When the comedian/ actor Robin Williams died I recalled vaguely in my mind about a film to do with the Afterlife. Robbins played the dramatis personae. The Afterlife scenery is depicted quite "accurately" especially its overall psychedelic quality. In other words, the "scenery" was much brighter, and colourful when compared to anything in this world of the five senses.
Apart from the Wikipedia article on the film concerned I have also included a google search link of the many pics of various aspects of the Afterlife "scenery". Maybe of interest. A friend of mine, the noted experiencer Jurgen Ziewie seemed to be impressed by the attempts of the film to create the "Afterlife "scenery."
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia / Blogger Ref http://www.p2pfoundation.net/Multi-Dimensional_Science
| What Dreams May Come | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
| |
| Directed by | Vincent Ward |
| Produced by | Stephen Deutsch Barnet Bain |
| Screenplay by | Ronald Bass |
| Story by | Richard Matheson |
| Based on | What Dreams May Come by Richard Matheson |
| Starring | Robin Williams Cuba Gooding, Jr. Annabella Sciorra |
| Music by | Michael Kamen |
| Cinematography | Eduardo Serra |
| Edited by | David Brenner |
| Production company | |
| Distributed by | PolyGram Filmed Entertainment (thru Universal Studios) |
| Release dates |
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| Running time | 113 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $85 million |
| Box office | $83 million |
Contents
[hide]Plot[edit]
While vacationing in Switzerland, Puertorican physician Chris Nielsen (Robin Williams) meets artist Annie Collins (Annabella Sciorra). They are attracted to each other, and bond as if they had known each other for a long time. They marry and have two children, Ian (Josh Paddock) and Marie (Jessica Brooks Grant). Their idyllic life ends when the children die in a car crash. Life becomes difficult: Annie suffers a mental breakdown and the couple contemplates divorce, but they manage through their losses.On the anniversary of the day they decided not to divorce, Chris is killed in another car crash. Unaware that he is dead, and confused that no one will interact with him, Chris lingers on Earth. He sees Annie's attempts to cope with his loss and attempts to communicate with her, despite advice from a presence that this will only cause her more pain. When his attempts cause more sorrow, he decides to move on.
Chris awakens in Heaven, and learns that his immediate surroundings can be controlled by his imagination. He meets a man (Cuba Gooding Jr.) he recognizes as Albert, his friend and mentor from his medical residency, and the presence from his time as a "ghost" on Earth. Albert will guide and help in this new afterlife. Albert teaches Chris about his existence in Heaven, and how to shape his little corner, and to travel to others' "dreams". They are surprised when a Blue Jacaranda tree appears unbidden in Chris' surroundings, matching a tree in a new painting by Annie, inspired by Annie's belief that she can communicate with Chris in the afterlife. Albert explains that this is a sign that the couple are truly soul mates. Annie decides that Chris cannot "see" the painting, however, and destroys it. At the same time, Chris sees his version of the tree disintegrate before his eyes.
Chris laments that he can no longer see his wife and soon encounters a woman who he comes to recognize as his daughter Marie, living in an area resembling a diorama that she loved in her lifetime. The two share a tearful reunion.
Meanwhile, Annie is unable to cope with the loss of her husband and decides to commit suicide. Chris, who is initially relieved that her suffering is done, grows angry when he learns that those who commit suicide go to Hell; this is not the result of a judgment made against them, but rather their own tendency to create "nightmare" afterlife worlds based on their pain. Chris is adamant that he will rescue Annie from Hell, despite Albert's insistence that no one has ever succeeded in doing so. Albert agrees to find Chris a "tracker" to help search for Annie's soul.
On the journey to Hell, Chris recalls his son, Ian. Remembering how he'd called him the one man he'd want at his side to brave Hell, Chris realizes that Albert is Ian. Ian explains that he chose Albert's appearance because he knew that Chris would listen to Albert without reservation. Before they part, Ian begs Chris to remember how he saved his marriage following Ian and Marie's deaths. Chris then journeys onward with the tracker.
Chris must walk across the field of Faces of the Damned, stepping on their faces as he navigates across it. The damned can be heard talking, including a businesswoman who says she never over-billed her clients. Chris and the tracker arrive at a dark and twisted version of Chris and Annie's house. The tracker then reveals himself as the real Albert and warns Chris that if he stays with Annie for more than a few minutes he may be permanently trapped in Hell, advising that all Chris can reasonably expect is an opportunity for a final farewell to Annie.
Chris enters their now-horrific looking home to find Annie suffering from amnesia, unable to remember her suicide, and visibly tortured by her decrepit surroundings. Unable to stir her memories, the tracker sees Chris give up his quest to save Annie from hell. But instead of returning to Heaven Chris chooses to join Annie forever in Hell. As he declares to Annie his intent to stay, his words parallel something he'd said to her as he left her in an institution following the children's deaths, and she regains her memories while Chris is making her nightmare his. Annie, wanting nothing more than to save Chris, ascends to Heaven, bringing Chris with her.
Chris and Annie are reunited with their children in Heaven, and all appearances are restored. Chris proposes reincarnation, so he and Annie can experience life together again. The film ends with Chris and Annie meeting again as young children in a situation that parallels their first meeting.
Cast[edit]
- Robin Williams as Dr. Christopher Nielsen
- Cuba Gooding, Jr. as Albert Lewis
- Annabella Sciorra as Annie Collins-Nielsen
- Max von Sydow as The Tracker
- Jessica Brooks Grant as Marie Nielsen
- Josh Paddock as Ian Nielsen
- Rosalind Chao as Leona
- Lucinda Jenney as Mrs. Jacobs
- Maggie McCarthy as Stacey Jacobs
Production[edit]
What Dreams May Come was shot largely on Fuji Velvia film and is one of few films to have been filmed in this manner. The Fuji Velvia film is known among landscape photographers for its vivid color reproduction.[2] Filming locations include places in Marin County, Alameda County, and Glacier National Park.[3] Part of the "Hell" sequence was filmed on the decrepit hull of the Essex class aircraft carrier USS Oriskany (CV-34) while berthed at Mare Island in Vallejo, California. The ship was later sunk to make an artificial reef on May 17, 2006.[4]The original prints of the film were lost in a fire at Universal Studios' backlot on June 1, 2008. A worldwide search was launched for a copy, which was found in Europe.[5]
The special edition DVD shows an alternate ending — the ending from the novel — in which reincarnation is not a choice, but part of the natural order. Chris and Annie will meet again in their new lives, but Annie must atone for killing herself — her new incarnation will die young, and Chris will spend the remainder of this life as a widower before the two are again reunited in Heaven. The film then goes to Sri Lanka where a woman is giving birth to a girl, presumed to be Annie. In Philadelphia, a boy is born, presumably Chris.
Differences from the novel[edit]
 | This article possibly contains original research. (September 2007) |
There are far more references to Theosophical, New Age and paranormal beliefs.[6] The author Richard Matheson claims in an introductory note that only the characters are fictional, and that most everything else is based on research (the book includes an extensive bibliography). Story elements that do not show up in the film include astral projection, telepathy, a séance, and the term "Summerland" (a name for a simplified Heaven in Theosophy, and for Heaven in general in religions such as Wicca).
The details of Chris's life on Earth differ strongly in the novel. Only Chris and his wife (called Ann) die. Their children, who are grownups rather than youngsters, remain alive, as minor characters. Albert and Leona are the people they appear to be, and the character played by Max Von Sydow does not appear in the book. Albert is Chris's cousin rather than simply a friend. Chris and Ann are rural types rather than the urbanites portrayed in the film, and he is not a pediatrician, nor is she a painter. He's a Hollywood screenwriter, and she has a variety of jobs.
