Directed by:
Frank PerryScreenplay:
Eleanor PerryCinematography:
Leonard HirschfieldComposer:
Mark LawrenceCast:
Keir Dullea, Janet Margolin, Howard Da Silva, Neva Patterson, Frank Perry, Clifton James, Karen Lynn Gorney, Jaime Sánchez, Richard McMurrayPlots(1)
Seventeen-year-old David (Keir Dullea) suffers from a violent fear of being touched. When his mother (Neva Patterson) takes him to an institution for teenagers, he is angry and distrustful of both the doctors and his fellow patients, even calm and thoughtful Dr. Swinford (Howard Da Silva), who tries to help him. However, David has a breakthrough when he begins communicating with Lisa (Janet Margolin), a pretty 15-year-old schizophrenic who talks in childlike rhymes. Their friendship is mutually beneficial, and when David's parents decide that he should return home, he realizes that he has gained a sense of belonging at the institution and is reluctant to leave. Meanwhile, while David is away, Lisa demonstrates in her own alarming way how much his influence means to her. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Awards
- Winner
- Nominations
Academy Awards
- 1963 - Frank Perry (Best Achievement in Directing)
- 1963 - Eleanor Perry (Best Adapted Screenplay)
British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA)
- 1964 - Best Film
- 1964 - Howard Da Silva (Best Foreign Actor)
- 1964 - Keir Dullea (Most Promising Newcomer to Film)
- 1964 - Janet Margolin (Most Promising Newcomer to Film)
Venice Film Festival
- 1962 - Frank Perry (Lion of the Future (Luigi De Laurentiis Award))