Customer Reviews

The Medusa Touch [VHS]

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The Medusa Touch is the fantastic story of a middle age English man tormented by the terrifying revelation, he is responsible for the the world's disasters. Richard Burton gives an unforgetable performance as writer John Morlar, who is brutally murdered and left for dead. Trouble is, his mind refuses to die. Convinced, from a young age, Morlar believes he has had the power to cause personal as well as world catastrophes. To prove his point, he snares a fully-loaded flying 747 jumbo jet and causes it to crash into a high rise apartment building, killing hundreds. The case is investigated by French Inspector Brunel(Supurbly played by Lino Ventura) who is convinced, Morlar's personal psychiatrist, Doctor Zonfeld (Lee Remick in one of her finest roles), is harboring a horrifying secret which eventually engulfs them both. The film is a masterpiece, combining the attributes of in your seat suspense and visual scenes which are further enhanced by a haunting musical score. With veteran actors like Harry Andrews, Alan Badel, Michael Hordern, and Derek Jacobi, the movie becomes a classic drama of unparalleled achievement. *****

I received a copy of this only yesterday from a friend in the UK...I was prepared to be mildly entertained (and amused at the late '70's fashions) for 90 minutes, but I was HOOKED from the start. There are a few scenes that could have benefitted greatly by the use of today's computer generated special effects (if you've seen the film, you know the scenes I'm talking about..) but this isn't about SFX...it's a mind-game (literally), and the supporting players..Derek Jacobi, Michael Hordern, Alan Badel, Jeremy Brett, Gordon Jackson, Marie-Christine Barrault, Harry Andrews...the list goes on and on. Is it a film classic? No, but it's one HECK of a ride worthy of many repeat viewings!

Richard Burton's performance is riveting. His incredible voice and style at its utmost make this film an intense intellectual thriller that is just plain eerie. Richard Burton stars in and narrates this film including several monologue soliloquies added just to showcase his inimitable talents. If you love Richard Burton you must own this film.

This is the film that got me interested in Burton. I first saw it on British television many years ago,and Burtons portrayal of an intelligent, but massively tortured man is reminiscent of his own life.He had a "gift" which would ultimately tear him apart.This film is not currently available on video in the UK.That is a disgrace.

I have seen this film three times on British television and I can recommend it to all. Richard Burton is at his absolute peak in the dark and menacing lead. The film itself is beautifully crafted, and works on numerous levels. It is not unknown for me to ask relative strangers what their favourite movie is and be told "The Medusa Touch" which is quite astounding since it is a little known title. If you get the opportunity to watch this film, I implore you to grab it with both hands.

The reason why this DVD, 'The Medusa Touch', initially inspired me is its relation to mental illness. Richard Burton is the main protagonist in the story, a man haunted with an innate ability to create disaster using with his own mind. How I thought that this would relate to mental illness is something that I do not really know; however, I believe that there is a connection. Mental illness, in my sense, relates to an aberration, an anomaly to one's brain function. John Morlar, played by Richard Burton, is a novelist who believes that he is possessed by something evil. Is he though? His doctor, Zonfeld, played by that brilliant actress Lee Remick, simply believes that he is obsessed and fails to understand any difference between the evil that this Mr Morlar speaks of and her own limited understanding. In fact, in order to prevent any more disaster, she tries to kill him in his own apartment at a point in the story when she, herself, has come to realize that he does, in fact, have the mental power to create disaster. This film is a masterpiece which represents the abnormal human mind in its most profound subtlety. It is a film of the mind, edging on evil, and therefore on abnormality. I highly recommend it, in spite of its 1970s overtones.

I loved this movie i was tottaly blown and i saw this movie and i was so scared it is the most interesting and brain twisting movie ive ever seen

Saw this years ago on television. This movie HAS to be the best kept secret in the chiller genre. Acting is first-rate to boot!

I remember watching this movie a long time ago in the theater. The special effects were not the best I have ever seen, but it had an eerie feeling to it. Good performance by Richard Burton. The description in Amazon says that the protagonist has the ability to come up with thoughts and make them come true, but as far as I remember Burton's character is able to "prophesy" when something bad is going to happen, rather than cause bad things to happen.

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