Missing (1982 film)
Missing | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Costa-Gavras |
Screenplay by | Costa-Gavras Donald E. Stewart |
Produced by | Edward Lewis Mildred Lewis |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Ricardo Aronovich |
Edited by | Françoise Bonnot |
Music by | Vangelis |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 122 minutes |
Country | United States |
Languages | English Spanish |
Budget | $9.5 million[1] |
Box office | $14–16 million (US) [2][3] |
Missing (stylized as missing.) is a 1982 American historical drama film directed by Costa-Gavras and starring Sissy Spacek, Jack Lemmon, Melanie Mayron, John Shea, Janice Rule 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 the democratically elected socialist President Salvador Allende. Set largely during the days and weeks following Horman's disappearance, the movie depicts his father and wife searching to determine his fate. The film examines the relationship between Horman's wife Beth (Spacek) and her father-in-law, American businessman Ed Horman (Lemmon).
The film was released theatrically on February 12, 1982. It was shown in competition at the 1982 Cannes Film Festival where it was jointly awarded the Palme d'Or (along with the Turkish film Yol). It received four nominations at the 55th Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role (Lemmon), Best Actress in a Leading Role (Spacek) and winning Best Writing (Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium). Missing grossed $16 million against its $9.5 million budget. The film was banned in Chile during Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship, even though neither Chile nor Pinochet is ever mentioned by name (although the Chilean cities of Viña del Mar and Santiago are).[4]
Plot
Ed Horman (Jack Lemmon) arrives in Chile to search for his son Charles (John Shea), who worked as a journalist and disappeared during the recent military coup. Ed meets his daughter-in-law, Beth (Sissy Spacek), with whom he has a strained relationship and they fight over politics. Ed blames his son and daughter-in-law's radical political views for Charles' disappearance, while Beth blames the American government. Ed uses his connections to meet with various government officials to find out the truth about his son's disappearance.
As he investigates, Ed finds that the American embassy is not as helpful as he thought they would be and he suspects them of hiding information about Charles. One U.S. diplomat is polite and friendly but constantly lies to him; a high-ranking American military attache is blunter and tells Ed that whatever happened to Charles was his own fault, noting "You play with fire, you get burned." Together, he and Beth learn that the U.S. had many interests in the country that have been enhanced by the coup and its aftermath and that many military officials aided Pinochet in the coup. As Ed becomes disillusioned with the American government, he comes to respect the work Beth and Charles were doing and he and Beth reconcile. When they receive proof that Charles was murdered by the junta and that the U.S. let it happen, he tells the embassy officials "I just thank God we live in a country where we can still put people like you in jail!"
The film ends with a postscript stating that after his return to the United States, Ed received the body of his son Charles seven months later, making an autopsy impossible, and that a subsequent lawsuit against the US government was dismissed. It also adds that the State Department denies its involvement in the Pinochet coup, a position maintained to the present day.
Cast
- Sissy Spacek as Beth Horman
- Jack Lemmon as Edmund Horman
- Melanie Mayron as Terry Simon
- John Shea as Charles 'Charlie' Horman
- Charles Cioffi as Capt. Ray Tower, USN
- David Clennon as Consul Phil Putnam
- Richard Venture as U.S. Ambassador
- Jerry Hardin as Colonel Sean Patrick
- Richard Bradford as Andrew Babcock
- Joe Regalbuto as Frank Teruggi
- Keith Szarabajka as David Holloway
- John Doolittle as David McGeary
- Janice Rule as Kate Newman
- Ward Costello as Congressman
- Hansford Rowe as Senator
- Tina Romero as Maria
- Richard Whiting as Statesman
Production
Missing is based on a book that was 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), and inspired by the case of Charles Horman, who vanished in Chile.[1] The film was shot in Mexico,[5] with a budget of $9.5 million from Universal Studios, marking Costa-Gavras' most expensive production.[1]
The score is by the Greek electronic composer Vangelis. The movie's piano theme has been used extensively in commercials, but an official release of the film's soundtrack has not yet occurred. The main theme appeared first on Vangelis' 1989 album Themes. The main theme is also available on the Festival de Cannes (60th Anniversary) compilation of famous soundtracks. A bootleg release of the soundtrack exists. A sung version with lyrics by Tim Rice has been recorded by Elaine Paige and Nana Mouskouri. A 7-inch single was released by Polydor in 1989 [6]
Release
Missing was released in theaters on February 12, 1982, in limited theaters and was released widely on March 12, 1982, in 733 theaters. It ranked at #3 at the box office, grossing $2.3 million. In its first week, it grossed $5.5 million. In its second weekend, it landed at #5, making $1.8 million. For its second week, it made $2.3 million. After 49 days and 7 weeks in theaters, the film made between $14[2] and $16 million in the US.[3]
The film was released on both VHS and Laserdisc, in 1982 and 1987, by MCA Videocassette, MCA Videodisc, and MCA Home Video respectively. The VHS version was pulled from the market due to the lawsuit filed against director Costa-Gavras. Universal Home Video re-released Missing on DVD in 2004, following the dismissal of the lawsuit. A special edition DVD was released by The Criterion Collection in October 2008.
