Missing (1982 film)

Missing
Directed by	Costa-Gavras
Written by	Donald E. Stewart Costa-Gavras Thomas Hauser (book)
Produced by	Edward Lewis Mildred Lewis
Starring	Jack Lemmon Sissy Spacek Melanie Mayron John Shea Janice Rule
Cinematography	Ricardo Aronovich
Edited by	Françoise Bonnot
Music by	Vangelis
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date	February 12, 1982 (limited)
Running time	122 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English/Spanish

For other uses, see Missing.

Missing is a 1982 film directed by Costa Gavras, starring Jack Lemmon, Sissy Spacek, Melanie Mayron, John Shea and Charles Cioffi. It is based on the true story of American journalist Charles Horman, who disappeared in the bloody aftermath of the US-backed Chilean coup of 1973 that deposed President Salvador Allende.

The film was banned in Chile during Pinochet's regime; ironically, the nation is not mentioned by name in the film (although the Chilean cities of Viña del Mar and Santiago are). Both the film and Thomas Hauser's book The Execution of Charles Horman were removed from the market, following a lawsuit filed against Costa-Gavras and Universal's parent company MCA by former Ambassador Nathaniel Davis, and two others. A lawsuit against Hauser himself was dismissed because the statute of limitations had passed. Davis and his compatriots lost the lawsuit, and the film was finally released by Universal in a bare-bones version in 2006.

Plot

The film opens with Costa-Gavras' statement that the events of the film are true, and ends with a disclaimer from the State Department, denying the events in the film happened. Set largely during the days and weeks following Horman's disappearance, the film depicts his father and wife searching in vain to determine his fate. The film is based on a book first published under the title The Execution of Charles Horman: An American Sacrifice (1978) by Thomas Hauser (later republished under the title Missing in 1982). The score is by the Greek electronic composer Vangelis.

Production

The movie's wistful piano theme has been used extensively in commercials, but an official release of the film's soundtrack has not yet materialized. The main theme appeared for the first time anywhere on Vangelis' 1989 album "Themes." A bootleg release of the soundtrack exists, but it is extremely rare and of dubious quality. A special edition DVD was released by The Criterion Collection in October 2008.

Reception

Missing won the Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay, and was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Jack Lemmon), Best Actress in a Leading Role (Sissy Spacek) and Best Picture. The film won also the 1982 Palme d'Or (Golden Palm) at the Cannes Film Festival and Lemmon was awarded Best Actor for his performance.

Cast

Actor	Role
Jack Lemmon	Ed Horman
Sissy Spacek	Beth Horman
Melanie Mayron	Terry Simon
John Shea	Charles 'Charlie' Horman
Charles Cioffi	Capt. Ray Tower, USN
David Clennon	Consul Phil Putnam
Richard Venture	U.S. Ambassador
Jerry Hardin	Colonel Sean Patrick
Richard Bradford	Andrew Babcock
Joe Regalbuto	Frank Teruggi
Keith Szarabajka	David Holloway
John Doolittle	David McGeary
Janice Rule	Kate Newman
Ward Costello	Congressman
Hansford Rowe	Senator
Tina Romero	Maria
Richard Whiting	Statesman

See also

• Forced disappearance

External links

• Missing at IMDb