The Medusa Touch Poster

The Medusa Touch (1978)

Horror  
Rayting:   7.0/10 5.9K votes
Country: UK | France
Language: English
Release date: 31 August 1978

Psychological thriller about a telekinetic novelist who causes disasters simply by thinking about them.

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philosopherjack 30 August 2018

Any modern-day remake of Jack Gold's The Medusa Touch would probably skew much younger in its casting and energy-level, its plot fleshed out by race-against-time set-pieces. If Gold's version works significantly better than seems likely, it's largely because of its world-weariness and sense of crusty experience, allowing its melodramatic contrivances to seem like expressions of shared frustration and common anticipation of doom. Richard Burton is among the stiffest and intemperate of leading men, so it works pretty well to cast him as a man driven by those very qualities, allowed several vituperative rants about societal hypocrisy and the general mediocrity of people individually and collectively: the premise is that he has the capacity to destroy at will, from individuals who cross him, to planes that he pulls from the sky for the hell of it (the retrospective echo of 9/11 is impossible to shut out), or even beyond that, to tamper with the workings of manned space probes. Lino Ventura (his presence on the British police force amusingly attributed to an exchange program with the French) comes in to investigate after Burton's Morlar is attacked in his home and left for dead - the film dramatizes the fruits of his investigation in flashback, interspersed with the growing anxiety as Morlar clings to life against all odds, his malicious capacities and intents possibly intact. The extensive use of other establishment actors in small parts, the alertness to time and place, and the breadth of Morlar's fury (encompassing the family, the education system, the law, the church, etc.) gives the film an unlikely symbolic force, allowing the character to embody whatever undiagnosed or unaddressed ills are slowly poisoning us. At the risk of auteur-seeking excess, it's thus tempting to see the film as a companion piece to Gold's sensational The Reckoning, which dramatizes a very different form of rage-filled triumph over the English establishment.

LeonLouisRicci 3 June 2012

Fmovies: What a Sleeper! most Movie Buffs probably never heard of this Creepy, Scary, Well Written Supernatural, Para-Psychological, Serial-Killer, Conglomerate, British Gem.

Combining all these Elements in a Fast moving, unfolding of a "Simple Murder", is so Professionally handled it seems Effortless. It is well Acted and is Respectful of a Subject in Disrepute, and the Film makes it all seem Believable.

Fine SFX Work, not always Present in European Cinema (especially in the 70's), just adds another realm of Verisimilitude to the Far Out, Fantastic Premise.

The Ending has a Terrific Twist. Not to be missed.

kevinmoon62 20 July 2011

'The Medusa Touch' fits as one of those films that certainly deserves to be called a masterpiece that became a well kept secret. If you are a fan of the genre and haven't seen it, what a rare find it is! Contributors to threads of a remake of this film are filled with screams against that idea. And deservedly so. Any attempt to remake this classic would be a travesty.

Richard Burton's excellent performance, and surly the role fits Burton's acting style like a well tailored glove. Casting him as an intelligent and well versed author, whose spoken (and written) dialog is scripted to delve deep into a profound command of the English language, is right up Burton's alley. I see much written here about Burton's outstanding performance and they are certainly correct.

It almost seems an oversight however, that the performance given by Lino Ventura (Inspector Brunel) is as fine a work of acting as can be. Officially a 'supporting actor' in the film, one could hardly tell. Cast as a French Exchange Detective who has a suspicious, slightly non-trusting relationship with his English Scotland Yard counterparts, Ventura turns in a nearly flawless role, and makes the idea work exquisitely.

Often while deep in puzzled thought and shock, mere facial expressions from Inspector Brunel are perfect additions to Ventura's role. To many thread do not topic Lino Ventura's excellent acting in this outstanding classic gem of a thriller. Perhaps due to many fans in the English speaking world never having heard of Lino Ventura, and figuring he was a 'small-fame' actor. Nothing could be further from the truth. Ventura was Italian citizenship and birth, while living the majority of his life in France.

Ventura was a hugely acclaimed and decorated actor in France, who played some iconic roles there. Casting Lino Ventura in this film was no stretch, as his timeless performance attests. The filmmakers were fortunate to land him. In many ways, Ventura's performance helped mold this movie into the hidden classic 'The Medusa Touch' will forever be.

lightningslim 5 March 2003

The Medusa Touch fmovies. Although I've known of this film since its release, I've seen it tonight, after 25 years! It was worth the wait - an excelently acted science fiction piece, presented as a police drama. Certainly it marked by its date - the clothes, the cars, the rounded television sets :o) - but this now adds a certain charm that I'm sure the director never intended. Special effects are not the flashy "Sci-fi" type but are all the more impressive for this, adding verisimilitude to a gritty and involving tale. If you enjoy "hard" science fiction, try and see it!

thinker1691 30 December 2005

The Medusa Touch is the fantastic story of a middle age English man tormented by the terrifying revelation, he is responsible for the the world's disasters. Richard Burton gives an impressive performance as writer John Morlar, who is brutally murdered and left for dead. Trouble is, his mind refuses to die. Convinced, from a young age, Morlar believes he has had the power to cause personal as well as world catastrophes. To prove his point, he snares a fully-loaded flying 747 jumbo jet and causes it to crash into a high rise apartment building, killing hundreds. The case is investigated by French Inspector Brunel (Supurbly played by Lino Ventura) who is convinced, Morlar's personal psychiatrist, Doctor Zonfeld (Lee Remick in one of her finest roles), is harboring a horrifying secret which eventually engulfs them both. The film is a masterpiece, combining the attributes of in your seat suspense and visual scenes which are further enhanced by a haunting musical score. With veteran actors like Harry Andrews, Alan Badel, Michael Hordern, and Derek Jacobi, the movie becomes a classic drama of unparalleled achievement. *****

Mon-4 24 March 1999

This is the sort of movie that could only be British made.....with its cavalcade of great character actors, slightly dodgy special effects and bravura it's well worth watching. Richard Burton has lots of fun as a man cursed with the power 'To create catastrophe 'and Lee Remick is the psychiatrist who has to convince him he's got a fertile imagination and that he should relax a little.

After all how many horror films start with the main character getting his head bashed in, goes from there to the aftermath of a plane crash in central London, segues neatly through burning schools, failing space missions, goes back to the events leading upto the plane crash, quickly darts over to a cathedral collapsing and then builds to a crescendo where........nah, that'd ruin it for you. Watch it , there's so much going on in this film it's like watching one of those Amicus compilation movies, with several stories within the main plot. It'll never win any Oscars or credits from film luvvies but it is entertaining, it has a great soundtrack, all the cast give good performances and Lee Remick looks scared as only she could!

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