Lathe of Heaven (film)

Based onThe Lathe of Heaven
by Ursula K. Le GuinWritten byAlan SharpDirected byPhilip HaasStarringMusic byAngelo BadalamentiCountry of originUnited StatesOriginal languageEnglishProductionExecutive producersProducerMark WinemakerProduction locationMontrealCinematographyPierre MignotEditorJean-François BergeronRunning time91 minutesProduction companiesOriginal releaseNetworkA&EReleaseSeptember 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.^[1]

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.

• 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

Filming took place in Montreal.^[2]

• 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.