Barnes & Noble

Daniel Keyes’s novella “Flowers for Algernon,” having been adapted for television in 1961, made its way to the big screen in this expansive 1968 feature film, with Cliff Robertson repeating the lead role he had taken in the TV version. What’s more, he won that year’s Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Charly Gordon, a mentally challenged adult who turns into an intellectual giant after submitting to an experimental treatment. His newfound intelligence opens up the entire world to Charly, who falls in love with one of his teachers (Claire Bloom). But the world could close on him again: There’s no guarantee that the experiment’s results will be permanent. Robertson, an appealing but generally undistinguished journeyman actor, is remarkably effective in this superbly written drama, and he is ably supported by Bloom, Lilia Skala, Leon Janney, and Dick Van Patten. Ralph Nelson’s direction is properly unobtrusive, though the many split-screen shots betray the psychedelic era in which it was made. The Keyes story, originally published in the ‘50s, has been pillaged by Hollywood, in whole or in part, many times over the years, but this “official” version remains the yarn’s finest cinematic adaptation. You’ll find it comparable to the 1990 Robert De Niro-Robin Williams Awakenings -- which, although ostensibly based on actual events, seems to draw a great deal from “Flowers for Algernon.” Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

In 1961, Cliff Robertson starred in The Two Worlds of Charley Gordon, a TV adaptation of Daniel Keyes' story Flowers for Algernon. Determined not to lose out on the film version of this play as he'd done with Days of Wine and Roses, Robertson bought up the movie rights to Keyes' story so that he and he alone would star. This determination paid off in the form of the Best Actor Academy Award for Robertson in 1968. The star plays Charly, a 30-year-old mentally retarded bakery worker. Neurosurgeon Dr. Richard Nemur (Leon Janney) and psychiatrist Dr. Anna Straus (Lilia Skala) approach Charly and ask him to participate in an experiment. Previously, Dr. Nemur was able to accelerate the intelligence of a mouse named Algernon by performing a radical new form of brain surgery; could not such a procedure work on a human being? As a result, Charly not only achieves normal intelligence, but also becomes a genius. Emboldened by his new mental status, Charly proposes marriage to his very receptive special-ed teacher (Claire Bloom). Alas, Charly notices that Algernon has begun to regress, and he reasons that he also will return to his old developmentally challenged state. Hal Erickson

Product Details

• UPC: 027616912015
• Source: MGM (VIDEO & DVD)
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Pre-1954 Standard (1.33.1), Cinemascope (2.35:1)
• Presentation: Pan & Scan, Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital Mono
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Français, Español
• Time: 1:44:00
• Sales Rank: 8,514

Features:

DVD MENU