Francis	Lorrie Benson
Dana Andrews	Cort Benson
Viveca Lindfors	Dr. Elizabeth Larstadt
Stacy Harris	Josh Reynolds
Kathie Browne	Angie DeWitt
Phillip Pine	Dr. Ames
Michael Pate	Dr. Mills
Robert McQueeney	Sgt. Dawes
Strother Martin	Mr. Clyde
Joan Swift	Clara
George Pelling	Butler
Victoria Paige Meyerink	Julie,Julie
Stephen Roberts	Judge
Steve Roberts	Judge
Pat Cardi	Bobby

Technical Credits

William Conrad

Producer,Director

Editorial Reviews

Brainstorm is by no means a great film, but it is a quite interesting one. On the plus side, it's a late-noir entry that plays around with the idea of the thin line between sanity and insanity in an intriguing manner. Actor William Conrad put on his director's hat for this low budget effort, and that's also a good thing: he has a very sure feel for the material, and his crisp, sturdy direction is surprisingly effective and decidedly atmospheric. He's aided by a quirky, somewhat jazzy score from George Duning; by a very capable cast, including a much-better-than-expected Jeffrey Hunter, a delectable Anne Francis and a solid Dana Andrews; and by some fine Sam Leavitt lensing. All these assets, however, can't quite overcome the screenplay, which has one of the most contrived premises and plotlines one can imagine. Even if one accepts the ridiculous "let's pretend I'm crazy so I can kill but beat the rap" premise, the rest of the plot and the dialogue will still let you down. Still, its good points make it worth catching, especially for crime/noir fans.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler