12:01 PM (1990 film)
| 12:01 PM | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Jonathan Heap |
| Produced by | Teresa E. Kounin |
| Written by | Richard A. Lupoff Stephen Tolkin Jonathan Heap |
| Starring | Jane Alden Kurtwood Smith Don Amendolia John Bachelder |
| Music by | Stephen Melillo |
| Cinematography | Charlie Lieberman |
| Editing by | Hubert de la Bouillerie |
| Release date(s) |
|
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
12:01 PM is a 1990 short film starring Kurtwood Smith. Directed by Jonathan Heap, it originally aired on cable television in 1990 as part of the Showtime 30-Minute Movie anthology series. It was nominated for an Academy Award.[1][2]
It is the first film adaptation of the short story "12:01 PM" by Richard A. Lupoff, which was published in the December 1973 edition of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. The major plot device is a time loop or time bounce.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Kurtwood Smith plays Myron Castleman,[3] an everyman who keeps repeating the same hour of his life, from 12:01 PM to 1:00 PM. Although he is fully aware that the loop is occurring, no one else seems to be. During one of the loops, he finds a newspaper stating a scientist has predicted a time loop which appears to match his situation. When Myron calls the scientist, he is skeptical of Myron's claims, saying that his consciousness should reset with everyone else's, and that if Myron is telling the truth, it would involve 'consciousness being an independent variable', a topic he has only just started studying. During the next loops, Myron is unsuccessful in contacting the scientist again, and becomes furious to the point of throwing his briefcase into traffic and yelling at his secretary. Eventually, he does manage to meet the scientist. He is again skeptical of Myron's claims, until Myron mentions 'consciousness being an independent variable', and describes the loop's transition as the scientist had predicted it. Realizing to his horror that he was right, the scientist sadly informs Myron that there is nothing he can do. Myron becomes hysterical, takes a gun from a security guard, and relates how since he is the only one who can change anything during the loops, he is God. He then shoots himself as the hour of 1:00 arrives. After a brief pause, Myron is transported back to the starting point at 12:01 PM. He looks around in hopelessness, realizing that he is trapped in the loop for eternity.
[edit] Home media
This version has not been released on DVD or VHS in the United States, but it is available on DVD in the UK, collected on a DVD with other short films.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ "12:01 PM (1990) - Awards". IMDb. Retrieved 2008-02-21.
- ^ "1990 (63rd): Short Film (Live Action)". Academy Awards Database. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
- ^ "Kurtwood Smith Biography". CBS.
- ^ Turner, Kathleen (Director) (2005-06-27). Cinema Collection Vol 5 (DVD). UPC 5031932113068. http://www.amazon.co.uk/o/ASIN/B0009JJXUA. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
[edit] External links
- 12:01 PM at the Internet Movie Database
