Harrison Bergeron (1995) (TV)

Director:

Bruce Pittman

Writers:

Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (story)
Arthur Crimm
(more)

Release Date:

13 August 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Welcome to the future. It's a no-brainer.

Plot:

"All men are not created equal. It is the purpose of the Government to make them so." This is the premise...

Plot Keywords:

Television | Retro Future | Black Comedy | Under Achiever | Dystopia

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Sean Astin	...	Harrison Bergeron
Miranda de Pencier	...	Phillipa
Eugene Levy	...	President McCloskey
Howie Mandel	...	Charlie (of 'Chat with Charlie')
Andrea Martin	...	Diana Moon Glampers
Christopher Plummer	...	John Klaxon
Nigel Bennett	...	Dr. Eisenstock
Peter Boretski	...	Newman
David Calderisi	...	Commissioner Benson
Emmanuelle Chriqui	...	Jeannie
Hayden Christensen	...	Eric
Cindy Cook	...	Weatherperson
Roger Dunn	...	George Bergeron
Jayne Eastwood	...	Ms. Newbound
Hal Eisen	...	TV Announcer - San Quentin
Matthew Ferguson	...	Garth Bergeron
Michael Fletcher	...	Technician
John Friesen	...	Frank the Plumber
Linda Goranson	...	Hazel Bergeron
Wendy Hopkins	...	Jennifer
Quyen Hua	...	Connie Wang
Juliette Jacob	...	Mother
Chapelle Jaffe	...	Head House Lady
Doug Lennox	...	Policeman
Stan Lesk	...	Man
William Lynn	...	TV Cameraman, Bert
Alison MacLeod	...	Woman
Marc Marut	...	Todd
Richard Monette	...	Eric Shockley
Carl Harvey	...	Mr. TV (as Hogan Montana)
Sam Moses	...	Sandbag Dancer
Avi Phillips	...	Morris Wilkerson
Natalie Radford	...	Alma Starbuck
Diana Reis	...	Miss Hopkins
Anthony Sherwood	...	TV Announcer - Florida
Nina Shock	...	Young Phillipa
Mairlyn Smith	...	Janet Mckloskey
Rob Stefaniuk	...	Victor
Maria Syrgiannis	...	Head House Girl #1
Deborah Theaker	...	Jane Starbuck
Carlton Watson	...	Jerome
Ron White	...	Reynolds
Mark Wilson	...	Wally Starbuck
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Buck Henry	...	TV producer
John Astin	...	Golf Announcer (uncredited)
Mackenzie Astin	...	Golf Champion (uncredited)

Directed by
Bruce Pittman

Writing credits
Kurt Vonnegut Jr.		(story)
Arthur Crimm
Jon Glascoe		uncredited

Produced by
Jon Glascoe	....	producer
Jonathan Hackett	....	producer
James Nadler	....	executive producer
Joseph Pierson	....	producer
Peter Sussman	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Louis Natale		(as Lou Natale)

Cinematography by
Michael Storey

Film Editing by
Ion Webster

Casting by
Darlene Kaplan
Clare Walker

Production Design by
Susan Longmire

Art Direction by
Alta Louise Doyle

Set Decoration by
Carolyn 'Cal' Loucks		(as Carolyn Loucks)

Costume Design by
Marie-Sylvie Deveau

Makeup Department
Paul R.J. Elliot	....	hair stylist (as Paul Elliot)
Linda Preston	....	makeup department head

Production Management
Marc Dassas	....	production manager
John Harcourt	....	post-production supervisor
Jamie Paul Rock	....	executive in charge of production

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Anthony Browne	....	third assistant director
Reid A. Dunlop	....	first assistant director
Eric S. Potechin	....	second assistant director (as Eric Potechin)
Aline Robichaud	....	assistant director trainee
David Stern	....	second unit director (uncredited)

Art Department
Craig Black	....	set painter
Fabian Bolzonello	....	carpenter
J. Tracy Budd	....	property buyer (as Tracy Budd)
Janet Cormack	....	head scenic painter (as Janet L. Cormack)
A. Blake Crofton	....	carpenter
Kenneth A. Gallie	....	construction laborer
Graeme Gossage	....	set dresser (as Graeme B. Gossage)
Paul Hannigan	....	carpenter
Juanita Holden	....	second assistant art director
Brian Kelneck	....	construction laborer
Jonathan Kovacs	....	set dresser
Andrew MacDougall	....	carpenter
Gordon Marshall	....	carpenter
Karen McConnell	....	property buyer
Dan Merhar	....	carpenter
Ed Mitobe	....	set dresser
Peter Nice	....	carpenter
Donal O'Donaghue	....	head carpenter (as Donald O'Donoghue)
Tony Plunkett	....	carpenter
Jeff Poulis	....	property master
Reet Puhm	....	key scenic artist
Donald Vandewater	....	construction coordinator (as Don Vandewater)
Wayne Wightman	....	first assistant art director
Dan Wladyka	....	leadman (as Daniel Wladyka)

Sound Department
Timothy A. Carpenter	....	adr mixer
Mark Gingras	....	sound effects editor
Wayne Griffin	....	adr editor
Wayne Griffin	....	dialogue editor
David Lee	....	sound recordist
Peter McBurnie	....	foley artist
James Robb	....	assistant dialogue editor (as Jim Robb)
Lou Solakofski	....	sound re-recording mixer
Orest Sushko	....	sound re-recording mixer
Steve Switzer	....	boom operator
David Yonson	....	foley recordist

