BrainWaves

1982 American film

Ulli Lommel
Suzanna Love

Produced byUlli LommelStarring

Suzanna Love
Keir Dullea
Vera Miles
Tony Curtis
Percy Rodriguez
Paul Willson
Corinne Wahl

CinematographyJon KranhouseEdited byRichard S. BrummerMusic byRobert O. Ragland

Production
company

CinAmerica^[2]

Distributed byMotion Picture Marketing

Release date

November 19, 1982 (1982-11-19)^[1]

Running time

77 minutes^[1]CountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishBudget$2.5 million^[2]Box office$3,111^[3]

BrainWaves^[i] is a 1982 American science fiction thriller film co-written and directed by Ulli Lommel, and starring Keir Dullea, Suzanna Love, Vera Miles, Paul Willson, Percy Rodriguez, Tony Curtis, Corinne Wahl, and Eve Brent. It follows a woman whose brain function is restored by a computer, with dangerous consequences.

Cast

Keir Dullea as Julian Bedford
Suzanna Love as Kaylie Bedford
Vera Miles as Marian Koonan
Ryan Seitz as Danny Bedford
Percy Rodriguez as Dr. Robinson
Paul Willson as Dr. Schroder
Tony Curtis as Dr. Clavius
Eve Brent as Miss Simpson
Corinne Wahl as Leila Adams
Nicholas Love as Willy Meiser

Production

Principal photography occurred at the Pettis Memorial Veterans Administration Hospital in Loma Linda, California, with additional shooting taking place in San Francisco.^[2] Filming completed in April 1982.^[5]

Release

Box office

BrainWaves was given a limited regional theatrical release through Motion Picture Marketing, opening on November 19, 1982, in Austin, Texas^[6] and Newport News, Virginia.^[7] It earned $3,111 during its theatrical run.^[3]

Critical response

Patrick Taggart of the Austin American-Statesman wrote of the film: "It is all absolute twaddle and would have been unbearable had there not been the elements of a murder mystery to keep us interested. Brainwaves is about one pulse away from being braindead."^[1] Henry Edgar of the Daily Press gave the film a mixed review, noting that "the idea is intriguing and offer potentional for a true thriller. But the action plods so slowly you might fall asleep before you realize why a more skillful director could keep you awake all night with the same plot."^[8]

Time Out published a retrospective review in 2012, describing the film as "a black hole for fading stars in which Dr. Curtis kindly operates on the heroine (Love) who is in a coma after suffering a traumatic blow to the brain. The donor is a murder victim, unexpectedly supplying not only motor reflexes but memories, so that the poor recipient is soon being stalked herself."^[9]

Home media

Embassy Home Entertainment released BrainWaves on VHS in 1986.^[10] Image Entertainment released a DVD edition of the film in 2002.^[11]

Notes

^ The film was also released in a truncated cut under the alternate title Shadow of Death.^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Taggart, Patrick (November 20, 1982). "'Brainwaves' manages only a feeble pause". Austin American-Statesman. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b ^c De Leon, John (March 9, 1982). "VA Hospital stars in sci-fi thriller". The San Bernardino Sun. p. 28 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b "BrainWaves". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
^ Lentz 2001, p. 925.
^ "'BrainWaves' filming ends". The Arizona Republic. April 18, 1982. p. 78 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "BrainWaves advertisement". Austin American-Statesman. November 19, 1982. p. E3 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "BrainWaves advertisement". Daily Press. November 19, 1982. p. 42 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "'Brainwaves' Lacks Intensity". Daily Press. November 22, 1982. p. 30 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Brainwaves (1983)". Time Out. September 10, 2012. ISSN 0049-3910. Archived from the original on March 3, 2023.
^ BrainWaves (VHS). Embassy Home Entertainment. 1986 [1982]. OCLC 14918549.
^ BrainWaves (DVD). Image Entertainment. 2002 [1982]. OCLC 52506419.

Sources

Lentz, Harris M. (2001). Science Fiction, Horror & Fantasy Film and Television Credits: Filmography (Second ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. ISBN 978-0-786-40942-6.