Altered States

The film boasts a high-quality cast of young actors from William Hurt in his major film debut to John LaRocquette in the small role of an X-ray technician. Whoever cast this knew whom to select from the period's roster of young talent. Charles Haid, frankly, has never been more impressive as the fast-talking and brilliant skeptic and Bob Balaban is outstanding and self-assured in the role of the supportive friend who forgives Hurt his eccentricities but worries that he may be going crazy. Blair Brown is sexy and appealing and frequently nude as Hurt's just-as-brainy wife anthropologist, and one of the most interesting aspects of this movie is the dialog between these two intellects from the moment they first begin their sizzling sexual liason through their matter-of-fact decision to marry, then divorce, then finally redeem their relationship -- while nearly losing Hurt's character to his high-risk experiments.

Among other interesting subplots is Hurt's spiritual ambiguity since his father's fearful death, Hurt's notion that schizophrenia and related conditions may be "altered states" rather than diseases, Blair Brown's pragmatic decision to love Hurt's character, and marry him, despite the fact that he appears not to be wired to love her in return.

For the sci-fi fan there is the once-removed-from-reality premise that man may be able to physically alter his reality through changes in consciousness, whether via the isolation tanks Hurt utlizes in his experiments, or through complex hallucinogenic drugs he researches after an experience with an obscure indian tribe in Mexico. The special effects and the special make-up for Hurt's "throwback" missing link are first rate for their time and still look fairly stunning today. One of the things that impresses me about this movie is that the hallucinatory sequences, while wowing us in a post-psychedelic kind of way, also make sense in terms of the protagonist's life and experience; far more than just kaleidoscopes, the content of the montages are grounded in the story, rather than detouring us from it with eye candy. Ken Russell's religious viewpoint plays a part in the choice of imagery here, but the symbols of crucifixion, the beast and the Bible do not seem intrusive or sensational because they fit seamlessly with the Hurt character's internal struggle.

For the student of sociology, this movie offers a peek into the "turned on" 60s idea that drug experiences actually led somewhere -- a notion we now know to be tragically false. But at one time there was speculation that some drugs "expanded the mind" and deepened the life experience, either in terms of increasing one's understanding of the meaning of life or in some fashion maturing one's personality. The only reason this movie still works today is because the movie makes clear that in some tribes, there are substances that are traditionally and successfully used in spiritual rituals, and it is one of these that Hurt uses, in combination with sensory deprivation techniques, to try to get in touch with his own "genetic memory", for lack of a better term.

Again, this movie has much to recommend it, and the DVD release makes possible an experience in the home viewing much like we enjoyed in the theater on first run. Popularly priced, I snapped it up without hesitation for my collection and was rewarded with a very nice presentation of an old favorite. Not much in the way of extras here, just trailers and some text screens for cast, crew and background, but it's still a value, and you get to see the whole 1:1.85 image.


Great movie, aweful transfer to DVD   September 4, 1999
12 out of 12 found this review helpful

This movie is one of the great movies ever made. The visual and auditory effects are amazing. John Corigliano's score to this movie brings out many of the ideas set forth here.

HOWEVER, the transfer to DVD nearly ruined it for me. The quality of the picture was fine, but they neglected to sync the sound with the picture. Sound effects and talking are at times about one-half of one second off. This I find inexcusable.


Shockingly intense sci-fi   January 8, 2006
Cory D. Slipman (Rockville Centre, N.Y.)
13 out of 14 found this review helpful

"Altered States" written by the gifted Paddy Chayevsky and utilizing the unique directorial talents of Ken Russell is a staggering piece of film making. Russell's use of incredible psychedelic graphic imagery is unparalleled in cinematic history.

William Hurt is his inaugural starring role portrays Eddie Jessup a brilliant Harvard research physiologist who is conducting unprecedented experiments using himself as a guinea pig. Hurt had been introduced to mushroom based hallucinogenic drugs by a tribe of primitive Indians in Mexico courtesy of an expedition with a university colleague. Using these drugs in combination with sensory deprivation in an isolation tank he records astonishing findings much to the disbelief of his colleagues including his wife Emily, a physical anthropologist played by Blair Brown.

Hurt apparently undergoes a genetic reconfiguration and morphs into an altered state of primitive consciousness to become a simian ape man. In one segment of the film, he startlingly emerges from his isolation tank as this ape-man and goes running wild through the bowels of a Boston hospital, out onto the street and winds up in the zoo. He climbs into an enclosure kills a sheep and then devours it. He is subsequently discovered by the police, having transformed back to his human form, in the cage lying next to a bloody carcass.

Wife Brown, endocrinologist friend Dr. Mason Parrish played by Charles Haid and partner in the experiment Arthur Rosenberg played by Bob Balaban are stunned but allow him to redo his experiment under their supervision. The ensuing segment of the film depicting the creation of life, while preposterous, rivals only the graphic effects of Kubrick's phenomenal "2001".

Not having seen this one of a kind film for 25 years, it still had the same stupefying effect as it did when I experienced it the first time.


Suspenseful film!   December 19, 2004
Hiram Gomez Pardo (Valencia, Venezuela)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful

Sometimes in any moment of your life maybe have decided to cross the line and explore the dark side of your brain . A group of scientists are involved in this potentially dangerous journey of the deepest places of the mind .

The film is visually stunning and terrifying . A good point to Ken Russell who was living his most creative decade .

This movie marks the debut on screen of this gifted actor : William Hurt .



Mad scientists in love   March 27, 2002
kentuckyreader (Louisville, Kentucky USA)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

Does it matter that some of the science is inaccurate in this picture? I say no. This is not a documentary: it is a piece of speculative fiction, and so it's not required to be completely accurate. It may tweak a few facts to deliver the speculative story it wants to deliver. The thing that matters is that, in the final analysis, it delivers its story very well.

In essence, this is nothing more than an old fashioned Hollywood monster film, but set in academia. The film captures very well a sense of scientific and academic excitement. Here are scholars not toiling through the drudgery of academia but on the cusp of completely unknown scientific ground - of actual science - and their excitement and fear transfer quite well to the viewer. That there's a ghost of actual scientific history about the story adds a dash of credibility.

What I like best in the film is captured by Jessup saying that schizophrenics may be physically different from others - as if they are trying to physically externalize their schizophrenic image of themselves. Jessup had rejected religion, probably in favor of evolution (under the theory that it's an either-or proposition). He is also many times described as "at least a little crazy" himself. When he begins to experience imagery, it corresponds to the theory of evolution and of "genetic memory." Thus, at his physical transformation, we are left pondering: is he downloading genetic memory, or is he just externalizing the semi-schizophrenic image of himself? The movie puts the "speculation" in speculative fiction.

Add to this a sweet love story, and you get a lot of fun - moreso than in just an ordinary horror movie way. This is a horror movie that gets you to enjoy thinking. There are precious few movies that do this, and I feel sorry for people who have to reject the movie **in its entirety** simply because a few details regarding flotation chambers and plants are inaccurate. I think they miss the point.