In the book the afterlife imagery is based on natural scenery rather than paintings. The novel's depiction of Hell is considerably more violent than in the film. Chris finds it difficult to move, breathe, or see, and he suffers physical torture at the hands of some inhabitants. He does not encounter ships, thunderstorms, fire, or the sea of human faces that his film counterpart walks upon. Instead, he and Albert climb craggy cliffs and encounter such sights as a swarm of insects that attack people.
Ann is consigned to Hell for just 24 years, not eternity. At the end, which resembles an alternate version of the film but not the standard version, she escapes from Hell by being reincarnated, because she is not ready for Heaven.
Soundtrack[edit]
The soundtrack for What Dreams May Come was composed and conducted by Michael Kamen and produced by James Seymour Brett. Ennio Morricone completed and recorded a full score for the film. After editorial changes were made, his score was rejected, and Kamen was hired for the film score.[7]Reception[edit]
The film was number 2 in the US in its opening week and went on to gross $55 million in the US theatrical box office. It grossed a further $27 million worldwide. The film won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects at the 71st Academy Awards in 1999, awarded to Nicholas Brooks, Joel Hynek, Kevin Mack, and Stuart Robertson. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Art Direction. It won the Art Directors Guild Award for Excellence in Production Design.Critical reception is mixed. Currently on Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 54% rating with critics.
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times awarded the film three and a half stars out of four, remarking:
| “ | This is a film that even in its imperfect form shows how movies can imagine the unknown, can lead our imaginations into wonderful places. And it contains heartbreakingly effective performances by Robin Williams and Annabella Sciorra."[8] | ” |
| “ | Many movies have offered representations of heaven and hell, but few with as much conviction and creativity as What Dreams May Come. The plot, which focuses on the sacrifices one man will make for true love, is neither complicated nor original, but, bolstered by the director's incredible visual sense, it becomes an affecting piece of drama.[9] | ” |
In Leonard Maltin's annual publication "TV Movies," wherein films are graded from 4 stars to BOMB, the film has been given a BOMB rating, and described as being "off-putting gobbledygook."
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- Jump up ^ No Sweat Shakespeare, To Be Or Not To Be: Hamlet Soliloquy. Line 11.
- Jump up ^ What Dreams May Come Movie Review Cinema Blend
- Jump up ^ What Dreams May Come locations. Film In America
- Jump up ^ Williams, Carol J. (May 10, 2006). "Carrier Will Sink to Serve". Los Angeles Times (Tribune Company). Retrieved September 21, 2014.
- Jump up ^ Fires - June 1st 2008, studiotour.com, Universal Studios
- Jump up ^ Julien R. Fielding, Discovering World Religions At 24 Frames Per Second, published in Journal of Media and Religion Volume 8, Issue 4, Oct. 2009.
- Jump up ^ WHAT DREAMS MAY COME - "They rejected it because it was too emotional?", Radio Soundtrack f-m
- Jump up ^ Ebert, Roger. What Dreams May Come review, Chicago Sun-Times, October 2, 1998.
- Jump up ^ Berardinelli, James. What Dreams May Come review, ReelViews.net, 1998.
External links[edit]
 | Wikiquote has quotations related to: What Dreams May Come (film) |
- What Dreams May Come at the Internet Movie Database
- What Dreams May Come at AllMovie
- What Dreams May Come at Rotten Tomatoes
- What Dreams May Come at Vincent Ward Films
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Categories:
- 1998 films
- English-language films
- Films based on works by Richard Matheson
- 1990s drama films
- 1990s fantasy films
- American romantic drama films
- American romantic fantasy films
- Bangsian fantasy
- Fictional concepts of the afterlife
- Films about reincarnation
- Films based on fantasy novels
- Films based on romance novels
- Films that won the Best Visual Effects Academy Award
- Films directed by Vincent Ward
- Interscope Communications films
- PolyGram Filmed Entertainment films
- Films about life after death
- Screenplays by Ronald Bass
- Film scores by Ennio Morricone
- Heaven and hell films
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