On December 26th Whitley Strieber has a strange nightmare. In the following days, plagued by painful headaches, his behavior becomes increasingly erratic. Later, under hypnosis, he realizes ... Read allOn December 26th Whitley Strieber has a strange nightmare. In the following days, plagued by painful headaches, his behavior becomes increasingly erratic. Later, under hypnosis, he realizes that his dream was not a dream at all.On December 26th Whitley Strieber has a strange nightmare. In the following days, plagued by painful headaches, his behavior becomes increasingly erratic. Later, under hypnosis, he realizes that his dream was not a dream at all.
- Awards
- 1 nomination
- Mrs. Greenberg
- (as Dee Dee Rescher)
- Second Grade Girl
- (as Juliet Sorcey)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWhile serving as executive producer, author Whitley Strieber, whose experiences serve as the basis of the film, expressed concerns about Christopher Walken's abilities in portraying him. When Strieber finally told Walken that he might be portraying him as a little too crazy, Walken replied, "If the shoe fits."
- GoofsWhen Whitley leaves his vehicle in the 'final' visit to the cabin, the camera cuts to the entire cabin drenched in light. As he starts approaching it, the source of light can be seen as a spotlight at the top right of the screen.
- Quotes
Whitley Strieber: [as an Alien readies the Rectal Probe] Can we talk this over? It looks like you're going to sing White Christmas...
- Alternate versionsAn alternate version of Communion (1989) is shown on FOX network television (USA). The alternate version has extra or extended scenes (compared to the theatrical/cable/video version) as follows:
- When Whitley (Christopher Walken) visits Dr. Freidman (Basil Hoffman), he describes the visitors while watching a salamander frolic in the physician's aquarium.
- When Whitley's Russian friend Alex (Andreas Katsulas) finds Whitley in the diner, he tells Whitley that as a child in his native country he heard stories of small beings who lived in the mines, called Kobolds. He tells Whitley he believes these stories are true;
- On the "ship," Whitley dances with the Little Blue Doctors after they exchange greetings (immediately before the "magic show");
- Upon the roof of their apartment building, the stars in the sky do NOT momentarily appear to resemble the face of a visitor, as they do in the theatrical/cabletv/video version;
- The end credits roll over a night time aerial shot of the Strieber family standing on the shore with New York City behind them.
- ConnectionsEdited into Encounters of the Fourth Kind (1989)
However, this also provides the film with an atmosphere that can also help enhance the whole point, which is not "was Whitley Strieber abducted by aliens," but rather "how did Whitley's interpretation of an inexplicable event effect him and those around him?" One of the last scenes, an exchange between Strieber and his wife in a museum, conveys this point perfectly. "It's just God, masks of God." It can be equated with a religious experience, feeling the touch of God. Strieber FELT the touch of an outside presence. Does that mean he was visited by aliens? This is irrelevant, and I firmly believe that this is what the point of the film should be. And let's face it, the film is called "Communion," which means "to be at one with God."
The mechanics of the film are rather well constructed. Christopher Walken is in fine form as Strieber, giving a wonderful portrayal of a writer on the edge (of a discovery or his sanity?). Lindsay Crouse does a good job as Strieber's wife. The acting is slightly flat in some areas, but this might've been another device of Mora's to add to the surrealism. Constant uses of the New York skyline add a sense of foreboding to the film, not just because of the beauty of these scenes, but because it helps give the impression of an outside presence. The music (with Eric Clapton on guitar) is pretty good, typical of the synthesizer-based scores of most '80's movies, but it adds well to the setting. And even though the special effects may seem laughable, Mora has made the case (perhaps pretentiously) that this was also deliberate. The FOX TV version (which seems to be the version being shown on Showtime Digital Cable) adds several sequences, and increases the light contrast in certain scenes, adding a glowing white haze to many scenes. Some have complained about the scene in the psychiatrist's office being so bright, but I think it also helps get the message that there may be an outside presence surrounding all of us, whether we recognize it or not.
"Communion" is an interesting movie that suffered from a view that was perhaps too short-sighted. If the film were made today, one can be sure the message might have been lost on overbloated special effects, and the surreal effect would've been diminished to appeal to the lowest common denominator of movie-going audiences. No matter what your stance on alien abduction, this is a very thought-provoking film. Give it a chance...watch it.
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- Контакт
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $5,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $1,919,653
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $822,123
- Nov 12, 1989
- Gross worldwide
- $1,919,653