Circle of Power
| Circle of Power | |
|---|---|
 Executives embracing after participating in "Executive Development Training" | |
| Directed by | Bobby Roth |
| Written by | Beth Sullivan (screenplay), Gene Church (book) |
| Produced by | Gary Mehlman Anthony Quinn Jeffrey White |
| Starring | Yvette Mimieux, Christopher Allport, Cindy Pickett, John Considine, Walter Olkewicz |
| Cinematography | Affonso Beato |
| Edited by | Gail Yasunaga |
| Music by | Richard Markowitz |
| Distributed by | Media Home Entertainment, Qui Productions, Televicine International |
Release date | 1981 |
Running time | 98 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Circle of Power, also known as Mystique, Brainwash and The Naked Weekend, is a 1981 film, co-produced by Gary Mehlman, Anthony Quinn and Jeffrey White, and based on the non-fiction book The Pit: A Group Encounter Defiled. It stars Yvette Mimieux in her final film performance to date.
Plot synopsis
Yvette Mimieux plays the chief executive of a giant corporation called "Mystique",[1] but the organization is also known as "Executive Development Training", or EDT.[2] Christopher Allport plays Jack Nilsson, a decent all-American young executive.[3]
Top management executives are required to spend a weekend with Bianca Ray at a hotel, where they are put under psychological pressure.[1] As a prerequisite to the training course, participants must sign a waiver giving the company the release to physically and psychologically abuse the individuals in the course.[3] The participants struggle with their shortcomings, such as obesity and alcoholism.[3] Another individual is a closet homosexual, and a fourth is a transvestite.[2] At one point in the film, the obese trainee is forced to eat trash and discarded food in front of the other seminar participants.[2] Eventually, the seminar executives and their wives lose their inhibitions later on in the "consciousness-raising" coursework.[4]
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Yvette Mimieux | Bianca Ray |
| Christopher Allport | Jack Nilsson |
| Cindy Pickett | Lyn Nilsson |
| John Considine | Jordan Carelli |
| Walter Olkewicz | Buddy Gordon |
| Leo Rossi | Chris Morris |
| Carmen Argenziano | Tony Annese |
Reception
The film won a Dramatic Films Award at the 1982 Sundance Film Festival.[5] Circle of Power played under the title Mystique at the 1981 Chicago International Film Festival.[1]
A review in The New York Times described Circle of Power as an "attack on monolithic belief systems," and referred to it as "a worthwhile movie."[3] Roger Ebert gave the film three stars, writing that "...it's an entertaining film with serious intentions."[1] Ebert compared it to events reported in Boston newspapers about a man who died during a seminar, commenting: "Art anticipates life."[1] Ebert questioned the conceit of the film, asking the question: "Could a major corporation get away with this brainwashing?"[1] The authors of the book upon which the film was based concluded their preface by stating: "And please remember as you read -- it's true."[6]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f Ebert, Roger (1983-09-28). "Naked Weekend / Mystique". Chicago Sun-Times.
- ^ a b c Erickson, Hal., Brainwash, Overview, Allmovie, retrieved 4/20/2007.
- ^ a b c d Van Gelder, Lawrence (March 2, 1984). "Screen: Corporate Pressure". The New York Times.
- ^ Staff (June 2, 1984). "Showtime: Circle of Power". The Chronicle Telegram, Elyria, Ohio.
- ^ Brainwash, Dramatic Films, 1982, Sundance Film Festival, Allmovie, [1]
- ^ Church, Gene; Conrad D. Carnes (1972). The Pit: A Group Encounter Defiled. New York: Outerbridge & Lazard, Inc. p. 161. ISBN 0-87690-087-2.
External links
- Reviews
- Review, Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
- Review, The New York Times
- Review, Stomp Tokyo
- Circle of Power at IMDb
- Circle of Power at AllMovie