Lawsuit
In 1983, a year after the film's theatrical release, both the film (then in the home video market) and Thomas Hauser's book The Execution of Charles Horman were removed from the United States market following a lawsuit filed against Costa-Gavras and Universal Pictures's (then) parent company MCA by former ambassador Nathaniel Davis and two others for defamation of character. A lawsuit against Hauser himself was dismissed because the statute of limitations had expired. Davis and his associates lost their lawsuit, after which the film was re-released by Universal in 2006.[citation needed]
Reception
Reviews
Roger Ebert gave the film three stars, writing that while the film was being cited for courage in criticism of the U.S. government, the criticism was clouded by its direction, but the best scenes were where Lemmon and Spacek's character were bogged down by the embassy's "niceties" in their search.[4] Vincent Canby, writing for The New York Times, positively reviewing the message and Ricardo Aronovich's cinematography.[5]
In his 2015 Movie Guide, Leonard Maltin awarded Missing three and a half stars, highlighting Lemmon's acting and crediting Costa-Gavras as a skilled director.[7] The film has a 97% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 29 reviews.[8]
Accolades
Missing won the Palme d'Or (Golden Palm) at the 1982 Cannes Film Festival, while Lemmon was awarded Best Actor for his performance.[9]
See also
- Forced disappearance
- 1973 Chilean coup d'état
- Operation Condor (also known as Plan Condor)
References
- ^ a b c Wolf, William (1 February 1982). "Costa-Gavras Goes to Hollywood". New York. p. 44.
- ^ a b "Missing (1982)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
- ^ a b Box Office Information for Missing. The Numbers. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
- ^ a b Ebert, Roger (January 1, 1982). "Missing". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
- ^ a b Canby, Vincent (12 February 1982). "'MISSING' BY COSTA-GAVRAS". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
- ^ "Vangelis – Missing". Discogs.
- ^ Maltin, Leonard (2014). Leonard Maltin's 2015 Movie Guide. Penguin. ISBN 0698183614.
- ^ "Missing (1982)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
- ^ a b "Festival de Cannes: Missing". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-06-12.
- ^ "THE 55TH ACADEMY AWARDS". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
- ^ "Film in 1983". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
- ^ "Missing". Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
- ^ "AWARD: FILM OF THE YEAR". London Film Critics' Circle. 12 April 2010. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
- ^ "1982 Award Winners". National Board of Review. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
Further reading
- Hauser, Thomas (1978). The Execution of Charles Horman: An American Sacrifice. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. ISBN 0-151-29456-9.
- Hauser, Thomas (1982). Missing: A New Film by Costa-Gavras. New York: AVON. ISBN 0-380-49098-6.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/34px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png)
- Missing at IMDb
- Missing at AllMovie
- Missing at Rotten Tomatoes
- Missing: “Who Would Care About Us If We Disappeared?” An essay by Michael Wood at the Criterion Collection.
- 1982 films
- 1980s thriller drama films
- American films
- American political thriller films
- English-language films
- Spanish-language films
- Docudramas
- Films about Latin American military dictatorships
- Films based on non-fiction books
- Films about missing people
- Films directed by Costa Gavras
- Films scored by Vangelis
- Films whose writer won the Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award
- Palme d'Or winners
- Films set in Chile
- Films set in 1973
- Films shot in Mexico
- Forced disappearance
- Political repression in Chile during the military government (1973–1990)
- Political films based on actual events
- Films whose writer won the Best Screenplay BAFTA Award
- PolyGram Filmed Entertainment films
- Films shot in Mexico City
- 1980s political films