Special Effects by
Jordan Craig	....	special effects coordinator

Visual Effects by
Jon Campfens	....	visual effects supervisor
Michael Lennick	....	special video production

Camera and Electrical Department
Rod Benjamin	....	key grip
Neil Gover	....	genny operator
Marni Grossman	....	still photographer
Jacqueline Hampton	....	camera trainee
Chris Howard	....	gaffer
James Kohne	....	dolly grip (as Jim Kohne)
William McKibbin	....	electrician (as William McKibbon)
Joseph Micomonaco	....	second assistant camera
Colleen Norcross	....	first assistant camera
Tracy Shaw	....	best boy grip
Stephen Spurrell	....	best boy
James Tamblyn	....	video playback operator

Casting Department
Eleanor Lavender	....	extras casting (as Eleanor Lavander)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Rhonda Crawley	....	wardrobe buyer
Gail Filman	....	assistant wardrobe supervisor
Elizabeth Fleet	....	wardrobe assistant (as Elizabeth Fleet Nyberg)
Natalie Gysel	....	wardrobe buyer (as Nathalie Gysel)
Susan MacLeod	....	wardrobe mistress
Linda Petty	....	assistant costume designer

Editorial Department
John Cameron	....	first assistant editor
Jane Crust	....	post-production coordinator
Shannon Farrell	....	post-production assistant
Darren Jennekens	....	editor: video

Music Department
Colin Aguiar	....	composer: additional music

Transportation Department
Stuart Hughes	....	transportation captain
Stuart Mitchell	....	head driver
Grant Volkers	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Eric Birnberg	....	business and legal affairs
Josée Brodeur	....	assistant accountant
Kristine Child	....	assistant to producer
Arthur Clarke	....	location manager (as Art Clarke)
Susanna David	....	script supervisor
Ruth Dyer	....	publicist: Atlantis
Anna Falsetta	....	production controller
Randy Kennedy	....	assistant location manager
Lynn Mallay	....	production coordinator
Neil Olsen	....	production assistant
Anne Paynter	....	assistant production coordinator
Lee-Anne Pearce	....	assistant to director
Jim Sternberg	....	production accountant
Jennifer L. Thompson	....	production assistant (as Jennifer Thompson)
Sue Valencia	....	legal counsel

Production Companies

• Atlantis Films
• Cypress Films (I)

Distributors

• Republic Pictures (II) (1995) (USA) (TV)
• Republic Pictures (II) (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Showtime Networks (1995) (USA) (TV)

Special Effects

• Gajdecki Visual Effects (GVFX)

Other Companies

• Film Finances Canada  completion guarantor
• Medallion-PFA Film & Video  post-production facilities
• Starcraft  craft service

Also Known As:

"Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron" -
"Harrison Bergeron" - Greece (DVD title)
"Harrison Bergeron" - France
"I.Q. Runner - Aufstand der Untermenschen" - Germany

MPAA:

Rated R for language, and for some sexuality and violence

Runtime:

USA:99 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Ontario, Canada

Company:

Atlantis Films

Trivia:

Cameo: [During the montage scene after Harrison begins working for the company]you can see short segments of programming that is being judged for approval. One of those scenes, if you look very carefully, will show Penn Jillette and NFN Teller. The duo, when together, is otherwise known as Penn & Teller.

Quotes:

John Klaxon:Can you imagine how I must feel, knowing that I'm striving to create a world in which no Beethoven will ever be born? But it has to be, not just because of some words in a constitution. It has to be.

Movie Connections:

Version of Harrison Bergeron (2006)

Soundtrack:

Only Hope

Drastically Different, but Beautifully the Same

I read the Kurt Vonnegut short story "Harrison Bergeron" in the ninth grade, and in the tenth grade we tore it apart from beginning to end. I loved that short story; I found it fascinating, the idea of a civilization where equality exists in its base form, and yet nothing is right. Then I passed by this movie during one of my many continuing stints in a Hollywood video store. I raised my eyebrows in surprise, then furrowed them in disgust, and passed on. You see, book/story-turned-film adaptations and I do not have a pleasant history. But eventually, I broke down. What the hell?

I was dazzled immediately. Of course, the story Harrison Bergeron, as compared to Sean Astin, is as I said, Drastically Different (with capital letters included). However, he acts the role of the confused Harrison wonderfully. The film is nothing like the short story - the only things they have in common are the name and the base concept. But what the filmakers did with that base concept is extraordinary, very much deserving of the 10/10 stars I rated it with. You cannot argue with a film that answers all of your questions that the book merely skimmed upon, and yet remains true to the story. All of the actors were amazing, and played their roles with amazing vigor. The film was homely; you could connect with these people and these places. It struck me as Oscar-deserving, and it was made for television! Please, if you have read the story and are wary of this picture, don't be. I was, but I broke down, and I'll never regret it. And if you haven't read the story, watch the movie anyway. You'll get it right from the humorous beginning to a near tear-jerker ending.

Thanks for making a film adaptation that I, for one, could enjoy.