Awakenings Movie Essay

993 Words4 Pages
Awakenings (1990), an American drama film based on Oliver Sacks' 1973 memoir of the same title. It tells the true story of British neurologist Oliver Sacks, fictionalized as American Malcolm Sayer (portrayed by Robin Williams), who, in 1969, discovered beneficial effects of the drug L-Dopa. He administered it to catatonic patients who survived the 1917–28 epidemic of encephalitis lethargica. Leonard Lowe (played by Robert De Niro) and the rest of the patients were awakened after decades of catatonia and have to deal with a new life in a new time. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards. It was directed by Penny Marshall, an American actress, director, and producer. She is also a dance teacher. The main idea of this work, is for Dr. Sayer to cure those patients who are been stick to…show more content…
Dr. Sayer is then determined to start all of the patients like Lowe on the experimental drug without waiting to see Leonard’s reaction to the drug. Amazingly enough, the only thing holding him back is money, a hurdle that he quickly jumps. All of the other patients return to normal and begin making up for lost time. Dr. Sayer begins to worry when Lowe begins to display a minor tic. When Lowe explodes and is isolated to a high security ward, the other patients begin to worry as well will that be them? After Lowe attacks him, Dr. Sayer does not report the incident, or tell anyone about it. Luckily, the incident snaps Lowe out of his paranoid state and he is able to return to the general population, where his tics gradually worsen until he is in the same state as he was before L-DOPA. Lowe’s experience suggests that the other patients will follow in his footsteps. Many of the other patients whose courses on L-DOPA were quite different from Leonard’s in some cases much more successful are ignored in favor of telling a more heart-wrenching
Show More
Related

  • Male Rescuer Archetype

    1366 Words  | 6 Pages

    In her essay, “The Deconstruction of the Male-Rescuer Archetype,” Carolina Fernandez emphasizes how the figure of a “male-hero” has evolved and changed overtime. Fernandez supports her main argument using Spanish fairy tales to oppose the strong-traditional vision of Machoism and demonstrate how women do not need a figure of a hero or rescuer, since they can free themselves and become independent. Although some of the fairy tales used as examples had a male rescuer, her main argument demonstrates

    Read More

  • Amy Coplan's Use Of Emotional Contagion In Film

    1798 Words  | 8 Pages

    contagion in terms of film and philosophy can be described as the jumping of emotions from screen to the audience which in turn makes the audience feel more emotional as the viewer watches a close up of the character and its emotional expressions. These essays aims to discuss the phenomenon of ‘emotional contagion’, Amy Coplan’s account of emotional contagion, and its implication on peoples experience and understanding of movies and lastly with cited examples of emotional contagion and also aim to establish

    Read More

More about Awakenings Movie Essay

Open Document