Lathe of Heaven (film)

For the 1980 film, see The Lathe of Heaven (film).

Lathe of Heaven
DVD cover
Genre	Science fiction
Based on	The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin
Written by	Alan Sharp
Directed by	Philip Haas
Starring	James Caan Lukas Haas Lisa Bonet
Music by	Angelo Badalamenti
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Executive producers	Craig Baumgarten Allen Sabinson
Producer	Mark Winemaker
Production location	Montreal
Cinematography	Pierre Mignot
Editor	Jean-François Bergeron
Running time	91 minutes
Production companies	A&E Networks Alliance Atlantis Baumgarten Merims Productions
Original release
Network	A&E
Release	September 8, 2002 (2002-09-08)

Lathe of Heaven is a 2002 American science fiction television film based on the 1971 novel The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin, which was previously adapted as a television film in 1980. The film was directed by Philip Haas, written by Alan Sharp, and stars James Caan, Lukas Haas, and Lisa Bonet. It aired on A&E on September 8, 2002. It was nominated at the 29th Saturn Awards for Best Single Program Presentation.

Synopsis

Unlike the 1980 adaptation, this film discards a significant portion of the plot, some minor characters, and much of the philosophical underpinnings of the book. The alien invasion and the racial equalization were removed for this adaptation.

The film takes place in a futuristic society, where a young man named George Orr overdoses using someone else's pharmacy card. Orr is troubled by his dreams, and is implied to be suicidal because of them. He takes drugs to avoid having these dreams. After he is caught overdosing, his attorney Heather Lelache sends him to a psychologist as a punishment.

The psychologist, William Haber, uses a machine called an "augmentor" to delve deep into Orr's mind. The augmentor looks like a dentist's chair. It is soon obvious that Haber has sinister intentions. He begins to hypnotize Orr into dreaming about a horse in a field. When Orr wakes up from his hypnosis-induced dream, an image of Lady Godiva on a horse is now painted on the wall in the office.

Haber then begins to use Orr's power for his own personal gain. At one point, he changes his status from an M.D. to a highly renowned researcher.

Cast

• James Caan as Dr. William Haber
• Lukas Haas as George Orr
• Lisa Bonet as Heather Lelache
• David Strathairn as Mannie
• Sheila McCarthy as Penny
• Serge Houde as Judge

Production

Filming took place in Montreal.

External links

• Lathe of Heaven at IMDb
• Lathe of Heaven at Rotten Tomatoes
• Lathe of Heaven at AllMovie
• Bonin, Liane (5 September 2002). "Cool Hand Lukas: Lukas Haas talks about Leo, Lathe, and R.E.M." EW.com. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved 2009-08-09.