| The Terminal Man | |
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Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Mike Hodges |
| Produced by | Mike Hodges |
| Written by | Michael Crichton Mike Hodges |
| Starring | George Segal Joan Hackett Richard A. Dysart Donald Moffat Michael C. Gwynne William Hansen Jill Clayburgh |
| Cinematography | Richard H. Kline |
| Editing by | Robert L. Wolfe |
| Release date(s) | June 19, 1974 |
| Running time | 107 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Terminal Man is a 1974 film directed by Mike Hodges and based on the 1972 novel of the same name by Michael Crichton. It stars George Segal.
The story centers around the immediate dangers of mind control and the power of computers.
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Harry Benson, an extremely intelligent computer programmer (IQ of 144) in his 30s, suffers from epilepsy. He often has seizures which induce a blackout, and wakes up hours later to unfamiliar surroundings with no knowledge of what he's done.
Benson suffers from Acute Disinhibitory Lesion (ADL) syndrome, and is a prime candidate for an operation known as "Stage Three". "Stage Three" requires surgeons to implant electrodes in his brain and connect them to a miniature computer in his chest which is meant to control these seizures. the operation takes place with no musical score the only sound from the surgons, from the medical procedure and medical students, viewing from above. The surgery is a success. Not only does he have ADL syndrome, but he also suffers from delusions of computers being on the rise against man.
Benson's psychiatrist, Janet Ross, is concerned that once this operation is complete, Benson will suffer further psychosis as a result of his person merging with that of a computer, something he has come to distrust and disdain.
There is a director's cut in which Mike Hodges had cut out the scene where the doctors explains how Harry had his seizures in the first place. Hodges at the time did not like that scene, believing it spoon-fed the audience. Warner Bros. felt that the story needed it, concerned that the audience would not understand or like Harry Benson.
The director's cut of Terminal Man was shown at the 2003 Edinburgh film festival and at the ICA cinema in London in 2008. The director's cut has yet to be released on DVD.
The original film version was released theatrically in the United States by Warner Bros. in June 1974.
It received a belated VHS release by Warner Home Video in 1993.
Until 2009, the movie was never released on DVD in any region. Warner Bros. released it as part of its Warner Archive series as a choice of On Demand streaming or on a DVD-R created on a per-sale basis. Regarding the quality, Warner's website states it was "manufactured from the best-quality video master currently available and has not been remastered or restored specifically for this DVD and On Demand release."
Terrence Malick, the director of Badlands, reportedly has written to Hodges expressing how much he loved watching The Terminal Man.
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